The New York herald., 1921-09-07

rescue, which we PERSONNEL, had oeen
dissipated.
Then followed that rarest occurrence
in this world of men. All began to
weep. Tears streamed from the red
hunted, eyes Of the scores of stalwart
men about us. looking straight ahead
to their destruction. Tears flowed from
our eyes. We could see but could not
save.
Choking with grief we retired to our
boat. We passed the high pile Of wheat
guarded by the solitary sentinel. 1t was
the most preposterous spectacle one
could have conjured. 1t screamed OF
some colossal fraud that all those weep
ing men must be condemned to die in
the presence OF these tons of grain.
The Secretary previously had ex-
planned That was the seed. That was
one-fifth OF the allotment of Stavropol
township for the next harvest. And
there was only a fortnight before the
planting.
1t was safe enough with It's one guard
ing soldier. For the Russian peasant
would de before he stole from the
future.
Since then have seen the same rev.
erence for next year. seen men eat grass
rather than fitch what belongs to to-
morrow. s.a some respects this seems to
be the most significant truth I have
fathomed In Russia
The unschoo,ed. primitive, apathetic
Russian peasant has this virtue and
surely Il is worth much to the world.
No Riots for Food.
The refugees at Stavropol not only
have accepted their starvation in the
presence OF 800 tons of seed grain. but
A,.$~ ftx,~A 10
within a quarter of mile of the market
where food is offered for sale. No po-
liceman is standing guard at the market.
That this property is sacred to their
simple minds indicates the remarkable
respect for authority which may be
found generally throughout the famine
district.
At the Samara railroad station a res
taurant lately has been reopened. dis
posing of every delicacy from hors
d'euvres to steak and pastries and cof-
fee. Half OF 1t gives the appearance OF
a great sanctuary, with an imposing
buffet like an altar and long linen draped
tables.
The costliest dish is 80 cents. The
other half of the restaurant is an en-
closure for waiting passengers. The
walls are covered with gaudy Autographs
conveying the teaching of communism.
The space is overcrowded with scores Of
starving families. With the odors Of
that functioning restaurant they spend
the nights ignorant of temptation. Pos
sibly $4,000 starving refugees are at
Samara continually within earshot of
the cries of venders in the market places
and the babble OF voices offering food for
sale.
Stavropol Landing, however, has only
an improvised market, catering to few
resident officials and passengers Of river
steamers which put up there three times
a day. II has perhaps twenty-five ragged
merchants In all, each with miserably
small stocks displayed on top of old
stands. or on rags spread on the ground.
There bread, that come from the
cities through freshly oper ed channels
OF free trade, may be bought along with
melons and fruits from the farms. These
fruits compose nearly the entire yield,
and they had prospered because OF the
late showers that came after the grain
fields had been scorched black.9
We did not recognize the relationship
between the market of Stavropol Land
ing and our refugees In the woods
above until we had returned from an
inspection OF the town late in the after
noon. We were to be sorely tried by a
drama on a sandy slope. and we had
been trying ever since to muster cour-
age to propose surrcndering 4 share OF
our own stores, which we believed was
the only way we could help.