Feeding the Hungry, P. C. Hiebert, 1929

r meeting was that these good Christian people had organized their own relief soup-kitchens even before our help came, where those who still had food shared with those that had none. But their supplies were exhausted when the first shipment of food arrived. The American food which had been sent some weeks before, had come as a God-send. We investigated conditions as well as we could and made arrangements that more food should be sent to them from our supply at Alexandrowsk as soon as possible. This ‘‘soon as possible’? developed into weeks because of transportation difficulties. Something that happened here, even though tebe slight digression from my trend of thought, must be related because it illustrates, what to me was one of the hardest matters that I had to contend with in all the relief-work in Russia. While at the committee meeting in the above named village a neighbor, who had not been included among those who received food from the Amer- ican kitchen, came to us and accused the local committee of gross injustice. He claimed that he and his family were as hungry as the rest, but that they had been unjustly excluded from the list of those who were admitted to the 244 FEEDING THE HUNGRY kitchen. Upon our further inquiry he stated that he still had several horses, but that he and his family had nothing to eat. At these remarks, he looked straight into my face and I saw in those deep set blue eyes and that haggard, worry-laden face a story of deep misery, and a father’s pain at not being able to feed his children. According to our rules the committee had done right to exclude him, for he had a number of horses one or more of which he might have disposed of and realized enough to keep his family for a while; while there were others, and in fact many, who had nothing to eat, neither did possess horses or cows, or anything of value which they might exchange for food. Our funds were at the time limited, so that we were compelled to exclude such as just de- scribed, but I must say I never did it without keen pain. Under force of necessity we were obliged to encourage the man to sell his horses, which he sorely needed for the spring plowing and sowing, which was very urgent if these people should soon become self-supporting. STRANDED IN APOSTOLOWA Leaving Nepluyev, we hastened to reach the settle- ment of Sagradovka some 200 Versts distant. It was a fine cool morning and we were in pleasant conversation. Suddenly our guide and interpreter Mr. T—, grew sullen and began to speak in harsh tones. Upon our inquiry he pointed to a desolate place, which had once been the home-site of a rich landowner. We had seen such before, but were more deeply interested when he explained that this had been the home of his father-in-law and family, who had owned extensive tracts of land in the vicinity, all of which had been taken from them and the property, including a splendid home wantonly destroyed. Har