The farmer and mechanic., 1915-03-09
RELIEF WORK IN BEL GIlM
From an Address Delivered in New York bv Lindon
W. Bates Vlce-Chairman of the Commission For
Relief in Belgium.

/ sai which none could pierce. West
.ba molten front of craters. which
nome could pass. North a sea which |
,.re could gain. South the noun
.ns whence came the endless le- |
IONS of the victors Thus hemmed |
81, and half millions of embodied |
,4le, BY the importunate and stri- |
aeut will of our American Minister, |
slconded by the ENJOYS of Spain and |
raly and by the grace of saving good |
oo-s in the conquering keepers of the |
Gates those who were about to die
lsere enabled to send out salutations
ar1 appeal: appeal not for charity,
pot 10 professional philanthropy, but
I'm appeal to the love of all the world,
IN appeal to hve,-Love whose out
pouripes now freight the seven seas.
The neutral Ministers standing to
their posts in Brussels-accredited
the Mission Of the appeal to the
American, Spanish and Italian AM
bassadors in London who rallied to
their group, the American AmbaSsa-
dors 10 Germany and France, our Min
ieter To Holland and the cOnsuls Of
all their nations in the zone Of immi-
utnt disaster
thus it began. Then with bewil-
acring quickness came the diplomatic,
fhe naval and military agreements,
H.hed, between the belligerent nations.
These treaties are the charter of that
creation like unto no other that ever
,yas-The Commission for Relief in
Belgium.
Dealing With Causes.
it was founded to deal not with
causes but with effects. The keystone
ST It's arch was neutrality. To be un-
neutral to be partisan were to put
tt.f.. fII1a in
ii was given it's Constitution, and its
Governors The Commission for Re-
Htt in Belgium includes the Ameri-
can Commission for Relief in Bel
1.um. The Italian Commission: The
Spanish Commission, and The Comite
National tde SecourS ct d Alil.ent2-
Upnl Its official status was from the
start thus insured. 1t was granted by
the German Government not only the
sole right to transport food into Bel
e-um. but given the active sympathy
and aid of the German military au-
thorities. Despite reports to the con-
trary not one pound of food sent
iu has been appropriated The treasury
ol the Commission draws from the
generous heart of the world. Into
tNs treasury has been put also al
that the enveloped Belgian race could
gather Of the remnants of their shat
tered fortunes 1t registers thell
struggle for survival. 1t represent!
their very all-the all that the bet
'cr-to-do can give to help themselve'
and unreservedly to help their fellow
beings in the ranks already destitute
ana starving. This is our main pur
chasing fund--the greatest and tn
sacrelest of all the donations.
Commission III Days Old.
The Commission is one hundred am
eleven days old. 1t began with no or
saniZatiOn whatever. 1t became re
sponsible for feeding six and hal
millions of people. Six and a hal
millions are the numbers of the con
tending armies-the perfection 9
whose commissaries is the stuoie
PREPARATION of thirty years. Thei
supply was at hand the nearest G
ours thousand leagues across tn
ocean: they had their towers an
tf"asuries Of gold, we were money
less foodless, shipless-beggars in a
lands and seas. To secure but te
ounces Of food a head-less than one
tourth of the ration actually cor
sumed in New York City-a coo
ION ship loaded with foodstuffs mus
oe dispatched every forty-eight hour
mis- was the problem which or
handred and eleven days ago the Con
mission undertook to solve 1T n;
a rowing navy nova fleet OF SIX
SHIPS, the safest in the world.
mas new fac. banners and burgess
"hue with red letters. it's visible SAT
cards in the zones Of war. The Brj
'H French and German Admiralt'
all have c~~"o~~OI "ron it's ships Il
fiGhts of Safe Conduct over and u
sea and through the water ais'
~ the mine fields to Rotterdam. II
u6tch Government furnished the j
d'Snensable facilities for unloadin
% Government not alone snpll
lh"Se facilities. but. in d period
emergency loaned the CommiSs
Ten thousand tons of food purchas
Tor Hollond it~e'f
No Commission has its arm
without arms. bearing life. not deaf
an army Of givars in America. in Ca
ada. in Argentine. New Zealand. Al
tralia. India. Burmah--all round