The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-11
Not a Child in Poland Under Four Years of
 Age, He Reports
TUBERCULOSIS GAINS FIVEFOLD IN GERMANY
New Era Coming When Preservation of Peace Will Be More Heroic Than Defense of Country,
 He Tells Community Club

The day Is coming when the
 preservation of peace will he con-
 of country by war.
 Newton DiehI Baker. Secretary
 of War, sponsored that prediction
 before the Community club yester-
 day.
 The dreadful aftermath and the
 ruthless hand of war were pie
 tured forcibly when he declared
 he had been informed that there
 was not a single child in Poland
 under four years of age. Starva-
 ton, desertion and fear have
 killed the children of people In
 that theatre of war.
 Despite the critical times, he inti- mated that there was still hope that the United States would avert war, although he did not make a direct statement
 sIt is a trite statement, but our mental eye is too limited to conceive the immensity of the situation we are facing" said Secretary Baker When you consider that there are 30,000,000 men, representing the most highly civilized part of the world-at war against each other. the immensity of the struggle is only easily comprehend ed. It's effect upon the world cannot be estima ted. for three-fifths of the population of the world live under bamboo roofs and houses built without nail.
 this gigantic struggle represent the great proponents of civilization. NOT AN INFANT IN POLAND
 q recently talked with man who had just returned from Poland, where, by virtue of having certain permits, he could view the situation with the eyes of statistician. He told me that there was not child in Poland under four years old Younger children have starved at the breasts of their moth CTS. The fear of contact with retreat ing armies or with advancing forces have caused them to flee continually, and in those tempestuous times the young have gone to their death
 "I am told that in Berlin the
 conservation of the foodstuffs has
 advanced to such a stage that fats
 and meats have almost disappeared from the diet of the German peo- pie. The lack of the more substan- tiaI nutriment has resulted in a 500 per cent increase in tubercu- losis among the people, I am in-. formed. Thus . whole nation may he wiped from the face of the globe from such a deadly disease. sThere are so many pitiable and distressing circumstances that have arisen from this great war that may state without fear of denial that there has never been such situation cor fronting the world since the time ol Noah and the floods.
 WORLD FACING NEW ERA 1 But the war in Europe will b. over. Presuming that the United State: will not be drawn into the war; it vii be it's work to aid In the rehabilita ] ton of the war devastated area. Tn. United States will be called upon tt | minister to the needs of the countrie 1 in it's noblest sense. | 1T believe that the world is facing | a new era. War has appealed to oul noblest sentiments and has brough out the great qualities in man as wei as the baser feelings. But that day il soon to come when humanity will lool upon the preservation of peace as nor, 1 heroic than the. defense. of country. "The United States has great mis sion to perform for civilization. Witi | it has been entrusted the lamp of civ ilization and culture. and it must keel ] it burning. x "The nations at war are learnin, how to live on rations, while we Il ] the United States are wasteful. D, you know that the United States coul, pay for the most expensive war iron the amount 1t wastes? This tendenc, must be halted if we are to compet with the other nations of the world. Mrs. Mccoy to Speak
 Mrs. J. H. Mccoy will be the principa speaker at the evening service at tn