New-York tribune., 1922-06-12
Russian Peasants
Consider A. II. A.
Great Magician
Leaders Of Cults Declare Re-
lief is Devils Trick, but
Food Wins the People:
Kitchens Spared by Band

TSARITSIN. RUSSIA, April 2i (By
Mail) The peasants Of the vii
lagos Of the Volga River Valley wer
amazed when the food supplies Of the
American Relief Administration began
20 arrive They had not believed Il pos
sible that promises Of food would be
fulfilled. Newspaper articles Which
rave been collected by agents Of the
A r. A. show some Of the astonishment
these people felt when at last they re-
c,ivcd the hoped-fo gifts from Amer
lca.
IT is very fine. but Il cannot last. ="
said one % peasants whose children had
r.ceived food frori the A. r. a. Surely
they viii stop it'soon. They give us
f.tie bread. milk. soup. and beans and
tho children come back 20 life. Their
cheeks are like apples. When We had
bread they did not look so well even at
three pounds a day
The Russian writer who interviewed
the peasants told them the distribution
~ food would be continued until next
harvest
IN some of the remote oantons where
. there are many strange seets the Amer
ican food was received with suspicion.
The devil is tempting US muttered
some o. the faithful when the corn and
. cocoa, absolutely unknown before, ar
rived. HE Is posing as an American
and trying 70 make US drink his brown
poison"
They upset the boilers containing
ffe cocoa made for the children and
the a. r. 4. inspectors were compelled
10 conduct q campaign Of education 70
explain the meaning Of albumin and
oaloTies.
so they have mixed albumin in the
four" declared some OF the suspicious
ones. 1T is % tempt us, trick Of the
devil. Don't touch u. brothers
Since they had already eaten dogs,
why not try this devilish. strange con
coction? They sampled IL and were
pleased Having been assured that the
Americans also believed IN God, their
fears vanished Soon almost two-thirds
AZ the children IN this area were being
fed by the A. r. A. There Is no more
talk Of the devil.
The efficiency with which the work
Of the A. r.. A was done contributed TO
the surprise % the peasants. On that
point one writer said: Every railway
car loaded with foodstuffs that ar
rives in the station at Tsaritsin has
been broken into and pifered. Only
a. K. a. shipment arrives in good order
and practically intact This is very
puzzling. The A. r. A. trains are not
better guarded than the others. Thieves
here fear nothing, but for some reason
there exists tacit understanding
the A. r. a. supplies must be left
alone
"The A. r. A. gives no bribes and
makes no threats. IL simply announces
what il needs and demands action. II
is evident that II has acquired a re-
markable prestige. In this atmosphere
of famine and crime such an institu-
ton seems marvellous thing. We
Russians love miracles. believe in
them and expect them. The A. K. A. is
miraculous. To interfere with II would
be sin"
Another newspaper man wrote: The
.tonishing thing is that in spite OF
an obstacles the A. X. A. kitchens ap-
reared as II by magic in every con
ceivable place, working with machine
like perfection.
"Why is II that the A. r. A. supplies
are distributed and not ours7 Because
the Americans know what they are try
ing 20 do and follow definite plan.
The peasants believe that Americans
are like powerful magicians They can
do whatever they wish. They could feed
Am Russia II they decided to-
In the country districts outside Of
Tsaritsin there we're many' bandits and
when the Americans started their work
the kitchens had hardly been opened
i'm some villages before the bandits
came and raided them. But now, says
one writer. this interference from ban
dts has virtually ceased. The majority
of the bands refer 10 the A. X. A. as
the nurse and leave It scrupulously
ofono