The daily progressive-miner., 1917-01-25

prayers; stoical amid the ruins of their
country and their homes, the people
were melted to a reverent thankful
ness toward their deliverers from fam
inc
/ Let it be said. too, that Americans
had some reason for pride The as
sistanee was given quickly and ad-
forministered efficiently. Hundreds of
volunteers responded to the first call,
/ the work was organized by men of ad-
ministrative genius, and the tremend-
Gus problems of getting shiploads of
supplies into the very heart of the war
territory were solved by audacious dip
[ lomacy which won concessions from
the belligerents on both sides. The
service of the American members of
the commission and their helpers make
a singularly creditable chapter In the
history OF the war.
But in time the first fine fervor of
the movement faded. The total of
the gifts. running into millions. was
so large that Americans did not realize
how much vaster was the need. We
split into disputing groups over the
issues of the war, and became fever
ish over our own problems, and forgot
the wards of our pledge. The mighty
stream of beneyolence shrank month
by month, until it became trickle.
During the war the American peo-
pie have given for Belgium about s10,-
000. 900 in money, in food and in cloth
ing. This fact is undeniably impress
siye But Great Britain. with a war
expenditure of S25.000.O0O a day has
given $4,000, 900 a month, and France
robbed OF her richest territories, with
vast population of her own impov-
erished and with the crushing burden
OF a war to carry. has contributed 81
500. 900 a month. And most of the
food represented by the advances has
been purchased in the United States,
netting US a comfortable profit.
While American interest has stead.
lily diminished, the need has grown
greater. In Belgium and northern
France, regions under the care of the
commission. there are 100000 per-
sons, and merely to keep them from
starvation requires more than 10000
600 a month II all our gifts had been
food, We would have saved" the hun
gered Belgians and French for about
thirty days out of $50!
For every dollar that America has
given, Great Britain ana France have
given twenty: and so far as those ma
lions fight on behalf of Belgium. for
every IS We have given. a Frenchman
and Briton have given their lives.
If Belgium were suffering merely
from a great natural catastrophe, we
could not have done less; but when
one remembers the cause which she
/ represents, how paltry seems our ef-
{
adelphia food ship was being loaded,
more than two years ago, that we ur-
( ged the claim OF Belgium in terms that
are as soberly true today:
We can only hope that the chief rea-
son for the failure is lack of understan-
ding and that this will be remedied by
an effective campaign by and in behalf
of the commission The need is real,
urgent, compelling. For the sake of
American honor. for the sake of Bel
GUMS deathless sacrifice, for the sake
OF humanity, and in the name of mercy
! let this work be undertaken anew and
( prosecuted effectually, lest history
write against US the dreadful indict-
ment that our charity Disseminated
( between children who were starving
and those who we're merely hungry.