Evening star., 1915-01-10

can be no question that Belgium. hav-
| ing done enough for honor. and indeed
| astonished Europe by doing much more
than enough, would have been held
justified ill accepting Germany's pro-
posal. Many people still think that she
should have done SO: and they are
| right as far as her own immediate in
| terest was concerned.
Takes Larger View.
| But Belgium took Il larger view. She
| refused the offer in the interests of
democracy, which was the real issue at
| stake between Prussia and France, and
| thereby placed not only all democratic
Europe but America as well under a
| sacred obligation to her II she had
done this at moment when she was
! reinforced by the armies OF France and
srltain. and e]ated by a prospect of
,'lllleuiate triumph for them. we might
nave discounted her action as 4 mere
exercise OF prudence. But she did it
When her position was desperate; when
| heI enemy was pressing her with over
/ "helmingly superior numbers and
"hen hsr friends, who had quite failed
! '"F AT iteSe, We're unable to hold their
| own ground or even to resist being
SE;ept back almost to the gates of
aTts brussels was Gefenseless. and
IHl,tHeTt. the city most precious to
heisiuin and most coveted by Germany.
! could no longer. after, the fate of the
| ,L,ese 1orts. im2s 2sine itself impregna-
h.e. Yet Belgium did not hesitate She
sacf say, need ,, Antwerp and saved Calais,
| ana all taht Calais meant not to her
but to France and England, and
through England to America
Duty of Mankind Plain.
IL after this one Belgian goes with
Out 1ull meal while thousands of
iapooSs are living in luxury from Cam
'eroufS TO San Francisco and from Bi-
arrltz TO Venice, there is really moth
ing more to be said for mankind.
brltalns duty in the matter is very
Sieaf she should relieve Holland Of
NC fuiIlous overload of Belgian refu-
Sees Holiand's hospitality has been
| wonderful. but her resources are hone
iessiy overtaXed by it. She cannot uro-
Flde Tor the material wants of the ref
ugees and of her own now dangerously
oNcicto"oed frontier villages and
Should Care for Refugees.
| Ihe British government should quite
simply offer to transport Belgian refu-
gees TO the British Islands, preferably
70 ireland, Catholic country, where
there is plenty of room, and give them
ai! the advantages enjoyed by our
prisoners of war without the loss of
.Leli nDerty. 1t would be fair to ex-
lend TINS succor to refugees in France
t.so. because, as the war is now being
Wased on French SOIL the French have
thelr own refugees on their hands
-AiSo-though no T'renchman or Pel-
gran VIII confirm me in fhis-I am per
Suaded that in England, where every
rs;i} 'in ~, IS stranger and q hero. he
VII De more comfortable than in
france, where he is not exactly a for
c1ghcT and not exactly Frenclman
ana therefore sometimes 4 little al n
disadvantage.
Plight of Belgians.
hut all this leaves untouched tho
plight Of the Belgians in Belgium. The
ehofts that are being made to help the
beislans in France and Holland and
LhSiand do not reach them. Their no
s1tion is desperate, and must remain
SO until the Germans are driven out of
their country. In the parts held nv the
Germans their plight Is had eno,si,
ioT as the Germans are in the position
o1 tenant with a very short lease. they
VIII not spend money on the promises.
neins indeed much more bent on re-
moving everything that is not a fix
tore; and elsewhere all the industries
are at standstill because OF the war
Ihere IS absolutely nothing between
tnsn ana starvation except the con-
who realize that if Belgium had done
nothing more than raise the co;,ra pc
OF the whole world by her astonishing
leat OF holding up an apparently ir-
aeslseioly ] SUPERIOR force for just long
enough to save French democracy
from annihilation and give the pres
tige OF Prussian nlilitarisrn it's first
ana most surprising check a contri-
nNtloil TO the funds of the commission
1or relief III Belgium is the payment of
a debt. and not :: caprice Of charity.
Cannot Be Accused.
1 have tried to show, 1 hope success.
fully. that the circumstances under
which that service was rendered great
y add TO the obligation. and in par
t,cR!ar that Belgium, though first and
bravest in the field. is the one beliieer-
ent there who cannot by any possible
sophistry be accused of having brought
about the bloodshed and destruction
from which she has been the greater
sufferer.
Everywhere YOU will find men an
grily asserting or denying that Rus
sia willed this war, that Germany will
ed 1t, that Austria Willed it, that Brit
ain willed it, that France willed it,
Nobody asserts that Belgium Willed it
except the Prussian militarists trying
to make a desperate case for the
lengths to which the worst usages of
war have been pushed against Bel
siunl. and them no disinterested person
even pretends to believe
Makes Claim for Belgium.
l therefore make, not an appeal, but
claim on Bel2ium's behalf which she
is too gracious to make for herself
She has taken for her people with the
thanks due to benefac.or the pay
ments offered by her debtors, and has
never reminded us that we have paiu
but Il small installment of what we
owe her. 1t is true that the debt has
/ been acknowledged by all England's
| most illustrous spokesmen, poets AID
| composers. in King AlJert's gift book.
| But We must pay AS we'll IS aChnowl
| edge, and We must even pay the more
generously ;as our acllnowledg glaeilt has
| stopped short just SO Tar short OF COM
plete justice as our bias about the war
| sonG short OF tho Ter honest truth