The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-11
AID FOR DESTITUTE
SERVIANS Is ASKED
100000 Will Starve, It Is
Said. Unless Quick Relief
Is Forthcoming.
NEED SEEDS AND TOOLS

An appeal has been made by Nine.
Slavko Groutch, wife OF the Servian
Under Secretary OF Foreign Affairs, who
Is In this country representing the Ser
Wan Red Cross and other relief socie-
ties. TO aid the destitute servian women
and children whose homes have been
DEVASTATED by the recent invasion OF Ser
Wan soil. In answer to this appeal a
committee of influential Americans has
been formed
Eight hundred thousand Servians will
starve unless they can obtain grain for
seed and tools to work with next spring.
Nine. Groultch says. Servia is the
country of which II was said not longer
than three years ago, There are no beg
gars there, and no rich men"
IAN the able bodied men of Servia
are at the front" the appeal relates.
The women and children must plant
and cultivate the crops in the spring or
there will be no grain on which the ma
ton can live next winter. But now the
farms are devastated, buildings and inn
plements burned and live stock de-
stroyed. Under these conditions a fam
mine is inevitable. To prevent this an
American committee has been formed to
supply the Servians with food and seed
and SO give them a chance to save them
selves"
The condition OF the civilian popula-
ton is indicated in the following excerpt
| from recent interview with the head
OF the Servian Church:
To-day one-third OF the population
is destitute OF everything. Since the
beginning Of the war. when their lands
were turned into battleflelds, they have
endured terrible privations and their
| sufterings have been still greater during
the war because the first invasion took
away a great proportion of the peasants
who remained behind TO provide food
| for the families OF those who were fight
| ing.
Women. the mothers, wives and sis
| tiers, and the children of a million Ser
vians are suffering now because of the
second invasion, and more Servlans still
are driven from their homes In six Of
| the most fertile districts no less than
/ 80 per cent. of the children are dying
/ from lack Of nourishment and medicine,
| from cold and exposure
IN the invaded villages everything
| has been plllaged and destroyed, and
when the unfortunate refugees who are
| compelled TO flee return TO their homes
! they will in the majority OF cases find
nothing either in tho shape Of houses
or food"
When We realize that Servla has
| been in three wars since 1912. that in
! effect she has been keeping every avail
| able man on the firing line for the last
/ three years, then her present condition
| IL hardly surprising" says Nine. Grou-
| itch. ALSO II must be remembered
that she must care for her own refugees
| She has no rich neighbors like England
and Holland. So far as outside help Is
concerned she has been left TO fend FOR
/ herself
1T is not 70 much war relief NJ
peaceful reconstruction that tho commit
| tee is working for As Servia is a farm
! ing country pure and simple. the only
possible reconstruction work is that
! looking to the revival of agriculture
! The Seryian Government can keep alive
those OF its subjects who have been
brought together in the larger towns
But It IL not yet able to maintain then
on their farms In the devastated prov.
inces. They can only be sert back wher
they can be provided with food to live
on while they are planting the next
crop. SO We ask for money to buy foot
for them, grain and seed for planting
and simple farming tools TO work with
Corn and beans will be the mos
easily planted crops Ire normal corr
crop OF Servla has been about 5000. 0OC
bushels: the other important food crop,
have been wheat, barley. rye, oats anC
beans, In the order named.
"As to live stock, hog End sheep rails
ing has been among the mainstays o
the country. But nov this industry
has been wiped out and OF course can
not be Immediately revived. Live stool
cannot be shipped under present condi
lions. So this year corn and bean!
must be grown in much larger proper
lions than normally"
The committee asks for money, grain
seeds and simple farming tools, Ties
are needed now. to-day. the committee
says. II is literally true that ever,
days delay will mean just so many NOR
, deaths from starvation.
J. +. Morgan Co. have consente,
to act az agents for the committee
Subscriptions of money should be sent &
them at New York.
Grain. seeds. tools. &c, should be sen
prepaid to the American Servian Agri
cultural Reliet Committee Bush Ter
, nlnal. New York,
II would greatly expedite the work
the committee announces. IL contributor
? would notify tho committee at its offices
i 20 Fifth avenue. few days in advanc
, OF sending their contributions.
The committee consists Of &. W. Flo
Prof Pupin. T. 11leston Wells. Samue
, ], Dutton. Willard Straight. Georg
Plimpton, Breck Trowbridge and Others