Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-25
BELGIAN INVASION
OF ENGLAND A SAD
EPISODE OF WAR
Flight From the Scourge
That Devastated Their
Country Included Persons
of High Degree and Low.
By STEPHEN BLACK

The Belgian invasion Of England, ac-
cordine to the London Daily Mail. is one
Of the saddest chapters in history Dur
ing the last month nearly $50" people
from that unhappy country have crossed
the English Channel. many OF them. once
welI-to-do. now entirely destitute robbed
| Of their money, their houses and their
| means Of livelihood. We're 1t not for the
! helping hand of Great Britain their pres
! ent and future would be entirely nope
/ less.
The refugees embrace all ciasses-Bel-
| gium does not boast many leisured citi-
| zens The people are essentially active
| and hard workers at industry or aSricul-
! ture. At the other end she has in orol-
nary times few or practically no poor
people. In Belgium nearly every ciren'
either Of small or large means, owns his
own house. There is no rent day for him
81 his spare means are invested either
in industries or in a speculative money
venture, which he dearly loves
The fire and sword Of the Germans, the
devastated towns and ruined hamlets'
have therefore. come doubly hard on the
gallant Relgians. and every class OF
citizen has to face temporary ruin in one
form or other
THE BELGIAN TREK.
The great Belgian trek began shortly
after the war started. After the first
flush OF success, when the Belgians held
back the advance guard OF Germans,
few of the wealthy classes made pre-
cipitate removal 20 Folkestone, not. how
ever. without bringing with them plenty
OF money their Jewels and other porta BILE
property They were well-to-do mer-
chants whose supply OF ready cash and
liquid securities were easily neEotia ole
at that time. They put UP at the better
class hotels at Folkestone and remain
there 10 this day The sudden fall Of
Liege changed the whole situation. Ger
man heavy artillery which could reduce
this fortress in so short time became
compelling menace to the whole OF
Belgium, and there then commenced a
rush NJ Belgian refugees 70 the safe
shores Of Great Britain.
Mixed with the wealther classes there
commenced to arrive large number Of
middle class merchants, shopkeepers and
artisans Liege is one Of the wea.thiest
ot the Belgian towns. I, Is the centre
OF an extensive coal and iron !ndlstT-
and contained wealthy Coamasters and
ironmasters who. along with their hordes
Of wOrkmen, their wives and families,
fed with haste to the coast, leaving be-
hind them practically all their belong
ings The boats from Ostend 10 Folke-
stone began to show the dire straits ~
these people, and many Of them VINO were
able to scrape together the necessary
passage money landed on our shores,
FLEEING FROM sCOURGE.
The fall of Brussels accentuated the
rush. Ostend was threatened; all Bel
Eiurn was at the mercy Of the Huns Then
the rush 10 Folkestone reached a climax.
Al! sorts and conditions Of people, al!
sorts Of nationaities fed the country.
Followed quickly the sack Of Louvain,
the fall Of Namur. and the tragedy or
Malines. The rush became a rOut Three
steamer. a day bringing as many as 2H1
refugees arrived at Foikestone from Os-
tend Who can describe adequately the
medley of peoples from the devastated
districts mingled with other tugitives
from Ghent and BruEes and Antwerp?
Louvain, short time ago a seat OF
learning, with its famous Catholic Uni
versity, now heap OF runs, contributed
some Of its most learned professors and
teachers 10 the rush, and many Of its
800 scholars. Louvain also boasted
large railway construction industry whose
artisans sWelled the debaCle. There were
also the wealthy shOpkeeper and his
ruined assistants side By side. Belgium
ike Great Britain, is a nation Of shop
keepers. Many Of them are able 70 make
small fortunes In twenty years and they
have come 10 Us with what remains Of
their gains. From Namur. which. like |
priceless Louvdin, was a tourist centre /
with season came lodging house and /.
hotel keepers also the Ubiquitous shop /
keeper ana artisans Of a thriving cutlery .
industry which provides steady employ ,
ment all the year round,
Ma.ines, with irs 5000 inhabitants. .
which boasted a large wagon and car .
construction works for the State rail-
ways. and a tnriyiug furniture industry, |
sent over its quota Of well-to-do citizens |
and clever craftsmen, many Of the latter
now in poverty and distress Citizens OF
Termonde whose chief industry is jute
spinning and weaving for the making OF
ropes were also among the refugees.
One day there arrived at FolkestOnc by .
steamer GO Russian Jews from Antwerp.
WEALTHY "EMIGREs."
one also came across among the retu-
gees agricultural laborers from Ghent
where there is a great horticultural and |
arboTlcultural industry In palm and sim |
iar plants, which were exported largely /
10 America and Germany; and there also /
arrived hotel and lodging house keepers
and storekeepeTs from Ostend Add to /
this miscellaneous list wealthy diamond /
merchants from Antwerp who have l
brought with them their precious stones, |
anu ppulrnl pdHheI7-one man alohs ar
rived with 10000 francs in gold-and you /
get some idea. necessarily only a cursory |
one-of the pot-pourri Of peoples who l
have sought refuge In England.
The Folkestone hotels are full OF Bel l
gian women and children whose fathers /
are hghting the great hght for their /
homesteads The little ones romp about /
while the mothers cherish them anxious |
eyed, telegram arrives. whole fam |
ily Is plunged into mourning by the loss
Of father or brother. The children's |
games cease and an unmitigated sorrow |
claims them. the details of which are too