Evening star., 1946-03-04
Letters to The Star
Discusses Feeding Hungry Folk
in Terms of Christian Duty

Discusses Feeding Hungry Folk
in Terms of Christian Duty
| To the Editor Of The Star:
"The little more, but how much 1t is;
The little less, but what worlds away!"
What worlds away" we are, in this
great country of abundance, from full
filling our moral obligations to earth's
hungry people,! President Wilson once
said that moral obligation is far
stronger than any legal obligation. We
| read in the Scriptures Guke xii4S):
For unto whomsoever much is given,
| of him shall be much required; and to
| whom men have committed much, of
him they will ask the more"
What is well-fed, luxury Loving Amer
lea really sacrificing to bring bare sub
sistence (not a living, in any proper
sense of the word to the millions OF
victims of wars aftermath-125, 900 900
in Europe alone, to say nothing OF other
millions in China and the Philippines,
our Allies during the late war for sur
vival?
1t seems that we actually have recon-
ciled ourselves to failing to fulfill a
promise, promise to which hunger
sick world has been clinging as drown
ing man to straw. According to pub
lished statements, we had planned to
ship some $4,000 900 bushels of wheat to
supply Europe's winter needs, this first
bare, bleak winter after the war,
shadowed by the worst grain shortages
in half century. This figure repre-
sented reduction from higher goal
originally set Now, apparently, only
100000 bushels actually are to be
shipped.
1t is said to be partly matter of lack
Of transportation facilities within this
country. More exactly, 1t is a lack Of
proper distribution or ALLEGATION of ex-
isting facilities; more explicitly. a lack
Of disposition; in other words, indiffer-
ence. A country that performed such
miracles of transportation during the
war period cannot consistently fall back
on such q slim excuse. But no, we must
have our luxuries, our nonessentials, and
oAASAS oSSAAAo w NC Ao oAiO AL
who is able or willing to divert rolling
stock to the extreme emergency of say
ing starving peoples across the seas.
The general feeling seems to be, THE
war is over now for us; we've done a
pretty good job; they can't expect us to
do more; let's get back to normalcy and
take 1t easy" This resolves itself into
the age-old question, Am my brothers
keeper" which forever Is answered sat-
isfactorily only by the spirit of the Good
Samaritan. Are We mentally grown up,
or shall we act like spoiled children, cry
ing, II want! I want! I want" in the
face OF worlds stark and desperate
need?
1t is true that we are experiencing
some shortages, in some foodstuffs, but
these are not real shortages: they are
the result of manipulation, mismanage-
ment and commercial greed. On the
other hand, we hear lately reports Of
surfeit Of poultry, surfeit of red meat,
etc. Why not apply little wartime
practical sense let the Government buy
the surplus food and ship it to the fam
ished Of the earth, without price, just
as gift, to supply great lack, just as
one would give to one of his own fellow
countrynaen who had fallen on hard
times. Irregular? Yes, of course, but
no more irregular than the Christian
tape counts for nothing in the realm of
the spirit, the spirit which makes one
man conscious that another man is his
brother and feels as he feels and has
the same needs. Jesus called this COM
passion. We are all tangled up in red
tape; it is killing our best impulses.
smothering our conscience, tripping up
our progress. 1t is making us suspicious
of our Allies, touchy, jealous. self-impor-
tant. We lack imagination.
Your paper lately called attention to
the fact that the British nation, which
has endured the most meager diet for
over five years of war, again has VOL
unteered to cut its rations in order to
share more with those even less for
tunate. THE British diet this victory
winter Is worse than any time during
the war; states the United Press. This
is voluntary sacrifice, real unselfishness.
Contrast with this a statement actually
made by one of our well-fed lawmakers
on the Hill, to the effect that he would
not vote for any measure authorizing
the shipment of wheat to Europe until
he was sure that every one in this coun-
trV would have his 1lSllal amo,1pt of
white bread. What noble sentiment!
It's only virtue is its naked frankness.
AS an American, of true American per-
antage, say such things should make
us feel rather small; some of us do.
VERA E. ADAMS.