The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-17
MERCER ENVOY OF
BELGIAN MOTHERS
Cardinal Quotes Messages Of
Thanks From HerOines of
War to America.

Baltimore. Sept. 16.-In an address
to an assemblage which packed the Lyric
Theatre here tonight Cardinal MERCER,
Primate of Belgium. thanked America
for its great support of bis country in
time Of trial and appealed for the con-
tinuance of this help. He came here. he
said. first, to express his admiration for
America; second. to express his graft
tude and, third, to express the need of
American help for the social reconstruc-
ton of Belgium
America" said the Belgian prelate,
had no territorial, financial or political
interest in the war. Rather was she
bound by her traditional policy to keep
herself aIoof from every European CON
hict. America had in her bosom~H pro-
portion of citizens of German origin.
and appeared to a foreign observer
rather as a cosmopolitan agglomeration
than one homogeneous unit; but this
wonderful country showed herself to be
animated by one soul. permeating all
the PARTS of her immense organism, and
giving to all the individuals the same
| high ideal, the strongest bond OF social
unity, the ideal which the great doctor
| OF the Catholic Church, st. Ambrose
defined in this brief and splendid motto
Above all, honesty.
Admiration shown i'm Deeds.
america saw Belgium struggling ant
suffering for honor. America could no
help esteeming, loving. admiring Bel
| GUM; she esteemed, loved, ADMIRED
Belgium not in words but In deeds.
Our brotherhood in the worship o.
tha same ideal brought both our nations
nesrer. to each other and my desire t
o;asp your hand over this common caus'
~ eternal Justice is the first reason FOL
my coming here.
| Gwen as Belgium was, In IA, TN
providential instrument to bar the wa!
to the invaders in order to allow fran
and England to concentrate their force
AGAINST the German colossus 80 wa
America in II the main proVdehlla
factor of our final victory.
ION the 29th of June last the Belgial
people, King Albert, Queen Elizabeth an
their noyal children at their head, II
union with the whole hierachry, clerg
and an enormous multitude of our com
natriots. celebrated in Brussels ma
tIonal Thanksgiving Day. A religion
J monument will commemorate Tor III
tuIe generations our universal gratitude
chapel of this our national basliio
shall be dedicated to the great repubI
Of the United States.
Is n Monument of Homage
Accept, please, this monument as
homage of our feelings Of admiratio
and gratefulness toward lyour vallai
:, troops who saved our liberty and towel
= Herbert Hoover's Commission Tor zen
y In Belgium, which saved the very IL
y Of many of our Belgian faIpilies.
. Cardinal Mercler said he wished h
hearers could see some OF the letters
), had received from Belgian mothers as
Il ing him to be their spokesman here !
L read one which a mother had sent
him on the eve of his departure:
''Oh, please" she wrote, tell them I
over there, tell our dear saviorB he
much We love them, how earnestly
u pray God for them. and how the wo
~ American has become sacred to us.
IL In setting forth the needs OF Belgiu
OF Cardinal MERCER, said:
10 "a great many houses. schools,
lie phanage6 and about 500 churches
n Belgium ought to be rebuilt The VI
O. versity OF Louvain asks for ITS libra
st It's laboratories. its instruments or :
e. entific research. the necessary funds
nd insure its economic life. 1t wants to r
'st again from its ashes, greater
stronger than betNre."