The sun., 1919-04-08

rouoWing are extracts from n lettef
written to friend in this city by George
Van Antwerpen. & Belgian who was en-
gagged in the diamond industry in this
country during the war and has gone
back to Belgium:
The prices Of merchandise generally
fiuctuate from day to day. Shoes, for
instance, are marked in one place 125
francs and in another IS francs, and
so It is with everything. Meat costs
new IL francs q kilosram, and butter
came down since am here from - to
is francs a idlogram.
The town itself presents q normal
aspect There are more cafes than be-
fore the war, especially cabarets Of great
night style. This is in way disgust
ing. because they were originated under
German occupation. Those who exploited
them were Germans or undesirables and
have made fortunes. Money has been
spent lavishly by those beasts and by .
few profiteers. but tho latter are
bounded and thrown into prison.
In their getaway tho beasts sacrificed
everything. and for few hours q liqui-
dalton took place that was a Niagara
Falls" Priceless animals we're sold for
few francs; sugar, coffee, everything
wac thrown away.
The farmers have enriched themselves.
N 40
francs worth of vegetables, and this ex-
plains why the banks have money In
plenty now. All this hidden money has
been deposited as soon as the enemy re-
treated.
1t IL nothing surprising TO see a COM
mon. ordinary looking farmer walk into
Jewelry store and buy for his wife
and daughters pearl and diamond neck
laces. They are buying the finest and
dearest furs and so on. When the ex-
change under our Governments control
took place of marks into francs some
farmers had not counted their money.
but they had fifty Kilograms of bank
notes or 90 or 100 marks. The Gov
eminent paid the pre-war rate Of 1.,5
francs to the mark.
Here is a little story told by a jew
eller: A farmer orders In n store a
dozen silver knives and a dozen forks
They show him also sugar tongs when
the jeweller explains to him what they
are for he says, give me a dozen also"
The city people OF the middle class
have suffered The American Relief
Commission was their only salvation.
Foodstuffs and all necessaries were at
eNorbitant prices. but at a price such
as $40 a kilogram for meat. and every
thing else in proportion. one could buy
everything.
And you have those who dealt with
the Germans and made lots of money.
There are arrests made all the time
and no mercy Is shown to them. II Is
the same thing in every part Of the
invaded country. But this is only ono
side OF the story, and. thank God. am
ri oud of being a Belgian. Tho masses
have made life miserable for the beasts
In Flemish and Walloon cities alike
vast and numerous organizations were
looking out with hope and conviction
for the future of our nation. with se-
cret wireless stations they rema ined in
touch with those who were fighting for
their salvation. and they knew that the
hour OF liberation would come some day
They were spying for Belgium at the
risk OF their lives. They carried letters
ana messages through the blockade.
Women by the thousand have been
thrown into Jail. They received water
and filth for food. slept on stone floors
came out consumptive, but pursued their
work just the same until the very end
La Libre Beioique and other French
and Flemish papers were published Sc
cretly and passed around. and all the
while 10000 young men passed the cleo
trifled barbed wire fences at the from
tiers and joined their brethren in arms
Every fifty yards there was a. Boche
sentinel. For them II was n dangerous
job many disappeared.
The tales ! hear OF how the inhabi-
tants fooled the beasts! How they hid
their copper and woollen bedspreads
and the wine are pathetic. There IL
not house that has not its hiding
places. We had during all the time OF
the occupation n concierge who took care
OF everything. At one time Germans
were quartered in my room. but they
did not receive much comfort. They
were looking for our hiding spots. but
never found anything Yet we had I'M
der the ground seventeen chandeliers.
silver and works ofart They belonged
to my brothers and sisters.
And il I tell you that at one time
all OF these valuab,es were hidden in
another house more nan a mile away
from us. and that. carefully packed in
fugs, they were later transferred under
tho nose OF the Germans to our house.
ard that it took fifty trips to finish the
Job, you can form a small idea OF the
spirit OF the classes from only an ex-
ample.
But this IL all over now, and our
armies are in Germany. The last Boche
had Just left Antwerp when the first
Belgian soldier came speeding in an
automobile in the delirious city. The
Belgian flag was hoisted on the high
steeple of our cathedral. and as the
King made his triumphal entry the
chimes played as they never played be-
fore.
And now the Belgians are eager to
work and reconquer through work the
prosperity of the olden days. WHAT We
lack most is machinery. which the Ger
mans have stolen. and most OF all the
raw materials to revive our Industries
THAT BIG BARGAIN SALE.