Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-02-08
bELGIANS Will STARvE IF
SUPPLY OF FOOD SENT is
any LESS Than AT PRESENT

At o'clock one morning, said the
Archbishop, a German officer and two
soldiers brought communication from
the commander, asking him to deny
statements that he had been deprived
of his personal liberty. The denial
which had been prepared consisted
Of four or five typewriter sheets.
Restrained in Palace
Cardinal MERCER said he requested
his callers to return in the evening
for an answer, but the officer declared
they must await reply in the Cardi-
nails room. At the Archbishop's re-
quest. telephone confirmation Of this
order was received. Describing his
subsequent experiences, the Cardinal
said:
1t is true no manacles were used
to restrain me. but l was to perform
service at Antwerp and was not per-
mitted to go there. For three days 1
was restrained in my palace. Two
days later 1 was asked to modify my
letter and wrote another. If the Ger
mans are clever they will publish my
first pastoral
Gratitude to America
THE archbishop smiled as he made
the final statement. Asked if he had
any message for Americans. he said:
Nothing, except to give the peo-
pie Of your great country assurances
Of our gratitude. We would have
starved had it not been for you. The
work Of your relief commission has
been very efficient
so far as | could see, Cardinal Mer-
cier was free to come and go as he
pleases, subject, l presume, to the US
ual restrictions imposed upon Belgians.
Men are at work bracing the walls of
the cathedral and tearing down the
parts which must be removed. Al
though terribly battered, it now APP
pears that the beautiful building will
be saved. The damage to it is esti-
mated at 100000.
Depression in Maiines
The people IN and around Malines
appeared as depressed as any | saw
in Belgium, which is saying more than
/ can describe. They wander aimlessly
through the streets, where bands of
wretched, ragged children beg from
everyone in sight. Elsewhere l was
struck with the courage the Belgians
show in efforts to rebuild their homes
and resume their normal life, but of
course they are utterly dependent upon
supplies brought in by the commission.
AT one OF the villages near Ma
lines l was told of an insane asylum,
with 200 or 300 inmates, which was in
the line Of German fire. The Belgian
priests, nuns and nurses determined
to take their charges to a place Of
safety. The lunatics, cowed and shock
ed into condition of apparent sanity,
marched out under a fire Of bullets
and shrapnel with the. steadiness Of
trained soldiers.
Oepopuiation Of Wise
when you have seen Wise. with its
population of 800 now reduced to a
hundred odd families, existing in it's
almost total ruins, when you have seen
one old woman with a spade trying to
till 5-acre field; when you see for miles
only women working in the field, then
you begin to realize what war is.
with a German general l motored
through large section of France now
occupied by the Germans, every foot of
which has been fought over. We drove
for miles through thousands of acres of
partly harvested wheat. What had
been left had been trampled under foot
OF two army corps. Almost within the
sound of firing, the Germans have
thousand or more of their own soldiers
at work with gang pioughs drawn by
gasoline tractors, farming ~, 600 acres of
land which was battle field a few
weeks ago.
Throughout this region the Germans
have been giving the inhabitants
enough bread to keep them alive. but
they told me they could not possibly
continue this work, for it would be physi-
| cally impossible as soon as active oper-
atoms were recommended. Throughout
my trip ! saw enough to convince me
that the Germans are treating the COM
| mission with perfect fairness, helping
GU. with absolute good faith. Food is
going only TO the starving Belgians and
French. We have done we'll as a country
thus far staving off actual famine, but
more food is essential.