Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-16

| uo"h tHe dlSieS, ana DlllS, CONS ana
pledges were showered upon the plates
by men and women who were deeply
| stirred by the word picture of the
ravaged country utterly devastated,
| with seven millions of women and
| children desperate for bread
| The collection last night does not
| include other individual donations
| made to Nine. Vandervelde's fund by
! wealthy Washingtonians, and it is ex-
pected that it will be largely increased
at several drawing room lectures she
is to give while here. The first of
these is at the home of Mrs. William
A. Slater, 1871 / street northwest this
afternoon.
Pleading for Belgians.
Nine. Vandervelde is touring Canada
and the United States pleading the
| cause of the starving Belgians, collect
ing funds for their relief, which are
spent as far as possible in the COM
munltles in which they are contributed
She already has received more than a
quarter of million dollars. The meet
ing last night was under the auspices
of the Twentieth Century Club. DR..
Alexander Graham Bell presided and
the object of the meeting was told
by Mrs. Thomas w. Sidwell, president
of the club.
The little woman with the tired but
beautiful face lighted with the joy of
service. who tried to forget while sne
is touring this country on behalf of
her destitute compatriots that she has
been cut off from her family and
friends for months. made an instant
and powerful appeal.
the audience was thrilled with a new
conception of the wonderful courage
of little Belgium. when Nine Van
dervelde said:
by burning and sacking cities and
towns and killing non-combatants
pie that we would clamor for peace at
any price. This method has not and
will not avail in Belgium. We of Bel
GUM prefer determination to dis
honor"
Pictures Waste and Ruin,
Wildly picturing the waste and ruin
wrought in Belgium by German armies.
Nine. Fandervelde kept the audience
at high tension Of synrathv to tho
very last word of her address She
spoke with rich voice. sometimes low
and tremulous. as she told of particu-
lar cases OF suffering by women and
children as they came under her per-
sonal observation during the flights
INTO Antwerp and Malines and during
the siege of Liege and the Wreckinp
OF Louva'n. Arain her voice wa"
vibrant and resonant as she described
the unanimftv of the people in SIM
porting IooTt the king. the sacking Of Lou
army as it withstood the siege of
| Liege.
No one who was present" she said
can ever forget the scene at the last
meeting of our parliament when Ger
| many served her ultimatum on Bel
| cium. Party feeling has ALWAYS run
| very high in Belgium. but it was cast
| to the winds and all parties gathered
| around our noble king and each per-
son swore a holy oath to defend our
| country to the last man, for its very
| existence.
| Bravery of Little Army.
| "Belgium's army was composed of
10000 men. What pitiable little
group to send against the vast hosts Of
| the kaiser. But the Belgians were
| fighting for their lives and their coun-
try. And how they fought. They were
| happy to remain for days in the trench
es under constant fire, and the women
risked shot and she'll and all the hor-
-ors of battle to bring them food,
rult and chocolate to sustain them.
| 'The great war passion has all Eu-
| rope in it's grip. The primal passions
are rampant. The greatest war in his
tory has transformed US into barba-
| rians. America is the only nation
| where peace reignS today, where there
| is prosperity. So / have come to you,
| a warmhearted people, to tell you of
our great need. We need your charity
| to feed our seven millions of starving
people. We will need you later to lead
rs in the colossal work of reconstruct
ton. Great as is our need. yet greater
| is your charity. America alone among
the nations can and will, I am sure
| preserve the little sister nation
Belgian Minister Present.
The Belgian minister and Nine Have
NTH were among those who heard the
| address Nine. Havenith was a member
| of the committee of the Twentieth Cen
fury Club which made ARRANGEMENTS
for the meeting.
| An informal reception was given YES
terday afternoon at the home of Mrs.
| Gilbert II. GroSvenor. 1928 18th street
| northwest, to Nine. VanderveIde. Mrs.
| GrosVenor invited the members of the
| committee OF which she is chairman to
| meet the distinguished foreigner. Nine
| Nandervelde is the guest of the BEL
/ gian minister and Nine. Havenith dur
| ing her stay in the capital. The men,
bers of the committee which acted All
| der the auspices of the Twentieth Cen
| fury Club invited to meet Nine. Van
| dervelde Were Nine. Havenith. Mrs
| Wallace Radcliffe, Miss Mabel T. Board
man. Mrs Archibald Hopkins, Mrs.
| Alexander Graham Bell, Mrs. Duncan
L. Fletcher, Mrs Emma s. Shelton,
| Miss Janet Richards, Mrs. Ernest T.
Bicknell, Mrs. Thomas W. Sidwell, Mrs,
| Eugene +. Stevens, Mrs. Frank Baker
Mrs. Ellis Logan. Mrs. T. L. MacDon-
| aid, Mrs. William F. Woolard, Mrs
| julius Lansburgh, Mrs. Arthur Ram
say and Mrs. Edward Il. Clark
Support From All Glasses.
! Nine Nandervelde said in an inter-
| view that she had received the encour-
agement and cooperation of the lead
ing citizens of all the cities she had
| visited She declared that financial sup
port had come from the rich and poor
| alike and that a great part of the do
| nations had been made at sacrifice
| But she praised the generosity of rich
| Americans who have made large cash
| donations.
She plans to leave Washington
Friday.
Seeks to Increase Membership.
| A membership campaign is being
conducted by the Mt. Pleasant Citi-
zens' Association, and all members have
| been asked to obtain at least one new
member Blanks have been mailed to
| all members. who are urged to have it
| signed by a neighbor or friend and to
| have the applicant for admission at
| TEND the next meeting of the associa-
| non, which is to be held in the Brown
Il