Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-04-29
Il Genius in Recuberatton.
~ ICTURE land less than one-fifth as
large as Georgia, invaded and tram
pied down, held for. four ",

pied down, held for four years in
the grip of a hostile army, "combed for it's
last strand of flax, squeezed for it's last drop
of wine, sifted for it's last speck of gold"
stripped of a seventh of it's population by an
order deporting multitudes of its people to
labor as virtual slaves in the enemy's coun-
try, and left dependent for it's daily bread
upon cargoes from humane friends across
the sea. Picture this Belgium as it lay when
Hindenburg's legions began their retreat two
summers ago, and then conceive of it today
as one of the worlds most productive, most
thriving, most orderly, most progressive ma
tions. Rarely, if ever, before has history wit
messed so striking a case of recuperative
genius.
Writing from Brussels where he fills the
responsible post of United States Trade Com
missioner Mr.. G. E. Herring, reports that
within twelvemonth after the armistice Bel
GUM ceased rationing her people, being the
first OF the European belligerents to do so;
that within the same period she reduced liv-
ing costs from one thousand one hundred
and ten per cent above normal to two hundred
and forty-four per cent that by the begin
ming of the present year she had restored
to pre-war average of production, seventy
five per cent of her textile mills and eighty
seven per cent of her coal mines, had re-
established all of her railways, and had re-
duced the ranks of the invountarily unem-
ployed from million to none. AS evidence
of the country's earning capacity, Current
History points out that whereas the tax re-
turns for the first six months of the fiscal
year had been estimated at sixty million dol
lars, they proved to be approximately a third
more than that sum. Further: "In the year
before the war the trade of Belgium, export
import and transit amounted to $1,725, O00,-
900; in 1919 it amounted to 81 1922, 000, O00''
"a most remarkable recovery.
In the light of such record shall we not
have to supplement Caesars tribute so that
it may run, "Of all these the Belgians were
the bravest-and the thriftiest.' Compare
sons, of course, are really foolish when we
come to the splendid achievements both in
the wars midst and in it's aftermath, of those
nations that held the vanguard of the fight
for freedom; each has played its peculiarly
glorious part. But as the first to feel the
shock and pain of the enemy's onset, little
Belgium stands especially admired in her
speedy recuperation.
America never enjoyed happier privilege
than that of aiding in some measure those
processes of recovery. A cherished privilege
it was to send food to Belgium in her heavy
affliction and to send material and labor to
expedite her rebuilding. The closer relations
which thus have sprung up across thousands
of ocean leagues is witnessed partly in COM
merce. In the twelvemonth preceding the
war Belgian imports to the value of one hun
dred million dollars came from the United
States; in the first ten months of 1919 those
figures increased to three hundred million.
May the warm and substantial friendship thus
fostered continue without end.