The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-11-20
Figures Show
Belgiar1s Are
Good Farmers
INTERESTING DATA CONCERNING
PEOPLE GIVEN BE.
LOW.
THEY WERE THE BRAvEsT OF
THE GAuLs IN CAESARS
TIME.

1 WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. 90
Prhaps no other organization In the
United States is keeping in such close
touch with the geography of the Euro
pean war as the National Geographic
Society, of Washington. While it is
furnishing geographical data daily to
the press, it is itself receiving a
wealth of geographic material with
reference to the countries at war,
their peoples, their customs, their in.
dustries, and their geographic history.
In communication on Belgium: The
Innocent Bystander," William Joseph
Showalter tells the more than 100000
members of the society:
1.-THE Belgium of today has an area
less than one-fourth as great as Mis-
sissippi, yet at the outbreak of the
present war its population was four
times as large as that of Mississippi.
twenty-five and half countries like
Belgium could be tucked away in q
state like Texas, and their aggregate
population would be more than that
of the United States and Germany to.
gether."
| According to this writer Julius
Caesar himself bears early witness
tc the bravery of the Belgians, who,
he says, were drawer than the Acqui.
tani or the Cells. due to the fact that
they were nearer the Germans, with
whom they were constantly at war
| Within Belgium's 1873 square
miles of territory, smaller than Mas.
sachusetts and Connecticut, with a
population of 7.579,OOO, there lived, at
the outbreak of the war, nearly three
million French-speaklng Walloons who
cannot talk with a like number Of
their compatriot Flemish speaking
IFlemings. In their habits of mind and
methods of gaining livelihood they
differ as widely as the English and
the French, but the bond of religion
las bound them together for genera.
lions, with never fratricidal war in
their modern history.
The Belgian constitution, framed In.
1880 by a convention of Belgians,
guarantees freedom of conscience, Of
education, and of press, and the right
of peaceful assembage. The king.
ship is filled by succession. There is
cabinet. a senate, and a house OF
representatives A senator's pay re-
markable as it may seem is free
pass on the railroads without dollar
OF actual salary. representative gets
free pass and $500 year.
The suffrage laws are interesting.
A Belgian gets one vote when he
reaches he age of 25. If. at the age
of 35 he pays one dollar in taxes, and
is married or a widower with legitt'
mate children, he gets a second vote.
III he pays a certain amount of taxes
or holds a university diploma he is en-.
titled to two additional votes-except
that in no case may man cast more
than three votes. In selecting rep
resentatives, parties and not men are
voted for, and each party gets a rep
Presentation in proportion to its voting
strength.
The Belgians are fine farmers.
They grew, last year, 81 bushels Of
wheat to the acre where we lSrew 15i
so bushels of barley to our "a; 312
bushels of potatoes to our 80.
Belgium has been land Of low
wages and cheap living. Many OF the
people who fashion our exquisite Bel
.Eian laces get only five dollars a
week, and the average wage-earner's
income is only about $165 year. But
with all that, the Belgian housewife,
an artist In making little go a long
way, has fed her family well and
clothed them comfortably.
There were no milkmen in Belgium,
for the women drove the dog carts
that constituted the nations milk wag.
ons, Every milk can had to shine, ev.
ery dog had to have harness to tit
him. a bowl for his drinking water.
and a carpet or bag to lie down on
when tired. No dog in Belgium, ex'
cent those Of the rlch,. escaped bear.
ing his share of the family burdens.
The people Of Belgium were the
worlds greatest beer drinkers before
the outbreak Of the present war, with
ass gallons per capital per year, as
compared with the German consump'
tion OF 1858 gallons. On the other
hand the Belgian used only one gal
Ion of wine as compared with the
Frenchman's thirty,iour gallons.
Railway fares were very low. A
double daily journey Of 20 miles cost
ara cents d week; Of AZ miles 80
cents a week. Every person entering
q railroad stat ion had TO pay one cent