The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-03

Paris. Aug- a fe'wssfayzs
was announced that the AmaEiu
electives actually at tho frCnt 80
not including those engaged in wo1
behind the lines outnurnber tlsHesa
tire Belgian army fnclutffrrgr aifa
services and sauxiliaries-
II is little realized today that N1
Belgian army is at the apoEen OF
strength: that never befnre In The 49,
tory of the little country hsEue G1C
been so many lighting Beigfans 4Gl
line. The Belgian cornurHnsques 81
not long and the Days when the tA1I
German hordas we've moved DOWN GS3
masses on the gtacis of the forla~6M1!
Liege seem hong. long ago. saa3
Most OF us have been inclined IN
believe that British gradually hrsuik
been taking more and more of tE44s
Belgian sector to prernit those Ea4y4
tried veterans 10 have lcrrg peric3AA
OF rest at the rear. Such is not TIKI
case. Belgium now holds a nsnEf
thtctNfy echeAoned front than at a<x5fs
time in the war. Her soldiers a11C{
lighting daIfy- and their deterrninae1Qf
to be in at the death when their coxt
try Is finally won back is as undiu11
ished as it was in 1914
Belgium, at the outbreak of g.
war, modified all it's classes from. ~
including, 1893 to 1919. The Germ
rush was SO swift that there was -
time to mobolize the 1914 class, but
large percentage voluntarily enrolhe
At the end of the first two weAI
of war Belgium had $4,000 mG1Ka
under arms. or this number ab1m
$4,000 defended Liege, opportunities
the same number Namur and the re-
fell back on Antwerp, After the -
tie of Antwerp $4,000 soldiers we 81
informed in Holland Losses
wounded, killed. missing and prisu
ers brought the gallant little ARM
down to total strength of $4,000
the battle of the User in Octoh1
1914. Nine days after the battla a
the User the Belgian army tota&M
only about 10000 men. Thousa1
of wounded were sent to England,
lesser number to France, to rec
perate. IN
But now comes the most astonish1
few OF the Belgiau's axmy's remax
able comeback. Today the arm
totals close to 25s.o00 men. How "
the army built up from 10000
$4,000?
Every wounded Belgian ab1e<xm11
walk upon his recovery WAS sent bs1
to the firing line. That accounts IT,
many thousands. But the n,aioC1
OF the men who com pose the BelgNU
army today escaped from occup34 I
Belgium across the electrified bart
wire 'entangiements along the Dte1
Belgian frontier.
The Beigians soldiers who rethu
into Holland from Antwerp wa
promptly lnterned. but Holland, 4
course, has been poweriess to int111
those civilians who escaped ncru
into her territory. Nurse CtawelleI u
is now generally concluded gave h1s
life to- assist in tho great -un1a
ground railroading" OF Reigians My5
Holland. whence they were SEM ac1
the channel to England and finaRp =
the firing line. $z
Large funds were placed at the dTf
po~al OF agents in Holland to p@y s1 ~
expenses of these from the timss ~ =
reached Holland on their round-aAG
way to the western front. @sW
Money was sent into Bekgfum Il
dreds OF thousands OF dollars. a3y0
Beigiansof military age wereEush&<
night from one underground stair A
TO another until finally they reae31 &
the frontier. 1t is rumored that ms Il
German frontier guardsmen pro4 n
anenabie to liberal tips for every - u
they permitted to escape across &o2
frontier q BIZ
BY this underground route d -
number OF Belgiars OF the ciaaaoa1 y
1874, 1918, 1915, 1917. 1878 and Il
have reached this western front b.