East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-09-24

Mostly Peddlers.
Many stories have appeared in tho
American newspapers in regard to the
socalled happy and care-free ways of
the Belgians" said a representative
OF the Commission for Relief in Bel
sum, in New York, who wrote from
BRUSSELS giving a graphic description
OF the squalid Marollien quarters of
BRUSSELS as it is in war times.
In the slums of Brussels, along
the Rue Haute. and around the hill
behind the Palais de Justice the at
taches of the commission in this city
have their hands full looking after
the destitute. There are perhaps fif-
teen thousand people in this section
of Brussels, and few of them are able
TO pay even a few centimes for the
bread and soup that is distributed TO
them daily. They are mostly the ia
nous Marolllens' and by far the
most recalcltrant of the Belgians
against German military authority.
Most of them make their living in
times Of peace by peddling in the
streets from carts or working 'at
home at simple carpentry, masonry
or wood cutting.
With a Belgian woman, who has
given her life for charitable work
among these people, 1 wandered into
unhealthy blind alleys where as many
as two hundred live in rooms that can
he reached only through these dark,
narrow passages, and whose ventila-
ton comes from the roof. The peo
lie are as dirty and as unattractivc !
as their surroundings, save for one
thing-their sense of humor and its
'redeeming light in their faces.
From the people VINO came up and
spoke to US, we heard many pltIful
tales, and to most of the requests
that were made for charity she re-
piled with one of her green or yellow
coupons, which she had in her pock-
etbook and which showed her to be
one Of the commissions distributing
we had a hard time, and some of
my people were without food for
days. Finally members Of the COM
mission came to us and things be-
came more normal, but there was no
work for the people to do and idle
ness means trouble. Now we have
two soup kitchens, and I am making
the people sew clothes and sole shoes
for their food but material is scarce
ard I cannot give work to fifteen
thousand people We entered one OF
alleys-L'Impasse de 1'Epec--a dark,
narrow corridor between two houses,
paved with Shiny cobblestones. My
c Jmpanion pushed open the door and
We found ourselves in a house which
had only one small room. The first
thing that caught my eye was an Am
erican flag sticking in an old pin
cushion on a chest of drawers An
cid woman sat on the floor chopping
boxes into kindling wood while an
equally old man was tying and sort
ing it into bundles. Neither showed
surprise nor got up when we came
into the room Questioned about the
flag, the old woman said: My little
girl got the flag with her Christmas
gifts from America, and we keep IL
as a souvenir for we all know and
love America, for what she has done
for US. You have no poor there, she
continued, and I suppose you never
gaw anything before like the caves
where the Marolliens live
Asked whether she had enough
food, she said: Yes, we can manage
to live on what we get each morning
from the coup canteens, but without
that we would al starve. There is no
work. My man there is a shoemaker,
tut there is no more feather, and
even the rich are wearibg their last
Years shoes on account Of these hard
times.
u asked her If any Of her family
we're In the army Yes she said
stoically, two sons, and I have not
heard from them in nearly year.
This is true everywhere here and we
Ihlnk mat no news IS good news De-
cause it is better than hearing that
they have been wounded or killed.
That is the only way we ever hear
from the army now"
She then went on to tell me that
before the war their family Of five
had lived In that room. I saw no
beds. 80 I asked where they slept
and she replied 'On the floor-it is
dry enough
"As we came back through the Rue
Haute 1t was time for the distribution
of soup. and everywhere men, wom-
en- and children were coming for their
ratlons. noticed many men with
an arm or leg gone. Many still walked
with crutches or canes. They were
all different. apparently, and yet all
alike In carrying the steaming pitch
ore ana TnuuAa xyhgah wauraaawN NLn