Feb, 25.
"The suffering through famine in the Northern provinces is at its Worst. and many are dying daily. In many districts it has come, of necessity, to leaving a big proportion of the people to die, as there is not enough food to go round." So concludes the last report of the Chinese-Foreign Famine Relief Committee. And this bare statement, far more impressive, it seems to us, in its stark brevity than the most eloquent pen pictures, may serve as a watchword for those who are about to set out on an intensive campaign for the collection of famine funds, conventionally known as a "'drive.'' An elaborate organization has been prepared, with Sir Everard Fraser and General Ho Feng-ling as Presidents, and M Wilden and Mr, C. C. Nich as chairmen of the executive committee, the jatter being reinforced by sub-comihittees on publicity, finance, solicitation and entertainment. "Elsewhere the campaign has already begun with vigour. In Peking, we are told, "'an army of 500 Chinese women is scouring the town for every gift available' and the students of Tsing Hua College have pledged $6,000 after agreeing to reduce their board bills by twenty-five per cent." Hankow is said to have raised $50,000 at one meeting last Sunday; six or seven large cities in Kaifeng are also reported as having collected substantial sums; at Tsinanfu the first day's subscriptions realized $30,000; lastly the American Red Cross, says a Peking report ''considers the famine situation to be so marked by misery that it has appropriated another G.$500,000 for further construction plans.' All this is very much to the good and will spur the Shanghai workers to the utmost exertions. They and the public to whom they appeal may bear in mind three simple facts: that as the winter continues the demand grows ever greater, such small stores of food as were left from last autumn being exhausted; that as little as two dollars will maintain one life for a month; but that there are several millions of -lives which ill simply snuff out unless charity comes to the rescue.
Now in respect of the forthcoming collection there are, we think, two things to be said. In the first place if it is not aimed primarily, indeed exclusively, at the Chinese community, we suggest to its promoters that it certainly ought to be. We have not the least desire to blow the foreign trumpet, but at such a time as this plain facts cannot be ignored, and there can be no question but that foreigners in Shanghai have, proportionately to their numbers, done more than the Chinese for the saving of Chinese famine victims. If we adding what has been and is being done in Western countries, in London and Lancashire, in France and Italy and by the ever liberal American Red Cross, the foreign contribution is probably greater, not only relatively but actually than the (Chinese. - Assuredly some of the latter have done nobly; many touching accounts have reached us of schools and colleges where real self-denial has. been practised so that a balance might go to the famine; and we do not forget the various boys and coolies employed by the Women's Famine Relief Society, who have given largely of their labour, refusing all gratuities, because they had no money to give. But win the main we believe the campaign has been designed to arouse those Chinese. who, perhaps because famine and pestilence are of such ordinary occurrence in this unfortunate country, have hitherto remained apathetic. In this connexion some criticism has been passed on the Chinese Y.M.C.A. for choosing this moment to endeavour to raise $45,000 in new subscriptions. The answer is that their ''membership drive' is an annual event, which has been the usual sequel to Chinese New Year for many years past. That is logical enough, but the Chinese Y.M.C.A. should see to it that the greater need is not skimped while they increase, their membership.
In the second place it will be observed that the Chinese people and others, are being asked to do what the Chinese Government should have done or at least could largely have prevented. In times of abnormal calamity there is always, and rightly so, a large appeal to private charity. No Government in the world could suddenly undertake the feeding of ten or fifteen millions of absolutely destitute people out of its own resources. But let it not be forgotten that the famine in Honan, Chihli and Shantung, which broke as it were suddenly in all its horrors on outside attention last September, had
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.