Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-08-02
=: The Truth About Belgium ::
Ccoutinusd from Last Issue)
We visit the soup kitchen
BY BRAND WHITLOCK

morning when We all went with NJ.
Frzncqui in the dismal rain % visit
the soup kitchens-Mr. Hoover, DR..
Rose. Mr.. Bicknell. Consul General
Watts and others. IL was natural
that Mr.. Hoover and the represen-
tatives or the Rockefeller Founda-
ton should be impressed by the or
zanization which the Belgians- VINO
are famous organizers. had already
set Up IN their efficient. human way.
They could see the effect of IL in
the great building, once used by an
express company. in the days when
there was use of express companies.
as hangar. where that morning an
army OF cooks were brewing the
soup in great cSuldrons- They
could note il in that station in the rue
Blaes. ne-r the Boulevard du Midi,
in the very midst OF the QUARTER
des Marolleins. where the soup was
served to the long line Of hungry
in waiting The station had lately
been a concert hall and its garish
decorations we're stiu clinging in
r1ocker- 20 its walls The people of
the Quarter stood in n long line
that trailed its misery down the
SlQEhaAk= AAEl CNN0A - AAAA NAAN VI
vine patience OF the poor. there in
the cold rain. shiverins in shawls
and OLD coats and wooden shoes,
with bowls or pitchers and each
with his number ard his card, is
sued by his commune. The long line
advanced a step at a time into the
station and paused by the tables
where each received his-I wish we
had another pronoun, it was so
much ofteaer her-bit of coffee and
a bit OF chicOry. which the Belgians,
unfortunately. like 10 mix with their
coffee. He received. too, his pot
CT soup and his loaf of daily bread
which. in answer TO the old prayer
that had suddenly acquired such sig
nificance, came so mysteriously
from that far. dim America across
the sea The numbers were checked
CT. the lines inspected by persons
acquainted with the neighborrhood.
II one was missing the absence was
instantly detected:
-Ou est Jeanne auiourd hui? Est
ellie maIade2 Gu quoi?' where is
Joan today? Is she i'll? or what?)
One felt very humble in those hu-
man prCsenccs- 1t was a sight that
1 could not endure. and l knew
what vas going on IN Mr.. Hooyer's
heart when he turned away and
taxed his SAFE on something far
down the street
They came. hundreds and hun
dreds OF them. IN silence, received
their rations, paused to make a
formal bow. said ''Merci'' C'Thank
your and passed out
That ''Merci'' somehow stabbed
orc 10 the heart. and brought an
ache 10 the throat and a most
Annoying moisture TO the eyes. The
time came when. II visiting Ameri-
cans asked TO see the soup lines,
sent some one TO show them
IL was perhaps worse at those
kitchens when the children were
fed This part OF the work had
been admirably organized by the
Petities Abeilles. 4 society OF Brus-
sells women who had long worked
among the children OF the poor. DR..
Caroline Hedger that noble Chicago
woman, whose life has been bless
ing 10 countless thousands of chill
dren in that city. spent long
weeks working in Belgium that
winter. rendering noble service in
the cause of humanity. and her
admiration of the Petites Abeilles
was to me the final proof OF their
effectiveness. Each child in the
ueig 1borhood was examined by a
physician. the kind OF nourishment
il required almost scientifically de-
termined. and this noted on cards Of
different COlOrs. each color repre-
seating = certain ration They
were given milk. usually a litre a
day. a ration OF bread with jam and
phosphatine or chocolate or some
thing OF that sort
We went 10 one of the stations
where clothes were distributed.
under the MANAGEMENT of Madame
PhiIIipsOn-Wiener; the same ad-
miraI Belgian organizations; the
same Belgian economy. There were
new clothes and old clothes; ali the
principles of modern hygiene OBJ
served. each garment dlsinfected-
washed. examined. necessary re
Dairs made. pressed and sent out
II beyond repair IL was made over
into something similarly useful;
even old socks were used to make
caps for children
We were all very tired that
night after a day of so many emo
lions. II had been a dOleful morn
ing's business. though not without
its reassurances of the goodness
that still was in human nature
Mr.. Hoover went away. but Dr.
Rose and Mr. Bicknell remained
and Joined By Mr.. Henry James,
also a representative OF the Rookie
effer Founda ton. went OF = tour
of Belgium and even OF the invaded
norton OF Northern France that
then was inaccessible And we re-
sumed the interTniuable discussions
OF the organization OF the interior
work Of the c r. 3.
Rhodes Scholars Arrive
Finally the Rhodes scholars be-
gan to arrive, clean-limbed young
chaps. whom one would admire I'M
rsssrvedly. They came as volun-
teers, TO work for no other reward
than the satisfaction OF helping in a
great humanitarian cause. The work
never could have been done without
them, or half so well by men who
had been paid for their labor 1
suppose the world has never seen
anything quite like their devotion.
IL used 10 amuse as when IL did not
depress US, that the Germans were
mystified, could not understand IL,
and were always trying TO ind out
the real reason for their being there.
Messieurs les Militaires could new
er get out Of their heads the sus-
picIon that they were spies, and now
and then treated them as such The
son Of the governor general like
Walt Whitman's learned astronomer.
-Locturing with much applause there
IN the lecture room" explained 10 his
auditors that the. Americans were
growing rich out OF the work; but
possibly he could imagine no other