The farmer and mechanic., 1915-03-02
the ReIp;ans Are Allowed to Die While There Is Food
On Earth It Were Better the Earth Should Die Like the
Moon Says the Author of "Carnva and Sinister Street
With Belgium Dead What Boots Peace? The Worlds
Responsibility Has Been Shoudered By America AS Her
Opportunity to Save Nation.


serve the seven million lives to whom
that country belongs. We read now IN
a small paragraph (such shuttle
cock have we made OF human llIe) |
of losses that year ago would have
occupied a journal for days with their
narrowing narration.
Yet even this dreadful induratiOn |
Of our senses must be softened by the |
prospect of seven millions starving |
slowly to death. How for ever 1t |
haunts one to meet in the swirl Of |
great city's tide Of humanity the eyes
of a starving man; but at least in |
city that wretched creature could he
, might obtain food by breaking the
| window Of a bakers shop. These
seven millions cannot do that. Their
land is empty of nourishment.
| When the last scraggy cabbage stalk
| is devoured, when the last hen has
| starved; when the last rind Of cheese
has been raked out Of the darkest
corner of the desolate house. unless
they can nourish themselves upon the
| earth of the land to protect the viO-
lation of which they have martyred
themselves, these seven millions must
die. and when they die, Belgium is
dead
If the World Lets Belgium Die?
What will peace bring to the world
then? To what shall we ever look
forward again! If these people are
, allowed TO die while there is food on
the earth, it were better I hat the
earth should die like the moon and
humanity itself become not even a
? name among the spheres Of the uni
verse.
+, For the fact that these seven mil
lion Belgians are still alive we owe
4 an unparagoned debt of gratitude to
! the American Commission for Relief;
9 10 ior11-
e ties which that Commission has all
i ready surmounted, one is tempted tc
o place for the future an even greater,
). an even more strenuOuSly exacting
: faith in the American people. This
y Commission was organized by Ameri-
t can citizens living in London.
s Amid the blood and tears Of Eu-
= rope a few gentlemen resolved that
n the ultimate reproach of a peoples
starvation should not be levelled
against this time Of ours. 1t was Mr.
: Brand Whitlock, that fine Mayor OF
r Toledo and now the American Minis.
st ter in Brussels, who made the first
IS appeal. He saw starvation and caring
Is nothing for the pettiness Of diplo
'e matte restraint he appealed for helI
le through the American Ambassador IL
II London. DR.. Page, upon his own in
y iative appointed committee Of Amer
ir ican citizens resident in London il
y order that they might apply them
ID selves to organize the feeding OF ,
\; nation. Consider how fantastic an,
n improbable that scheme must hav
lie looked and think Of the stupendou
le Quixotry OF it.
lie War which Is resorted to for tina
s; solution of political problems offers n
s. solution for the misery it entails upOl
% humanity. War with it's myriad ten
r; tacles squeezing the life out of Eu
ms rope and squirting forth a murky an
irYia 10 ~ H.
ed pity, was nevertheless impoten
'ir against the determination OF thes
10 men. They were armed with the con
we viction that their countrymen q
home would support them and witt
on serene faith that has already bee
O. aside the objections OF the Chancel
n leries and walked over the prejudice
rs OF generals.
90 Nor would they listen to the croah
FL ing OF financiers who spoke Of tn
De cost; and their resolution prevaile
is even against the uncertainty of shiI
IN pers who pointed out the restrictio
no upon the export and import of foot
my stuffs. Finally they allayed tf
'Is doubts OF the allies when they pr'
10 cured from the Germans an assn
ance that the relief would be allowe
20 to be distributed; indeed they d
nis more-they persuaded the German
no to facilitate the distribution.
ng The organizer and chairman of II
ms COMMITTEES was M n q Hoover
,eh Californian and probably the create
I'VE mining expert in the world. This gel
OF tleman had already presided over Il
'ay American Relief Committee whit
ars and sent them hack to America in Il
ere eariy weeks Of tho var Night Al
Iiy day for a month MT Hoover. Colon
mo Hunsiker, Captain Lucey, Mr.. Jol
ent 3. White. Mr.. Edgar Rickard, N
nii- Miliard Shaler and other well-kno
ing Americans living in London devot
fifty the whole of their time to the colo
and sal task Of proving to the warri
J of governments Of Europe the feasib