Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-27
BELGIAN VISITOR TELLS
NATIONS LOVE FOR U. S.
Wife of Senator Henri La Fon-
taine Also Expresses Con-
tempt for Germany
ADVISES PEACE HERE
Declares America Can Do More Good
Lending Helping Hand to Needy Than
by Entering Conflict

Belgium adores America. She ignores
Germany whenever she can. She put up
the American flag when ordered by Ger
many to take down her own emblem. Her
citizens refuse to converse with Germans,
and say they do not understand when Ger
mans talk German to them although the
majority of Belgans know the language.
Mrs. Henri La Fontane wife of Bel
gian Senator one of the leading spirits of
Belgium, who with her husband Is a guest
at the home of DIR. Joseph Lehy 1919
Locust street made these statements today.
And she, herself. lives up to them,
Mrs. Fontane will not talk to a German
unless he admits his country is In the
wrong on tho stand 1t has taken concern
ing Begium-that Is, virtually rcnounccs
his country.
Indeed, will not talk to Germans" she
said with spirit. She is honey, whole
some, motherly. white-haired woman, who
believes in all womanly accomplishments
when | was at the South Broad street
Theatre the day my husband spoke man
started to talk to me in very bad French.
knew he was not a Frenchman. He tried
to tell mo he was an Italian, but | knew
he was not He was German knew It,
A German never loses the German accent
no. never. l told him ] did not want to
talk to him And l will never talk to
German who says his country is in the
right. lf q German, man OF Wotlldn Will
talk to me as man and woman. not as
German, and will admit to mo that Ger
many is in the wrong, then | will talk
otherwise never"
Senator and Mrs. LaFontane fled from
Belgium two weeks after the war began.
But they know all the inside happenings
and the true happenings. according to Mrs.
La Fontaine, who told with pride OF the
"The Most Irregular Regular Paper in the
World" the Libre Belgique, which has been
published every week since the war began,
and which is one of the deepest mysteries
Of the European war.
I'VE do not know who wrote it, or who
writes it. No one knows. Germany has
offered a reward of $4,000 for appre-
hension of the writer's. But the Belgians
are too clever" she said with wan
smile "The paper comes out every week.
II tells the truth about Belgian conditions.
No one can find where it is printed,
although the Germans already have ralded
a number of printing establishments, which
they suspected of knowing something about
It,"
Mrs. La Fontaine talks little Of herself,
but much of her husband and his achieve
ments and much of her native land. she
says Americans can feed child n month
for Sl-that is. give the extra meal neces-
sary for a month. so that tho child can
live She says this country should not
get into the European war and send troops
| across the sea, but says that II can help
| by sending money to Europe and by send
| ing engineers and men who know how to
aid the suffering countries there. She and
her husband are both enthusiastic in their
praise of the things the Americans already
have accomplished for their countrymen.
| Senator La Fontaine is an authority on
international law. He is a lawyer in Brus-
| sells and it was he who introduced the
Melville Dewey library system into his coun-
| try. Mrs La Fontaine says he also started
the now famous 100000 card catalogue
| OF all the writings of the world. She says
| she and her husband are internationalists
| the world-citizens. Senator La Fontane
| when talking of his card catalogue said. 1T
| is a wonderful thing to find out that all
| science and art are not the result OF the
| achievements of one nation, but of the
whole world. We find that there is no thing
| in the world today which is not the combi'
| nation of the brains of many nations. Take
| the automobile, the telephone--even a lead
| pencil. We find that they might have beer
| suggested by one person or one nation. bui
| the perfected articles come from many ma
tions' The same ideas are discussed every
where during many periods"
| Both the Senator and his wife talk
French German, English and Dutch They
| both read Spanish and italian and know
| a smattering OF several other languages.
| They will be at the home of Doctor
Leidy for the week The Senator is giving
| a series of lectures before the law schoo
at the University of Pennsylvania. They
| say they feel at home in Philadelphia be-
| cause they met many Philadelphians ano
| were royalty entertained here In 1904, wher
| they attended the Peace Conference here
| Both have been prominently connected with
| the international movement, the annual con
| ference which was TO have been held N
the Panama-Pacifc Exposition, but wa'
| prevented by the European war