Omaha daily bee., 1918-10-24
Belgium as q Symbol
New York Evening Post.


King Albert and the Belgians marching bach
into their own land again make history dra
matte. The first act is over" said the conn
dent Hindenburg last March, after the terrific
German offensive. But the play is not finished
until the last act crowns the whole. And in the
recovery of Ostend, the sweeping clear already
OF large area of Belgian territory, and the pros
| pect so bright that Belgian refugees abroad are
| being notified to return home-the Belgian gov
eminent may shortly be in Brussels agan-we
have all ending OF the long tragedy which meets
the hnest definition OF its purpose by Aristotle.
Certainly. our hearts must be "cleansed" as we
witness this approaching conclusion OF a great
world-drama. Serbia, tbe excuse for the war,
first began plucking its soil from under the foot
drew England into the war and woke the pity
and Indignation of the whole world, and whose
loss of everything but its honor and its soul has
been the standing witness against German law
lessness and barbarity, Belgium is on the point
OF becoming once more mistress in its own
faith would have exclaimed at the spectacle:
This is the Lords doing. and it is marvellous
in our eyes"
The world has seldom in fact, seen so as
torishing an exhibition and triumph of what is
called poetic justice. For Belgium, somehow,
has stood all through the war as kind Of SYM
Dol. Its fate was thrown daily upon a magni-
weary months and years its drawn-out tortures
were the concrete embodiment of the thing we
were all hating and fighting. There might be
differences about other things, but there was
only one mind about Belgium. 1t was the mar
tyr country, TOR whose rescue and restoration
the cruSading spirit was enlisted. Men and
women everywhere were ready to fight and die
for it with something like the mystic ardor that
inspired the Crusaders bent on retaining the
Holy Sepulcher. Belgium has been for four
years a sacred name, flame in the hearts OF
men. And now its symbolic position in the
great war is made prominent in another way.
AS its ravishing was like fiery cross to rouse
f1rn to rush to its aid SO its recovery is as the
dawning of a new light in the benignant sky.
Such imminent righting of fragrant wrong is
like the tulhllment OF a prophets dream, and
must quicken everywhere the faith and hope of
mankind.
Not the least gratifying part OF the whole is
that this great vindicaton has come about not
by trick or bargain. For long time the Ger
man government has been willing to dicker over
Belgium 1t was to be, i'll Chancellor Hertlng's
phrase, "a pawn"-on the German chessboard.
Belgium was to be given up and evacuated-on
conditions There must be German economic
predominance; there must be political and mill
tary agreements; Belgium must consent to be
tied by this obligation and that pledge But
now this whole miserable pretense OF a right to
make supulatlons about the property of other
people has been swept clean away. 1t is not
negotiated withdrawal from Belgium which
Germany is executing, but hasty clearing out
at the point of an avenging sword. This could
hardly have been hoped for six months ago.
though it is contamination which right minds
have for four years devoutly wished.
Much remains to be done in and for Bel
GUM. The ravages it has suffered must be
made good, so far as a tardy repentance and
willingness to repair can make them good. All
those cruel war levies which the German rulers
laid upon the Belgian government and upon Bel
gian cities must be repaid with interest. The
loot shipped to Germany must be returned or
due compensation made. The mills deliberately
wrecked and the factories Quilted must be placed
in good running order again All the physical
work of restitution must be made complete The
moral restitution due from Germany cannot be !
written into peace treaty. But good part of
II will be automatically exacted 1t will be made
in the shame of Germans, for generation to |
come, at the very mention of the word Belgium |
In such matters rejoicing at great events an
tlcpateS their course. The end is not yet, but
we see its approach. The wonderful reversal
of earthly fortune, the historic act of human
justice lies before us in assured expectation, if |
not III actual fact. Belgium whose outraging
brought shock and chill to the hearts of men in
1914, today, after four years of agony and of
defiance, is the synonym for brutality at last
brought low by the undeceived and watchful
gods and for right triumphant.