Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1921-02-10
NEWS FROM The
FAMINE LAND
Dear Friends:

I will try to show by some incidents
Last Wednesday, at noon, 1 found
a woman with three SMALL children
on the front door step. 1t was
cold day, and they were all blue and
shiyering. The mother had fairly
warm coat, but it was short and on
her legs she had only thin muslin
trousers. One of the children was
in the same state except that her
trousers had great holes in them,
and the thin cold legs showed thru.
The mother had come seeking work,
saying they were entirely out of food.
The last they had was bought with
the price of their warm clothing. We
gave them some hot porridge and
some clothing and turned them over
to Mr.. Heininger for investigation
of her story. He found that the sur
vey of her village showed her state>
ment to be true and she was given
place in our self-help sewing factory.
She will be given one hot meal Cat
noon) and grain to carry home fol
her family at night.
Thursday morning another woman
came from the same village with a
pitiful tale. l looked her up. ut
certainly is a fine thing that the sur
vey has been made so that we can
tell from the records whether any
imposition is being attempted). She
was named as one of the extremely
poor, was promised help and told to
return later. But she still hung abou,
the door. Finally she said, "but my
boy; he is so hungry; he cannot
stand it." l went to the kitchen and
brot her about quart of grain, and
when l gave it to her she got down
to "kow-tow" to me as they do to
their gods. 1 said mo-, it is not me
you are to thank; thank the Father
in Heaven, venerable Heavenly
Grandfather) as they all express
their idea of God. She pointed up
wards and then touched her fore
head three times to the ground
which is the Chinese way of express
ing supreme gratitude.
Again the next day a bright little
girl was brot to our refuge. The
man who brot her said her little
brother had died, quite certainly
Af ich mr.
that the mother was sick with her
body swollen, one of the sure signs
that starvation is doing its fatal
work. There is to be little relief
for their district in the near future,
but l can not help wondering wheth-
er that sick mother can endure the
wait.
told you of the mother who some
weeks ago came walking seventeen
miles on the mere hope that we
could take in her seven year old
girl, which we did, and sent the
mother back over the long road she
had come carrying year old baby
both ways. Her twelve year old girl
had been given away before the
first visit, and she had two little
boys at home. Her husband went
away in the fall in search of work,
leaving her a sack of Koaling "a
sort of kaffir corn ordinarily used
only for stock food; and sack of
chaff. Two days ago she came
again Her husband had returned
without having found any work, and
could 1 get him anything by which he
could earn something The baby of
the thirty four mile trip had died
shortly after the return on the first
visit. Their food supply was ex-
hausted. had to tell her there was
no hope of getting work here but
that relief for their district would
surely get to them within few
days and she must go home and wait.
l put some grain in her basket to
help her through a few days and |
started her for the fourth journey |
over the long sad trail.
There has just come a report from !
quite near us of family, father,
mother, six children, and an old !
grandmother. The father and oldest
son went in search of work last fall !
md have not been heard from since.
Three children have been given away
he mother, grandmother, and two
are left and their food is
zone. The grandmother and one child
lave to lie on the brick bed all the
ime having no clothing with which
o dress. They owned little prop
'rty when the survey was made and
o could not be classified as requir,
ng help. Now having eaten up all
here was they are coming to des-
erate condition.
There is a woman sewing in our
elf help factory, who has a child at
ONE that must stay in bed all the ,
ime for want of clothing, so it was
eported to me yesterday.
So Won see no dav nasspe without