Evening star., 1914-12-27
Arnold Bennett Tells of Ter
ribIe Conditions That Pre-
vail in Belgium.
FOUR HUNDRED BEINGS
LIVE IN SINGLE BARGE
Women Beg for Confines and Live
Upon the Bounty Of Soup
Kitchens.
By ARNOLD BENNETT.


Of the ship Massapequa was finished
In New York. She is 100 Al steamer,
over 800 feet in length, and her freight
was 1850 tons Of foodstuffs.
This cargo was packed and slowed
with such skill as to arouse special
admiration not only in New York, but
in Europe. Capt. McCardi has q de-
tailed plan Of all of it. SO as to facili-
tate unloading. Capt. McCardi. who
has never sailed for Europeon waters
before. cast of his moorings amid the
acclamations Of q people.
His first voyage across the Atlantic
was full of adventure and peril. and
once, owing to stress OF weather. he
had to lay to ip midocean for several
days. At length he arrived at the
Hook Of Holland. and the news that
his ship was sighted threw the whole
city Of Rotterdam into vast fete.
Greeted in Rotterdam.
Berlin Travelled to Rotterdam to meet
this wondrous ship. and other Ameri-
can diplomatic officials Joined him.
Before the vessel was made fast to the
quay at Rotterdam 500 Dutch steve-
dores had jumped aboard and started
the work of unloading. They worked
day and night for fifty hours, and
easily surpassed all the records Of the
port.
And while they toiled speeches were
made, full of enthusiasm and grati-
tude, banquets were held, and the
! burgomaster of Rotterdam invited all
| the official world to be his guests amid
the music Of the American national
anthem. Everybody felt with deep
emotion that tremendous interna-
tional deed of charity was being ae.
complished.
Canal Barges Garry Food.
In due course the ship was emptied
and the canal barges were filed and
the ship departed again, while the
canal barges, drawn by express tugs
and manned by crews, each Individual
of whom had special pass from the
German authorities. swung forward
with the $3.50 tons of bacon, rice,
beans and flour for Limburg. Char
lerot, Mons, Client and other places
goodwill were ready to distribute It.
The vast business was successfully
done.
But let it be noted that NJ Rolin. the
Belgian official who in the speech
making at Antwerp returned thanks
to America on behalf of Belgium, ut
tered the sentence:
There is just enough stuff on this
ship to feed starving Belgians for one
This sentence should be daily re-
membered by the charitable Of all
countries. If the miracle Of the Massa-
pequa were repeated every day
| throughout the winter until the end Of
| the war. the starving Belgians would
get just enough to eat.
Swarm With Refugees,
Holland. England and France seem
| to be swarming with Belgian refugees,
who are being fed and clothed and
housed. But between them the three
countries accommodate only a million;
and this million is the fortunate
minority of the victims.
There remain, and will remain in Bel
gium seven millions of tragic inhabi-
| tants. In the country districts so per
cent of them are women and children,
who. as though hypnotized by disaster,
haunt hopelessly the ruins in which
they can scarcely recognize their
homes.
Many districts are nothing but grave
yards. There is no seed to sow. There
are no implements There is no money.
There is no credit. There is no means Of
| transport. There is no work. And
there is very little heart, save in a
small corner of that once prosperous
| land, the corner still dominated and
! inspired by the courage of King AL
| bert and his soldiers.
No Famine Like It.
No modern famine was ever like this
famine, because 1t is universal. The
entire population has to be fed, and
those whom charity does not reach
will die. Over 1000 appeals for succor
are received by one committee in one
| day.
There are whole districts utterly
| without grain. flour, beans. peas and
even salt. For three weeks In Ter
haegen there was absolutely nothing
alone 100000 meals per day are being
served; the theoretical price Of each
meal Is one SOU. and few can pay 1T;
SIDE ba sas e5e
that will keep them alive. Women beg
| at the street corners for a centime
| (the tenth of penny. In Antwerp q
| thousand women. ill-clad, wait shiver-
| ing In the snow for the hour of the
| free meal.
The condition of the Belgian refugees
in certain parts of Holland is appall-
ing. At Rotterdam you can see over
barge. living on it like vermin, and
with little more decency than vermin.
Holland Doing Her Best.
They must exist somewhere, and Hol-
| land is doing all she can; she is in
deed performing prodigies. At Berg
op-Zoom there is a camp Of 5000 re-
fugees, living in tents amid quag-
mire Of snow and slush. Two families
live in each tent. Their bit of smoky
| fire Is made In an old pail. Their
diet is coffee, bread with a little but.
! ter and bacon soup.
They sleep on straw, all crowded
| together, men and women, oldsters and
youngsters, infants, grandmothers, and
| women momentarily expecting babies.
And yet they prefer this life to life In
Belgium, and they are sure that those
! who have adventuced back to Belgium
! will return, If they can. to the lesser
/ horrors of the Dutch camp.
Seeing Behind the Curtain.
| II thus raise ever so little the cur
+, tain behind which is proceeding the
| ineffable. unpar ralleled and hardly con-
ceivapIe tragedy that m its complete
ness and its dread overtops all previ.
GUS national tragedies, my aim is not
merely to harrow the feelings and ex-
| cite the urgent pity of readers but
| to assist them to realize the vaStness
of the task which now confronts the
| worlds charity.
| Every home in Belgium wants help.
million and half persons in Bel
| gium live from day to day on the
| mercy of soup kitchens. Unless men,
| women and children are to die Of star
walton. over $4,000 tons of food