THE FAMINE IN SOUTHERN INDIA.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 240, 7 December 1877, Page 3

THE FAMINE IN SOUTHERN INDIA.

The following is an extract of a letter from Key. Father Kroot, one of St. Joseph's Foreign Missionary Society, of the Sacred Heart, who left Mill Hill for the Telegu Mission at the end of last year :— Famine, small-pox, cholera ! these are the three scourges which God's goodness, as well as His justice, has sent to India. . . The ether day one of our Fathers, on returning from a neighbouring mission, heard the Christians of the village call out to Mm, " 0 Father, come hither quickly." A crowd of people was standing before the opening of a wretched little hut. Four mud-walls and a broken pitcher where all the inmate possessed. He had no relations and friends to help him. "My good friend," said the Father, "what is the matter with you ? "' " Oh, lam dying of hunger," was the faltering reply. The priest at once turned towards the bystanders — " Are none of you," he said, "able to give anything to this poor, starving old man ? " " O Swami," (Father) they answered, "we ourselves are starving with hunger." Though the night was far advanced, the Father ran home, and soon returned with some food, which revived the poor dying man. The scenes which we have daily before us are heartrending in the extreme. People are thronging all the day long round our dwelling, begging and entreating us to give them something to eat. Among these you may see a poor young widow holding her starving infant before us ; a man, appearing more like a skeleton than a living being, raising both hands imploringly towards us : above all, little children calling out, " Father, oh give us something to eat." . . Meanwhile, what are we poor missioners to do ? . , Did our fellow Catholics of Europe, who live in comfortable homes, but know what keen hunger is endured here by their fellow-creatures, surely they would help us. Last week a boy 12 years of age came to beg some alms. When I asked him -where his parents were, " Father," said he, '• they have gone away to look for work." " Why did you not go with them 1 " He began to weep bitterly, and said, " They have left me and my little sister behind." "My dear child," said I, " what can I do? lam poor like all the rest." He then threw h'>self on bis knees, sobbing and crying, and conjured me, in the name of Jesus Christ, to give him something to eat. As soon as I had given him a little of my humble stock of provisions, he ran to his sister to share with her tfhe food I had given him. Oh ! I should fain cast myself in like manner jon my knees before those who have something to spare, to beg of them, 1 for the love of our dear Lord, the price of a little food for our poor -starving. -people." . . . Father Benoit writes to us from Ht. Jd&e.pli's -'College, Mill Hill, under date September 6th, in regard to the foregoing :: — '• I need nol add how gladly I shall forward to -the Vicar-Apostolic at Madras any alms that may be sent to me for the starving Indians. Four donations, amounting to £42, were sent to me since last Saturday. The young missioner who was at death's door through the small-pox, which he had caught among the Telcgus, is recovering, thank God."