Evening star., 1915-11-20
Or. Ernest P. BickneII Lectures
! Before the National Geo.
! graphic Society.
DESCRIBES CONDITIONS IN
BELGIUM, POLAND, SERBIA
Says German and Austrian Govern
: ments Furnish $500, 900 Monthly
= to Feed Poland.

DR.. Ernest P. Bicknell, national di-
rector of the American Red Cross, re-
lated many interesting details of the
American. relief work in the war
stricken areas of Belgium, Poland and
Serbia in a lecture before members Of
the National Geographic Society at
New Masonic Temple last night. DR..
Bicknell. as a member of the war relief
tion. visited all of the areas over which
the tide of war has flooded. He spoke
about the Price the Innocent By
stander Pays"
The whole population of Belgium and
of that part of northern France held
by the Germans, according to the
speaker, is in the care of Americans,
and the work is done exclusively by
the commission for relief in Belgium.
This commission, with the highest type
and with a task before it presenting
financial. commercial and transporta-
tional problems of enormous difficulty.
DIR. Bicknell declared to be a most
efficient organization. conducting it's
work with businesslike care and
promptness. All Of the breadstuffs
eaten by the civilian population of Bel
sium throughout the past year, he
said. have been furnished by the COM
mission which has been buying its
supplies from all parts of the world.
and bringing in it's ships to the dis
trfbuting docks every two days with
the precision of clockwork.
In travelling through Belgium. the
speaker continued. he was surprised
that the destruction did not appear to
be anywhere near so great as he had
pictured it to himself. While large
sections of Louvain and other Belgian
cities had suffered from fire and shells,
ne explained: by far the greater part
Eained intact. He mentioned that the
cty hall of Louvain. an old building
"nen Columbus discovered America,
stands today unharmed. Brussels, he
said, had suffered not at all, while the
picturesque old city of Dinant has been
virtually destroyed by shells and fire
Praises Charity of Dutch.
DR.. Bicknell warmly praised the part
that the Dutch had played in caring for
the many refugees who have sought
shelter within their borders. This small
country. with its commerce largely de-
stroyed. with it's factories idle, suf-
fering itself severely from war-occa-
stoned depression, and with it's army
mobilized, the lecturer told. gave a
nearly welcome to all the refugees who
sought its protection. and expended
large sums of money in building and
eouipping camps for its unfortunate
guests The camps were substantial
Dr. Blcknell said, and in each one pro-
vision was made for schoolroom
Belgium IS no better on this winter
than 1t was last winter DR.. Bicknell
went on. ITO my mind. it is not the
destruction wrought by war that spells
Beigium's greatest loss, but / would
rather call its greatest loss its idle
outside world has been stopped; its
industries have all shut down; its ships
lie rotting in its harbors, and the
whole country, noted for its industry
and its thrift. can do nothing but sit
rotting- The people are sitting. stand
ing and walking about, with nothing
more to do than to go and draw their
rations.''
There is almost nothing that can be
done to remedy this enforced idleness,
the speaker explained. t-------@'
Potato Crop Saves Poland.
An unusually large potato crop, des-
tined for the distilleries and for ulti-
mate consumption as the least "aristo-
cratic form of vodka, saved Poland
from starvation last winter, DR.. Bick-
nell said. He continued:
The Poles had planted an extra large
crop of potatoes in the belief that
vodka would be in demand as never
before. This manufacture of vodka
from potatoes is an important Polish
industry. When the tsar issued the
ukase forbidding traffic in vodka the
Poles found that all they could do with
the potatoes was to eat them. With
the disasters that followed the vast
armies sweeping back and forth across
their country Poland found itself en-
tirsly disorganiZed, without money,
Without opportunities. for importing
food and with small native supplies.
l. was then that the potatoes destined
;Dr the manufacture OF vodka saved
the situation. -
Wren everything else almost was gone.
tire lecturer declared, potatoes in Poland
we're still plenteors. II gave an outline of
the war relief commissions efforts TO help
German and Austrian governments agreed
that they should furnish money TO the
a neu1al organization for the purchase
Poles. The German and Austrian gov
month for this purpose.
The Germans, probably, would have
accepted the same proposal. for the feed
marked. IF it had been made to them,
Iescue so very quickly
Typhus Outbreak in Serbia.
He spoke OF the typhus outbreak in
Serbia, and the Orfst that Anerican doc-