Art. 11.-BELGIAN REFUGEES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

1. First Report of the Departmental Committee appointed to consider and report on questions arising in connection with the reception and employment of the Belgian Refugees in this country. [Cd. 7750.] Wyman, 1914. 2. Minutes of evidence taken before the Departmental Committee [etc., as above]. [Cd. 7779.] Wyman, 1915.

THERE is no single phase of the war which has more touched the hearts and imaginations of the British people than the fate of Belgium. By the noble stand made in the cause of liberty and independence by this little nation against the aggression of a mighty power, by the splendid heroism of its people, and by their unparalleled sufferings, chords of sympathy have been struck which have vibrated throughout the Empire. Mingled with an infinite compassion for the oppressed of this martyr kingdom and a consuming fire of indignation at the barbarous deeds of its oppressors, has been a steadfast determination to right the wrongs that have been perpetrated largely in pursuit of a mean-spirited policy of revenge. It would be idle to assert that the flame of righteous anger is still burning with the same fierceness as when, in the beginning of the war, every day brought to our shores cargoes of hapless refugees, driven forth by the German invasion from their peaceful Flemish homes. An unhappy sequence of events has made us only too familiar with German frightfulness; and it may be that our senses have grown dull to crimes which, although by repetition in varied spheres they have lost nothing of their turpitude, do not make the same fresh appeal as did the initial deeds of horror. Interest, too, in the cause of the victims may possibly have lost some of its intensity, owing to the prolonged nature of the struggle, which has brought with it new objects of benevolence and poignant anxieties for those nearest and dearest to us. But, even if we would, we cannot divest ourselves of our responsibilities. It is our bounden duty both to care for the fugitives to-day, and in the future to safeguard their devastated fatherland. Pledges have

been given which carry with them a solemn obligation, one neither to be evaded nor broken without loss of national honour. The Premier's words spoken at the Mansion House on Nov. 9, 1914, and re-affirmed later, are the pith and marrow of this unwritten contract. 'We shall never sheath the sword,' he said, 'until Belgium recovers, in full measure, all and more than all that she has sacrificed.' And in his contribution to 'King Albert's Book' Mr Asquith writes:

'Belgium has deserved well of the world. She has placed us under an obligation which as a nation we shall not forget. We assure her to-day in the name of this United Kingdom, and of the whole Empire, that she may count to the end on our whole-hearted and unfailing support."

Speaking with all the authority of his great position as Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey has strikingly reinforced the Premier's view of our indebtedness to Belgium in these words:

The wrongs done to Belgium have brought home to us that we must spare nothing and if need be must spend everything to secure justice for her and freedom for us all.'

In the same spirit of frank acknowledgment, Lord Curzon, in the publication referred to, paid a generous tribute to our heroic ally.

Belgium, by her conduct and still more by her example, has rendered a priceless service to humanity, for she has once more taught the world the sublime truth that national honour is preferable to national security, and that, though the body may be destroyed, the spirit is immortal. For the moment a crown of thorns has been pressed down upon her temples, but Europe, nay the civilised world will see to it that she is healed of her grievous wounds; and some day, let us hope before long, she will live again in the recovered prosperity of her people, and the admiring gratitude of mankind.'

These declarations might be multiplied indefinitely, but the citations made are sufficient to prove that there is no room for apathy, weariness or parsimony in the work we have undertaken on behalf of the refugees.

If we did hesitate-and I am afraid, from certain experiences that I have had, that in some quarters such a disposition does exist-it is only necessary, in order to cure us of any such weakness, to consider for a moment how much is involved in the manner in which our obligations are discharged. This is no simple question of domestic charity which entails in the tightening of our purse-strings a passing reflection on our generosity, but it is a matter which has a serious international aspect. The world is watching us with a closeness of scrutiny that has seldom been exhibited with regard to a purely charitable movement. The Belgians themselves are perhaps wondering whether, after all, they may not be outstaying their welcome, and are glancing about them anxiously to detect any indication on our part of waning interest or wavering support. For the good name of our country we must see that there is no room for doubt as to the nature of our intentions. Our exertions must not be remitted until the last Belgian has been replaced on Belgian soil, a self-reliant citizen ready to take his part in the great work of reconstruction which his country will have to face.

These general reflections on the nation's duty to Belgium have been placed as a foreword to this article because I feel deeply that there can be no adequate appreciation of the work done on behalf of the Belgian refugees that does not take strict account of the considerations which I have brought forward. Yet I admit there might be excuse found in the vastness and complexity of the duty we have undertaken, not perhaps for hesitation or indifference but for doubt as to our ability, amid the myriad demands made upon us in this world-war, to do full justice to it. For never before in our history have we been called upon to do so much in so short a time for a fugitive population which has sought refuge on our shores.

How extensive the influx of the Belgians has been may be illustrated by some figures supplied me by the Registrar-General, whose department has carried out a notable work in registering the refugees. The system on which the registration has been based enables a fairly accurate picture to be formed of the numerical strength,

social and industrial characteristics, and sex and age of the Belgian community in our midst; but I may say that, for various reasons, the register does not profess to be absolutely complete. Of these the chief one is that, apart from the ordinary refugees who in one way or another are or have been recipients of public hospitality, there is an important class of well-to-do and fairly well-to-do people, who have supported themselves and have not come upon the register, either because they have failed to appreciate the need for registration or are ignorant of the fact that registration is required. It is difficult, therefore, accurately to estimate the strength of this non-registered section; but the view of those who are in the best position to form an opinion on the subject is that it cannot fall very far short of 50,000. It will, consequently, be necessary to add this number to the total given by the Registrar-General in order to arrive at a fair approximation of the Belgian refugee population. The following are the official figures:

The figure given for the refugees from 15 to 25 is merely nominal, owing to the fact that males of military age in considerable numbers have left this country and joined the Belgian Army in Flanders. It is probable, therefore, that the total of 200,000 is somewhat in excess of the actual figure that these registered refugees represent at the present time. On the whole, however, after reviewing the facts we may conclude that the refugee population is something between 200,000 and 250,000. This is not a very satisfactory statement; but, knowing as I do from bitter experience the difficulties of obtaining close estimates in consequence of the constant movement of the Belgians and the neglect of large numbers to register, I put it forward as the most complete estimate possible without more thoroughgoing measures than have as yet been found to be possible. In regard to the sex of the refugees the following details are of interest:

These figures, it should be stated, are only estimates; and no reliable classification of females has yet been made. Generally speaking, however, it may be taken that the two sexes are about equally represented.

Some interesting facts are also revealed from the analysis of the domiciliary features of the official returns. It has been widely assumed that our Belgian guests are fairly representative of the general population of Belgium in both its urban and rural aspects. Such, however, is far from being the case, for the overwhelming majority of the refugees are from the towns. The largest proportional influx was from Antwerp, Malines, Ostend, Louvain, and Charleroi, and the smallest from the agricultural provinces of Namur, Limbourg and Luxembourg. Antwerp (including the suburbs) and Ostend, probably the most cosmopolitan and unrepresentative towns in Belgium, have sent about one-third of the total number of refugees. The three agricultural provinces, with double the population of those two towns, have not contributed five per cent. These figures, it should be stated, do not include soldiers.

So great has been the rush of important events in the past momentous year that the arrival of the refugees seems now to be almost ancient history. Yet vivid memories of those stirring days still linger amongst those who were privileged to be instrumental in receiving this broken and forlorn multitude, and affording them as far as might be the alleviation of which their harassed minds and weary bodies stood so greatly in need. The picture of those waves of human misery breaking on our shores in the autumn days of 1914 is indeed one which will not be obliterated so long as Britain cherishes the traditions of her right to befriend the helpless and the suffering.

One striking circumstance must especially be noted, because it exercised and indeed continues to exercise a wide influence on the present problem. After the fall