The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-04-24
BELGIUM READY
FOR WORKING IN
MINE AND SHOP
Or. Alfred NeTinCx. Mayor Of
Louvain During German 0C-
Cupation, Gives GRAPHIC
View Of Hope Of His People.

~" W atSFO W '''S S~N
. The people of Belgium will never re-
sumo commercial relations with the
Germans until the people Of Germany
shall have acknowledged their guilt IN
invading and wrecking their country,
In the opinion of DR.. Alfred Nerincx,
who is a distinguished guest of Mem
phis and the local Victory loan organi-
cation.
Financial reparaton We shall re-
ceive," said DR.. Nerincx THURSDAY
moaning while talking with C. w. Met,
calf, Jr,, chairman OF the speakers
bureau, and other members Of his COM
mittee, but no German will ever be
received on commercial terms Of equal
ity, no German will be permitted to
do business in Belgium until the Ger
man nation has publicly made acknowl-
edgment Of its blood gulltiness and has
admitted that the lies told Of the Bel
TRUTH"
Or. Nerincx iso one of the distin-
guished men of his country. He is
lawyer and was member Of the law
faculty of the University of Lyouvaih,
which was founded by Cardinal Mercier
about 30 years ago. He was the acting
burgomaster or mayor of Louvaln dur
ing the four years of the German oc-
the few citizens who remained to aid
his suffering people when the popula-
ton of Louvain and scores of other
Belgian cities were deported and the
towns were burned and sacked with
all the fury of the Huns who followed
Attila many hundreds of years ago
through the came war torn countries
and were defeated on the same fields
of Northern France.
He witnessed many Of the German
atrocities and stood out for his people
against the terrors Of the German mis-
rule.
Story Worse Than Written.
"You havo read, of course" he said
"of the thousands of acts OF inhuman
cruelty perpetrated by the Germans In
Belgium. I know from my personal
experience that the stories are true.
T / have seen scores OF instances, and
the sworn documents attest to thou
sands OF others. The German officers
are simply hogs, bestial y! their habits
of thought and in their lives p.
"LouVain, like the other cities and
towns which were destroyed. was
burned with the thought that such
| wanton destruction would induce the
Belgian government, which was still
holding out at Antwerp when Louvain
was burned, to cease its opposition tc
| though we suffered and were defeated
by the onrtish of the gigantic German
army machine, we have still kept our
honor through the long years OF trial.
lathe Germans intended to destroy
| the cities through which they passed.
| They were equipped with every device
| for spreading the flames, and went at
the work Of destruction Systematically
and with utmost brutality, People Il,
Louvain to the number of more than
200 were burned In their homes or were
shot down, little children, old women
young women and MEN, indiscriminate-
| ly during the five days of the burning
| Of the city, Previously thousands had
been deported, Some of them died
some went mad, some were afterward
returned to the places where theil
homes had been, sick and almost hope
less. .--.,.s
Belgians Want to Work.
But we still have 100000 people
all anxious to work to rehabilltate oul
devastated country, which, except fol
a small strip, has almost been de.
stroyed. Some OF our factories still
stand. and we hope to get back som,
of the machinery from Germany. W,
are a manufacturing people and neet
much cotton and other raw material
The nation will need much credit II
we hope that this can be secured.
will Germany sign the peace treaty
Yes, they will sign, after haBgling Al
long as the allies and the peace con
ference will let them. They have nj
means for resisting and the men VIII,
are leading the German thought know
that. The colonel In command in Lou
vain, three days before the armistice
told me that not single member o
the armistice commission would dar
to sign such terms as would be i'm
posed. But they signed and signe,
with haste. They will sign the peao
treaty, and l only hope that the term
will provide ample reparation for ou
nation and France, which bore tn
brunt OF the four years of war.
IN my opinion, 1t would need 7
, per cent Of the earnings Of Germa
industry for years to coSer the cos
of the war to the allies, but no mats
/ how long 1t takes. rs, so or 100 year.
Germany should be made to pay. The
are thrifty and Industrious peopl
admit" "a ..
Belgian Mines Saved.
DIR. Nerincx has only been in thI
country for three months. He Is
member Of the Belgian commission. II
speaks perfect English, with only a
, occasional trace Of foreign accent.
He is to make an address at g.;
, ! o'clock Thursday night at Goodwy
Institute and will be introduced by tn
Rev. Walter NJ. White, who spent neal
: ly a year in France and In occupie
Germany in Y. M c. A. work.
= DR.. Nerincx will tell of the preser
: condition of hts people, of their hoT
1 to rebuild their country, OF some OF tt
scenes he went through In August, 1871
and afterward, and OF few OF II
acts Of the Germans.
The Belgian coal mines were not d.
stroyed like those OF the occupit
= regions of France. The officers in con
= mand there when the armistice WI
: signed intended to destroy them, b,
y were prevented by the marquis de VI
} lalobar. the Spanish ambassador, wi
represented that such destruction wou