The Washington herald., 1914-12-23
By WILL IRWIN

arms a q baby. A 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
i've months old, has a pale, lead-colored
skin. Its mouth is open as though set
that way. It's eyes are closed.
Two women Of Brussels pass this .un-
happy group. They hurriediy exchange
some words, turn back to the woman on
the bench. Then one stands guard while
the other hastens for milk and bread
such as is to be found In the Brussels of
today. They force a little milk between
the teeth of the mother. They let the
baby drink. Unweaned though It was,
it drings as though 1t had never drunk
otherwise.
No Food for Two Days.
To the face Of the mother comes a few
patches OF color. She slowly RECEIVERS
until she is able to eat bit OF bread.
The baby opens Its mouth. drinks more
greedily 1T has not fed since two
days" the mother whispers.
The mother tries to rise from the bench
but she cannot The elder child drinks
the milk that Is left. 1t looks curiousIy
at the piece Of bread as IL 1t did not know
what It was. The mother forces It to
eat A crowd has gathered, rnurmuring.
Inns clkul 10 uOl hC"s yet GdNH II
draws a little crowd. Every one would
like to give-but no one can. Who is not
poor at this moment? Many of them
have children at home who today weigh
less than the day they were born.
France and England and Germany and
Austria are issuing their lists of the
dead, which are mounting up day by day
to a ghastly million. But these take ac-
count only Of the strong young men who
have died in the fighting. They do not
take account OF mere noncombatants.
They do not list the women who, fool
ishly or ignorantly stick to their homes
have died under the shell-fre of enemies
or friends. They do not list the weak
and helpless who have dropped out from
the pathetic caravans Of refugees TO
perish along the edges of the roads
They do not take list of those who are
beginning to die by hunger in stricken
Belgium. And finally, they do not list
these babes of Belgium. dropping OF be-
fore their lives have fairly begun, be-
cause there is no milk.
Babes Must Have MIX.
Let US view the situation in cold blood.
Belgium is shut on from the world
ringed with steel. Her own food supply
WAS used up long ago. either by the peo-
pie or by their conquerors. The cat
tie were first o fall to go; even in Au-
gust 1 saw the Germans killing milch
cows for rations. A COW or a small dairy
herd is left here or there; but they are
the exceptions.
The supply Of condensed milk ran short
long ago. Now milk Is a necessity to
most civilized children between the ages
of one and two years. Some children.
1t is true. pull through, under excep
Gonal circumstances of privation with
out II; but these are the unusually sturdy:
they stand apart from the rule. The
average young child must have milk or
he will die. And there Is no milk.
Again, the sucking baby must have
mothers milk or a substitute. There
Is, OF course. no substitute to be had
in Belgium and equally there is little
mothers milk.
Every woman knows that a civilized
nursing mother must keep up her
strength" She must have nourishinY