The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-04-15
met profit to manufacturer, 6 CenIs.
rnILosopnY or HnIeIAN srRlKH

PHlLOSOFlf OF bEl'SlAN MA SO
A Kingdom Created out OF EHElAnd's Necs''
SILleS to 4usl thu Aggressive Spirit Of the
French,
NtV York Lttcr.
The strikes all over the world, butmore
particularly in Belgium and the United
States mark another wave Of democratic
advance, Belgium is an artificial king
dom created out Of the necessities OF
England and some OF the other Northern
Powers Of Europe ih order to hold back
France, which 80 many times entered the
old battle-ground Of Europe, and from it
compelled acquiescence all Oyerthc North
Ssa.
This artificial kingdom has been u kind
OF Switzerland Of the North, giving refuge
to expatriated people from France and
Germany. It's people posses physical
s,rength and hardihood, and they Won
their independence from Holland, not
withstauding the most remarkable exhi-
billion OF courage on the part OF the Dutch
to retain them Us a kind Of colony, In
Belgium are the chief manufacturing cities
Of the sixteenth century, Client, Bruges,
and later on Liege and MeChlin, and, the
country being supplied with mines Of coal
and with iron, il has been the cheapest
place to manufacture. One OF the largest
orders the Belgians ever had for work WAS
from America during tho civil war, when
they supplied more rifles than had prob
4 cd fnN 10 NtRNn
from any modern works,
Three centuries ago these BelgIang
were renowned ior their trades outbreaks.
The trades were in guilds or trades unions,
which had a close system OF protecting
workmen and disCiplinlng them. Now
and then some politician like Jacques
Van Ariveldt would Join one Of these
guilds and use the labor question as q
means OF ride into power He was finally
killed in Il revolt OF his .own creatures,
The Belgian State contains population
akin to the French and German Socialists,
and has o Government bottomed upon
the personal qualities oil the German and
the EngliBh royal family. Almost every
small prinCein Germany isthrifty aud con.
atantly saving up money against exseCted
uhTu tllutbs LGupOlul WhOl aAto4 Laliuk
married the child otGeorge ! v married his
nephew to Victoria, has pursued with his
successors in Belgium that kind Of exam
pie which in our day intllmes poor labor
ing people. They behold their princes
mere merchants, with sristoCratic man.
ners and thoughts. While England helsell
Is confronted with questions she has too
long delayed to take up, her former bul.
wark and ally on the continent, Belgium,
is meeting the same class Of questions un-
Ter different condition.. EcClesips.
tiCal life in Belgium continues hotstnuCh
different from what II Was In France in
the time Of the BouIbons, while the pOpu-
lar discussions partake ola very advanced
class Of democratic opinion; the strikes
and fsIments there are the results Of GER
tain now tenetg which IRE as old on that
spot, for all modern purposes, as are the
tenets Of the priests In the Cathedrals. i.
We must remember that what Is called
Socialism IL no new thing, and that in
manufacturing communities such as exist
in parts Of Belgium, in the onvirons OF
Paris and Lyons, and In Switzerland Its
IDEAS have now been transmitted through
at least three generations. We often ask
ourselves how the MOrmons, for instance,
can DO 10 bigoted in adhOring to an insti-
tuition which commenced but yesterday.
Yet Mormonism shows a tenaCity equiva-
lent To the struggles Of the Waldenses or
the Catholic Breton peasants. You plant
tree, and for two years 1t Is only twig;
in forty years you can hardly chop 1t
down, and Its suckers will bother you
long after IL Ia Oblitefateu,