Semi-weekly herald., 1915-03-25
undoubtedly become German prov
Hollands Attitude.

ince.
Hollands Attitude.
There are constant rumors Of Hol-
land getting into the game, but we
who are not on the inside do not
know how imminent the danger is.
Holland, you know, is a neutral coun-
try, the same as Belgium was sup
posed to have been. The people of
Holland are prepared for war, and it |
must be said to their credit that they
have stood manfully by Belgium.
The government of Holland has
taken care of the refugees which
made their way into this country and
has provided them with habitations
and camps. They are guarded with
military regulations, and they are
fed and clothed and are also furnish
ed with medical attendance. There
are 100000 of these refugees still in
Holland, while it is said that there
are 100000 (possibly 4O0,OOO) in Eng
land, who are supported by charity.
Not factory of any consequence
is in operation in Belgium. / talked
with one manufacturer at Liege, who
had been an employer of $4,000 men,
and his factory was not turning
dwheel. Factories could do no bust
ness for the reason that Belgium is
closed colume. 1t is almost impossi-
| hla IN rtn bn ptt.x, Nd 70 =.
equally as impossible to get out. Such
a country could find no market for
its products, as it would be impossi-
BILE to ship such products.
Factories in German Hands.
Many of the factories are now in
the possession of the Germans and
are used for storing supplies, also for
horse barns. In other words, this lit
tie country, one-fifth the size of Iowa,
is doing practically nothing. Her
horses have been largely shipped
away or impressed by the army, and
every living animal that was fit for
food has gone to the block. Her pub
lie highways are in possession of the
military and, Of course, this is true
of her railways, all of which belong
to the government. Now and then a
canal boat is to be seen, for Belgium
is penetrated by canals in every di-
rection. Gasoline has done much for
the canal boat in this part of the
world and traffic on the canals in Hol-
land seems to be brisk.
| The commission for relief in Bel
GUM has a number of automobiles,
lall of them contributed. These are
used for the purpose of going back
and forth to Brussels from Rotter-
dam by way of Antwerp. They are
also used by the agents of the COM
mission for visiting the other parts
of Belgium. 1t was under these aus
pices that DR.. Baylis and myself
made our long tour in Belgium, trav-
cling over nine hundred miles.
| College Men COuriers.
| Our couriers were college men, who
have been volunteering their services
for this work. During the past few
months the commission has had the
services of thirty-four Rhodes gradu.
ates. l have met the majority of
these young men and they are surely
fine. One young man, by the name
of Robert ii. Warren, is from South
Dakota, and another by the name of
d. T. Nelson, from North Dakota.
while numerous other states are rep
resented. These young men speak Eng
ish and French, and the commisson's s
work would be in bad shape if they
were to resign. Some of them have
gone already in order to again take
up their studies at Oxford university.
They regard their experiences as a
part of the days work. They look
upon the bright side, and adventures
which would be serious for older men
are part of their joy of living.
| The ride from Rotterdam to Brus-
sells take sabout six hours, sometimes
longer, and on the journey you cross
| NV ave- Niiiiie WI a ieiiy- iHis river
is broad and has great current. We
did not come back that way when re-
turning to Rotterdam; we first drove
by automobile to Antwerp, which
place, as you will remember, was con-
spicuous in the war by the protracted
siege which it underwent. Antwerp
is on the river Scheldt, which is the
big river of this part of the world
The river Scheldt makes the harbor
at Antwerp possible and gives that
city connection with the sea.
People Scarce in Antwerp.
The river Mass, upon which Rotter-
dam stands, is the rival of the
Scheldt, and provides the harbor for