THE CHILDREN IN BELGIUM.

North Otago Times, Volume CIII, Issue 13655, 24 August 1916, Page 4

THE CHILDREN IN BELGIUM.

(Enclosure.)

To tlie Editor of The Observer; ! Sir,—A job half done is worse than \ a job not begun. Last month «t the , general meeting of the National CommittiV for Relief in Belgium we were ■ told definitely that aid must come in nnii'ti faster if the Belgians are' to be kept from starvation. That is the hard ' .truth. .Let us carry our minds forward. Suppose aid does not come iii faster, and the Belgian population, now on the edg'o of starvation, tips over tlie edge and actually does starve; that" one in three, or so, especially of the children, either dies or becomes permanently enfeebled tlirough privation, what will the world say of us, and what shall we say of ourselves' Suppose, when peace comes and Belgium can pick up her broken life, she limls herself in that shocking state because the richest country in the world, the country which most- benefited by her sacrifice, coiild not liiul her a matter,of three.million pounds a year for two or tlirfre years simply to keep her alive? Could not lind her two days' cost of a war which is being waged, us- we say, to restore little Belgium—what a ghastly laugh'will go up at the expense of Great Britain! You see.- there is no question, but that we can keep the Belgians from • starvation if we like, ,A perfect machinery is there to feed them adequately; it needs nothing whatever but money. 1, for one, will not care- to be in the shoey of a Britin if this starvation is ' allowed lo happen. 1 will consider myself a member of a country which lias spoken fair words, and not justified ■them; of' a country which has been guilty of ingratitude.' The National Committee for Relief's latest special device, for the raising of inoirey to. avoid this shame is that onJuly 10 all British boys and girls shall hold sports, give concerts or entertain- , nicnt.B ot.soipe 'sort, ..the proceeds of "which shall' go to the-children in Belgium.' The British boys and girls will do this with alacrity—no need to appeal to them; the school authorities, wlio have the organising of the entertainments, will do it with all their hearts—no need to whip up their goodwill. 'But on what the general public 1 does will'depend the success of this device. .If they will only make it an occasion for not' only the value of their, tickets, tint as much more as they can spare; for giving as freely as they would give to our own Ked Cross on one of its Hag days—then, ami then only, will there be collected a sum' that may make all the difference in the world to these stoical unhappy people, and all tlie'difference in the world to the future reputation of our country, This is a grave matter. The searchlight that beats on the case of Belgium is too strong—no country can escape it, least of all our country,, If our I public will only think a moment, then, not only out of pitv—thotigh heaven knows that should be enough!—but out of love for our own good name, we shall make good this shortage, in our duty towards loyal Belgium. ' 'On July .10> let us fill up a.real ( bumper of .health to the life and health ' of this brave, hard-driven little land.— JOHN (i!\LtfWORTHV. i Loudon.'June iN), l'.lKi,; , " June I'.'l, .Ifllfi, ,