The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-12-25

do not list the. weak and helpless who
have dropped out from the pathetic
caravans Of refugees to perish nlong
the edges of the ronds. They do not
list those who are beginning to die by
hunger In stricken Belgium. And. final
~. they do not list these babes Of Bel
GUM, dropping of before their lives
have fairly begun because there is no
milk.
BABES MUST HAVE MILK.
Let us view the situation In cold
blood. Belgium is shut of from the
w0rld-ringed with steel. Her own
food supply was used up long ago
either by the people or by their con.
querors. The cattle were first of all
to go. Even In August saw the Ger.
mans killing milk cows for rations. A
COW or 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 necessi
,ty to most civilized children between
the ages Of one and two years. Some
chndren, It Is true, pull through under
exceptional circumstances Of privation
without 1t, but these ave the unusual
ly 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 civilized
nursing mother must keep up her
strength She must have nourishing
food-in many cases special food. Ev-
cry woman knows that certain pro-
portion of civilized mothers cannot feed
their own babies even at that.
Nourishing food Special food! The
news which filters out of that locked
stricken country to the commission for
relief III Belgium makes sarcasm and
a mockery of those phrases.
BUN AND CABBAGE soUPl
In many. if rot in most, Belgian cit
les the populace is down to one large
bakers bun u day. issued by the mu-
nicipal authorities. In some places
the authorities have been able to sup
plement that ration by one bowl Of
cabbage soup day. One bun and one
bowl Of cabbage soup day-for a
nursing mother!
Yet that is all they have and all
they will have this winter at the best
America can do. The commission
hopes at most to transmit ten ounces
of food day to each inhabitant
of Belgium, and to do that the peo
pie of the United States must strain
every resource of charity. How lit.
tie that is for civilized human be-
ing, and especially for II nursing moth
er, becomes plain when one learns
that the average inhabitant of Great
er New York consumes forty-twC
ounces of food day The mothers OF
Belgium can hope only for ID quarter
ration this winter!
10000 INNOCENTs.
Even allowing for the reduction OF
the birth rate due to the war, there
GUM since the Germans came. There
will be 10000 more in this winter OF
hardship and privation. How many
Of the newly arrived 10000 have al
ready died Observation-Disclosures
unsung victims Of this war-no one
will ever know.
How many Of the coming 10000 will
die this winter depends upon US in
America-upOn how much food we
send to the nursing mothers. how much
milk to the babies.
AMERICAS OPPORTUNITY.
No Christmas in our time has
brought such call for the Christmas
spirit as this Belgium is starving
America is trying 10 feed the Belgians
The best we can do Is to give them
quarter rations this winter = just
enough to keep soul and body togeth
er. We cannot do even that unless
every American helps.
A barrel of -four will pull two Bel
gian adults through this winter. A
case Of condensed milk will save the
lives of three Belgian children. A few
tins of meat will give nursing mother
the strength to keep her child alive
Think of that when you sit down to
your Christmas dinner.
Many organizations are soliciting
food and funds. If there is one In
your community help 1t: if there is
none start one. The Commission fol-
Relief in Belgium, No. n Broadway
New York. will tell you how to go t.
work.
Copyright bD Commission for Relief i,