Farmers' champion. (Elgin, Okla.) 1912-1922, 1921-11-30

w
(Prepared by the National Geographic So
cicty. Washington. D. c.
No country injured by the World !
war set about more earnestly to
achieve reconstruction than Belgium, |
the one which suffered most cruelty
and dramatically from the conflict.
Though the damage done to the cuun-
try through property destroyed, pill
lnge and financial eXnctions 10y the
Germans reached the tremendous sum
of 30 billions of francs according to
the estimate of the Belgium Comitc
Central lndustrlel, the people, with
characteristic Industry and thrift, took
up the heavy task ~ resuscitating their
country's Industrial life as soon MS the
armistlce had been signed. by the
beginning of 1920 they had made such
great strides that, with the exception
of the steel and glass industries. pro
duStlon averaged three.quarters or
more Of pre-war production; the coal
output had even reached 9i per cent
and the refined sugar output 100 per
cent
But the nost-war reaction which
struck the United States and other
countries In 1920 affected Belgium.
! too and since the spring of that year
Belgium has had It's share of depres
sion. closed and part-tIme factories
and unemployment. The drought
which affected many parts of the
northern hemisphere has been felt In
Belgium, with the result that harry
ests are less and food prices higher.
Where the price index Of living costs
was 100 In 1914 II was AT In Octo-
ber, 1920. and had reached only to
3S4 In August, 1921. But the adverse
economic forces In operation since
early In 1920 have caused suffering
even In countries not involved In the
World war; and to understand that
Belgium in spite of present trials, Is
In fair way To outstrlp the other
war-torn countries In the return to
normal. II Is only necessary to consld-
er conditions In the little kingdom be-
fore the war broke In upon IT.
Its Population Is Dense.
The Belgium of today has an area
less than one-fourth as great as Mis-
slssippi and yet II has four times
the population OF that state. Twenty
two and half countries like Bel
gium would be required to make a
state like Texas, and II Texas were
as densely populated AS Belgium 1t
would have os many people as the
United States and Germany together
now possess. If the entire United
States had as many people to the
square mile as Belgium-thnt Is, con
tlnental United States, exclusive OF
Alaskn-we would have more people
here thnn there are In the entire world
today. You could concentrate all the
people Of the seven seas ana or all
the continents here and still have room
for enough more to repopulate the
continent of Europe as II now stands
II must follow from this that such
vast population, living within such
narrow confines-7, $4,000 souls with
In an area OF 1873 square miles
must be frugal people. accustomed
to self-denial, skilled In the art OF
economical living, and masters of the
science Of intensive industry; yet with
all this density II population, with
all the exactions of forced economy
they are u people who had so ordered
their relations with one another anc
with their government that happiness
and contentment seemed to dwell with
| tbam ne with hut few other ppOplps
and this In spite of diverse descent
and diverse tongues.
Two Distinct Peoples.
Within Belgiums small territory
smaller In area than Massachusetts
and Connecticut-there are nenrl!
three million Flemings who canno
tsik with their compntriot Walloons
and about MS many Walloons who can
not hold converse with their country
men Flemlngs. In their habits Of mint
and their methods II gaining live
lihood the two peoples dlffer as widel.
as the English and the French. ant
In their speech they are as direren
a. the Germans and the Scandinavl
ans; and yet there Is q tie that ha
bound them together for generations
with never a fratricidal war In thei
modern history. That tie Is the bon'
Of religion, for they all subscribe 4
the doctrines OF the Church Of Rom
with heartiness that makes them on
Of the best-loved peoples OF the Hol
See.