Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-04
GLORIOUS ANTWERP
G|RDED FOR SIEGE
EngIishWoman Writes of the
Beauties of Ancient City
Ready for Battle.
PATHOS OF REFUGEES
is PITIFUL, SHE SAYS
Bravery of Belgian King Is Topic Of
Soldiers Soldiers Every
Few Feet in City.
Foreign Correspondence of The Star.

ANTWERP, Belgium, September 10
An Englishwoman. Miss Louise Mack,
has written the following vivid de-
scription of this ancient seaport in
war time. Antwerp again has won the
spotlight in this war. The town has
become the haven of thousands of
refugees. Belgians. British and A7leri
cans. The capital of Belgium was
transferred here from Brussels, and
German Zeppelins brought the city into
prominence by bombarding it from the
skies at night. Miss Mack writes:
Slowly, painfully, through the blaz-
ing summer day. our long brown train
goes creeping toward Anvers. Anvers!
The name has grown into an emblem of
hope in these sad days, when the Bel
CLANS are fleeing for their lives from
their little homes among the fat green
pastures. fleeing toward their own for
titled city that we English know as
Antwerp. or else directing their des-
perate, maddened flights to the ineffa-
BILE peace and security of the far-off
and mysterious Angleterre
See them at every station crowdinr
In! In they crowd, herding like dumb
driven cattle, and always the poor
White-1aced women with their wide, in
nocent eyes have babies in their arms
and children Juggling at their skirts.
Wherever we stop we find the plat
forms lined ten deep, and by the wild
ness with which they fight their way
into the already crowded carriages one
Knows the pent-up terror in these
poor simple hearts. They must get in.
they must. Whatever happens they
must get inside that train. And soon
every compartment is packed and on
we go through the sitting, binding
August day inward toward Anvers.
~, An, out when soldier comes along
now eager every one is to find place
for him Not one of us but would
gladly give our seat or our standing
room up to 'soldat,' and when our
wounded soldiers from Malines appear
az the doors We perform miracles in
that long brown train We squeeze
ourselves to nothing.
Listen to Soldiers Talk.
"A soldier is talking. How we listen.
never did divine or statesman get such
hearing as that blue, WORKOUT
wounded man. white with dust, cloeeed
with mud: his yellow beard weeks old
on his young face. with his poor feet
In their broken. ravaged boots, and
his red-and-blue cap blackened with
smoke and hardened with earth where
he has slept among the beets and
potatoes.
AT Malines.' he is telling US in a
faint voice, at intervals I often saw
the king. He was there. He was
nghtfng. l saw him several times. /
was quite near him. He had bravery
magnificent. our king. I saw a cannon
exploding just bare yard from where
he was. Over and over again 1 saw his
face, always calm, resolute. I hope
but in battle one knows nothing"
All is WELL cry a dozen eager
voices The king is back at Antwerp
now. He is safe in his palace with the
queen and the little princes
Hour after hour goes by. Two hours
wait at Client, and we rush in a vol
ture' round the beautiful old city. find
ing everything quite calm here. and not
sign Of the Germans anywhere. We
entered the cathedral. 1t is Saturday
morning. but crowds of people are
there telling their rosaries. Then a
priest begins a sermon. and l hear
words that I am destined to hear later
on at Antwerp. Words that already
have begun to form the noble keynote
to the Belgian character. Remember
this. my children says the little priest.
.seul lie silence est grand. la reste est
fafblesse' (Only silence is great, the
rest is weakness.)
Antwerp at last. and the first we see
of it is a bewildering mass of taxicabs
arrayed in the middle of wide. green
fields at the city's outskirts. for all
taxis and motor cars have been com
Wandered by the government at Ant
werp. Near the taxis is field of fly
ing neutrality-suspicious., monoplanes.
airships-a magnificent array Of air
craft, with the sunlight glittering over
them like silver. The Zeppelin caught
them unawares the other night. They
will never be caught like that again.
In the field there goes on ceaseless
activity-they are always ready now,
and always getting still more ready
Crowds Are Appalling.
"Antwern station is the second larg-
est in the world and in these days 1t
has need to be big. The crowds that
pour out of the trains here are ap-
pall,ng. All the world seems to be
coming to Antwerp. Soldiers are every
where, armed, stern and implacable. It
is a terrible affair to get into Antwerp.
You wait and wait and wait, and at
last you get to a soldier. You show
your passport and he reads it slowly
oh-so slowly, while two soldiers stand
on each side of you, their bayonets hor-
ribly near. What are you coming to
Antwerp for? Where are you going?
your presence. And explain you must.
or never will you get into that inner
line of bayonets that yet awaits you.
Out of the station at last. safe
through it all, famished, worn-out, but
happy at having really arrived at ones
goal. Into the restaurant, a crowd OF
priests come hurrying. their long black
robes tapping heavily. and soon they
are begging for my Daily Mail that
1 bought at Ostend. They hang over
the pictures of the British troops ar
irving in Ostend. and presently look
ing up I discover curious sight.
One by one all that restaurant-wait-
ers, customers. managers and all-have
crept toward the priests table and
are craning their heads to catch a
glimpse of what mean more to them
than anything else-ptctures-for they
never have pictures in their papers,
never any pictures at all, and as many
of them cannot read, these photographs
are life to them.
Antwerp is crowded Her streets
are full wherever you go. Walled in
all around with magnificent fortifica-
lions. she stands ready for Siege. Sol
diers and gendarmes are everywhere.
AT every third step You are called on
20 halt at the point of bayonet.
How beautiful Antwerp Is. She has
1 glorious beauty all her own. In the
Golden blazing sunlight thousands OF
'unners are floating in the wind, enor-
nous banners. hanging out of those
eat white houses that stand in the
..sgnificent avenues lined with acacias
'.mging out of all the shops and
uses along the Chaussee de Malines
auging even from the cathedral Ban
f5-rs, banners. banners, they are every
where. Hour after hour one drives
about and there are banners always
.cu.d. red and black floating every