The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-15
WAR PRISONERS
 IN HOLLAND Camps and Activities of In termed Soldiers.
By Louis P. Lochner, Secretary.
 American Peace Society.
Exclusive Service The Survey Press
 Bureau.)

Bureau.)
 More than 35, 900 soldiers of three ! nationalittes-Be1gi German anC English-have fallen from the skiei or have been driven across the iron tier into Dutch territory since the outbreak of the European war. F'ol the 32.000 interned Belgian soldiers there are two types of camps. In one of which Harderwyk with it's 13,OOt men may serve as an example, the administration is entirely in the hands of Dutch officers with Genera H. sLoke at the heaW in camps o1 the other trype. as at O1debroek fthere is a system of self-government the Dutch commandant merely super vising.
 Life inside thu camp is by nc means dull The big circus tent al Harderwyk hints at one form oi | ..h one-nlade'' pins furnish another Then there is shot putting and dis GUS throwing. and wrestling and boxing. The camp also includes 9 moving picture theatre and a vaude- ville house, in which performances are given about three times a week partly by outside performers but more frequently by home talent
 Wives, Mothera and Sweethearts
 Even feminine company is not wanting. Nunspeet, & Belgian refu- gee camp is near Harderwyk. and the wives. mothers and sweethearts of the interned soldiers are allowed in the camp between 8:30 a. na., and 5 p. m At Oldebroek, where there are $500 soIdi CTS, the Dutch government has erected barracks for the wives and Echildren of the soldiers inme ediately outside the camp, and during cer- tain hours the families are allowed f<r sal, f,x1f faT e neighboring woods and fields.
 The living kaccommodations at the camps consist of barracks of rough timber housing about 200 soldiers each. A camp bed, folded back dur ing the day, is constructed Of boards. rooms with running hot and cold water. In Addition. there is usually a spacious bathhouse with hundreds of shoWer-baths.
 The camp at Harderwyk enjoys the distinction Of harboring hundred professors who in better days lectur- ed at Brussels Ghe1t, Antwerp and other Belgian seats of learning l observed many a professor throwing g himself Who1e-heartedly into the task of teaching elementary geometry, as- 5tronomy or agriculture. yes. even the mysteries of the alphabet At OIde- brock, a tspeciaI effort is now being
 
 Amateurs In Art
 The German camp is in general similar to the Belgian both in equip ment and activities. A dilettante art ist and sculptor was among those in- termed. He was forthwith dubbed service to teach the others how to draw portraits of Hindenburg( every barrack had at least one picture of this popular fdoDs and how to carve wooden obJects of art
 A German without music is almost unthinkable. It was not long before "a phonograph arrived from Ger many, and q Bergen resident loaned her piano This is not all It so happens that the wife of the burgo- master of Gergen is a German wo- man Frau Van Reenen will never be forgotten by these sons of the Fatherland. From Atime to time she arranges for out-of-town musicians to furnish a program. She has also made 1t possible for The soldiers to att tend chapel on Sun days where a pas tor from Amsterdam breaches to them in their native language.
 It Is typical of the sympathetic na- ture of the Dutch that arrangements have been made for a number Of the married soldiers to come to Bergen as domestics. Their husbands are aI- lowed to visit them, and in one case, when the arrival of baby made 1t difficult for the mother to do the nousework. a special permit was granted the soldier to come to the family daily from eight in the morn ing until seven in the evening and to perform the duties of nurse girl while his wife fulfilled her obHga- lions
 By far the best appointed of the camps is that of the 1,500 British prisoners-mostly marines, with a fair sprinkhng of Royal engineers at Groningen- This need not cause surprise when it is remembered that the British sabsidized the camp with s6,0 900 gulden 6about s39s0oO1 in ad- dition to the money spent by the Dutch The interned themselves ad- mt that they are being spoiled by the amount of money and supplies from across the channel We smoke far more than is good for us.'' runs the general comment.
 Timber Town''
 The exterior of thee amp presents finished appearance. The barracks are constructed like those for other nationalities, to be sure, but at Gron- ingen the coat of green and white paint gives this timber town assthe English navy fond1y calls it. a more homelike appearance than have the other camps Window-boes here and there and gardens throughout the camp add further to the comfort of the place. Even the shamrock s blooming before the mess Of the Irish marines. who hdve as 8 matter of course been assi sned to duty as cooks.
 As might be expected, the English at once turned to sports as their prn- cfpaI diversion, or, as one of them put 1t, as ssthe brightest. side of camp lfe.1 Chiefly through the instrunnen- tality of the chaplain, himself an arr dent sportsman. an athletic club. a boxing club, a class in gymnastics and a tennis club were formed. Through an arrangement with the Dutch gov ernment some 200 of the men are permitted to attend Dutch Universi- ties.
 As in the other camps, the arts