Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1921-12-02


prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety. Washington. ID. CO
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 coun-
try through property destroyed, pill
lage and financial exactions by the
Germans reached the tremendous sum
of 80 billions of francs according to
the estimate Of the Belgium Comite
Central Industriel, the people, with
Characteristic industry and thrift, took
up the heavy task of resuscitating their
country's industrial life as soon as the
armistice 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-
duction averaged three-quarters or
more of pre-war production the coal
output had even reached "a per cent
and the refined sugar output 100 per
cent
But the postwar reaction which
struck the United States and other
countries in 1920 affected Belgium,
too; and since the spring of that year
Belgium has had its share of depres-
sion, closed and part-time factories
and unemployment. The drought
~. 70 nf
northern hemisphere has been felt In
Belgium. with the result that harv-
ests are less and food prices higher.
Where the price index of living costs
was 100 in 1914 it was ATT in Octo-
Der, 1920, and had reached only to
1884 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 outstrip the other
war-torn countries in the return to
normal, it Is only necessary to cOnsid-
er conditions in the little kingdom be-
fore the war broke in upon 1t.
It's Population is Dense.
The Belgium Of today has an area
less than one-f0urth as great as Mis-
sissippi, and yet it has four times
the population Of that state. Twenty
two and half countries like Bel
GUM would be required to make a
state like Texas, and II Texas were
as densely populated as Belgium II
would have as 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-that Is, con
| tinental United States. exclusive Of
Alaska-we would have more people
here than there are in the entire worlt
today. You could concentrate all the
people of the seven seas and Of all
the continents here and still have room
| for enough more to repopulate thu
continent of Europe as 1t now stands
1t must follow from this that suci
a vast population, living within suci
narrow confines-7, $4,000 souls with
In an area Of 1873 square miles
must be frugal people, accustomed
to self-denlal, skilled in the art 0
economical living, and masters OF tn
science Of intensive industry yet witt
ali this density If population, Wit
all the exactions of forced economy
they are a people who had so ordere
their relations with one another an
with their government that Happiness
and contentment seemed to dwell wit
them rs with but few other peoples
and this in spite Of diverse descer
and diverse tongues.
Two Distinct Peoples.
Within Belgium's small territory
smaller in area than Massachuset1
and Connectscut--there are near
three million Flemings who came
talk with their compatriot Walloon
and about as many Walloons who ca
not hold converse with their countr
, men Flemings. In their habits of mir
and their methods of gaining hv
lihood the two peoples differ as wide
, as the English and the French, al
, in their speech they are as differe
J as the Germans and the Scandina,
ans: and yet there is tie that h
{ bound them together for generation
with never fratricidal war In the
8 modern history. That tie is the BOZ
. Of religion, for they all subscribe
: the doctrines Of the Church OF Ror
Nth I heartiness that makes them Q
; Of the bestowed peoples of the He
: Their tongues ara Flemish :