STARVING RUSSIANS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 15, 15 May 1912, Page 2

STARVING RUSSIANS.

CABINet boycott collection ST. PETERSBURG’S REBUKE. 1 ho citizens of St. Petersburg made an elleetivo protest early an March against the action of 1 the Government in boycotting a collection on behalf ol the starving peasants in the Samara and Nijni-Novgorod districts. Notwithstanding the official decree the citizens held their collection, and raised a largo sum of money. Ihe occasion was the “Day of the Ear of Corn.”

Under the auspices of the Society for the Preservation of Public Health, an army of between 101)0 and 5000 amateur street sellers was enrolled. The recruits were chiefly students, young men and girls, hut they include representatives of the highest aristocracy. Their wares were buttonholes composed of two or three ears of corn, with a bine cornflower stamped out of coarse cotton, and cheap coloured tin badges representing a lifebuoy flanked by a couple of ears of corn with a cornflower between them. Vet in more than one ease these pall try emblems realised £IOO apiece. They ware at once an embodiment of Russian charity and a protest against the restrictions on private philanthropic endeavour. The dam of humanitarian impulse had hurst, and the torrent swept through the capital of the Russian Empire (writes a St. Petersburg correspondent). One the eve of the Ha yof the Ear of Corn the Cabinet decreed an official boycott of the collection. Admittance to all Government buildings and institutions was denied to those who were striving, in however small a, degree, to alleviate the distress of thousands of their suffering compatriots, At the hirst moment the State Bank

was obliged to withdraw its consent to the sale of the ears of corn on its premises. Royal Gcllectcrs. And this notwithstanding that the little Tsaropvitch and his sisters made collections at Tsarkoe Solo, and sent their boxes to the committee even before the counting of the receipts had begun. The absence of political propoganda is supposed to have actuated the Government in putting a veto on private charitable initiative. If this is the ease tlie measures adopted have completely defeated their end. / The whole of St. Petersburg was on charity limit. An early beginning urns made. A students’ hall was taking place at the .Sporting Palace. It was

suddenly invaded nt 1 _n.ni. liy bevies of pretty girls proffering rustic* buttonholes and simple badges. Within ball an hour they were all “sold out.” 'i’lia serious business ol tin* day started at !) a.m. Nearly 1,000,000 buttonholes and *IOO,OOO badges enustituted tin* stock-in-trade of t-lis “assistants.” Keen these large numbers d:d not suffice. A raid was made on tin* flower s!iop%. 'Pin* proprietors rose to the oeeasion, and allowed the invaders to take what they wanted. Before dusk the cornflowers were replaced by violets, mimosa, heather, daffodils, and inoeissi. Kveryoue had his or her buttonhole. Councillors of tin* Kmpire, members of the Duma, officers of the Cnard, ladies, simp girls, hankers, merchants, clerks, workmen, servants, waiters, cabmen, newsboys, all displayed tbo same token of universal freemasonry. The wife of a rich merchant gave Cloo for a badge from one of the street sellers. Two girls gave two £SO I notes in tin* same fashion, A client depositing money at one of the hanks beckoned to a girl, who was collecting and presented her with a Cloo note.