the lot--Belgian and German--are being cared for by the Red Cross. The
Palace has been turned into a hospital, and the Queen has taken over
the supervision of it. Nearly every big hotel in town has turned its
dining-room into a ward, and guests are required to have their meals in
their rooms. Some of the big department stores have come up finely in
outfitting hospitals and workrooms, clearing out their stocks, and
letting profits go hang for the time being. The International Harvester
Company cleared its offices here and installed twenty-five
beds--informing the Red Cross that it would take care of the running
expenses as long as the war lasts. The hospital facilities have grown
far faster than the wounded have come in, and there is an element of
humour in the rush of eager women who go to the station and almost fight
for the wounded as they are brought off the trains.
I impressed the services of several people to help out to-day, but the
most valuable are two crack stenographers who have been turned over to
us by business firms here. By dint of labouring with them all morning
and afternoon and seeing as few people as possible, I have managed to
clean up my desk, so that I can go to bed with a clear conscience
to-night when I have got through my call to London.
* * * * *
_Brussels, August 8, 1914._--To-day our new organisation is working like
clockwork. In Cruger's formerly calm chancery there are five typewriters
pounding away, and at the committee rooms there are swarms of people
working to take care of odds and ends. Monsieur de Leval has a table at
one side of my room, and the committee relieves us of the people who
want information and those who want to talk.
* * * * *
_Sunday, August 9th._--I got this far when the roof fell in last night.
During the afternoon yesterday I got out to attend to a few odds and
ends of errands--and, as always happens when I go out, things began to
happen. I came back to find the Minister and de Leval wrestling with a
big one.
A curious telegram had come from The Hague, quoting the text of a
message which the German Government desired us to present to the Belgian
Government. Here it is in translation, a truly German message:
The fortress of Liège has been taken by assault after a brave
defense. The German Government most deeply regret that bloody
encounters should have resulted from the attitude of the Belgian
Government toward Germany. Germany is not coming as an enemy into
Belgium; it is only through the force of circumstances that she has
had, owing to the military measures of France, to take the grave
decision of entering Belgium and occupying Liège as a base for her
further military operations. Now that the Belgian army has upheld
the honour of its arms by its heroic resistance to a very superior
force, the German Government beg the King of the Belgians and the
Belgian Government to spare Belgium further horrors of war. The
German Government are ready for any compact with Belgium which can
be reconciled with their conflicts with France. Germany once more
gives her solemn assurance that it is not her intention to
appropriate Belgian territory to herself and that such an intention
is far from her thoughts. Germany is still ready to evacuate
Belgium as soon as the state of war will allow her to do so.
Of course we were loath to present anything of the sort, but the thing
had to be handled carefully. After some pow-wowing I went over to the
Foreign Office with the message and saw Baron van der Elst. I told him
seriously that we had received a very remarkable telegram which
purported to contain a message from the German Government; that it bore
no marks of authenticity, and that we were not sure as to its source;
but that we felt that we should be lacking in frankness if we did not
show him what we had received. He seized the message and read it
through, his amazement and anger growing with each line. When he had
finished, he gasped for a minute or two and then led me into the next
room to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, M. Davignon, to whom he
translated the telegram aloud. When they had finished discussing the
message and I had a pretty clear idea as to the Belgian attitude toward
the proposal--not that I had had any real doubt--I asked him: "If the
American Minister had delivered this message what would have been its
reception?" Without an instant's hesitation, M. Davignon replied: "We
should have resented his action and should have declined to receive the
communication."
That was all I wanted to know and I was ready to go back to the
Legation.
I took Baron van der Elst home in the car and had the pleasure of seeing
him explain who he was to several Gardes Civiques, who held up the car
from time to time. He was very good-natured about it, and only resented
the interruptions to what he was trying to say. His son is in the army
and he has no news of him. As he got out of the car he remarked that if
it were not so horrible, the mere interest of events would be enough to
make these days wonderful.
When I got back to the Legation and reported the result of my visit, we
went to work and framed a telegram to Washington, giving the text of
the German message, explaining that we had nothing to prove its
authenticity and adding that we had reason to believe that the Belgian
Government would not accept it. The same message was sent to The Hague.
This pleasant exercise with the code kept us going until four in the
morning. Eugène, the wonder chauffeur, had no orders, but curled up on
the front seat of his car and waited to take me home. He was also on
hand when I got up a couple of hours later, to take me back to the
Legation. Chauffeurs like that are worth having.
When I came in this morning the place was packed with Germans. Some
cheerful idiot had inserted a notice in the papers that all Germans were
to be run out of the country, and that they should immediately apply to
the American Legation. As the flood poured in, Leval got on the
telephone to the Sûreté Publique and found out the true facts. Then we
posted a notice in the hall. But that was not enough. As is always the
case with humans, they all knew better than to pay any attention to what
the notice said and each one of the hundred or more callers had some
reason to insist on talking it over with somebody. When they once got
hold of one of us, it was next to impossible to get away without
listening to the whole story of their lives. All they had to do was to
go down to the German Consulate-General, where we had people waiting to
tell them all there was to know. It was hard to make them realise that
by taking up all our time in this way, they were preventing us from
doing things that were really necessary to serve them in more important
matters. I said as much to several of them, who were unusually
long-winded, but every last one replied that HIS case was different and
that he must be heard out at length.
Our refugee train left this morning and took eight hundred more of the
poor people. Where they all turn up from, I don't know, but each day
brings us a fresh and unexpected batch. Many of the cases are very sad,
but if we stop to give sympathy in every deserving case, we should never
get anything practical done for them.
To-day's budget of news is that the French have got to Mulhouse and have
inflicted a decisive defeat upon the Germans. According to reports, the
Alsatians went mad when the French troops crossed the frontier for the
first time in forty-four years. They tore up and burned the frontier
posts and generally gave way to transports of joy. I would have given a
lot to see the crowds in Paris.
A letter came yesterday from Omer, the legation footman, who is at
Tirlemont with the artillery. He said he had not yet been hit, although
he had heard the bullets uncomfortably near. He wound up by saying that
he had _beaucoup de courage_--and I believe him.
It seems that some of the German troops did not know what they were
attacking and thought they were in France. When brought here as
prisoners, some of them expressed surprise to find that Paris was so
small. They seem to have thought that they were in France and the goal
not far away.
The King to-day received through other channels the message from the
Emperor of Germany in regard to peace, which we declined to transmit. I
have not seen its text, but hear it is practically identical with the
message sent us, asking the King to name his conditions for the
evacuation of Liège and the abandonment of his allies, so that Germany
may be entirely free of Belgian opposition in her further operations
against France. I have heard among Belgians only the most indignant
comments on the proposal and look forward with interest to seeing the
answer of the King, which should appear to-morrow.[3]
[Footnote 3: The Belgian reply, which was sent on August 12th through
the Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs, is as follows:
The proposal made to us by the German Government repeats the
proposal which was formulated in the ultimatum of August 2nd.
Faithful to her international obligations, Belgium can only
reiterate her reply to that ultimatum, the more so as since August
3rd, her neutrality has been violated, a distressing war has been
waged on her territory, and the guarantors of her neutrality have
responded loyally and without delay to her appeal.]
The town is most warlike in appearance. There is hardly a house in the
town that does not display a large Belgian flag. It looks as though it
were bedecked for a fiesta. Here and there are French and British flags,
but practically no others. Every motor in town flies a flag or flags at
the bow. We fly our own, but none the less, the sentries, who are
stationed at all the corners dividing the chief quarters of the town and
before all the Ministries and other public buildings, stop us and demand
the papers of the chauffeur and each passenger in the car. We have
passports and all sorts of other papers, but that was not enough, and we
finally had to be furnished by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs with a
special _laisser-passer_. This afternoon I slipped out for a breath of
air and was held up and told that even that was no good until I had had
it viséd by the military authorities. It is said that these strict
measures are the result of the discovery of a tremendous spy system
here. According to the stories which are told, but of which we have
little confirmation, spies are being picked up all the time in the
strangest disguises.
The gossip and "inside news" that is imparted to us is screamingly
funny--some of it.
Yesterday, according to one of these yarns, four nuns arriving at the
Gare du Midi were followed for some time and finally arrested. When
searched, they proved to be young German officers who had adopted that
dress in order to conceal carrier pigeons which they were about to
deliver in Brussels. Wireless outfits are said to have been discovered
in several houses belonging to Germans. I cannot remember all the yarns
that are going about, but even if a part of them are true, it should
make interesting work for those who are looking for the spies. The
regular arrests of proven spies have been numerous enough to turn every
Belgian into an amateur spy-catcher. Yesterday afternoon Burgomaster Max
was chased for several blocks because somebody raised a cry of
"_Espion_" based on nothing more than his blond beard and chubby face. I
am just as glad not to be fat and blond these days.
Yesterday afternoon a Garde Civique came in with the announcement that
the chancellor and clerks of the German Legation, who were locked up
there, were in dire distress; that a baby had been born the day before
to the wife of the concièrge, and that all sorts of troubles had come
upon them. Leval, who had announced that his heart was infinitely
hardened against all Germans, was almost overcome by the news of a
suffering baby and ran like a lamp-lighter to get around there and help
out. When we arrived, however, we found them all beaming and happy. The
baby had been born some days before and the mother was up and about
before the Legation had been closed. Their meals are sent in from a
neighbouring restaurant, and they are perfectly contented to bide their
time as they are. They had orders from Berlin not to leave the Legation,
so it made little difference to them whether they were blockaded by the
Belgian authorities or not. I shall drop in every day or two and see
whether there is anything I can do to lighten their gloom. Of course
their telephone was cut off and they are not allowed to receive mail or
papers, so they are consumed with curiosity about developments. It was,
of course, necessary to refuse to answer their questions about what was
going on and to make assurance doubly sure, I had the Garde Civique
stand by me while I talked with them.
As things shape up now it looks as though we were the only life-sized
country that could keep neutral for long, and as a consequence all the
representatives of the countries in conflict are keeping us pretty well
posted in the belief that they may have to turn their interests over to
us. We shall probably soon have to add Austrian interests to the German
burdens we now have. If there is a German advance, some of the Allied
ministers will no doubt turn their legations over to us. The consequence
is that we may see more of the inside of things than anybody else. Now,
at least, we are everybody's friends. This is undoubtedly the most
interesting post in Europe for the time being, and I would not be
anywhere else for the wealth of the Indies.
* * * * *
_Brussels, Aug. 10, 1914._--The Belgian Government has finally got out a
proclamation, urging German subjects to leave the country, but stating
that in the event of a general order of expulsion, certain classes of
people will be allowed to remain, such as, very old persons, the sick,
governesses, nurses, etc., and even others for whom Belgians of
undoubted reputation are willing to vouch. There are quantities of
Germans who have lived here all their lives, who are really more Belgian
than German, have no interest in the present conflict and are threatened
with financial ruin if they leave their interests here, and it is pretty
hard on them if they are to be obliged to get out, but they are only a
few of the many, many thousands who are suffering indirectly from the
effects of the war. It is not any easier for the manufacturers in the
neighbourhood of Liège, who will see the work of many years wiped out by
the present hostilities. Some inspired idiot inserted in the papers
yesterday the news that the Legation was attending to the repatriation
of German subjects and the consequence is that our hallways have been
jammed with Germans all day, making uncouth noises and trying to argue
with us as to whether or not we are in charge of German interests. The
mere fact that we deny it is not enough for them! I suppose that the
hallways will continue to sound like a celebration of Kaisersgeburtstag
until we have sent off the last of them.
This morning a large, badly frightened darkey came in looking for a
passport. He awaited his turn very quietly, and grew visibly more and
more apprehensive at the long series of questions asked of the people
ahead of him. When he moved up to the desk, the first question was:
"Where do you want to go?"
"Jes as fur as the stature of Libbuty."
"Are you an American citizen?"
"Me? Lawd bless yuh! No, I ain't nuthin' but a plain ole Baltimoh coon."
Then they gave him the usual blank to fill out. One of the questions on
it was:
"Why do you desire to return to the United States?"
Without any hesitation he wrote:
"I am very much interested in my home at the present time."
Everybody here is intensely curious as to what has become of the British
army; the most generally accepted story is that troops have been landed
at Calais, Dunkirk and Ostend, but although this is generally believed,
there seems to be absolutely no official confirmation of it. Everyone
seems to take it for granted that the British will turn up in good form
when the right time comes, and that when they do turn up, it will have a
good effect. If they can get to the scene of hostilities without everybody
knowing about it, it increases by just so much their chances of success
and anyone that knows anything at all is keeping mum and hoping that no
British soldier will stumble over a chair and make a noise and give away
the line of march.
Our letters from London indicate intense satisfaction with the appointment
of Kitchener and confidence that he will get a maximum of service out of
the forces at his command.
We have been looking from one moment to another for news of a big naval
engagement, but suppose the British Navy is somewhere waiting for a chance
to strike.
Colonel Fairholme, the British Military Attaché, has made a number of
trips to the front and reports that the morale of the Belgian troops is
excellent, that the organisation is moving like clockwork, and, as he
expresses it, that "every man has his tail up."
This evening I went over to the British Legation to see the Colonel, and
learn whatever news he had that he could give me. There was a great
scurrying of servants and the porter was not to be found in the chancery.
The door to Grant-Watson's room was ajar, so I tapped, and, on being
bade in a gruff voice to "Come in," walked into the presence of a
British officer in field uniform, writing at Webber's desk. He was dusty
and unshaven, and had evidently come in from a long ride. I promptly
backed out with apologies and was hustled out of the place by Kidston,
who came running out from the Minister's office. I asked him if the rest
of the army was hidden about the chancery, and his only reply was to
tell me to run along and find the navy, which they themselves had not
been able to locate. They evidently have all they need to know about the
whereabouts of the army, but have succeeded in keeping it dark.
C.M. came over to the Legation this afternoon to get some books for her
mother. We fixed her up and put her in her car, when she announced that
on the way over she had been arrested and taken to the police station as
a German. People are pointing out spies on the street, and anybody that
is blond and rosy-cheeked stands a fine show of being arrested every
time he goes out. She had impressed this car with a suspected number and
paid for it by being made into a jail bird.
My day's work began with a visit to the German Legation. The Government
asked me to secure and return the number for the automobile of von
Stumm, the German Counselor. I had his machine put in the Legation the
day after he left, although he had offered it to me. I presented myself
at the door of the Legation with the note from the Foreign Office,
asking for the number, but was refused admittance by the Gardes
Civiques. They were very nice, but stated that they had the strictest
orders not to let anybody come in or out, and that they had not
discretionary powers. At a visit at the Foreign Office later in the day,
I told of my experience and asked that I be furnished by the military
authorities with a _laisser-passer_ which would enable me to enter the
Legation whenever I so desire. This afternoon I received a formidable
document from the Military Governor which gives me free passage--so far
as I can make out--to enter the Legation in any way save by telephone or
telegraph. I shall go around to-morrow and rub it in on the Gardes
Civiques.
The question of passes has been changed and made more strict each day,
and has got to be a sort of joke. I first used my card, that was
declared insufficient almost from the first. Then I tried my _permis de
circulation_, which was issued to allow me to get into the railway
stations without paying. That was good for a day or so. Then I tried my
passport (as a bearer of despatches), and that got me through once or
twice. Then the Minister for Foreign Affairs gave me his personal card
with a _laisser-passer_ in his own hand, but that was soon turned down
on the ground that the military authorities are in control and the civil
authorities cannot grant passes. Finally the Government has got out a
special form of _laisser-passer_ for the diplomats, and it may prove to
be good--although it is not signed by the military authorities. I have
taken the precaution of keeping all the aforementioned documents and
some others on my person, and am curious to see how soon I shall have to
have some other. The Garde Civique is no longer content with holding up
the car every few blocks and examining the _pièce d'identité_ of the
chauffeur; they must now be satisfied as to the bona fides of each
passenger. Doing some errands around town this afternoon I was held up
and looked over eleven times. I now pull out all the documents I own and
hand out the bunch each time I am stopped. The Garde then, in most
cases, treats the matter rather humorously, and the next time I pass
lets me go on without going through the whole performance again. In
front of the German Legation, however, which we nearly always pass on
our way to or from town, we are invariably held up and looked into
seriously. I know most of the people on the different shifts by this
time and wish them well each time they look at the well-remembered
papers. I shall keep the credentials and any others that may eventually
be added to them, and perhaps some day I shall be able to paper a room
with them.
In the course of the morning there were several matters of interest
which made it necessary for me to go to the Foreign Office. All their
messengers are now gone, and in their place there is a squad of Boy
Scouts on duty. I had a long conference with van der Elst, the
Director-General of the Ministry. In the course of our pow-wow it was
necessary to send out communications to various people and despatch
instructions in regard to several small matters. Each time van der Elst
would ring, for what he calls a "scoots," and hand him the message with
specific instructions as to just how it should be handled. The boys were
right on their toes, and take great pride in the responsibility that is
given them. Some of them have bicycles and do the messenger work through
the town. Those who have not, run errands in the different buildings and
attend to small odd jobs.
The Red Cross is very much in evidence. I went around to the headquarters
after my call at the Foreign Office, to make a little contribution of my
own and to leave others for members of our official family. The
headquarters is at the house of Count Jean de Mérode, the Grand Marshal
of the Court. The entrance hall was filled with little tables where
women sat receiving contributions of money and supplies. I had to wait
some time before I could get near enough to one of the dozen or more
tables, to hand in my contributions. This is the headquarters, but there
are any number of branch offices, and they are said to be equally busy.
The society has been quite overcome by the way people have come forward
with gifts, and they have been almost unable to get enough people
together to handle them as they come in. The big cafés down-town nearly
all have signs out, announcing that on a certain day or days they will
give their entire receipts to the Red Cross or to one of the several
funds gotten up to take care of those suffering directly or indirectly
from the war. Many of the small shops have signs out of the same sort,
announcing that the entire receipts for all articles sold on a certain
day will be handed to one of the funds. They must have gathered an
enormous amount of money, and I don't doubt they will need it. The
wounded are being brought in in great numbers and many buildings are
quite filled with them. In nearly every street there is a Red Cross flag
or two, to indicate a temporary hospital in a private house or a hotel
or shop, and people are stationed in the street to make motors turn
aside or slow down. There are almost no motors on the street except
those on official business or Red Cross work; and, because of the small
amount of traffic, these few go like young cyclones, keeping their
sirens going all the time. The chauffeurs love it and swell around as
much as they are allowed to do. I pray with ours now and then, but even
when I go out to the barber, he seems to believe that he is on his way
to a fire and cuts loose for all he is worth.
Quantities of German prisoners continue to be brought here for safe
keeping, and many of them are taken on down to Bruges. Among those
removed there for unusually safe keeping yesterday was a nephew of the
Emperor.