Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-02-03
BABIES STARVING
BY THE MILLIONS
Amazing Reports Sent
Here By u. S. Agents
Abroad
Continued from page u

mere ghosts of human beings, With
tattered rags hanging about them and
skeleton hands extended appea lIngly
for help, are sickening and terrify-
ing sights that greet the traveller on
every hand. Thousands persisted in a
recent blizzard that swept over Es-
thonia, and hundreds Of babes we're
found frozen at their mothers
breasts"
In Finland a similar condition ex-
lists, with 10000 children weakened
from lack of proper food and without
warm clothing, facing the rigors of
the Baltic winter. The worst point
in Finland is in Helsingfors, where
the combined lack Of food. fuel and
clothing have produced terrible suffer-
ing.
To the east of this hunger-ridden
strip reaching through Central Eu-
rope, from Jugo-Slavia, on the Adr-
latlc, to Finland on the Baltic Sea, lies
another famine-stricken country in
the most desperate straits. This is
the land of perennial suffering and
hunger-Armenia.
In Russian p.
Colonel William N. Haskell, re-
porting to the American Relief Com
mission on conditions in Armenia,
says:
"The restitution in Russian-Ar-
menia exceeds anything l have seen
or heard of in the world today. 1t is
fact impossible of contradiction that
the Hoover food supplies extending
this winter have solely and exclusive
ly saved the Armenian nation from
starvation, and it is equally certain
that if these foodstuffs stop most
of the population will die during the
coming winter. Unless some pro-
gram of relief is set up Immediately
between 100000 and 100000 will die
of starvation"
of this Armenian population so
sorely pressed for food, largely home
less, hungry, disease ridden, 285,00O
are children in the most dire straits.
Such is the barest outline of the
desperate situation in Central Europe
as sketchei by the latest reports
reaching Washington. The details in
any one of the countries named would
fill a volume, and would be such a
recital of unbelievable hardship, suf-
fering and abject misery that the hor-
rors of war, bad as they were and ter
rible as the hardship they entailed,
would seem desirable-even welcome
by comparison.
AS sketched above, the figures pre-
sent only the numbers of children &C.
tually within the starvation line. In
children alone the total makes 4,997,-
600! But in addition to the children
there are men and women-young,
middle-aged, old-numbering many
millions more, who, though perhaps
able to- withstand for a somewhat
longer time the lack of nourishing
food, who can maintain existence for
a time on the scant, coarse rations
they are able to scrape up, are, new
ertheless, in danger of death either
from actual starvation or from dis
case, to which their weakened condi-
ton makes them easy victims.
Red Cross authorities declare that,
unless relief of a substantial nature
is provided, outside any possible in
ternal channels, not less than 10000
900 people are in danger of death in
these countries in the next four
months
Relief Only To Starving Children
A measure of relief is now being
given in these countries through the
European Children's Fund of the
American Relief Administration. 1t
is meeting, so far as is possible, with
in the funds at its disposal, the most
immediate demands for relief. But
it cannot feed all. 1t is forced to