The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-01-17

on the edge Of famine in winter The
world has seen some black sights tn
its time: has It ever seen a blacker
than this spectacle of Belgium starv-
ingf
America, you are great country.
America. without flattery you are the
humane country. Save this little ma
ton; this little. brave, starving nation.
A London slum-child prayed: 20
Lord. II we ever felt yer'd like to 'eip
q teller, now's your chance. o Lord.
Now Is your chance, America. We in
England have done something; we Viii
do as much as we can; but the scythe
Of sacrifice sweeps in all our fields.
Funds are many: the war long and
desperate No more foodstuffs may be
sent forth from this country. or from
Holland.
But from somewhere foodstuffs
must be sent. for the Belgians are
starving. You in America are already
doing much: you have given sympa-
thy. and time. and money But the
dimensions Of this catastrophe are
terrible. Eight hundred thousand to
million pounds monthly ex-
pert estimate-are wanted to keep
starvation from these seven million
people. Let me quote from officials
sources some evidence of the appal-
ing situation:
Orphans, Orphans; Graves, Graves.
From the report OF Theodore
Waters, secretary of the Christian
Herald:
II do not want this to be a history
of the trip through Belgium, but only
to recall some impressions of the peo-
pies need Women of refinement
herded with women OF the street, both
dressing and undressing in sight OF ell
the men. a woman with nine chill
dren mothering her fatherless brood
In the same room--these sights were
bad enough. But / drove through
ruined villages all the way from Ant
werp to Brussels and l could liken IT
TO nothing but going to funeral
through q long cemetery. Indeed. the
country was one huge burying ground.
Always between the ruined houses we
could see graves. Graves. graves,
graves. In some would be stuck a
bayonet with a Belgian soldiers cap
pom II. Above others rough white
efosses rudely inscribed, ITO the menu
DRY Of a Belgian soldier On one
grave was a child's shoe; poor little
mark of its parents grief. Graves.
graves. Orphans. orphans. a coun-
try devastated: It's trees felied in rows
to make way for bullets; Its crops
long gone TO seed. standing up leanly:
uGau NHtBEE III TcWS IKE markers IN
q miniature cemetery
From Malines:
In the name OF His Exceilency
Cardinal MERCER. / beg leave to ask
you for strong assistance.
In the city of Mahnes alone 1000
mouths have to he fed every day
The children come 10 the German
soldiers and tear the bread from their
bands There is hardly a
a ~
TO gain his daily bread. Everything
lis iacking--we are in want Of poia-
toes. peas. beans, grain. flour. wheat
and bacon
From the Burgomaster of Wet
teren:
'wetteren is inhabited by over
1900 people. About H.
600 workmeH and numerous families
OF niiit.amen are without resources"
From the Mayor OF Hamme:
For some farne our ttownl commit
tee has had daily 70 distribute soup,
bread. potatoes and milk for more
than 5000 men. Flour is hardly to
be obtained The stock OF
mea, and corn In Hamme viii not
last tall the end OF this month"
From the American Consnl at Ant
werp:
II have been called upon by the
to hasten. IL possible. such assistance
as the American people could and
would render, rs they had over 2o.-
COB people without bread and without
work in their little town. and no
rncarsx OF providing the In
the coal district near charlero. a num-
Der of poor people, msddeued with
hunger. attacked a German military
train laden with provisions"
". tnf,
sentative AT Rotterdam of the Com
mission for Relief in Belgium:
THE total amount OF supply so far
avA!la Bile Is entirely insufficient TO
meet the immediate and urgent needs
Of the people Reports and
requests for assistance ars pouring In.
Ths districts OF Liege. Ma
muir. Dinant, are entirely GU OF grain,
flour. salt. peas and beans A depu-
tAtion has arrived from Terhaegen and
states that for three weeks they have
had only potatoes to- eat"
From the members of the Town
Council at Namur and Iiege
We are now threatened by famine.
We have suffered enough.
at least let this misfortune he spared
liz. To sum up the stua-
ton. an Industrial population of high.
efficiency is entirely out OF work and
cannot earn its food 1t has no reserves
any more in food or savings. and
a rescue is Immediately and urgently
needed You may rest as
Eured that in spite of circumstances
our population IL full of courage and
worthy OF ali the sympathy that the
Americans and others can show"
From the account OF an American
eye-wifness. Mr.. Jarvis Bell, who went
through from London to Brussels with
ehA f1rxf shf uinaA nf fpnl.
III you could only see the gruesome
surroundings in which they are strug-
Ring for existence. - Give
each Belgian peasant 1900 and ten
acres OF land and then he could do
tsttle to keep himself alive, He has
In many districts. no home in which
10 sleep. no seed to sow with,
no implements TO work with. no trans
port with which to reach "a market,
and no heart to struggle against the
impossible. No war ever produced
such complete and tragic paralysis as
We saw in many parts of Belgium,
We met few Belgian men.
80 per cent of the people in these
country districts are women and chill
dren we saw them eating green veg
etables, beets and apples: they have
little else. There were thousands Of
children. all afraid to laugh
From the account OF another Amer