A BELGIAN APPEAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 July 1918, Page 7

A BELGIAN APPEAL.

To the Editor. Sir, — May we appeal lo your feelings of righteousness and of benevolence in asking you to open in your worthy paper a, subscription on behalf of our Belgian Order of St. John of Jerusalem? Without having any interference from or connection with the English Order which is covering the British Empire only, our Belgian branch 'lias been constituted in view of helping the victims of this war, especially the blinded soldiers and the distressed widows of our brave men. We perfectly realise that you have yourselves to support your own charities, but we cannot help to lay stress upon the fate of our fighting men, because their fellow countrymen, unable to help them for the time being, will be so exhausted after the war, we are afraid, that the task will be beyond their power. The soldiers of every country in this war have at least this comfort of remaining in close touch with their families, through leaves or letters. The Belgan soldiers, isolated from their country Jay the German trenches, aie without any news from their relatives for almost four years. Yet they are the gallant soldiers of that little army which at Liege barred the road to tlie German hordes during a fortnight, losing the fourth of their effectives, but allowing France to hastily complete her mobilisation. They arc those soldiers who by their successive raids from the "camp relranche" of Antwerp have held Up two German army corps, marching towards the Marne where lias been won the first great battle for Freedom and Righteousness. Enemy reinforcements might have turned the scale. They are those soldiers who tired, even exhausted through that awful retreat from Antwerp, have been asked to hold three days on the river Yser, waiting for French help, and who held unbroken for twelve days. They are those who first experienced the disastrous and at the time unexpected use of poisonous gas. Many of them were blinded for ever or dangerously struck, and their cure will take perhaps several years. And they are those who fought with such a gallantry against a foe tenfold superior in numbers, during the now proceeding great battle that they succeeded in taking many prisoners, thus deserving the warmly congratulations of the British Press.

Perhaps that through the great distance whirli separates your country from the battle fields, the sufferings of our soldiers are not quite realized by the people at home. But still those sufferings are borne for a cause dear to' you, a cause which is yours as well as ours. What would have happened to the'civilization world, if Germany while in her original Rtrenjrt.li. had succeeded in crushing the British and French armies at the very beginning of the war and had then been able to turn all her power against any liberty-loving country? To-day, Prussian militarism, though still powerful hears in itself its germ of death. It will be of immortal glory for our little army to have struck the first blow, of course, for the sake of our own country first, but also for the whole world's sake. It is therefore a debt of gratitude that the world has contracted towards our heroic soldiers, and we feel sure, Mr Editor, that in the appeal we hope you will be so kind as to issue, you will put this point in light in the most suitable wiiy for your readers. We may also lay stress upon a secondary point? You know no doubt by experience that to be a success, every newspaper's subscription must mention the names and donations of subscribers, in order to stimulate the generous feelings of the readers. We deem therefore nnsufficient to indicate the headquarters of the Fund for the sending of money. We think that it is to the paper itself that the subscriptions must first be forwarded, same being sent to us later on, when the subscription will be closed, tor we intend to thank every subscriber individually. . We are 'valuing our requirements at £200,000, half to be used as endowment and half for purchasing or building a large hospice of the kind of the British Ophthalmic Hospital erected near Jerusalem by the. English Order of ''t. John. Would every worthy paper bring in its own contribution by a welldesigned appeal to its readers, we are confident that, the above amount would soon be collected. With our warmest and anticipated thanks,—l am, etc., Dr. SMETS MONGER, v. Chairman, and lion. Sec. London, 11th May.