INDIAN FAMINES - Institute for Social and Economic Change

PREVENTIVE AND
writes: "What were deemed direct visitation~
of God are now brought under the control 0\
man. Fami~es, floods, droughts, and pestilences
are no longer permitted to perform thei ~
ancient function of checking the pressure U:
the population on the soil, and Government huc
taken upon itself to step in between its subject;
and the ordinary dealings of Providence. Thl'
isolation of each district, which formerly inte!!­
sified every local scarcity into a famine, h"
been broken through. Railways, roads, canaL
have welded the several provinces of India inti'
a homogeneous whole, mobilised the resource
of each, aud increased the efficiency of th ..
national harvest in a greater degree than i'
we had suddenly doubled the productivene~.
of the soil"
Before discussing the means of the preventi02!
of famines, I think it will be preferable first ;'!
notice some of the disturbing influences whi,.:.
exist tending to obviate the full developmc,t
of any means which may be attempted to mitigate
these disasters.
"God helps those who help themselves" is
saying which is not thoroughly understood 1 ,,'