About $20,000,000 (more than 10 per cent of this came from Belgian people) has been raised to feed starving Belgians, and $20,000,000 more should be forthcoming.

The English war office objected at first to the American proposals for food supplies to the little country.  It was held to be the duty of the invading Germans to feed the population of the conquered country, as the Germans had appropriated large stores of supplies that were in Belgium, notably at Antwerp.

England finally assented to the proposal, as well she might, for Belgium would starve without food from the outside, irrespective of war losses.  In normal times, she imports 240,000 tons of food every month.  She also imports most of her raw supplies for manufacturing.  Belgium is, therefore, to-day without food, or raw materials for her industries, and probably without outlet had her industries the ability to produce.  Although about fifty ships are bringing food to Belgium, they are of small capacity and in the aggregate represent less than one month’s supply.  In the early part of December about 80,000 tons of food were going through the American committee by permission of Germany and England.  The people have been put on one-third rations.  Every inhabitant of Belgium is allowed a pint of soup a day and about as much coarse brown bread as would make one American loaf.

The German idea of responsibility and power is that of force.  They have ordered the people of Belgium to love them, cooeperate with them, and go about their business.  But the Belgians refuse to love the Germans, refuse to cooeperate with them and will not resume their work for the Germans to appropriate the results.  The people of Antwerp were invited to come back from Holland and it was proclaimed that there would be no indemnity levied, yet a huge one came down upon the city.  The Germans levied a war tax of 50,000,000 francs on Brussels, and Rothschild and Solvay are not permitted to leave the city.

Payment on the tax was agreed to, and then the Germans demanded 500,000,000 francs from the entire province of Brabant, which includes Louvain as well as Brussels.  The inhabitants said it was impossible and the demand was reduced to 375,000,000 francs.  The inference must be that the latter levy covers a term of years.

The Germans are provoked that the bank money got out of Belgium.  The Bank of Belgium sent its gold reserve to the Bank of England, 600,000,000 francs, and Germany demanded that this reserve be transferred from England to a neutral country; but, of course, England refused.  There are some banks still doing business in Belgium, but the Belgians reject the German money except when obliged to take it.

The Belgian stores remain closed for the major part, and the Germans threaten that unless the Belgians reopen and proceed with business they will confiscate the stores and sell them to Germans who will do business.  The people of Antwerp must be in bed by 9 o’clock.  The people of Liege are ordered to retire at 7 P.M.  No Belgian is permitted the use of a telephone, the entire system having been appropriated by the military authorities.