Semi-weekly herald., 1915-04-05
(By Lafayette Young.)

France makes the southern bound
AIRY of Belgium; Prussia and the
grand duchy of Luxemburg make the
eastern and southeastern boundary,
while Holland is on the north and
northeast and the North sea touches
the country on the northwest.
Belgium has a coastline on the
North sea of forty-two miles. Her
land frontiers are so crooked that she
touches France 1884 miles; Luxem-
burg 80 miles, Prussia 66 miles, Hol-
land 269 miles.
For years it was Hollands strug-
gle to restrict the seacoast of her
neighbors and to control the mouth
of the Scheldt, the most valuable out
let to the North sea. Bruges and
Ypres are two ports that were great
in the past and are not great at pres
ent. These two cities have a long his
tory and both Of them are in the heart
of the war country.
In the battles around these two
points more men have lost their
lives in the present war than were
the total losses of the federal
armies in the great American civ
il war.
Belgium's forty-two miles of sea-
coast represent low sand dunes and
shallow water. This wonderful coast
made Ostend a conspicuous bathing
resort. That part Of Belgium called
Flanders is largely pasturage. And
travelling southwark through Belgium
from the North sea the country grad
ually rises. There is basin or ridge
separating the rivers Scheldt and
Meuse. Northeastern Belgium COM
prises sandy soil, but it is under
laid with clay and mixture of clay
and sand, producing growing soil
The sand is of reddish color.
Country Well Drained.
There are no lakes in Belgium, but
it is well watered by rivers. The
rivers Meuse and Scheldt, both large
and important, drain nearly the whole
kingdom. Both these rivers take their
rise in France and flow northward,
where each is Joined by its principal
tributary-the Meuse by the Samhe
and the Scheldt by the Lys. Then
both rivers bend eastward. The Meuse
is a river Of the mountains; the
Scheldt of the plains. 1t is the river
Mas which makes it possible to have
the cities of Mezieres and Namur.
AT Client the Scheldt meets the sea
tide and flows on to Antwerp. The
river Dendre joins the Scheldt at Ter
monde, so that the Scheldt, the Lys
and Dendre, flowing from the west
and south, empty themselves by the
same mouth.
The lowland rivers in Belgium have
been canalized and are used in every
day traffic. In the west of Belgium
the climate is like that of England.
In eastern Belgium the summers are
a little warmer. Belgium is often
times enveloped in vapor and fog.
Throughout all her history Belgium
has been divided not only by physi-
cal divisions, but by groups of people
the Flemings and the Walloons. The
Flemings are on the northern plains;
the latter on the southern mountains
and valleys. For instance, the city OF
BRUSSELS is what is called Walloon
and the French language is used.
The Flemings use what is called
the Dutch language such as is found
in Holland. These two races of peo-
pie have lived side by side and have
worked together without particular
feuds. They have a common bond in
their Catholic religion. Liege was the
original home of the Walloons and the
people were noted for their daring
The Walloon country produces many
skeptics; the Fleming country pro.
duces none.
The Official Language.
When Holland and Belgium were
together their king, William, by proc.
lamation undertook to establish tn,
Dutch language as the official Ian
guage of the empire. The trouble il
regard to the languages began with
the Walloon element At Brussels ant
Liege. Then the French was pro
claimsd ~ the official language. Tn,
Fleming could Hst speak . word .