“A well-attended
meeting of the executive committee, which has in hand the arrangements for the
mass meeting to be addressed on Friday evening by Madame Lalla Vanderveide,
wife of the minister of state of Belgium, was held yesterday afternoon.””
Hamilton Herald. October 20, 1914.
When it was learned
that Madame Vanderveide would be giving a speaking tour in the United States
and Canada, and indeed would be speaking in Toronto, arrangements were made to
invite her to also speak in Hamilton.
Wife of one of
Belgium’s senior government officials, the distinguished lady’s purpose was to
give her audiences a first-hand account of the terrible conditions in her
country. While she was not directly in charge of a fund-raising campaign, it
was, of course, hoped that her appearances would spur donations to help
Belgians who had been devastated by the German ruin of the country during the
early weeks of the Great War,
Such was indeed the
case the case in connection with the Hamilton appearance of Mme. Vanderveide as
a Belgian Patriotic Fund of Hamilton was quickly established, a treasurer for
the fund put in place and an address where citizens could mail or drop off check
or cash donations.
At the organizational
event for the event presided over by Charles R. McCulloch, it was noted that
the event, and the fund, would henceforth be officially under the patronage of
the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, Hamilton’s own John S. Hendrie and his
wife, Mrs. Hendrie.
The event would be
held at the I.O.O.F. temple, using the entire ground floor of the big building.
Tickets would be 50 cents each, and could be reserved at Nordheimer’s music
store.
At the meeting, a
member of the organizing committee noted that she had “the privilege of hearing
Mrs. Vanderveide in Toronto and was greatly impressed by her address. The
people of Hamilton will, therefore, have an exceptional opportunity of hearing
the story of the Belgians’ brave fight for liberty, told by a Belgian.”1
In anticipation of
Mrs. Vanderveide’s appearance, the Herald carried the following lengthy
editorial which is was hoped would spur ticket sales the event and donations to
the Belgian Patriotic Fund of Hamilton :
“When the history of the
great war is written, the palm for heroism will be awarded to the Belgian
people. Never in modern times have there been more heroic courage and
steadfastness shown by any people than they have shown, greater sacrifices made
than they have made, more appalling suffering patiently and nobly endured than
they have endured.
“Of all nations
engaged in the war, Belgium was the only one which had nothing to gain from it,
and was the one which stood to lose the most from it. The Belgians knew that in
attempting to defend the neutrality and independence of their country against
the invading hosts they were undertaking a hopeless task; but they did not
hesitate for a moment, and the little Belgian army threw itself in the path of
the German invaders.
“Belgium’s service to
the allies has proved of inestimable value. The delay caused by he Belgian
forces allowed France to complete its mobilization and the British expeditionary
force to landed in time to reach the fighting line before the arrival of the
invading army on French soil.
“But the price paid
by the Belgians is a frightful one. Temporarily at least, they have lost their
country, almost all of which is occupied by the enemy. Many of their cities and
towns are in ruins. Ancient and cherished monuments of architecture have been
destroyed. Enormous sums have been wrung from the cities that have escaped
destruction.
“Thousands of Belgian
soldiers have been killed, but the number of non-combatants, including women
and children, who have been murdered by the German soldiery is still greater.
Nearly half the population is in exile, driven into France, Holland and England
and subsisting on charity.
“It should be
considered a privilege to aid the stricken Belgians. Their case appeals to
every sentiment of humanity as well as to one’s generous appreciation of heroic
conduct and self-sacrifice. More especially should it appeal to the people of
those nations in whose cause the Belgians have suffered and are suffering.
Canada is one of those nations.
“On Friday evening
next, at the Oddfellows’ temple on Gore street, Madame Vanderveide, wife of the
Belgian minister of state, will tell Belgium’s story to a Hamilton audience.
She has been commissioned by the queen of the Belgians to appeal to the people
of North America in behalf of the repatriation of her people. The justice of
the cause she represents should ensure for this noble daughter of Belgium a
warm welcome in Hamilton, and a generous response to her appeal.”2
2 “The Stricken
Belgians”
Hamilton Herald.
(To Be Continued)
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