Semi-weekly herald., 1915-06-24
PRISON CAMPS IN
EUROPE SHELTER
MANY CIVILIANS
When War broke Out, Each Coun-
try Began the Immediate Separa.
ton Of the Sheep From the Goats,
By Lafayette Young.


gun on the first of August, each and
every country was compelled to take
a reckoning or an invoice of its in
Ehibitants. These European countries
have lived in mix-up all their lives.
For instance, when the siege of Ant
lwerp took place there were $4,000
Germans engaged in business in that
city. They were rich men-they were
bankers and manufacturers, but they
were German citizens, and they had
to get out of Antwerp.
1t is related that the large German
population in Antwerp saved that city
from destruction. The German army
never knowingly destroyed the prop
erty Of Germans.
| Every country which went into the
war Immediately made preparation to
separate the "sheep from the goats"
as they call it. Germany made every
body get out excepting Germans or
foreign citizens with legal and law
full passports. Every man, woman and
child in Germany had to go elsewhere
Into Switzerland, or Holland or had
to sail for the United States.
The other alternative was to go
into civilian prisoner camps. These
are sometives called inferno camps.
These camps were established in many
parts Of Germany There are French
men and women and children in them
who have been there since last Aug
ust No man, woman or child can
leave that camp. They are furnished
food and live in reasonable comfort
France has Camp, too.
In France there are citizen prison.
jprisoners in the Frech camps are Ger
mans or Austrians. Their inmates rep
resent every nationality which is now
lopposed to France in war. There are
many stragglers from the little coun-
tries; for instance some of the coun-
tries are divided. There Polanders
that are classed with the allies and
there are those classed with the Ger
mans.
I Some time ago l visited one of
these prison camps in southern
France. The camp is municipality
almost to itself. There are men, wo-
men and children to the number of
more than two thousand. The build
fings used were put up for an insane
asylum, but were never occupied for
the original purpose. The buildings
are clean and well suited for citi-
zen prisoner camp. Surrounding the
buildings are ample grounds. The
buildings are in half circle around
the grounds. The inmates have their
home life, their schools, their bands
of music and the children have ample
grounds over which to play.
| Babies Born at Camp.
| At this prison camp secured many
photographs and they show fine and
healthy people.
There have been as many as fifty
babies born in the camp since it was
established last August. One happy
young mother showed me her baby
only two weeks old. Everybody ral-
lied around the youngster. The moth
er's face beamed with maternal pride.
This youngster was the latest of the
camp. l saw other babies a month
fold still others six weeks old. made
a grand review of the babies, and l
complimented the mothers in the Ger
man language specially acquired for
the occasion An editor from Madrid,
Spain, smiled all over and compliment
ed the mothers in Spanish. So it
went all along the line. Our Italian
editor used Italian.
How Food is Prepared.
secured photographs of school
childrcn; also of teachers. inspected
the kitchens, and found them clean
and wholesome. There is no mixing
up of men and women. Husbands are
in one end of the camp and wives
in the other, although they are per-
mitted to make social calls, one upon
the other. Family life is quite well
preserved. Women have their own
rooms and such as have children have
them with them. The grown-ups eat
in common dormitory or hall as
if they were prisoners, but such pris-
oners as have money can buy extra
food right in the camp and can pre-
pare the same in their own quarters.
Where there are not board partitions
between the rooms heavy curtains
make the separation. There are large
halls in which the men inmates can
visit, smoke their pipes and play DOM
linoea.