New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-07-20
ilingual Be lgiun1
(From' The Trtbune's Ports Burcau)

ID RUSsELs, June 19.-If the Germans
ID lost any chances Of sowing dis
sension and creating disorder in this
world during the last five years it was not
for want of trying. So when they came into
Belgium in 1914 they bethought them of
the saying Of some forgotten writer that
Belgium was inhabited by fortuitous con-
catenation Ct Latns talking bad French and
Teutons talking bad Dutch Whereupon, in
the intervals of deliberate cruelty, they
set themselves to arouse the Teutonic half
Of the population to a racial and cultural
hatred of the Latin half
1t must be admitted that they had ground
to work on. There has been a Flemish
Walloon question in Belgium longer than
the oldest inhabitant can remember, and
to-day it is terribly acute. Belgians have
told me, in the last twenty four hours, that
the breach is widening seriously, and that
the issue is even more important than that
other-whch Belgium shares with all the
countries of the world--between capital
and labor.
In West Belgium you have the Flemings
of Flanders and the Walloons of Hainaut,
and in East Belgium you have the Fleminss
Of Brabant and the Walloons of Lemberg,
Namur and. Luxembourg. They have lived
together for centuries. That is to say, gov
ernments changed, but they remained to-
gether under whatever government the
chances and changes of history imposed on
them. When you have added Lege, which
separate prince bishopric until 1875,
and whish is inhabited chiefly by Walloons,
who are very Belgian" in sentiment, you
%ol s % ~
What do you find when you talk to Flem-
ings and Walloons and try to study this
acutest Belgian political question? The
Walloons, for the greater part, inhabit the
semi-mountainous and naturally picturesque
part of the land. In other days they lived
by quarrying, smiths work and the man
ufacture of arms; in modern times they
have turned to coal mining, steel making
and engineering. The Flemings people a
featureless plain wherein man has had to
impose such beauty as is seen.
Centuries of patient toll have left tho
Fleming with conservative tenacity, deep
loyalty to religion and traditions, a pom
dering habit of mind and an immense power
Of industry Of the detailed sort necessary
to the intensive cutivator and the handi-
craftsman. The Walloon is bolder type,
who has jumped to the highest point Of
modern industrial development, moving in
world of change as in his element-a rev.
olutionary. q transformer.
And these differences are carried into
politics. The Walloons are tho great
strength Of the Liberal and Socialist parties
and are strongly anti-clerical. while the
Flemngs are the backbone Of the great
Catholic party, the strongest political force
in Belgium for many years past. Here we
have, then, linguistic division coincidinp
with a division OF party and creed. By
every means in their power the Germans
strove to widen the breach.
Have they succeeded? The diligcnt oues-
toner can get both yes and no for an
answer. 1t was possible before tho war
ard the coming OF the German to say that
the Flemings and Walloons much prefer
each others partnership in Independence to
a dependent association with anybody else
but it is not true to-day. There ara
{ French-speaking Walloons who openly an
, nouncc their preference for annexation bv
France, but 1t is fair to assume that thew
are small and a very extreme section.