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.^^«*wtea High School Librwf 2935RD)k%r6et JVewd lielcflum otiA the. Iiel(^ian Qo*u^ BELGIAN INFORMATION CENTER • 630 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK. N. Y. VOL. IT, NO. 42 NEW YOEK, N. Y. OCTOBER 17, 1942 All material published In NEWS FROM BELGIUM may be reprinted without permission. Please send copies of material in which quotations are used to this office. These periodical bulletins may be obtained on request from the Editor: BELGIAN INFORMATION CENTER, Room 3064, 630 Fifth Ave., New York CIRCLE 6-2450 44 A Covenant with Death.../' Mark Twain once wrote a remarkable of people's duty toward the Church. With and very amusing article on "That Awful soldierly braggadocio, General von Falken• German Language." He especially objected hausen told the Cardinal to go to blazes, to the fact that the Germans put the verb but on second thought he felt that the "so far from the reader's base of operations" miners might be inclined to attend Mass and gave the following example: anyway and let the Germans go where they "But when he, upon the street, the belonged. So he decided to lure them away (in-satin-and-silk covered-now-very-uncon- from Mass with a series of bribes and strainedly-after-the-neivest-fashion dressed) bonuses which he enumerated in a special government councillor's wife met. ."^ decree. People who are able to use a language in "I've noticed," said von Falkenhausen, such a complicated way must have a special "that most of the miners who live in the mentality which sets them apart from other cities report for work on Sunday. But the human beings. To find your way through a men who live in the country stay at home maze like that requires a strong sense of with their wives and their kids—only 40 order and discipline. per cent of those men punch the time clock. Mr. von Falkenhausen, the German Com• These fellows," he said, "we've decided mander of Belgium, who has already been to spoil a little. If they show up on Sunday introduced in these pages some time ago, and work well, 50 per cent of what they proves Mark Twain's point once more. We produce that day will be added to the bulk have reported how the Belgian Cardinal of the population's coal rations." Since the filed a protest with the German authorities Germans take about 100 per cent of the against obliging miners to work on Sundays. The Cardinal objected to the fact that this 1 Wenn er aber aul der Strasse der in Sammt nnd Seide gehiillten jetz sehr ungenirt nach der neusten mode regulation interferes with the fulfillment gekleideten Regierungsrathin begegnet... NEWS FEOM BELGIUM OCTOBEB 17, 1942 production of the six other days of the week, the 300,000 Belgians who work in Germany this generous offer was not really very dra• went there for no other reason than their matic. But General von Falkenhausen, hav• enthusiasm for the New Order. There comes ing lived in Belgium for a couple of years a time, however, when even the Germans now, has learned the ways of the people. must drop their pretense, when circum• At every festival in Flanders there is stances compel them to show their hand always a peddler who sells gold watches at and reveal the real predicament in which a dime apiece. When people seem incredul• they find themselves. On October 8, the ous, he tells them, "Look, wise guys, for Military Command for Belgium and North- your lousy dime you not only get the watch, em France proclaimed a new decree con• but I'll throw in a couple of diamond cuff scripting Belgian male labor between 18 buttons, a bracelet for your wife and a silver and 50 years of age and unmarried women whistle for one of the kiddies—all that for between 21 and 35. Under this new mea• ten cents! Come on now, who's first?" sure any Belgian can be compelled to work Mr. von Falkenhausen followed the same not only in Belgium, but in the German technique. "If those country boys show up," Reich as well. The decree says that "the he said, "I am going to give them: education and physique of those liable for "first, double pay on Sunday; duty will be taken into account, as far as "second, double food rations; possible, in the work allotted to them." In "third, permission to buy 25 cigarettes; another paragraph, the decree announces a "and fourth, permission to buy 200 new "labor pass" system; all Belgians be• pounds more coal than the official ration tween 18 and 50 must be able to shoiv their allows them." Of course the third and fourth cards at any time. offers don't sound as nice as the first and This official introduction of slavery for second, but after all, everybody knows that all able-bodied Belgians, and even for those you can't expect a real gold watch for your who are not in good physical condition, dime. called for some kind of an explanation. The The French who know a lot about human German gazette in Belgium, the Briisseler character, especially when it's bad char• Zeitung, made the following comments on acter, say, II ne suffit pas que Ton soil heur- the new measure: eux; il faut que les autres ne le soient pas "Taken from the viewpoint that Germany (It's not enough just to be happy; the other does not wage this war for herself alone, it fellow must not be happy too). Von Falken• is only reasonable that the utilization of hausen also knew about that. "Now, those labor should proceed along the same lines pious Church-goers," he said, "who don't as in Germany. For this reason Germany want to work on Sunday so that the Fiihrer could no longer refrain from demanding can unfreeze his toes after the Russian from Belgian labor compulsory labor ser• winter, they will: vice in the Reich territory." "first, have a day's pay deducted from In the great debate on slavery in the their salary; United States, W. L. Garrison called this "second, not receive the bonus they used practice "a covenant with death and an to get for uninterrupted work; agreement with hell." Naziism has resur• "and third, have their special rations rected this covenant and renewed this agree• cancelled." ment. It will be paid off some day with All this haggling is more ridiculous than interest, and nobody should expect the Bel• dramatic. It shows, however, how hard up gian workers to shed any tears at the spec• the Germans are for labor and production tacle of a punishment which would fit the in Belgium. As a rule they try to put up a crime. front and until recently they claimed that —THE EDITOR [330] NEWS FEOM BELGIUM OCTOBEE 17, 1942 be flown back to New York by the first plane in 1. Occupied Belgium order to avoid total blindness. The agents of the Belgian vessel arranged this, and Domhoff A, The War arrived at New York on September 11. Here he was met by a Netherlands shipping com• Ship's Cook Regains His Eyesight—This mittee who had followed his career attentively is the story of Mr. Domhoif, one of the best and were just waiting for him to alight long Belgian sea cooks a crew ever had, who sailed enough to see that his condition, contracted on for two years with a piece of shrapnel behind one of their boats, was cured. A Dutch doctor his eye because winning the war came first, and called in a brain specialist and an eye specialist he could never find enough time for an operation. and more X-rays were taken. It was found that When Belgium and Holland were invaded in the splinter could be removed through the nose. May 1940, Mr. Domhoff was dishing out the A few days later, Domhoff was the happiest chow to a Dutch crew on a Netherlands vessel. man in the world. He could see through his right The ship didn't return to its home port, but eye and his left eye was improving; Nether• changed its course at once for England. On the lands ofiicials were acting almost as if he were way the boat was attacked and Domhoff, running the Queen herself, and the Belgian Seamen's up on deck to lend a hand, was struck by a steel Home, where he's resting after the operation, splinter which went through his right temple is spoiling him like a baby. and stopped behind his left eyeball. The danger But Domhoff is happiest about the doctor's over, Domhoff went back to work, his head verdict—he has been promised he can ship out bandaged up like a Hindu. The boys getting the as cook again in three weeks. He's glad he can ship through to an English port needed plenty see better, the food he cooks will be tastier if of chow and he was the only one who could give he knows the difference between sugar and salt, it to 'em. and he's glad he will be back again with the Once in England, Mr. Domhoff admitted at boys, doing his bit along with them to help win the Netherlands shipping ofiice that he was the war. blind in his right eye and couldn't see much out V ... — of his left. He was sent to a hospital, but the Bottle Bombs Over Flanders — It is an• operation was so delicate that the doctors feared nounced from Nieuwpoort that the EAF have if a bombing attack occurred while Domhoff been using incendiary bombs of a new type dur• was on the operating table the result might be ing their attacks on German fortifications in fatal.