The Washington herald., 1918-02-18

foAA dSt tiSts
Conditions Alarming.
Conditions in Holland. as pictured
by Miss van der Flier. are alarm
ing in the extreme.
I'VE have no bread whatever" she
said, "and our people are eating a
hard brown substitute for bread made
mostly of ground tulip bulbs. They
are also making sort of weak tea
from the tulips. We are killing all
of the fine horses and cattle in the
country-there Is no feed for them.
The people, of course, are showing
the effects Of malnutrition and 1t Is
no infrequent sight to see children
faint or die in the streets.
This Is a dreadful picture" con-
tinued Miss van der Filler. but Hol-
land is not alone. Switzerland Is In
an even worse condition. Holland
has done everything possible to take
care of the thousands Of refugees
from Belgium. but we are Just about
at the end of our possibilities for
help"
Miss van der Filler has come to
America to raise 100000 for the es-
tablishment OF a garden village near
Antwerp to care for Belgian widows
and orphans. She Is vice president
of the committee for Holland-Amer-
lean Homes for Belgian widows and
Orphans, and has been commissioned
by the committee and authorized by
King Albert, of Belbium. to conduct
the campaign in the United States.
Since the beginning Of the war Miss
van der Filler has devoted her entire
time to Belgian relief work. and she
made a trip TO America In 1915 in
connection herewith. Her project Is
to build on the site Of q beautiful
wood at Daurne. near Antwerp. a
complete garden village consisting OF
little brick houses with plots for
flower gardens and vegetables plots
where the Belgians may earn a bit
OF money. There will be q church.
hospital. schools, Fairgrounds. public
baths, and everything will be mod
ern and sanitary. Each cottage. COM
pletely furnished, will house one
widow and seven orphans. II Is es-
timated that the million-dollar fund
will. provide for 2.400 persons-300 wild
ows and 2,10o orphans, including their
necessary weekly allowance, for a
period Of twenty years. The children
will be taught profitable trades and
will be schooled.
100000 Refugees.
By lecturing in Holland Miss van
der Filler has raised money with
which have been constructed tenn
porary wooden structures in which
thousands OF Belgians have been
housed, but under existing conditions
there Is little money to be raised
in Holland, and 20 she has come
back to America. determined to get
the 100000 and to carry out the
plans of the committee in full.
There are more than $4,000 war
refugees OF all natlonalities in Hol-
land at this time," said Miss van der
Filler, "and more than 5000 widows
and 10000 orphans Of the Belgians
TO be taken care of. What a heavy
burden this is to a little country
like Holland, without coal. flour and
most of the necessities Of life, can
be readily imagined"
Many people imagine that all the
neutral countries have plenty" she
continued. but that Is not the ca se
at all. In Amsterdam we have no
lights at night. we have no heat
whatever. as there is no coal, and to-
day our own Queen sits In an alb
solutely cold room. and she drinks
neither tea nor coffee"
Something must be done for the
Belgians, and their pitiable plight
should reach the heart of every de-
cent person. Holland has done all
she can, she has bled herself dry, her
own people have suffered in order to
share their food with Belgian and
other refugees, and now we must ap-
peal to America, the power which can
help most.
Il have It from a highly respected
physician who is familiar with the