Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-02-18
LIFE AMONG REFUGEES.
Interesting Sidelight on War Seen at
Nunspeet, The Netherlands.

Correspondence of Associated Press. ]
Nunspeet, The Netherlands, Feb. g.
The life of the 5000 Belgian refugees
who are enjoying the hospitality of the
Dutch authorities in vast camp here,
is an interesting sidelight of the war.
The camp, which is one uf numerous
similar concentration centers spread
about Holland is situated on sandy
plain surrounded by pine woods re-
nowned for their efficiency in the treat
ment of incipient tuberculosis. 1t con-
sists of four villages formed of CAPT
tally arranged and commodious huts.
in which each family has "A chamber.
All have board floors and are illumi-
mated with electric light. In each of
the villages are large workrooms for
different trades, washhouses. baths and
a children's recreation shed, all pro-
vided with heating appa ratus, while
there are four school houses and a
wooden church capable of seatins
about two thousand people. Hospi-
tails for ordinary ailments and for in
fictitious diseases, a dispensary and
several small libraries have been either
specially erected or established in
houses already standing in the neigh
borhood and lent for the purpose by
charitable people.
The camp is under Dutch military
guard and besides the company of 100
soldiers q small detachment of county
police and Belgian gendarmes patrols
the villages to keep order. Tools nee
essary to all the ordinary trades are
provided and several small huts In
each village are fitted up as work
shops. The men make or mend all
their own shoes ana clothes, while
the women do sewing.
1t is interesting to observe the pride
the refugee take in the decoration OF
the huts, which are seDara ted by wide
tracts of ground. Each shack has re-
ceived it's name and the differences in
the two Belgian races-iTtemish and
Walloon-can be marked at once by
the Inscriptions in Low Dutch or
French. A small proportion of the
people are bi-lingual. but 5000 of them
speak only Flemish and the other 5000
only French.
| Around the shacks, notwithstanding
| the sandy soil, some of TIE men have
laid out little patches Of garden. Tho
authorities distribute daily premiums
to those obtaining the best results In
neatness and cultivation. In one place
an excellent imitation of the Dutch
lion Is laid out in sand and green turf
| fetched from the woods.
Four priests and thirty -four sisters
are engaged in the .eligious and ed
ucational work of the camp, and be-
sides these there are men and women
among the refugees who possess high
grade of education and who give theil
services as readers to their comrades
| in distress in the school rooms after
lnightfall. benevolent resident of the
district also has presented Il moving
picture apparatus for entertainment.
Sickness among the refugees has
been little considering the number OF
people and the circums tances under
(which they were brought together II
a spot where no drainage or sanitary
arrangements existed before their ar
rival. Only one adult has died since
the camp was formed and that was .
woman OF over SO years of age. Amons
the children, number nave died OF
measles.