Feeding the Hungry, P. C. Hiebert, 1929

all been washed and clad in clothing that came from America. Then they had been given an allotted amount of food and put to bed in a clean warm house. Soon they slept. The next morning they showed marked improvement, and in a few days, they were practically well and could hardly be recognized as the homeless waifs that we had picked up at the station. The oldest, a girl of about fourteen was somewhat shy and bashful but seemed quite intelligent. After a little encouragement and some patience, she told us their story, as follows: Their home had originally been in one of the Mennonite villages of the Chortitza district; but during the civil wars and the Machnowzi raids, which have been mentioned in another connection, they had left their home and had gone to the Molotschna, hoping to be 236 FEEDING THE HUNGRY more safe there. This was now some four or five years later, during which time they had sojourned among friends as so many other refugees who had been obliged to leave their homes. All went relatively well until the famine came. This struck them first because they had no supplies laid up. Soon their friends, too, were short of food, whereupon they suffered much. Mother gave out first, and was taken, either directly by starvation or by some epidemic which swept away great numbers of weakened and undernourished constitutions. After mother was gone their condition was almost hopeless among strangers; so father and they had decided to move to Chortitza, but since they had no other means of conveyance, they packed what little belongings they still possessed into sacks, and started out to travel on foot, a distance of sixty to eighty miles. After they had walked several days with but very little nourishment, their father had taken ill. He still tried to walk, but finally could not. So he had lain down in some little shelter along the roadside. The three children stayed with him, expecting that he would soon be able to walk again, but instead he grew weaker rapidly. When he realized that he would have to die, he told them to keep on following the highway until they would reach Alexandrowsk or until some one would pick them up and care for them. What became of the father, whom they left dead by the roadside we do not know, but the children following their father’s advice, had finally reached Alexan- drowsk, and were picked up as related. Tue A.M.R. KircHEeNs IN OPERATION In the preceding chapter we have explained how we came to decide in favor of the kitchen feeding method, which had been well developed by the American Relief Administration in Central Europe. Now we wish to take VIZUALIZING FAMINE CONDITIONS Sil you along and observe one of these American kitchens in operation among the Mennonites of South Russia. The kitchens were usually located in the most suitable building available as near the center of the village as convenient. Sometimes this was one of the larger private h