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Why Worry?

"In Germany one-third of the University students are on the verge of starvation. With one scanty meal a day they are falling victims to tuberculosis in tragically large numbers. We found doctors, professors, students earnestly working together to keep things going. Everywhere the people are inspired by new ideals. The old schoolbooks have been scrapped, and rabid jingoism has been replaced by education in the best sense. At Danzig an old battleship served as a huge kitchen,

"The colleges at Vienna have students of five or six distinct nationalities. In their midst one finds at first a fence of nationality keeping them apart; but soon we find that all are just ordinary people very much like ourselves. In Hungary, too, Jews, Gentiles, Catholics, everyone sink their differences and find a common bond in the cause of humanity.

"The Russian is much more of an artist and an idealist than of a commercialist—perhaps this is why he is so little understood. Grownups and children alike are hungry for the education that was formerly denied them, and the Soviets' effort in meeting this need is the most inspiring part of their work. What caused the famine? An early thaw after the winter snows brought up the grain prematurely;'then followed the greatest drought for thirty years, and the crops were destroyed throughout the great Volga provinces. At Samara station alone there were forty people dying each day when I was there. Children were feverishly searching rubbish heaps for bits of food, licking bits of lemonrind and eating dirt—anything to appease their knowing hunger. Out in the villages, people were eating their dogs and cats—then making bread out of bark and twigs, straw, dried leaves, mixed with dirt and water—or the glue from horses' hoofs. Right up to the present time less than one half per cent, of our goods sent to Russia has been missing. Everything reaches the needy people, and we have full control over our warehouses and the administration of all supplies, and the work is all entirely voluntary. One truck load of goods went astray in transit to our party, and this was immediately made good by the Soviet Government.

"The future is hopeful. Great ideals are being carved out of the long years of suffering. The problem here and elsewhere is to help the people to carry on till next harvest."

The above is from the address of Miss Margaret Thorp at the College on 11th June, 1922. She speaks of what she has seen with her own eyes during her three years' work with the Society of Friends mission. University students the world over are cooperating to assist the students of the stricken areas. With this cooperation a ray of hope penetrates the black cloud of bitter hate left as a legacy by the war. Maybe the students of today, the intellectuals of tomorrow, inspired by an ideal and looking to the future rather than to the past,'will within our own age place the relations between nations on a new and better basis. For the present, who is there whose hatred is so intense, whose lust for revenge is so insatiable, that he will sneer, "Serve them right," or, sheltering behind the platitude "Charity begins at home" will do nothing either at home or anywhere else?

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During this session students will have an opportunity of contributing direct by supporting activities promoted in aid of Student Relief. Mr. F. H. Haigh is treasurer of the College committee and contributions handed to him will be transmitted, through Mr. H. D. Broadhead (Canterbury College, New Zealand treasurer), to Mr. Louis Hess in Switzerland for administration by the "World's Student Christian Federation.