The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-09-13

i-l-'il VI - pId'' 'Il Wv i'ill'"'
* map of Europ" which may re-
l. suit from war j. yet uncertain.
Bclgians, however, VIII not
change. They have iiNed place N
world trade ana industry.
In the surprise party given TIA" Ger
man army of invasion They showed
themselves an astonishing people. \
national character was revealed which
the world never suspected This
character will not he altered whatever
may be the outcom, Of the German nc-
cupatiun.
The peaceful people who showed their
military pr"w"SS ar" st"uthcartcd and
logged They are also essentially in
dustrial and their industrial qualities,
once the struggle In arms il over will
roasscrt themselves.
\ winter spent among tlum study ing
economic conditions, which supple
mented several trips If the usual tourist
superfiCiality, gave me som" insight into
the Industrial genius of the people. The
first impression was ON" Of h"mng"ncity,
in spite of the differences between the
French and Flemish populations the
two languages and the provincial traits.
The impressive thing was that in de-
vrloping an industrial civilization "A
Hrlgian nationality also had been de
vclop-d. IL Is this nationality that must
he reckoncd with in settling the ques-
lions growing out Of the great war.
Only residence among the Bclgians
can give proper conception of their
wonderful Industrial organization. War
mans have made clear TIA" country :
geographical situation as - buffer be-
tween coutendng nations. These maps,
however, do not exhibit the real Bel
GUM.
Here is country twenty fourth
the size Of Texas and winch therefore
could Ice put in the panhandl" Of that
imperial Statc--that has a population
nearly double the population Of Texas.
Taking something near its own size
for comparison. Belgium NTH an area
"A thousand square miles less han that
of MARYLAND, has six times the number
# inhabitants that Maryland possess, >.
Iirlgiums area Is lttl" more than
/ 900 square miles ana its population
is 100000. 1t has more than 600 in
hahitants to the square mile.
So large population in 50 small a
TERRITORY could only be- an industrial
one, although there i a farm area, and
belgian agriculture is of the INTENSITY,
variety The basis nf the antlIke indus
trial life j., partly natural resources In
the form Of raw material ana partly
accessibility Of other raw material which
can be easily assembled
Licgc, the belgian l'ittshurg, came
into being because Of its own coal mines
ana the coal mines Of Namur ana Hal
nault provinces. Iron ore was avail
able from Luxembourg ana AlSacc- l.nr'
raluc and the M"urthr-Mos"ll" distrIc
Of France, and also hy easy water trans
p0r,ation from sweden.
The blast furnaces produC" the pa
iron, some for expectation and som" inl
use in finished iron ana steel products
The CockrcU works Wrr" cslHblishr,
more than century ago. Factories fo
firearms followed. If the licgc work.
do not rival the output Of the krupl
works Al Essen In heavy ordnance. they
are not far behind 1t u.s. however \
the products uf pcaC" that l.rgr cN"olS
belgian steel rails are had down II
South America and the orient IN com
petition with ENGLAND, Germany am
the United states, aud the puNcrfu
little Belgian locomotive l. = rommul
sight On tho mountain railways If th
Andes.
The development Of their iron am
steel Industries with the technical ski
required may have had somcthng 10 Il
with thu success Of tho l;rlgiluS a