Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-01-05

who are beginning TO die By hunger
iE stricken Belgium. And finally, they
do not list these babes OF Belgium,
dropping off 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
world--ringed with steel Hsr own
food supply was used UP long ago,
either by the people or by their con-
querors. The cattle were FIRST of ali
to go; even in August I saw the Ger
mans killing milch oowa for rations
A COW or q small dairy herd 10 left
horO or there; but they are the ex-
ceptionA
The supply OF condensed milk ran
short long ago Now milk Is a ne
cessity TO most eivillEed children be-
tween the ages Of ono and two years
Some children, II IB true, pull through,
under exceptional circumstances Of
prlvation without II; but these are
the unusually sturdy; they stand
apart from the rule. The average
young child must have milk or hs
will die. And there Is no milk.
Again, the Guckllng baby muat have
mothers milk OF \ substitute There
is, Of course, no substitute to be had
In Belgium and equally there Ia little
mothers milk.
Every woman knows that civil.
lied nursing mother must keep uT
her strength" She must have nour.
ishing food In many oases special
food. Every woman knows that
certain proportion of civilized
mothers cannot feed their own babies
even at that
NouriBhlng food special foood
The news which nlters out Of thai
locked, stricken country to the
American Commission for Relief In
Belgium makes q sarcasm and
mookery OF those phrases.
BUN AND CABBAGE souPi
In many, II not in most Belgian
oltiss, the populhco Ia down to one
large bakers bun day. Issued by
the municipal authorities In some
places tho authorities have bsen able
to supplement that ration by one bowl
OF cabbage soup a day. Ono bun and
one bowl Of cabbage coup a day-fot
o nursing motherl
Yet that Is all they have and nil
they will have this Winter at the besi
America can do. The American Com.
mission hopes at best to transmit ten
onnoes Of food day to each inhabI
tant Of Belgium--and 10 do that tho
people of the United States must
strain etery resource OF charity. How
little that is for a civilized human be
ing, and especially for a nursing
mother, becomes plain when one
learns that the average inhabltant of
Greater New York consumes forty.
two ounces Of food a day, The best
the mothers OF Belgium can hope for
10 quarter ration this Winter.
10000 lNNocENTs.
Even allowing for the reduction Of
the birth rate due to tho war. there
must have been forty thousand births
In Belgium since the Germans cana
There viii bs forty thousand more in
this Winter Of hardship ana priva.
tlon. How many OF the newly arrived
fCrty thousand have already died un-
necss5Srily--undscOrated, unsunR vic.
Tins OF this wRr--nO ono viii ever
know.
HOW many Of the coming forty
.nouSahu VIII die this Winter depends
upon up IN Amsriea-upon how mucn
toou We send TO the nursing motbera
no" much milk &. tho babiea
AMERICAS OPPORTUNITY
No Christmas in our tina IN,
brosEht such call for the chrIrtmn,
spirit as this. e. Belgium ls atarvInR
America IL trying 10 feed tho Rel.
CLANS, The best we can do is TO giv,
them quarter ratlon6 this Winter
Just enough TO keep soul and body 10.
Eether We cannot do even thai nm.
less every American helps,
A barrel OF -four will null two M,
elan adults through this Wlntsr
case Of condensed milk viii save ,h,
lives Of three Belgian ohlldTen
few tins OF meat will give a nnrslns
mother tho strength to keen bnr nhiS
alive. Think OF that when yon nit
down TO your Christmas dinner.
Many organizations are eollct,in.
food and funds II there IA ono IN
yosr community, help H. II there ia
none, start one. The Commission for
Keller In Belgium, No. II Broadway
New YORK. will tell YOU how to 70 te
work.