The farmer and mechanic., 1914-09-22

II. Il,
will not change. They have a fixed |
place in world trade and industry. an |
article in the Philadelphia Record |
says.
In the surprise party given the |
German army of invasion they show |
ed themselves an astonishing people. |
A national character was revealed
which the world never suspected. This |
character will not be altered what |
ever may be the outcome Of the Ger |
man occupation.
A winter spent among these peace
full people studying economic condi-
tions, which supplemented several
trips of the usual tourist Superfcially,
gave me some insight into their in
dustrial genius. The first impression
was one of homogeneity, in spite of
the differences between the French
and Flemish population, the two Ian
guages, and the provincial traits
The impressive thing was that in de-
Veloping an industrial civilization a
Belgian nationality also had been de-
veloped. 1t is this nationality that
must be reckoned with in settling the
questions growing out the great war.
Smaller Than Maryland.
Here is a country one-tWenty-fourth
the size of Texas and which there
fore could be put in the panhandle of
that imperial State, that has popu-
lation nearly double the population
of Texas.
Taking something near it's own size
for comparison, Belgium, with an
area a thousand square miles less
than that of Maryland, has six times
the number of inhabitants that Mary
land possesses. Belgium'S area is a
little more than IL 900 square miles,
and it's population is 100000. 1t
has more than $50 inhabitants to the
square mile.
SO large a population in so small a
territory could only be an Industrial
one, although there is a farm area,
and Belgian agriculture is of the in
tensive variety. The basis of the ant
like industrial life is partly natural
resources in the form of raw mate
rial, and partly accessibility OF other
raw material which can be easily as
sembled.
Liege, the Belgian Pittsburgh, came
into being because of it's own coal
mines and the coal mines of Namur
and Hainault provinces. Iron ore was
available from Luxembourg and AL
sace-Lorraine and the Meurthe- Mo-
selle district of France, and also by
easy water transportation from Swe-
den.
The blast furnaces produce the pig
iron, some for expectation, and some
for use in finished iron and steel prod
ucts. The Cockrell works were es-
tabliShed more than a century ago.
Factories for firearms followed. II
the Liege works Go not rival the out
put Of the Krupp works at Essen in
heavy ordnance, they are not far be-
hind. 1t is, however. in the products
of peace that Liege excels.
Belgian steel rails are laid down in
South America and the Orient in com
petition with England, Germany and
the United States, and the powerful
little Belgian locomotive is com
mon sight on the mountain railways
of the Andes
Belgium has zinc deposits in the
province of Liege and that is the basi.
OF the important zinc industry, tht
supply for which is supplemented b,
impOrtatiOns from Australia and Othe
countries. There are silver-lead ores
and these are the foundation for col
lateral industries. There is the raw
material for glass, and that is why tn
Belgian plate glass and window glas
has been made famous through tn
skill of Belgian artisans.
There is the raw material for ce
ment, and Belgian cement seeks tn
worlds markets. There is the rub
ber from the Kongo, and with me
chanical ingenuity of the artisan
highly developed in engine construc
ton, Belgium makes automobiles an
boldly challenges the United States.
The textile industries Of Ghent hav
been famous since the Middle Age.
and the raw cotton and flax Of a doze
countries is transformed into wear
ing apparel by the looms there. Al
tifcial silk factories and celebrate
glove factories are numerous A
important element in the national lif
is the existence of cottage induStrie
There are $4,000 lace and embroiG
cry and linen workers employed /
this home work. The country OF
serbs SITE. 100000 Of raw materi;
annually for it's textile industries.
The Antwerp diamond induStl
holds it's own against the competitio
OF Amsterdam, and the Antwerp lap
dairies are especially favored by bu.
ers in the United States. It is POI
year when rich Americans do not o
sorb at least s10,00O.000 worth
diamonds which have been cut
Antwerp. The Antwerp syndicate
one time took the entire dianfo1
output of German Southwest Africa
There are other aspects of the V