Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1914-12-18

in November. They carried with them
four dead, new born babies. 4
It was the same story which one
hears everywhere. I The mothers were
SO reduced by privation that they has /
no milk of their own AS, for cows
milk, it was not to be had for any
money W -. i.$1 al. 4 4
Nh Add another picture, brought out, bs,.
an American from Belgium. He stooG
one morning by the back door OF :,
German cook camp. watching a group
IT Belgian women grubbing through
the trash-heap piled UP behind the
camp. All these women carried babies.
- What are they doing?" he asked a
German sergeant with whom he had
struck up acquaintance.
"Scraping our condensed milk cans
said the sergeant. Its the only way
TO get milk for their babies. I've seen
them run their fingers round a can
which looked as bright DIS a new coin
and hold them into the babies mouths
TO suck My company" be added, has
been getting along without milk in It's
coffee and giving it to these women
We've received no orders to the con
trary-and we're mostly family men
But we're an exception; and it doesn't
go very far"
Here is another recent picture from
stricken Brussels, that gay, dainty
lively city in old times-the city whose
smiling people called it petit Paris.
The scene is the once busy, pleasant
boulevard Bischofsheim. A woman
collapses on a bench set along the
ldewalk after the fashion of the
| Greater Paris. In her arms is baby.
| child staggers along, clinging to her
apron The woman's face is blue and
! yellow; she is on the verge of collapse
The baby; surely not over five months
old, has a pale, lead-colored skin. Its
mouth Is open as though set that way
Its eyes are closed.
! Two women Of Brussels pass this
unhappy group. They hurFiedly ex.
change some words turn back to the
woman on the bench Then one stands
guard while the other hastens for
some milk and bread-such as is to be
found in the Brussels of today. They
force d little milk between the teeth
Of the mother They let the baby drink
| UnWeaned though it is,ssit drinks as
though 1t had never drunk otherwise
To the face of the mother comes
/ few patches, OF color She slowly re.
/ covers until she is able to eat bit OF
bread The baby opens its mouth
drinks more greedily. ut has not fed
since two DAYS" the mother whispers
1.-THE mother tries TO rise from the
bench but Size cannot: The elder child
! drinks the milk that is left 1t looks
curiously at the piece of bread as if IT
did not know what it was The moth
er forces it to eat A crowd has gath
cred, murmuring. This sight, is not
new yet each time 1t draws little
| crowd Every one would like to give
but no one can Who is not poor at
this moment 2 Many of them have chill
dren at home who today weigh less
than the day they were born.
Let us view the situation in cold
blood Belgium is shut Off from the
world-ringed with steel, Her own
food supply was used up long ago
either by the people or by their con.
querors The cattle were first OF all!
to go: even in August | saw the Ger
mans killing mich COWS for .rations
A COW or small dairy herd is lief,
here or there. but they are the excep.
lions. s,Z& Il s,tg> VII. ~, p; $s..
Again, the sucking baby must have
mothers milk ora substitute. There
is. OF course, no substitute to be had
In Belgium and equally there is little
mothers milk: 'ii S
r. Every woman knows that civilized
nursing mother must keep up her
strength. :" She must have nourishlns
food in many cases special food Ev-
cry Woman knows that certain pro
portion Of civilized mothers cannot
feed their own babies even at that
Nourishing food = special food, The
news which filters out of that locked.
i stricken country to the American Com,
mission for Relief in Belgium makes
a sarcasm and mockery OF those
i phrases. I'D s. 5.:y sH !.
@ III many, if in not most Belgian
i cities the populace@ is down to one
large bakers bun a day, issued by the
/ municipal authorities In some places.
4 the authorities have been able to sup
4 plement that ration by one bowl =of
ca bbarr e 5000 r;ss', day. One bun and one
4 bowl cf rSs''=%h@age soup a, day-for a
n nursing mother! Il . vi
4 5e& Even ALLOWING snr the reduction Of
the birth rr:. Dr. 10 the war there
Z must ha1i been forty thousand births
! in Belgium since the Germans came.
4 There will be forty thousand more in
this winter of hardship and privation
4 How many Of the newly-arrived forty
4 thousand have already died nRneces.
4 sarily ndecorated, unsung victims OF
this war--no one will ever know. S
How many of the coming forty thou
sand will die this winter depends IN
on us in America pom how much
4 food we send to the nursing mothers,
how UGH milk to the babies 81.
4 Is No Christmas 3 in our time h has
4 brought such a call for the Christmas
4 spirit as this. Belgium is starving
a America is trying to feed the Belgians
Z 1.-The best we can do is Ito give them
quarter rations this winter Just
enough to Keep soul and bod togetl.
4 4 ser We cannot do even that unless sev
cry. american helps A barrel of toyi,t
Il will pull two Belgian adults through
a this winter A case of cond ensefi
i milk will save the lives of three Be-
4 gian children. Al few tins Of meat wiz
4 give a nursing mother the strength
Il to keep her child alive Think of that