Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-11-20
BELCIANS BRAVE
FROM EARLY DAY
Wars With Germans Have Kept
Them on Fighting Edge
Since Caesars Day.

United States is keeping in such close
touch with the geography of the Eu-
ropean war as the National Geograph-
ic 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 his
tory. In a communication on Bel
GUM: The Innocent Bystander," Will
| liam Joseph Showalter tells the more
| than 100000 members of the society:
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 a half countries like
| Belgium could be tucked away in a
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 Gaze
ser himself bears early witness to the
bravery of the Belgians, who, he says,
were Drawer than the .Aquitani or the
Celts, due 10 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
population of $4,000, there lived.
at the outbreak of the war, nearly
three million French-speaking Wal
looms who cannot talk with a like num-
Der of their compatriot Flemish
speaking Flemings. In their habits
of mind and methods of gaining a
livelihood they differ as widely as the
of religion has bound them together
for generations, with never a fratri-
cidal war in their modern history.
The Belgian constitution, framed in
1880 by a convention of Belgians. guar
antees freedom of conscience, of edu-
cation, and of press, and the right OF
peaceful assemblage. The kingshlp is
filled by succession. There is cabi-
net. a senate, and a house of repre-
sentatives. A senator's pay remarka-
BILE as it may seem is free pass on
the railroads without a dollar of &C.
tual salary. A representative gets
free pass and $500 a year.
The suffrage laws are interesting:
A Belgian gets one vote when he
reaches the age of %. If. at the age
of So he pays one dollar in taxes, and
is married or a widower with legiti-
mate children, he gets second vote
If he pays a certain amount of taxes
or holds university diploma he is
entitled to two additional votes-ex-
cept that in no case may man cast
more than three votes. In selecting
parties and not men
are voted for. and each party gets a.
in proportion TO its
voting strength.
The Belgians are fine farmers. They
grew. last year, 81 bushels of wheat
to the acre where we grew Is; so
bushels of barley to our "a; 312 bush
els of potatoes to our 80
Belgium has been a land of low
wages and cheap living. Many OF the
people who fashion our exquisite Bel
sian laces get only five dollars week,
and the average wage-earner's income {
is only about s165 a year. But with
all that. the Belgian housewife, an ar
list in making a little go long way
mas fed her family well and clothed {
them comfortably.
There were no milkmen in Belgium,
for the women drove the dog carts
hat constituted the nations milk ]
wagons. Every milk can had to shine,
every dog had to have harness to fit
him. a bowl for his drinking water.
and a carpet or bag to lie down on
when tired No dog in Belgium, ex-
cept those of the rich. escaped bear
ng his share of the family burdens.
The people of Belgium were the
worlds greatest beer drinkers before
he outbreak of the present war, with
1873 gallons per capita per year, as
compared with the German consump-
ion of 26.3 gallons. On the other
hand the Belgian used only one gallon
~ wine. as compared with the French
mans "a gallons.
Railway fares were very low. a
journey of 90 miles cost
,7Ik cents a week; of A miles. so
ents a week Every person entering
railroad station had to pay one cent
or that privilege. and the revenue
therefore, amounted to $4,000 a year.
Belgium's foreign business was
arge Those wonderful little engines
hat did such good at Panama were
liege-made. and an example of Bel
,ium's exports. The country's foreign
rade was greater than that of all
;outh America together. II the Unit
d States imported as much per capita
S Belgium. its imports would total
l.. 900. 10000 year. II We exported
Z much ner capita our export bust