The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-09-05
FLANDERS IN HISTORY
THE NAME is ASSOCIATED WITH
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRN.
Victims Of Conquest After Conquest,
People of Country Where Recent
Great Offensive Is Launched Pre-
serve Own Language and Traditions.

philadelphia Public Ledger; There is
something about the name Flanders
that seems Immediately 20 call up to
the mind visions of romance, Of chival-
ry, Of art and history that is produced
by the mention of no other country,
unless II be old Venice.
The land Of the ancient Flemings and
of those medieval counts who ranked al
most as high as kings is again living
its romance in the bitter struggle
against the Germans. We read how the
people in London heard the guns roar
in Flanders: Of how the great often
sive is being launched in Flanders, and
yet the bounds Of Flanders to the aver
age man are something a mystery.
While Flanders proper is nowadays
divided into West and East Flanders
the Flemish peoples Of Belgium, who
number rather more than one-half of the
whole, are in the majority in the pro-
vinces Of Antwerp and Hainault also
and in the remaining provinces they
may be said TO divide the honors.
These few facts tend to show that the
F1emings are not by any means extinct,
and that those persons who confuse Bel
gium with Flanders. or believe the two
names are synonymous, are not greatly
TO blame. for they are only technically
wrong.
The Flemings are in origin a German
ic people while the Walloons, the Bel
gians Of the east, are more Celtic in
their genesis. The Flemings are kin to
the Dutch, and at one time they were
a part OF the United Netherlands But
they have had a long and strange his
tory and have. during the last 500
years. owed allegiance to many princes
and countries: yet they have continued
TO preserve their own language to pro
duce their own art and to maintain their
love Of the picturesque and the simple
life.
1t is true that the great gambling
place the seaside resort Of Ostend, lies
in Flanders but It was the late king OF
the Belgians, Leopold. who made that
quiet summer resort what IL became
With Nieuport 1t is one OF the most an
cient towns in Flanders and dates back
TO the times when the Mortimer came
down and tried to make the Flemings
slaves.
Although the Flemings are fighting
side by side with the French, they had
for years prior TO the war united in
opposing everything French, and many
parents in Flanders have pursued the
inhibition to the extent OF declining to
permit their children to learn a single
word Of that language
No Braver Europeans.
There are no braver people in Europe
than these selfsame Flemings, but they
have been the victims OF conquest over
and over again. Had II not been that the
Walloons dwell principally in the east.
ern provinces. those abutting Germany.
there is reason 70 believe that long ago
Belgium would have fallen TO the Ger.
man empire, and probably without
any serious struggle
The events Of the opening days OF the
present war. however have changed the
entire face Of Belgiums history and that
Of Flanders also. Today the people OF
Flanders have seen their beautiful cit.
les reduced TO ruins and their people en-
shaved by a cruel conqueror At the
same time they have seen France and
England come 10 their assistance. and
Flanders hereafter probably will not be
so proud Of is Low Dutch language
that il VIII neglect the study Of French.
which is the language used largely in
other parts Of Belgium.
Some years ago a more or less deter.
mined attempt was made In Flanders 20
popuIarize the Flemish language. Some
Of the foremost literary men In the
country consented 20 write only In that
tongue among them Maetcrlinck and
Nerhaeren, but 1t was not long before
the former found that he was at his
best In French. and so the Belgian
Shakespeare as he has been called
does all his writings Ia the language OF
France.
ln the Middle Ages Flanders was O
powerful principality. which. while un
der the suzerainty OF the French king
was virtually independent The north
eastern provinces were added 10 th,
Holy Roman Empire In the eleventh
century. Il IS the land Of the Count,
Baldwin. The first OF the line. known
as thc lr0n-armed. married Judith. N,
daughter OF Charles the Bald Of France
and obtained the newly created county
as n gift from his fatherin.law
In those days the Counts OF Flanders
were regarded as the richest princes IL
Europe and We're said TO be far NOR,
wealthy than many OF its kings. Bald
win tx viii he recalled as the founder
OF The Latin Empire In Constantinople
Cities Proud Of Power.
The cities OF Burgess Ghent and a few
other al this time were proud and fel
their might bidding 10 become free cit