Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-11-22
TELLING BELCIUM'S
STORY
Indianapolis News: In the weller

l~nOlandpOl1S NoWS. LII IIio WcAeSA
of controversial books about the war,
it is refreshing to come upon one so
readable and informing. SO free from
argument, a. IA Journal From our
Legation in Belgium" by Hugh Glib
son, who wa first secretary of the
American Legation at Brussels. Mr..
Gibson kept a journal wen from days
before the war, when he welcomed a
change of post to such a quiet place as
Belgium where nothing ever hap
pens, where there is no earthly
chance of being called out Of bed in
the middle Of the night to- see h
human rae brawhng over Its diner
ences." This journal entry was made
July 4, 1914. and shows how near one
can be to h brink of trouble without
ready become so we'll rested in his
quiet job that he wrote himself down
as being ready wherever there might
be need of my services to go where
there was work to be done" OF
course work, and plenty of It, came
rushing upon him in less than a
month. And his journal tells the
story of the unfolding Of events. not
as see in retrospect, but as he saw
them at the very heart of things from
day to day-written in the easy style.
Of a, man, Of the world endowed with
a sense Of humor .and also a sense of
chivalry and justice that we n glad
to call American. =
So the whole story Of Belgium Is
there told, not to prove a case for or
against that country or Germany. but
with all its surprising and stirring de-
velopments. To a degree that could
not be attained by. conscious striving
for the effect after the series of
events, the reader is made to feel
their dramatic success. Mr.. Gibson's
work took him into the thick of
events. and as q bearer of important
across the battle fronts and in dan
gerous places. He was in close per-
sonal touch with the King and Queen
of Belgium and with the various Ger
mar governors and generals. He, did
much difficult and dangerous work
as a representative of German inter-
ests taken over by the American lega-
ton. az well as in behalf of the Bel
gians.
l This excellently written. day-to-day
testimony, therefore, is all the strong
er evidence Of the n spirit Of the
Belgian people, and their King and
Queen. That Belgium would be ut
terly crushed in attempting to. resist
Germany was far better understood In
! Belgium than by the world IN general.
These journal entries make this clear.
and they also, by simple narrative of
facts. make the reader thrill with adj
miration Of Belgium's matter-of-
course refusal to comply with Ger
many's impudent demand. in spite Of
knowledge Of the consequences. The
sincere agony Of the German Minis
ter to Belgium over the "f%oolishness"
of the Belegians and the ruin that
must come to them Is the first indica-
ton Of the German style Of thinking:
Then gradually events speak for
themselves and the hitherto unbe-
lievable things happen. with the same
effect on the mind of the sane and
fair-minded writer Of this journal
that they had on the whole civilized
world. So the damning Of Germany
is all the more effective because these
journal entries were written with no
such purpose.o The story of Edith
ICavell. setting down as they occurred
the vain efforts of the American Le-
cation to have her execution post
pohed. closes the book apd leaves the
reader hot with INDIGNATION.
Our guess is that some OF his New
York pals wouldn't he much surpris-
ed to see NJ. Trotzky coming back
on the runxky.
EtraEr NJ - YaF .4EHE NN hbfay Z