New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-17
Pan-German Ambitions
(Erom The London Saturday Review

por, Of tho population remarks the man''
C,e,o- inbabits the district in which. with the
execution Of Liege. all leading cities. rlch III
historical and cultured memories ,brusSeIs
had i'm 1900 only II per cent OF inhaDitah'S
who smoke only French belong. mere no"
exists in the land deep line Of cleavage inc
roliticsl opposition against the herman,
which this war has aroused in every part o.
tbe country would remain the lasting SeAu-
ment Of the people if the Belgian state were
restored to its former independence. but "
German domination, with the determined
separation of the Germanic and Romance as
,,icts Of the country, were introduced. heIpihg
the FIemings in the schools, in the courts, IN
tho administration. and granting adequate
rights in political representation to TINS sec
ton. il can be assured ready acceptance ana
will attach TO itself this Germanic part OF the
country more and more rapidly from GEAR
to year Our worshippers Of culture ought
TO realize that the value of Belgium TO civil
zation. its brilliant historical fame, rest with
the Flemings. not with the Walloons, eXclu-
sively with the Flemings The task remains
20 save this Kultur, German in race and IN
essence, from being covered and hidden by
French varnish.
FIemings Separated from Walloons
IF Belgium is restored 70 independence,
its Germanic character is lost; this can, AZ
best, yegetate on. was the case IN the
Spanish and Austrian periods The French
language and French manners, already out
wardly so predominant that the average Ger
man who entered the country hardly could
recognize his racial relationship, that even
our official representatives. had become ac-
Lee
French country this predominancc will
grow still greater when II will mean for the
Belgians protection against German nfu-
encc. The foremost requisite for an eHec-
tive attachment will therefore be the com
pete separation of the Flemings from the
Walloons: this implies the dissolution Of the
Belgian state and purely Flemish govern
ment and administration for the Germanic
parts j. g.. for the more populous northern
half Of Belgium. That the Femngs adopted
Dutch for their literary language a genera
ton ago is most favorable. Their newly
awakened national character has thus gained
strong support in their northern neighbors,
and also produces a gratifying strengthening
Of the national feeling the part of the
Dutch Nearly ten million representatives
Of the same language, There are ways Of
bringing the Flemings again into touch with
scientific instruction. which to-day is given
them exclusively in French, forming a cancer
eating into the vitality Of the Flemish people.
Of which the noblest among them are pain
fully conscious Il is not necessary TO gov
crn the WalloOn remainder of the country
uniformly. The districts of the Ardennes
and the Meuse the militar" domination Of
which is especially important can be organ
lied separately The Belgian province Of
Luxembourg belonged from 1915 to 1899 to the
German Confederation; in the ea>ternmost
reimbursement Arch German is spoken even
to-day. That the accretion Of Belgium would
bring US an important increase in economic
rover need only be lightly Indicated In
proportion to its inhabitants Belgium has.
after Holland. by far the largest foreign trade
Of any country in the world; to degree il
owes this favored position to the fact that
Il is the means of exit for Germany. The
enormous commerce of Antwerp is fed by i'm
port into the German hinterland, and to a still
greater degree By its exports from that coun-
try. Not only in trade. but in manufacture as
we'll the part which Germany plays in Bel
GUM is exceedingly important"
We believe that Germany will not relax
her grip Of Belgium until her great army is
struck desperately hard in the vitals by the
pursuing and avenging British army. Press
ure upon life and comfort within Germany
itself will not make her release her iron grip.
Belgium is the most important acquisition
which Germany has made. II Is more impor-
tant than Poland; it is beyond measure more
important than Serbia or Rumania Bagdad is
more or less dream-Belgum is a tremen-
deus, overmastering reality.