Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-07-19

was the enmlty between the con-
quering Germans and the conquered
Belgians. We had meetings and dis
cussions in which opinion hung
nebulOusly in solution for long
hours, as opinion will in commit
tees. until some one would lift his
eyes hopefully and exclaim:
But The Hague convention, Ac-
cording 10 The Hague convention il
is the duty of the occupying power
10 feed the population"
And then, with that inveterate
vice OF the human mind which per-
sists in the belief that a problem
is solved as soon as it has been
reduced to formulate, they would
sigh and sink back in their chairs
and think that the phrase sufficed
for the deed.
But the Belgians could not eat
Hague Conventions, as 1 said.
though they seemed, alas! all that
we had to offer them. And then
one day-October II, to be precise
had a visit from the Baron Won
der Yancken and Mr.. Hellfrisch.
whose name has since been toler-
ably well known in the German po-
htical. as it was then in the Ger
man commercial. world. though they
are. in a way. much the same
thing.
The Problem OF Feeding Belgium
The problem was to get food not
only for the poor Of Brussels, but
for the whole population of Bel
GUM. The Baron said that the
German government was well dis
posed, that the German authorities
were ready to give assurances not
brought in
The Brussels committee, lie
Comite de Secours ct d'Alimenta-
ton" assit was then called, under
the Craftsmanship of Monsieur Ernst
Solvay. with the admirable talent
for organization that distinguishes
the Belgians, had already seen the
necessity of undertaking the work
on a large scale, and in the bon
mot OF Monsieur Emile Francqui
a phenomenon in nature had occur
red-the child had given birth to
the mother; the local committee
had brought forth a national COM
mittee: that is, the "Comite Cen
trar had become 'le Comite Ma
tional de Secours ct d'Alimenta-
ton" It had organized sub-com-
tees in each of the nine provinces
OF Belgium, or in seven of the nine
provinces, since the two Flanders
were inaccessible.
II was a fortunate circumstance
that the organization was locally
formed on the lines Of the Belgian
constitution. The system Of Bel
gian government is based on the
commune, which is the cell Of the
whole organization. Belgium is
composed of 1888 communes or mu-
inequalities, each free to govern IT.
self in all local affairs. There is
not a square inch of soil in Belgium
that does not belong to a commune.
not a citizen that does not form a
part Of a little city or community,
and this whether It is in the coun-
try or IN the town. though, Of
course, in a country so densely pop
ulated every commune has a village
as a nucleus.
Each commune elects its common
council, which governs the commu-
nifty as do the common councils OF
English and American towns; in
deed the municipal system of Eng
land and America is derived from
Belgium. Out of the common coun-
Gil there are chosen a bourgmetre,
or mayor, and number of echev-
ms, who serve as heads Of depart
ments, providing what is in effect
a commission form of government.
The communes are grouped into 223
o. cantons, the cantons into forty-one
ACCOMPLISHMENTS and the arrondis-
sements are divided among the nine
provinces. Perhaps ii would be
more exact to say that the prov
inces are divided into arrondisse-
ments, since the nine provinces are
co-extensive with the historic prin-
cipalities-the old duchies OF
Brandt, of Limburg, of Luxembourg,
the counties of Flanders, of Hal
naut and of Namur, the old bish-
opric of Liege, etc. Without going
further into details, there are efec-
tive bodies for the regulation OF
the affairs of the cantons, of the
embellishments and of the prov
inces, and finally OF the nation,
l. e. the parliament.
The communal system is as old as
the struggle Of the city 70 be free,
and II is to IL that Belgium owes
her genius for self-government, one
with that love Of freedom which has
kept the nation alive and stubborn
" determined to contest her right to
liberty through successive DONNA
tions of Spaniards, Austrians,
Dutchmen and Germans. No country
without some such fundamental or
sanitation for uniting the people in
a common ideal, and for expressing
and satisfying their daily wants and
needs, could have survived. such
calamity as the inundation of the
German hordes.
Thus when we undertook the re-
lief work in Belgium we found
ready at hand an organization for
distribution that simplified the task
and took into account at once every
needy person in the land. While con-
stitutionally they despised the sys-
TEN the Germans did not interfere
with the communal organization as
such. Here and there they arrested
a bourgmetre or members of the
common councils. but they respected
the system as \ system. Indeed,
they could not have governed the
country as easily in any other way
or. in the eyes of the unthinking,
as cheaply acquired a reputation for
efficiency by claiming as a result
Of their administration the COM