The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1915-01-01
,alSSISSIPPI WOULD
HOLD 4 BELGIUMS
BRAVE LITTLE KINGDOM CON-
TAlNs a TIMES THE POPULA-
TiON OF THIS STATE.

WdSHlH5tou, ~. VI eTHdpS uO
other organization in the United
States Is keeping in such close touch |
with the geography of the European
war as the National Geographic So
ciety, of Washington. While 1t Is fur
pishing geographical data daily t., the
press, IT IL itself receiving wealth Of
geographic material with reference to
the countries at war, their peoples,
their customs, their indus .ries, and
their geographic history. In a COM
munication on Belgium: The limo
cent Bystander," William Joseph Sho-
walter tells the more than 100000 |
members of the society:
1.-THE Belgium of today has an area
less than one-fourth as great as Mis-
sissippi, yet at the outbreak of the
present war its population was four
times as large as that of Mississippi.
Twenty-Five and half countries like
BELGIUM could be tucked away in a
state like Texas, and their aggregate
population would be more than that OF
the United States and Germany to.
gether"
Drawer Than Auuitani.
According to this writer Julius
Caesar himself bears early witness to
the bravery of the Belgians, who, he
says, were drawer than the Aquitani
or the Celts, due to the fact that they
were nearer the Germans, with whom
they We're constantly at war.
Within Belgium's 1873 square
miles of territory, smaller than Mas
sachusetts and Connecticut, with a
population of $4,000 there lived, at
the outbreak of the war. nearly three
million French-speaking Walloons
who cannot talk with like number of
their compatriot Flemish speaking
Flemings. In their habits of mind and
methods of gaining a livelihood they
differ as widely as the English and
the French, but the bond of religion
has bound them together for genera
tons, with never fratricidal war in
their modern history.
The Belgian constitution, framed
in 1880 by a convention of Belgians,
guarantees freedom of conscience, of
education, and of press, and the right
of peaceful assemblage. The kingship
Is filed by succession. There is a
cabinet, a senate, and house of rep.
resentatives. A senator's pay, remark
able as 1t may seem, is free pass
on the railroads without a dollar OF
actual salary. A representative gets
free pass and $500 year.
Suffrage is Graded.
The suffrage laws are interesting
A Belgian gets one vote when h
reaches the age of 25. If at the ag
of S5 he pays one dollar in taxes
and is married or a widower witt
legitimate children, he gets a sex
ond vote. If he pays a certain amour
Of taxes or holds university diplom
he IL entitled to two additional vote
except that in no case may a ma
cast more than three votes. In 8,
lecting representatives. parties an
not men are voted for. and each part
n gets = representation in proportio
q to its voting strength.
The Belgians are fine farmers. The
r, grew, last year, 81 bushels of whe,
s to the acre where we grew Is;
It bushels Of barley to our "a; 312 bus
e els of potatoes to our 30.
n Belgium has been land of 10
wages and cheap living. Many Of IL
II people who fashion our exquisite Be
It gian laces get only five dollars a wee
and the average wage-earner's incon
A. is only about $1e5 a year. But wi
D. all that. the Belgian housewife,
r artist in making a little go lol
1. way, has fed her family and cloth
a them comfortably.
II No Milkmen In Belgium.
a. There were no milkmen In Belglul
=. for the women drove the dog car
a that Constituted the nations mi
70 wagons. Every milk can had to shir
10 every dog had to have harness to
him. a bowl for his drinking watt
IN and a carpet or bag to lie down
4. when tired. No dog in Belgium,
40 cept those of the rich, escaped bet
) ing his share OF the family burden
Al, The people. or Belgium were t
a worlds greatest beer drinkers befo
{ the outbreak of theApresent war. wi
" 4s.S gallons per capita per year.
compared with the German cons