The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-05-26
Peasants Amazed
When Supplies
Arrived

Tsritsin, Russia, April 21.-The
peasants Of the little villages of the
| when the food supplies of the Amer
| lean Relief Administration began to
arrive. They had not believed 1t
possible that promises of food would
which have been collected by agents
of the A. R. a. show some of the
establishment these PEOPLE felt when
| at last they received the hoped-for'
gifts from America.
ut is very fine but it cannot last"
| said one peasant whose children had
received food from the A R. A.
Surely they will stop it soon. They
give US a little bread, milk, soup and
| beans and the children come back
| to life. Their cheeks are like ap-
| pies. When we had bread they did
not look SO well even at three pounds
a day.
The Russian writer who interview
ed the peasants told them the dis
| tribution of food would be continued
until the next harvest.
In some of the remote cantons
! where there are many strange sects
| the American food was received with
| suspicion. 'HThe devil is tempting
u.s. muttered some of the faithful
when the corn and cocoa absolutely
unknown before arrived. He is pos
ing as an American and trying to
make us drink his brown poison"
4nGy upset the DOlleIS
| the cocoa made for the children and
the A. r. A. inspectors were COM
PEELED to conduct campaign of
education to explain the meaning of
albumin and Galleries.
So they have mixed albumin in the
four," declared some of the suS-
picious ones. 1T is to tempt us.
trick of the devil. Don't touch it
brothers,
Since they had already eaten dogs
why not try this devilish, strange
concoction. They sampled it and
that the Americans also believed in
God, their fears vanished. Soon al
most two-thirds of 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 contribut-
ed to the surprise Of the peasants.
On that point one Russian writer
said: Every railway car loaded
station at Tsaritsin has been broken
into and pilfered. Only the A. R. A.
shipment arrives in good order and
practically intact. This is very puz-
better guarded than the others.
Thieves here fear nothing but for
some reason there exists a tacit I'M
derstanding-the A. R. A. supplies
The A. r. A. gives no brides and
makes no threats. 1t simply an
nounces what it needs and demands
action. 1t is evident that it
has acquired a remarkable pres
tige. In this atmosphere of famine
and crime such an institution seems
a marvellous thing. We Russians
love miracles. Believe in them and
acu1ous- To intefere with it would
be a sim"
Another Russian newspaper man
that in spite of all obstacles the A.
R. A. kitchens appeared as if by
magic in every conceivable place,
working with machine-Eke perfec-
ton.
''Why is it that the A r. A. sup
plies are distributed and ours not?
Because the Americans know what
they are trying to do and follow
definite plan. The peasants believe
that the Americans are like powerful
magicians. They can do whatever
they wish. They could feed all Rus
STA if they decided to-
In the country districts outside OF
Tsaritsin there were many bandits
and when the Americans started
their work with the kitchens had
hardly been opened in some villages
before the bandits came and raided
them. But now, says one writer. this
interference from bandits has prac-
tically ceased. The majority of the
bands refer to the A r. A. as the
nurse" and leave it scrupulously