The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-01-24
The Prodigious Problem Of
Belgium, With a Few Words
to the Kind Hearted
BY ARNOLD BENNETT.

over four hundred human beings
crowded into one barge, living on II
like yermin, and with little more de-
cency than vermin.
They must exist somewhere, and
Holland II doing all she can; she ts
indeed performing prodegiea At Berg
op-Zoom there Is a camp OF 5000 re-
fugees. living in tents amid a ouax1nire
OF snow and siush. e Two families live
in each tent Their Bit OF smoky fire
is made In an old path. Their dtet IL
coffee, bread with little butter. and
bacon soup.
They sleep on straw, all crowded to-
gether. men and women. oldsters and
youngsters infants. grandmothsrs.
and women momentariiy expecting
babies Aud yet they prefer this life
to life In Belgium. and they are sure
that those who have adventured back
to Belgium will return. ii they can.
to the lessor horrors OF the D1och
camp
Seeing Behind the Curtain.
Ii thug raise ever SO little the cur
tain behind which is proceeding the
ineffable. unparalleled. and hardly
conceivable strsgedy that In ats DOM
pleteness and It's dread o~ertops all
previous NATIONAL tragedies. my aim
is not merely 10 harrow the feelings
and excite the urgent pity OF readers.
but to assist them TO realize the vast
ness of the task which now confronts
the worlds charity.
Every home In Belgium wants heip.
million an3 half persons in Bel
GUM live from dav 70 day on the
mercy OF soap-kitchens Unless men.
women ana children are to die of
starvation over eighty thousand tons
OF food must be brought into Bel
GUM every month and even this will
only give TO each individual half the
quantity OF food that Ia given TO a
soldier 1t will be the barest sthsist-
ence. Its cost will amount TO about
five million dollars d month
That these quantities are not sem
time ntaiiy inflated Is shown by the
one simple fact that before the war
Belgium regularly imported 100000
tons OF cereals alone every month.
Three thousand tons OF salt are re-
/ quired monthly, Some places had no
sal. whatever for two months The
transport OF the food, quite apart from
Its prime cost, ahsorbs about a million
dollars n month. fHappily the fl
nance of the transport has already
been arranged for some months to
Gomez Such figures speak a language
which would render eioauence con-
mptible.
The Organization That VIII Help.
one channel. by which relief can reach
tho Belgians In their own country,
II is the Commission for Relief in
Belgium" andFit comprises the Amer
lean, Spanish and Belgian Commits
sions. Its chief offices are at g. Lon
don Waif Building London. England:
and III Broadway. New York This
commission has due and full authori-
ty from all the Governments conZ
cerned. including the: German Gov
eminent II has taken over the mar
vellous organizations created In a few
weeks by small group Of Ameri-
cans: and its chief energy Is still. Of
course, America It's functions are the
reception, transportation and sistr!bu-
tor of foodstuffs. All its workers
are voluntary. Its huge shipping bus
fness Is managed free Of charge by
prominent and generous firms of ship
pers. 1t co~operates with all organi-
cations in America and elsewhere
The commission will finally sue
coed In the, tremendous work which
IT. has undertaken. II one condition il
fulfilled. That condition is that the
charitable throughout tn. civilized
world shall personally and intimately
realize in their own hearts the TN
mersity ana the urgency Of Relgium'a
rced, SURPRISING all the needs of his
tory.
The commission does not merely oe.
mand enormous help; 1t demands
enormous help all the time. In spite
Of all the marvels OF goodness which
have already been achieved and for
which Belgians are inexpressably crate
full. the commission still has to de-
mand enormous help all the time.
1t cannot succeed unless an unend-
ing procession of great ships Of food
continues to cross the seas for months
and months to come. The kind heart
which leaps pust once to kind act,
and then forgets. will do less than IN
duty. The kind heart must brace IT,
self to long winter OF constant. in
defatigable endeavor. It must exist
permanently in state OF active wen.
doing; or failure will result
For myself, have profound fafth
in human nature. and l do not doubt
that the berevoience Of mankind will
prove equal even to the terrific sf4aan
OF this unique hour.