The Washington herald., 1921-03-27
AMERICAN WORKER
TELLS OF FAMINE
CONDITION NCHllA.
Strives to Keep 10000
Alive Out of 130, 900 in
One District.
ny CHARLES A. DALEY.

PEKING. March 27.-Here are a
few excerpts from a letter written
by the Rev. =. J. Griffith. who 10 en-
deavoring to keep alive 1o.oao per-
sions out OF the 10000 destitute in
one district OF China. by the distri-
button Of grain and clothing sent by
the American army and navy fami-
lies in the Philippines. assisted by
the native and foreign population OF
Manila. aroused by a short but
vigorous campaign waged in Octo-
ber and sending the first actual re-
lief supplies to the famine district:
"A number Of the famine victims
are already frost bitten and unable
to leave their homes. Even now the
death rate from cold and starvation
Is very heavy. Funeral ceremonies
are now on. but the dead are carried
outside the villages in such clothes
as they die in, and there just COW
cred with a little earth. A strange
request now comes TO me. and that
is. could We supply them with sim
pie coffins to bury the dead with a
little decency. We all know how
they always try TO show respect to
the dead.
Moved 20 Pity.
During the last fve weeks my
heart has been moved to pity at a
sight l see every time ! go TO our
granary and soup kitchen. On the
main street, under the shelter OF a
veranda, out in the open, exposed TO
all weather. a family of four. a
father and three sons, have made
their home. They are the picture OF
abject misery. They have some
straw to lie on and a quilt to cover
them. Night and day they are hud-
died together. and all see that they
are doomed to die. They had to
leave home and come out to beg. All
in vain. They do not belong to this
county and we have not sufficient 20
care for the starving in our own
area"
Griffith. who. Il will be recalled.
is working alone in Anping County.
the sole foreigner in a district two
days cart haul from the railway.
also writes:
"one family at Tai Liang. FIVE II
them grown up. have two pairs Of
wadded trousers among them. and
they change rouni when IL is neces-
sary to go out of doors. The other
three must keep inside out OF the
cold. Another family in the same
village by the name OF Yang are
seven all told. practically all sdults
One of them. a girl Of 16. is blind.
To simplify matters for the rest Of
the family II was thought advisable
to let the blind sister starve. She
is only a girl and blind: let her go
frst"-such is the general way OF
looking at things in China. / have
received some hep outside grants
from the societies. and this am ir-
structed TO use Cor specially urgent
cases. The blind girl will not be the
FIRST to starve.'
Sour kitchens.
This is contained in a third letter
from Grifith-receivinga and writing
letters being his sole diversion in
the long and lonesome winter nights
One Of our Chinese women workers
was paying a visit to some of the
poor people who come to our soup
kitchen daily. CEvidently Griffith
has not had the fortitude to close
it. as proposed. She found a poor
family taking shelter in the public
shed where We grind our grain. A
woman with three small children
were all huddled together in a cor
ner of the hut. The family belong
to the adjoining country of Hsien-
hsin. They were abliged to leave
home and come out to beg. Two
elder girls they had left behind to
shift for themselves. 1t is terrible
to think what has happened to
them. A rich harvest is being reap
ed by delegates from outside dis
tricts. who purchase these girls and
take them away to be sold as slave
girls.
The poor mother is. now out of
her mind and in a few days is ex-
pectinS another child to be born.
We have found shelter for her and
her family until such time as she
can be about again. II is no good
to make hard and fast rules for re-
lief work when We are up against
such cases as these. Conscience
dictate action. which cannot con-
form to any set OF rules"
Ccspyrisnt, is2l.)