Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-02-19
RICH OF. BELGIUM
ON BREAD LINE
Vivid Word Picture Of Davas-
tated Country.
NATION DEEP IN DESPAIR.

Those Lett In Towns Are Old People
and ChiIdren-Physieian Who Has
Just Returned From Stricken Terri
tory Says Hs Never Saw q Smile.
Brand Whitleck q Hero.
DR.. Percy H. Williams Of the faculty
Of the College Of Physicians and Sur
geons. New York city, who went to
Belgium in December ind took charge
Of the feeding Of nearly million peo-
pie in the province Of Liege, is back
home. At the offices of the commission
for relief in Belgium. II Broadway.
Dr. Williams talked Of his experiences
In the stricken country. The picture
be painted was one Of the blacklist
misery, a whole nation plunged into
deepest despair.
"My whole impression" said r..
Williams. latter all these weeks in
Belgium is one Of the deepest gloom.
never saw smile. People go about
waiting, waiting. They are neither
frightened nor are they hoping. They
are just waiting. 1t is simply land
Of 100000 people who are living on
black bread and soup. Many Of their
homes are in ruins. Many of their
close relatives are dead or lost. There
is no work For example. went into
lace store one day ut Liege. There
were several clerks. but they told me
was the only person who had been In
the store that day.
Another impression; 1t Is country
Of old people and Of children. There
were over 100000 children in Belgium
before the war between the ages Of one
and nine years. and they are there
now. At Wise. for example. where
there Is no longer house. where the
whole little city IL gone. ! saw chill
dren. children everywhere. They are
living in cellars and going to school In
sidetracked and wrecked passenger
cars. We gave them two meals Of
food a day so that they might keep in
school.
Neri q Remarkable Man.
"while was at Louvain met Bur-
gomaster Neri. the brave and vigorous
man who volunteered to act In the
early part Of the war In that capacity
II the Germans would agree to pre-
serve military order. They kept mill
tary order. and he has kept civil order
This man IL most remarkable man.
He was a professor Of international
law at Louvain university. He studied
international law under President VIII
son at Princeton college In 1895. 90 he
told me- He IL acting at Louvain as
head of our provincial committee.
1T Is not q question Of being rich or
poor. The richest people Of Belgium
are in the bread line. For example. /
spent one night at the home Of Senator
Woroque. the leading philanthr0pist OF
Belgium and its wealthiest man. He
IL known as the coal baron. he Is now
acting as the bend Of the provincial
committee. He lives In the Chateau
Mariemont. near Charleroi. On his ta-
BILE the night was there ate the
same supply Of bread that the poorest.
humblest laborer in Belgium Is getting.
This supply Is 25O grams Of brown
bread per person per day.
"In the small towns II IL made by
the communal baker. In the big towns
It is baked by the baker. and each
baker certifies the number OF his Gus,
toners. and then each customer re-
ceives 1t on presentation Of his ticket
to the baker. In the big cities like
Liege and Brussels and Antwerp all
the bread and soup are distributed by
ticket. All the soup is free. and It is
fairly good.
No Hope TIL Next Harvest.
There is certainly no hope Of an Inn
provement in conditions In Belgium
until the next harvest or until the war
ends. Consider Liege. It is a minia.
ture Pittsburgh. have been there in
times OF peace and seen its great
stacks belching out black ribbons Of
smoke as have seen in Pittsburgh.
It was the center Of the automobile.
steel and arms industry. Today its
great stacks are smokeless. The few
ssl ncn there ere idle. There nre no
ysspg men because they have all e.
tier gone to the war or been taken
prisoners into Germany. There II no
work for the few people who are left
$50 far as I know. there have been
No actual cases Of starvation in oil
Belgium, but the common sense Of any
person will tell him that there can be
~ fOSd in q country which in times
e peace depended for nearly al Of its |
dour and about one-ha1 Of its other
foodstuffs on imports.
1.-THE biggest man In all Belgium Is
REand Whitlock. our minister. When
anybody in Belgium wants anything
he tries to see Whitlock about It. and
Whitlock sees him and does what IL
asked, If he can. This means that he
is working night and day. In the eyes
Of the Belgians be Il wonderful
uAn."
Saved BY Iron Crooo.