Show I I I BElGIAN CHILDREN EAT FIRST REAL REALS DINNER S Meat Meat They Cry Stretching Skinny Hands I T Toward award Mercy Agents By Special News s WASHINGTON Nov 29 Last Last month Just about this time the tragedy tragedy tragedy trag trag- edy of Belgium came camo homo home to toa a group of American French and Belgian officials officials officials of of- in a little town in France It It was the tragedy of a Belgium crucified by the Huns Huns crucified crucified through the needless and wanton sufferings sufferings suf suf- imposed upon helpless children children children chil chil- dren by the conquerors Some of these little victims who who- had somehow survived were allowed allowe to come into France by way of Germany Germany Ger Ger- many and Switzerland The first friendly faces they saw after their long journey were those of the American Red Cross infant welfare unit stationed at on Lake Lalee Geneva I One of those in the party that greeted them was Mrs June Richardson Lucas wife of a Red Cross worl worker er who was formerly a professor In the University of Cali Cali- fornia Mrs Lucas in her diary draws a picture that will make mako everyone who reads it resolve to keep the curse of German as far as possible possible ble from our shores and our homes and our children Today at 11 writes Mrs Lucas I was almost the most dramatic moment moment mo mo- ment meat of all at Six hundred and eighty leighty Belgian children arrived on the the t I morning train It was indescribable all these littie lit lit- tle tie children thin children thin sickly looking alone All of them between the ages of 4 and 12 It is impossible to picture those picture those poor children calling Vive Viva la Ia France rance and andt Vive la Ia Belgique Belgique Belgique Bel- Bel for the first time in three years ears Those who st stood od on the platform could only wave to them Cheering was impossible The boys were livelier than the girls the girls the I little girls of 10 and 12 who cried bitterly Two-thirds Two of these children have been taken from froni their parents because their fathers would not work for the Germans and the mothers were willing to let the chil dill dren go rather than see them starve I have never seen anything more poignant than those groups of children chil chil- dren siren clinging to each other as they marched clown down the street to the tIle ca ca- ca sino It was the saddest sight Not one grownup Just chil dren little children march marching ng bravely brave brave- ly along some singing some crying some doing both As they passed along the repatriates repa repa- called to t them Dont cry You are going to have meat And the boys shouted Meat meat We Weare Weare Weare are ming going to have met meat I Many things flashed into m Seven cents a day feeds a B. B I baby Do you remember our Belgian commission cards at home Here were some of the children we Ave didn't I feed perhaps the perhaps the long long line It Itt j I t seemed to stretch out for miles niiles beI be be- fore you You seemed to see that little wavering line of starving children chil chil- dren drea passing on and on all over miles of devastated country You felt glad that Herbert Hoover was WM not there to see that special bit bitof bitof bitof of tragedy he worked so hard to pre pre- vent ventI I understand now that look in his face when he be talked about Belgian Bellian children last year year deepening of those splendid lines lineR about his mouth that made yoU vou feel he ho would never give un no his fight to save the Belgian chil chil- drenThe drenThe dren The casino asino was glowing with good The meat was there re of it it and potatoes hot chocolate hot roasted chestnuts How they at ate Yes they Just stuffed that good goor rUn din ner They were so hungry and they Yere were children I shall never forget their hands little hands little birdlike claws so thin thin and and when sang they waved those pathetic little hands I shall never forget forgets And such singing The spontaneity spontaneity of it Suddenly they would sin sing with all their might Those shrill voices shouted out a song against the Germans Those songs must have been learned in secret and yet every tiny child knew every word Those children have a look about them that makes you ache its it's so wrong And then you stiffen You feel that you will fight for a hundred years if necessary to prove such methods wrong |