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, coöperate with them,
and go about their business. But the Belgians refuse to love the
Germans, refuse to coöperate 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