The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1914-08-28
FATE0F BELGIUM
IS WAR PROBLEM
What is to Become of Plucky Lit
tie Nation That Valiantly
Opposed Kaiser.
is BIG FACTOR IN FUTURE
Whatever the Outcome, France,
England and Germany Will
Be Affected.
By a German Army Officer,

Weeks have passed since the begin
ming of the great European war, but
the comparatively small army of neu-
trail Belgium has borne the brunt of
the attack. The little kingdom, which
was drawn into the conflict on &C.
count Of the strategical value of it's
location, has thus suddenly jumped
into prominence, and once more will
go down in history as an important
factor in the development of Europe's
future. The people who up to this
time have so valiantly defended their
country are the descendants of race
Of warriors.
Made Name Everywhere.
Gallia Belica was known to the Ro-
mans as the southern part Of the
present Netherlands, and was occu-
pied by a people of mixed German
and Celtic origin. After centuries of
development and fighting this people
had made a name for itself in all
parts of the then known world, espe-
cially through its ever increasing
wealth. The discovery Of America led
Indirectly to the beginning of that
wonderful Antwerp Of the Middle
Ages, the town which has justly been
called the "modern Venice" For many
centuries the Belgian people had to
content themselves with being a prov
ince of one or the other of the great
European armies, and belonged in
turn to France, Spain, Austria and
even Holland.
Independent in 1880.
In long and bloody struggle
against Spain, Belgium fought in the
sixteenth century for civil and reli-
gious freedom, and was century lat
er involved in the wars attending the
decline of the Spanish monarchy. The
eighteenth century brought another
war with France, and only the French
Revolution of 1880 offered the long
desired opportunity to create an indie
pendent Belgium, which, extended
over an area of only a little over
1900 square miles, can boast of
wonderful national prosperity, due to
abundant agriculture and boundless
wealth in coal and iron.
To England as Last Move.
Will the Belgian government be re-
moved to England, where often be-
fore homeless royalty has sought and
found hospitality, or will the Belgian
ruler, surrounded by his army, fall
back into France?
Since it was France which mainly
benefited by the Belgian resistance
it was logical conclusion that {,
French army would speedily support
and relieve the Belgians, and the ar
rival of the French troops in Belgium
was promptly reported. The English
who went to war to protect Belgium's
integrity, lost no time in sending her
troops across the channel to join the
French soldiers in building a wall
against the invaders.
But Advances Continue.
Cable dispatches announced the
junction, but the German advance to-
ward Brussels and Antwerp contin-
ued, and none of the reports from
Brussels gave definite information of
a rapid and effective help to the re-
firing Belgian front, or any indica-
zion where the allies would interfere.
What happens in Belgium is of Wit
al Importance to France and England
and matter of life or death to Ger
many. A Germany defat on a large
scale would give the allies an advan-
tage of incalculable consequence, and
would greatly postpone, if not de-
stroy, further execution of GermanY's
plans. Victorious Germany, on the
other side, in the possession of Ant
werp and with the way open into
France, would hurl it's masses against
England from Antwerp, a possibility
which would cause great uneasiness
to the government IF Enolan1