The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1914-09-04

Luke McLuke wants to know wha
has become of the oldfashioned cir
whose silk skirts rustled when sh'
walked She is here alright enough
but the skirt is the trouble Their,
Is not enough Of it 10 rattle.
BELelUMs UNDEsERVED FATE
If the European war should cease
today and peace should reign hence
forth, the wonder and the pity of a
world-yea, even the conquerors
fhemselveG-w would extend to Belgi-
um, torn, trampled land Of patriots.
In size, Belgium is almost identical
with that portion of South Florida
which comprises the counties of Hills
borough, Polk. Manateet DeSota and
Lee, but inside the borders of that
country a month ago was one of the
most wonderful systems Of economic
production and scientifically moulded
public life the world has known. In
this little area there lived 5000. 900
contented people, making it the most
densely populated country in the
world Centuries OF thrift had made
It's soil an Incompatible garden; its
huge industries exacted great imports
OF food. Antwerp stood, perhaps,
second to New York i'll the bulk of its
commerce
Generations of skilled architects
had enriched the doomed land with
cities whose beauty was the despair
ot emulation. TO call the roll of
towns like Burgess, Ypres. Louvain,
Client, Courtrai is to bring up visions
of pictured beauty familiar to the
world TO call another roll begin
aing with Waterloo and Oudenarde is
to name Belgium as the cockpit of
past wars; but to give Europe a buf-
fer state for peace, its neutrality for
the future was guaranteed by trea-
IT, Having little faith in the false
oaths of emperors, the Belgians taxed
industry to sustain an army of a quar-
ter of a million soldiers and reserves
That was Belgium. Today it is in
ruin. German arms have crushed a
resistance which German diplomacy
admits was legitimate and military
governors pay for foods and sup.
plies with contributions wrung from
defenseless cities Belgium capital
lists are held for ransoms of millions
Many priests are hostages; other cler
gymen are lying with the dead Peas
ants from about Liege are driven like
slaves 70 Germany to help harvest
the encmys crops. Civic life has
ceased.
The coaquerors are wasting the
garnered wealth of ages. The Malines
cathedral is in ruins, and only 20a
OF the G0,o00 inhabitants are report
cd to be left in the battered city
l.ouvaiu, with its beautiful old city
hall. its priceless library, its splen.
did churches. it's Clothesworkcrs' hal
hallowod by GOO years of admiration
have been utterly destroyed and many
OF its citizens murdered because
though this they deny~-some of them
tried ia defend their homes against
the invader.
Defending their homeN is the cap
ital oftensc which poor men can com
nit There is no trial; the word o
u commander is sufficient: rattle
of rifles and gray-haired peasant
Ells bleeding upon the ashes of his
rooftree in one village OF 500 homes
score Only have been left standing
In others the invaders rife the cash
box. shoot a peasant or two and pass
on. Growding the roads to France
to Holland-now one vast hospital
10 Antwerp, there crawls a pitifu
procession Of wounded non-combat
ltants. furnished women, grandmother,
wheeling babies in haadcarts, BE
sides the roads these stragglers Ii,
where they have fallen, dying iron
hunger and exhaustion
-~--~-----------T ------
& ! Asaf...- rtta d -, tsl,s.Ht-tse xNaafs ans