The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-12-07
THE. OTHER HALF.

! -
= A hint OF the tragedy that is ever present
in the world has been given in the news col
umns OF the papers the past few days. News
dispatches tell of the poverty of the outcast
people of India, and graphically picture the
plight of 20,000,000000 in China who face
death by starvation. The facts are incredible
and stagger belief
! The outcast people OF India, the lowest in
the scale of that country of innumerable
castles, number millions. They live in cond-
tions of unimaginable degradation, toll and
poverty They huddle together in thousands
of small villages of mud huts, in which hu-
man beings and beasts discharge all the func-
tons of life in single small room They have
not much else save the breath of life in their
bodies Sanitation is unknown, cleanliness
is a stranger to them, the commoneSt domestic
conveniences, to say nothing OF comfort, are
lacking. They have not even pure water. Lite
spells to them nothing except grinding toll,
from birth until death is merciful to them.
Their lives are a perpetual struggle for food
"a struggle that engages all their time,
thought and energies. Men, women and chill
dren alike labor The severest and most de-
grading work falls to the woman's lot. Earn
ings are computed in cents, not dollars A
man will earn not more than $40 year, and
the woman's wage is half that of the man.
What contrast with the days wage in
America The people are heavily burdened
by debt and are required to pay usurious rates
of interest-not 10 or IS or 20 per cent, which
would be considered usurious in this country,
but from IS to $50 per cent. Once in debt, and
debt is inevitable, the poor Indian is never
able to rid himself of it.
To these people Christian people of Ameri-
ca are sending missionaries who are estab-
fishing in the villages sanitation and cleanli-
ness, schools for adults and children, and are
teaching sobriety and temperance. They
have established banks for the purpose OF
financing the farmers and relieving them OF
their burden of debt. They have introduced
improved methods of soil culture and better
seed and have thereby doubled, trebled and
quadrupled the crop yield. They have shown
the people how to store their surplus grain
and thus guard against famine in lean years.
And with all this that is practical they are
bringing into the lives of the people the light
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, obeying the
Injunction of the founder of Christianity, 60
we into all the world and preach the gospel to
every creature" What better can enlightened
America do than support generously such
missionary efforts?
In China the news dispatches tell of Ameri-
can mercy fastening to the succor of famine
sufferers, but the magnitude of the task APP
pears to be greatly beyond all hope OF &C
complishment The statement that 20,00O,OO0
people are dying of starvation, and that at
least only five per cent of that number can
be rescued is appalling. It is difficult to grasp
the significance of the figures. Twenty mil
lion-almost ten times as many people as
there are in the state of Georgia. What do
such troubles as we have in this country
amount to in comparison with the proportions
of that tragedy?
The situation is summons to the generos-
ity and humanitarian purposes OF America
that is imperative. In India and China the
haunting spectre of want, famine and death;
in America only abundance, warehouses pack
ed to the roof, great crops still on the farms.
Is not our duty clear?