Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-08-08

French provincial town OF magnitude
But now the illusion IL vanished. III
these buildings. and in this street es
pecially, the people OF the Serbian
capital merely betrayed themselves
They confessed that they wished 70
he Of the western world. Here was
no expression of the national life. They
builoeu in the image or France as
much as they knew. but In transit
Germany spoiled the purity OF the
French outline.
Door to the East.
However, everywhere are the old
buildings of former generation, lit
tie one story or story-and-a half stuc'
coed houses with high pitched red
tile roofs. There are rows or them
humble and appealing. one come.
upon them even in Main street. Al
present all Of the sights of the streets
contradict the idea that the West wa.
always here. Here Is the door to the
East. Russia has breathed here. and
the Orient. 1t Is written in the peo'
pies faces. They betray themselye s
by the music they sing, the cOl0rs they
wear.
II has been years since the street
cars have been running in Belgrade
The only means of getting around
and the di'''anceS are great, Is on foot
Once off Main street the roads are
paved with sharp uneven cobbles.
Trains of carts rumble slowly through
the town from the river to the ware
houses, bringing supplies Of precious
flour or carting back the furniture
which the Austriuns tloated down the
river on lighters, but which they were
never able to unload.
The oxen are white and have wide
branching horns, There Is II constant
file of them from the steamers on the
river, bank up the steep hill and from
there on down country. They cannot
carry much and Serbia needs every
thing Women wear dresses literally
made of tatters and patchwork. Ex-
cept for some of the better class peas
ants in their indestructible clothes,
there Is no one who is not patched.
The Illusion of Paris is further dis
sipated by the droves of hogs that are
herded home every evening. They
come toward one squealing and grunt-
ing. Il score at a time, strange looking
animals with long curly hair rs
though merno sheep had strayed
into their family circle at some date.
Red Cross Center.
Ox-carts constitute the principal
traffic, but occasionally motor lorry
of one of the various armies, or q
cannon of the American Red Cross
passes. Belgrade is the Red Cross
distributing point for all of northern
Serbia Here are the central ware
houses for the Serbian commission
Every day Red Cross workers leave
by boat for remote towns down the
Danube or for the interior by narrow
gauge train by cannon or by oA-cart
The Red Cross is continually broaden
ing its work and helping villages
which are famine-stricken when there
Is plenty not twenty miles away.
In Belgrade itself the American
Red Cross has an orphanage, one OF
the three of all Serbia, for though
Serbia's children are fatherless anC
motheriess, there has not been AS ye
time to make provision for their care
al inr cd i'rlss work
rooms where women make the gar
nents which are later given away
The returning prisoners, groups OF
whom arrive daily even at this date
are sent to the Red Cross disintect
ing station. Fighting typhus has been
one of the principal Red Cross tasks
ia Serbia. If the prisoners and refu
gees returning through Belgrade are
not promptly disinfected they &c
down into the country and presently q
typhus epidemic springs up. 1t i
extremely difficult to make the Serbs
understand the necessity Of 1t.
why all this fuss?' they ask
serbs are not afraid to die" Here
in nutshell is the philosophy of The
East in matters Of sanitation. II
seems to the average Serb slightly
! ignoble and decidedly cowardly tt
pay SO much attention to matters o.
health when the only object is to keel
| people alive in the world. Trust IL
! God who knows your appointed day
and hour and do not fear DEATH Thi:
I Is the attitude that the Red Cross
/ must meet.
/ Belgrade is still under the military
+ The streets are patroled by armed
soldiers. and WIEN nj the request O