The New York herald., 1921-12-25
EVIL POLICY BREAKING
Commonplace Folk Helping
Toward Recovery Of
the World.
RAISING RELIEF FUNDS
Unemployed in British Cities
Respond to Appeal for
Starving in Russia.
ny SIR PHILIP gibbs.

ny SIR PHILIP gibbs.
Special Cable to TIE NEW York HERALD
LONDON Dec. 24.-For the first time
since the worlds young manhood was
called to arms for the greatest war in
history we may look forward with
hope to the beginning of new year
and sit down to whatever feast is
provided by good luck or Gods grace
with good reason to believe the spirit
Of Christmas, which is the love of
humanity. is no longer utterly be-
trayed by people and Powers. That
hope is not based on renewed pros
perity, for so far as Europe goes 1t
Is for the most part more poverty
stricken now than even year ago; but
there Is an old proverb in one Ian
guage OF Europe which says that
moEey lost Is nothing lost, spirit lost
Is all lost; and what Is hopeful now
is not the recovery of money but the
recovery Of spirit, which for some time
was very low.
| lAc sPiiiI VI IN peSluulfB 10
show signs Of life in high places by
some miracle which has rapidly
changed the whole face of interna-
tional politics; although IL I wished to
be cynical (and I don't) could sug-
gest that the cause for this so far is
self-interest prefer to dwell more
on what seems to me the greater truth.
1t is the charity and common sense
of millions of commonplace folk which
at last Is breaking down the evil
policy OF the old tradition and helping
toward the recovery of the world. I
have seen during tho last few days
In two provincial cities Of England
how the spirit Of charity exists and
rises above self-interest in spite of
poverty and distress. 1t was when I
spoke on behalf of the famine stricken
people Of Russia In Liverpool and
Birmingham.
Cannot Forget Scenes.
Having seen the famine in Russia
and brought back memories of stary-
ing peasants and their children which
l shall never forget. I am sometimes
bitter at the thought that the nations
OF the world. like the priest and the
Levite, pass by the stricken, bleeding
members of the human family, that
peasant population OF the Volga, with
out lifting hand to the rescue. That
is still true of the Governments, and
public imaginations are still deadened
by SO many tales of tragedy, so many
appeals for help from all parts of the
world.
When was asked to speak In
those two cities 1t seemed to me al
most hopeless to expect any response.
expected hostility and that very nat
ural, reasonable answer. Charity be-
gins at homo" For in Liverpool there
are $4,000 unemployed men and In
the great docks the ships do not get
many cargoes. owing to the collapse
of world trade. In Birmingham there
are 100000 unemployed. the city is
hard hit by trade depression, which is
the worst In all it's history. There Ia
also a deep suspicion in England
everywhere that the Soviet Govern
ment. while crying out for rescue for
its starving folk, In still using money
for stirring up revolution in other
countries, including our own, and that
food sent out for Russia will feed
Soviet officials and Red soldiers. The
last suspicion II utterly unjustified,
as have absolute evidence for say
Ing; but 1t In still widespread.
] believed. therefore, I was speaking
in behalf OF an unpopular cause. and
1t was only my remembrance of the
Russian villages deep in snow 1900
miles away from England, where I
saw families of fine, splendid peasants
waiting for death. weeping over the
hunger of their children, with empty
cupboards and no chance of life but
foreign charity slow In coming, which
gave me courage to speak. My audi
ences were made up OF people whose
business is nearly or quite at a stand
still, whose futures in a tragic way are
uncertain, and among many young
men Of the laboring classes who find It
hard TO get any kind of job.
But after hearing the facts told them
about Russia they made astonishing
response. Tho very unemployed of
Liverpool opened a fund and subscribed
out OF their poverty to keep the Rus
sian peasants whose poverty Is creator
than theirs. Women put their rings
into the plates where others put sill
yer. The Liverpool Corn Exchange,
which ] addressed for five minutes,
Immediately opened subscription:
the Liverpool Rotary Club decided
that each member should put a box
on the Christmas table for q family
donation.
SO II was at Birmin CHAM, In spite
of those 100000 unemployed Young
undergraduates of the university have
taken the lead In raising. funds among
their own fellows, while all classes are
contributing according 10 their means.
which, frankly, are very small. In
Manchester, where trade conditions
are serious, 100000 were subscribed.
All that is. to my mind. wonderful,
splendid, for the Russian tragedy has
happened after the world has had a
surfeit of tragedy and Mt time when
England herself is sorely tried and
only by great wisdom and great luck
has escaped financial calamity.
But apart from these proofs of pri-
vate charity, what impressed me be-
yond everything. what will interest
American readers perhaps most Of all,