Evening journal., 1922-03-04
MANY RUSSIANS
IN DEATH GRIP
Not More Than 6 Per Cent
in Villages Will Survive
Winters Rigors
CHILDREN ARE
WITHOUT FOOD
BY EDWIN w. HULLNGER

Republic. East Russia. Dec. Is (By
Mai) .-'All Of us in this room will
be dead before those SHOWS melt
again"
The aged Tartar looked around
the small party of seven for confr-
nation. His tiny black skull cap
(Mohammedan ethics advise against
displaying ones hair before women)
looked out OF keeping witk his mas
slve jaws and cheekbones, whose
prominence were accentuated by the
sag Of hunger in his cheeks.
The "samovar" was steaming on
the table, its puffs of vapor recalling
the days when there were bread and
cakes. real sugar and milk, and not
simply hot water and old tea leaves.
We were sitting, legs crossed Ori-
entail fashion. on the table, a low
platform eighteen inches from the
floor which filled one end OF the
room. The Mohammedan house has
no chairs. You sit cross-legged on
the floor or on the table.
The lamp hickered each little
fare revealing a new object in the
simple room. There were the re-
lielous notices on the wall with
their scrawlings in Tarter (the Tar
tars use the Turkish alphabeD.
There was the beautiful coin breast
piece, part OF every good Tartar
woman's OUTFIT, now dangling from a
tack in the log wall The gold and
silver pieces. old Russian. Turkish,
Tartar. reflected occasional beams OF
light. as they nestled against their
rich background Of red plush.
Two little children and their
grandmother peered down from
their berth on top OF the huge brick
stove. These stoves are the most
conspicuous piece OF furniture in
every peasant home in Russia-Rus-
sian or Tartar Their interiors
serve as ovens during the daytime
while at night, as much OF the fam
lily as can find room sleep on their
warm surface a few feet below the
ceiling.
The old Tartar had spoken quiet
ly but gravely. with that strange inn
personalness and resignation OF the
Orient, as II speaking OF some one
across the sea and not OF himself
and his family and friends.
Before my mind rose the picture
OF a little snowbound village we had
passed through the day before
empty. and stlll under the silence OF
death. 1t had been a prosperous
settlement Of 200. The last -four
Tartars died from hunger or typhui
the day before We arrived. Il wa
an extreme case, the guide had ex
planned. but it represented what {
great many villages would be lik
several months hence.
"Do you mean that this entir
village will die unless food is sent,
asked J. Rives Childs. inspector To-
the American Relief Administration
Childs. his interpreter. SSvartzeff
secretary OF the Communist party
in the Tartar Republic. and myself
had stopped al the little house on
Child's round OF the Tartar Repub.
lie where the 4. r. A. has opened
900 kitchens for children. II was
typical Tartar house. 1t happen
ed to belong to the president OF the
Russo American chlldrens relief
committee. He ha6 summoned all
the local authorities upon our ar
rival.
Perhaps Ave or elk per cent. viii
survive, not more" the presydate
(president) OF the local Soviet. Rus
sian. replied through his black whis
lSers. And thanks to you. the,
(pointlng to the two children) may
be alive. II they can find place e
stay after their parents have died.
"Our bread Is now gone. Th'
last rye has been consumed. W,
are prolonging life by eating llbidf
Ca kind OF grass or weed that grows
on the Russian steppes) md straw
when we have #. Perhaps two oi
three families out OF a hundred hav'
few potatoes enough to last unit
the first of the year. We canno
live indefinitely on libida. Even
tually. you swell up and die"
The housewife produced a smal
bowl OF pulverized libida. It fel
land smeled like the chan dust tha
gathers on a threshing machine a
threshing time. as It lay in my palm
The peasants grind the grass stalk
into this -four" mix II with watei
and bake the dough into a blac
soRgy bread"
Those Of our children who are foi
tunate enough to get into your XII
chen can live on what you give then
But wha twill happen 10 them aft'
we are gone?
Forty TO forty-fve per cent {
our population are already gon
Half OF them have died IN the
homes here The others started Il
$ Siberia. But I doubt II even ha
OF them are still alive"
sILvERBRoOK GAME.