Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-28

1 have come from Switzerland
kSS2YI across France to Belgium and am
- now in Mons, on the southern
edge Of this country. Mons has %, 600 peo-
pie, but the country about is one contin-
uous village, and | can see the possibilities
of an enormous consumption of American
goods. Belgium is one of the most thickly
populated parts OF the world. l have trav-
eled among the millions of China and India,
but nowhere have found the people much
thicker than here. The country roads are
spotted with blocks of one and two-story
houses and at every mile or so there is a
village. | took n days walk through the
country last week. Every hour or so |
went by a coal mine with a mountain of
refuse behind it and a large collection of
miners houses under its shadow. The roads
are thronged with men, women and chill
dren. Nearly all walk, and a common sight
is a woman and n dog dragging a cart, har-
messed up side by side, Sometimes the dog
is in the shafts and the woman pulls out
side with a rope; at others the woman is
in the shafts and the dog tolls along behind
under the bed of the cart, hitched on the
axle. The fields are full of women work
ing. They spade the ground; they dig and
hoe. Sometimes they carry great loads
along the roads or across the fields on their
backs. like very beasts of burden.
| doubt IL many Americans have ever been
here. The tourists pass Mons by, although
It is one of the Oldest towns OF northern
Europe and full of historical interest.
Julius Caesar had a fortress here when he
was fighting the Gauls, and Mons was
bathed in blood in the struggle OF the
Spaniards and William OF Orange. There
is a cathedral in the city, which was
building when Columbus started out to dis
cover America, and a monument to Baldwin
TX, who took part in the crusades and who
In 1905 became emperor of Constantinople
While trying to wrest his SOIL from the
devil and the holy land from the Turks.
The Mons of today, however, is more in
terested in the fires OF the living than in
the birthstone fires OF the damned. It is tho
center Of the chief coal mining section of
Belgium. Mountains of coal waste rise up
everywhere about Il, standing like great
cones high above the fields and villages,
The city is one OF hills and hollows. It's
winding streets are OF cobbles and its
buildings such as you would expect to find
in a coal mining center.
took a room at the Grand Hotel de
Schmitz, near the depot. and then started
out to see II / could find some evidences OF
the American invasion. did not expect
much, for | knew that most Of the people
NNib hlihNlo ahh many VI NhSm SANttu-
ingly poor. This is my first city in Bel
GUM, and as the town has no American
consul / could find nothing about It in our
State department reports. My knowledge
OF French is not over good, and that OF
my son Jack, a high school boy, who is with
me, is little better; still we were not Ions
In finding the American tracks. The first
store we entered was that Of a tobacco
mist next door to the hotel, l dropped in
and asked for some American cigarettes
The maiden in charge promptly handed me
three different boxes. all made in Virginia
and later on told me that she sold chiefly
the wares OF our tobacco trust.
A little further on l saw a large sales
room filled with American sewing ma,
chimes, and next door was a store sellin,
photograph cameras from Rochester, N. Y
/ was wondering as to American foodstun,
when Jack called me across the street e
see a grocery where the hens lay eggs FOL
you while you wait. I went over ant
looked in. In the glass window upon
round crate OF eggs sat what looked lib
q live hen In the act OF laying. The fow