Daily Kennebec journal., 1915-09-15
Wednesday, September IS, 1915.
A Work That Must Go On.

IL is perhaps unnecessary 10 TeIIllNu
the people of America that the work
of feeding Belgium's destitute millions
tredge. writing Of his impressions gath
cred in Belgium, says the suffering
people there have feared that Ameri-
cans might relax in their relief work
and leave Germany's pitiful victims to
their fate. A deputy of the Belgium
parliament said to him:
You do not realize the
importance or significance even of the
work you have been doing. You have
been absorbed in all the myriad details
Of keeping the organization going.
You have not had the opportunity
to look on from the outside as we Bel
gians have done, and to notice the
real effects of your own work. 1t Is
not only that YOU have saved us from
famine. You have saved us also from
the danger Of food riots. More than
this, you have given us inspiration and
courage. You have shown us the i'm
portance and necessity of solidarity,
you have induced us to throw our
whole heart and soul into the relief
work. because we were ashamed to do
less for ourselves than you were doing
for US. You have made your neutral
ity active, and in the midst Of the
greatest Of world ragedies have shown
US that human solidarity is no empty
phrase. With your characteristic ef-
hciency you have put into effect under
the most obstinate circumstances a
system of relief work which has re-
suited in saving Belgium from the
famine. Without your aid the work
could not go on for moment. We
: depend absolutely on you not to desert
US so long as we are in our present
unhappy condition.
All the Belgian people realize their
dependence upon the relief work so
earnestly organized and maintained by
the people Of the United States That
work must go on for months at least.
for years perhaps. Even after the
war is over the United States and
other neutral nations that have not
been stripped by the war. must assist
stricken peoples in Belgium. Poland
and elsewhere until crops can be
raised and homes re-established. 9th
er peoples of Europe will be bankrupt
nationally and individually, and bur-
dened with debt that will bend their
backs to the earth for generations.
The generosity and resources Of the
people of America are bound to be
taxed beyond all present calculations.
The work MUST go on. or millions Of
human beings suffer the tortures Of
starvation.
The degree Of destitution in Belgium
is but lessened with the passing of
time. A million more are destitute
today than last April. We are pro-
viding only for bare necessities of life.
These needs increase with every pass
ing day. If you have given one dollar
it is now your privilege to give two
YOU might have had to give a son.
There is Belgium child who has lost
its father; your sons father has been
left to him. We should thank God
every hour that we can send dollars in
aid of the suffering as our share of the
war.
OF all the many thousand Of express
sions from the Belgians, who have sent
their thanks and tokens of gratitude to
the people Of America for their charity
in warding off famine and hunger
when the ravages of war struck the
little kingdom where they lived, the
most novel that have been received at
the Offices Of the commission for relief
in Belgium, II Broadway New York,
are comprised in a consignment of
emtpied -four sacks.
Only a few of these sacks have been
received by the commission. but it is
said that there are several thousands
still in Belgium that may be shipped
to the commission later on. These
Aour sacks, after having been emptied
of their contents, were in great
many cases taken by Belgian women
and decorated artistically, and in
many cases eXquisitely, in water
colors and embroidery.
Perhaps the most beautiful Of all re-
ceived at the commissions Offices was
a sack that was sent with a shipment
of Canadian -four into the province of
Limburg. 1t fell into the hands Of a
woman artist in the little town of
Marche in that province. who has
elaborated an idea clever enough for
the best of cartoonists. In water
colors there is representation Of the
little village in the background and a
little group Of peasants in the fore
ground; sailing through the air is a
gorgeous aeroplane, which hiss an
American flag, and it 10 supposed to
represent an invasion Of Belgium-a
peaceful invasion, Of course, for the
bombardment from the air . q bonn