The Oskaloosa herald., 1914-12-24
BY WILL IRWIN

four dead, newborn babies.
1t was the same story which one
hears everywhere. The mothers were
so reduced by privation that they had
no milk of their own. AS for cows
milk, 1t was not to be had for any
money. ~ e.
Add another picture, brought out BY
an American from Belgium. He stood
one morning by the back door OF b
German cook camp, watching a group
Of Belgian women grubbing through
the trash.heap piled up behind the
camp. All these women carried babies
What are they doing?" he asked 6
German sergeant with whom he had
struck up acquaintance. ..... .....
'Scraping our condensed milk cans"
said the sergeant. It's the only way
to get milk for their babies. I've seen
them run their fingers round car
which looked as bright as a new coin
and hold them into the babies mouths
to suck. My company" he added, has
been getting along without milk in IL
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 1t doesn't
go very far" aaE+
Here Is another recent picture from
stricken Brussels, that gay, dainty
lively city in old times-the city who's
smiling people called it petit Paris
The scene is the once busy, pleasant
boulevard Bischofsheim. A womaL
collapses on a bench set along the
sidewalk after the fashion of the
| Greater Paris. In her arms Is baby
A child staggers along, clingiDg TO hel
| apron The woman's face is blue anC
| yellow; she is on the verge of collapse
The baby, surely not over five month";
old. has 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 hurriedly ex
change some words. turn back to the
woman on the bench. Then one stands
guard while the other hastens foI
some milk and bread-such as is to he
found in the Brussels of today. They
force little milk between the teeth
of the mother. They let the baby drink
Unweaned though it is, it drinks as
though it had never drunk otherwise
To the face of the mother comes a
| few patches OF color She slowly re
D., covers until she is able to eat bit o.
bread The baby opens its mouth
drinks more greedily. ut has not fec
since two days" the mother whispers
| . The mother tries to rise from thu
bench but she cannot. The elder chile
drinks the milk that is left. II looks
Curiously at the piece OF bread as If Il
did not know what 1t was. The moth
er forces it to eat A crowd has gath
cred. murmuring. This sight is not
| new, yet each time it draws a little
crowd. Every one would like to give
but no one can Who is not poor al
this moment? Many Of them have chill
dren at home who today weigh less
than the day they were born.
Let us view the situation in colo
blood Belgium is shut on from the
world-Tinged with steel. Her owT
food supply was used up long ago
either by the people or by their con
querors. The cattle were first OF al
to go: even in August saw the Ger
mans killing mich cows for rations
A COW or a small dairy herd Is left
here or there; but they are the excep
1 tons.
Again, the sucking baby must have
mothers milk or a substitute. There
is, of course, no substitute to be haC
in Belgium and equally there is littl'
mothers milk.
Every woman knows that civilized
nursing mother must keep up he
strength" She must have nourishinI
food-in many cases special food. EV
cry woman knows that certain pro
portion Of civilized mothers canno
feed their own babies even at that.
Nourishing food-speciaI food! Thu
news which filters out of that locked
stricken country to the American Com
mission for Relief in Belgium makes
sarcasm and a mockery Of those
phrases.
In many, IT, in not most Belgia,
cities, the populace is down to on
large bakers bun day, issued by thu
municipal authorities. In some places
the authorities have been able TO sup
plement that ration by one bowl o
cabbage soup a day. One bun and ont
bowl OF cabbage soup a day-for s
nursing motherl
| Even dllOWluB lOI Ilo ISuuCJlOh U
the birth rate due to the war, thert
must have been forty thousand birth
in Belgium since the Germans came
There will be forty thousand more il
this winter Of hardship andaprivation
How many of the newly.arrived fort,
thousand have already died unneces
sarlly-undecorated unsung victims o
this war-no one will ever know
How many of the coming forty thou
sand will die this winter depends up
on us In America-upon how mucl
food we send to the nursing mothers
how much milk to the babies. so
No Christmas in our time hal
brought such a call for the Christina
spirit as this. Belgium is starving
America is trying to feed the Belgians
The best we can do is to give then
quarter rations this winter jus
enough to keep soul and body togetb
err. We cannot do even that unless ey
cry American helps. A barrel OF fiou
will pull two Belgian adults through
this winter. A case Of condense,
milk will save the lives of three Bel
gian children A few tins of meat Will
give. nursing mother the strength
to keep her child alive. Think OF tina
when you sit down TO your Christina
dinner.
Many organizations are SOLICITING
food and funds. II there is one Il
| vouP cOmmunitv helm IL If there 4