Evening star., 1928-12-29
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

One of the old-time favorites in
newspaper editorials was "the deadly
parallel" in which two stories were
printed side by side, for the sake of
their contrast. If we today were to
repeat "the deadly parallel where
would we find a contrast so deadly" as
the story of great prosperity and wealth
in the United States, beside that of
famine and death by the millions in
China
In the United States we read how
our number of millionaires has increas-
ed from seven millions in 1914, to be-
tween thirty millions and forty millions
in 1928. We see evidences of luxury on
every side-beautiful homes, countless
automobiles, a general Christmas trade
beyond all precedent, little unemploy-
ment, and everybody feasting upon
plenty Of food, with plenty Of shelter
plenty of clothing, plenty of entertain
ment. OF course. 'the poor we have
always with u.s." but how easy it is to
provide comfort for such cases of need
as come to ones notice! Thank God
we are not like other people!
X X y X
True, there is the expert financier
of the Federal Reserve Bank, Mr. Fred
Snyder, who analyses this prosperity. -
and shows how much of it is merely
paper profits" or gambling margins
But how does that account for the fine
homes, and all the luxurieS such as
have never been seen outside OF
America, and never seen here before
the last decade? He says the apparent
gains are largely illuSory," and he
that is, the general diffusion of COM
fort and well being among the largest
number of the populations not de-
pendent upon the imitation and boom y
That sounds like wisdom and warns
against our being unduly proud;
but how is it that one out of every five
Americans owns an automobile and
business employs a larger percentage
of people, at incredibly good wages
than 1t ever did before-more men than
it ever employed, in spite of the fact
that one out of every eleven housewives
is also employed at wages? Mass pro-
duction of home necessities, such as
the cooking done by bakeries and deli
catessen shops, has increased hundreds
Of per cent in the last decade, reliev-
ing the homekeeper Of her drudgery.
American life has been eased and made
luxurious.
How we Americans might strut!
(Some do.)
Who is so shrewd In business as a
Yankee? Who has SO broad a horizon
in trade? What nation possesses such
stores of natural resources-such great
opportunities for success? Look at usl
For He saith, "By the strength of My
hand 1 have done it, ana by My wis
dom; for I am prudent: and I have
removed the bounds of the people, and
have robbed their treasures, and have
put down the inhabitants, like valiant
man;
"And My hand hath found as nest
the riches of the people; and as one
gathereth eggs that are left have ]
gathered all the earth; and there was
none that moved the wing or opened
the mouth or peeped."
Shall Americans boast of the NOR
row? "Soul. take thine ease, eat, drink
and be merry, for thou hast much goods
laid up In store" Rather, by humility
and the fear Of the Lord are riches.
honor and life"
Turn now to the other column of
this deadly parallel" Look in upon
Central China, in the province of Kan
SUI, where several times as many people
are starving to death without hope Of
relief as all the American exneditionary
forces which only one decade ago
crossed the ocean ito make the world
safe for democracy"
Kansu has an area equal to Pennsyl-
vania, New York and all Of New Eng
land and population of twelve millions,
including its great cities, plus the two
millions Of the A. z. r. All these people
are starving and millions of them will
die before Sprin:. There is no hope of
relief. for the measure Of relief Is that
Of the possibilities Of hauling in Mid
winter, over mountain trails five hun
dred to seven hundred miles beyond the
termini Of two railroads, by donkey and
wheelbarrow or packed upon the backs
Of human carriers enough to feed twelve
millions absolutely destitute people. It
can't be done! Civilization has failed.
Picture the bridge of ships" and the
congested railroads of the United States
carrying rations to our Army across the
seas in 1918r1-a paltry two millions with
a partial supply for alliesl Multiply
these requirements by six in quantity
and by Hundreds tnS compaEaIiYeZ ZdiMS'