Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-12-03

The number lost by the sinking or
this shin will equal. probably exceed;
the entire number who were hlIleu
or died from other causes.
wore putting in ballast-some sort OK
Along those tracks for two blocks
women and children were clusterei
like flies, in a black, solid mass, Dehl
over with bags or baskets, gfubplnS
with their half-froZen fingers In that
STAG. for bits of coal It was one o.
those humiliating SpectacleS, not IN
frequent in times or peace. put
Astounding IN time OF war, OF the
indignity that life heaps upon inc
II happened to be the day Of King
Albert'S fete. and there were the US
nal masses at Ste. Gudulc and at 81:
Jacques-sur-Cou inc usudI
crowds; "L'AveniT," its last chords
gliding into La BTabanconne, men
Swelling loudly and more loudly; Jhen
tbe demonstration. the shouts, the
cries for the King and the nStlon,
and the usual arrests. The Germans
were parading their machine guns
TO cover the restless people, anger
ed that day more than ever by Tie
,,ublication in the Brussels journals
of q French translation of Won BIS
sings interview with the correspond
emf of The New York Times, in which
no explained and tried to justin" the
deportations The interview was IN
the conventional tone OF hypocrisy,
though there was too much Parlslah
sophistication in the polltlcal uepaTt-
nent TO permit Kissing to boast the
usual patronizing intimacy with the
Almighty: I do not know, indeed, that
he was that way disposed. At any
rate. Brussels was spared that.
It was all that Brussels was spar
ed The interview added irony to IN
suit and injury by the pretense that
the deDortations were in the Belgian
interest. And the very same day
there was proclamation ordering the
restoration of the ruined towns or
Belgium, and the injustice of such ?
demand deepened the indignation OF
the people.
Indeed, the posters at that time
appeared to rain down grief and ca
lamity on the land. One of them
few days later announced that the
contribution TO be paid by Belgium
for the year 1917 would be fifty
million francs a month, an Increase
Of ten million francs a month over
the former contribution, and Won
Kissing had signed the decree the
same day on which he gave out the
interview stating that the Belgians
had been seized and borne off TO
German mines and quarries colely
in the interest of Belgium, which
was too poor to support idlers.
Another decree of that same day
announced that Brussels, Schaeroeck,
and several other communes would
thereafter be Flemish communes,
which meant that only the Flemish
language would be used in the Grim
inal courts-a part of the plan for
the division of the country, and the
precursor, many felt, of q decree
ordering Flemish to be the sole AN
guage in use in the schools. As
though the machine guns and all this
were not enough, a Zeppelin, with
horrid whir of motor. circled low
and menacing over the city.
Then, on the goth of November
there was a great red poster on the
walls, and q red poster was usually
either the signal or the seal of trag-
edy. This notice ordered that, atte-
the 21st of November, all public es-
adjustments, hotels, shops. theaters,
restaurants, cinemas, in all Brussels
were to close at o'clock in the eve
ming. No one without a written per-
mission from the kommandantur, I'M
less he were a German or citizen of
q neutral country or of a country al
lied in war with Germany, could be
abroad in the streets. The reason
given for this measure was that
there had been demonstrations" at
Ste. Gudule and at st. Jacques-suT-
Coudenberg on the Kings fete, those
pathetic demonstrations OF sorrow
and Of the hope that was trying so
hard to keep itself alive. But BruS-
sells thought IL was a precautionary
measure for the night when the slav-
ers should come to Brussels.
Indeed, turn where one would in
Brussels or in Belgium those days,
one saw the evidence of some new in
justice. When 1 drove past QuartrC
Bras l saw the sentinels arreSting
groups OF poor women, dozens OF
them, with the little sacks of pOta-
toes-no need to hide them longer
which they had thought to take home
10 their hungry children. The wom-
en-, their meek hands under their thin
black shawls and bent in the pathetic
resignation of the patient poor. were
marched away, thir potatoes seized
for the benefit of the potato bureau
and they ultimately fined or perhaps
imprisoned. Lem allage" (the
rOund-up) the peasants called II, and
TO accomplish il there were new and
Jealous sentinels detailed to that
spot. which | had seen change in
three years from a gay and lively
crossroads, with a popular inn where
cyclists and automobilists paused for
luncheon or tea, to n grim sentinel
post, where every passer-by was
halted. eyed. and often searched.
IiOSt WHO udu SO COn4iucnlls
hoped that the war would not en-
dure another winter were giving up
hope. The offensive Of the allies, Of
which Brussels was just then IN
capable of approaching the military
results. had been to waiting Belgium
but one more failure, and from Ru-
mania there was the news OF Ger
man victory. which seemed so in
evitabiy to arrive with every aU-
tumn. And winter was already there
"A winter whose SHOWS, some said,
would be the shroud OF Belgium.
Aud this was Brussels. once so
beautiful and gay and light-heartcG
in its careless liberty. Must the
dear little land, the brave little Dco-
pie that had preferred honor above
all, and SO instantly flung itself be-
fore the German legions at Lielse
and Naumur and saved Paris, and
standing again along the User saved
Britain and America and all their
civilizations had wrought must
they drain the cup OF sacrifice 20 the
lTegs2
got into my motor 10 go 10 the
Orangerie. II was twilight. Vague
figures were scurrying through the
fog of those sad. deserted streets
hurrying homeward before the hour
of the German Curfew. Would the
long NIGHTMARE ever end? Would the
land that rocked Of German iniuS-
as.- Hal from (saFYloon hy-11f17 1fV