New-York tribune., 1919-06-21

ond day.
means to take care Of themselves. but
the moment they have these means
then the rest of us will have to take
care to see that they do not do the
work they are addicted to do better
than we do. The minute we cease to
offer this assistance they will become
our generous and dangerous rivals, and
for my part I believe can say truth
fully that the people of the United
States want the people of Belgium to
recover their power, to be rivals, to be
rivals in those fields in which they
have for so long a time proved them
selves masters.
"It is, therefore, with peculiar feel
ing of being among a people that
understand that | have found myself
under your guidance, sir, touching
shoulders with the people Of Belgium
to-day.
Visions Renewed Industry
"When I went to the great destroyed
plant of Charleroi, though most Of the
chimneys were smokeless, the whole
region seemed like so many regions
am familiar with in my own country
and if the air had only been full of
smoke I should have felt entirely at
home. The air was too clear to be
natural in such a region, and yet had
the feeling that smoke was going to
come in its old abundance from those
chimneys and the world of industry
was once more going to feel the pulse
Of Belgium, that vital pulse which no
encouragement can restrain.
$50 it is with heart full Of genuine
EVnn4thu Of cOr1rp n "a Oh; opI of
friendship that I beg to drink to your
health, sir, and the Queens, and to the
long and abounding prosperity Of the
kingdom over which you preside"
At reception in his honor tonight
at the Hotel de Vile by Burgomaster
Max and the city officials, President
Wilson spoke as follows:
"Mr. Burgomaster: I feel highly
honored to be received with such words
from you, sir, speaking as the repre-
sentative of this ancient municipality
with so many distinguished events as
soclated with its sturdy independence
and self-government, and I feel the
more honored, sir, because the whole
world recognizes in you worthy rep
resentative of this great. municipality
IL think the reflection which comes
uppermost in ones mind in thinking
about this war is that no nation is con.
quered that is not conquered in its
spirit; that an unconquerable spirit is
the last word in politics, and that the
unconquerable spirit lives particularly
in those nations which are self-gov.
erned. The one thing that is inde.
structible in our time is the spirit OIL
self-goyerned people"
II know something, sir, of the his.
tory, the independence, the sclf-confi.
dence of the municipalities Of Belgium
| know there has persisted in moderr
times something Of that solidarity Of
the Commune, something of that indi.
viduality Of the municipality which
was characteristic of the Middle Ages
and which brought the spirit of self
government through that dark perioe
when nations had ceased to govern
themselves, but when localities con
tinued to assert their right to self.
government
| $50 that I feel welcomed to-day by
those whom l would fain believe to bf
my friends and the friends of the
American people, as the American
people are certainly your friends
They are your friends in a very deer
and true sense. They understan l what
Belgian liberty signifies. They under.
stand what Belgium's suffering signi.
fes, and it is, l believe, one of theil
deepest ambitions to satisfy the duty
of friendship toward the Belgian peo
pie. They have tried to do so in the
past.
ut has been one of my pleasures OF
this trip to be accompanied by my fel
low countryman, Mr.. Herbert Hoover
who, I know, has had Belgium writer
on his heart throughout this war ane
whose pleasure it has been touching
to see as, in going about the country
we have seen, healthy children ane
robust men and women whom he coule
properly believe were served by ths
food which came from America l be-
lieve that have the privilege of speak
ing his thoughts Gone of the peculiari
ties of Mr.. Hoover is that he is too
modest to speak for himself), anc
therefore am proud to share with him
some of your welcome.
81 am accompanied by other col
leagues with whom I have been il
counsel throughout the war and who's,
thoughts, | can tell you, have been con
stantly upon the methods by which Bel
| gium could be helped, whose thought il
now upon that subject, whose hope il
that some method will be worked out
as had the privilege Of saying to you
Parliament to-day, by which systematic
help can be rendered to Belgium.
so feel peculiarly honored in thi
ancient building Of this ancient city
to be received at your hands, sir, are
l bring you the warm greeting of tn,
people of America. I am sure l express
their wish when I say, Long live the
prosperity of Bruss ~ls and of Belgium
and of her King and her Queen!'"
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