New-York tribune., 1919-05-10
Story of Heroic Nation
Set Forth
By Haywood Broun

"B3ElLGIuM;n 3sl BY Brand whitlock. Pub
Iished by D. Appleton Co. 1879 pages
III Two volumes. Price for set. $3.50.
Brand Whitlock's Belgium" is un-
doubtedly one of the few books about
the war which has permanent value.
Probably it is the most important piece
OF historical writing which the conflict
mas produced. The author had the ad-
vantage, Of course, of having been in
particularly fortunate position from
Which to observe the German machine.
many OF the most dramatic incidents
OF the war occurred within taxicab dis
tance OF his doorstep. But the book is
much more than the good journalism
OF an eyewitness. After all, the film
mas something. to do with the picture,
and "Belgium" is an engrossing work
not only for what is tells US about
the kingdem of Albert. but for what
1t tells us about W,l;tlock.
BOOKS by American Ambassadors have
come to be regarded as preliminary
moving picture scenarios. This spirit
is absent in the Whitlock book. He
does not make himself a heroic and
romantic figure like Gerard, although
1t is not to be denied that now and
then ne allows himself gesture of
sort: However, they are for the most
part little gestures involving no more
than a hand and a wrist. We prefer
this manner. Mr.. Gerard's book rather
distorted the issues of the war for us.
1t seemed t. imply that the break had
come as result of the Kaiser's rude
remarks to Mr.. Gerard. This seemed
little unfair, because the retorts
! which the author set down .or him self
were invariably much more telling than
the lines assigned to Mr.. Hohenzollern.
Belgium the Hero
No man is the hero of the Whitlock
book. That honor is reserved for
Belgium. The record of the anguish
OF the small kingdom is remarkably
complete. Whitlock's writing skill is
to see the little things which vivify
history even in the shadow of great
events. Nor is the book altogether
sombre in spite of the monstrous
things of which it tells. After their
forts were gone and their armies de-
feated the Belgans fought the in
vaders with nothing more than quick
wit, and Whitlock has caught the spirit
of the people who could and did laugh
at their conquerors.
Nearly always they were able to
find some way around German restric-
tions. Thus, upon one occasion in an
endeavor to prevent any demonstra-
tion on August 4, the anniversary of
the beginning of the war, the Ger
mans forbade the citizens of Brussels
to assemble, to make demonstrations
or to wear national insignia Of any
sort. Accordingly, all the Belgians in
the city appeared wearing little scraps
of paper as boutonieres.
Many of the things which the Ger
mans did in Belgium are 80 fantastic
in brutality as to remain unassimilated
in the mind Of reader. 1t is difficult
to react strongly to these great bar
barities. They are too monstrous to
be. understood. 1t seems to US that
the most effective indictment which
Whitlock has drawn against the Ger
mans lies not 80 much in his account
Of what happened at Dinant, or Lou
vain, or Tamincs, but in the piling
up Of incident after incident Of petty
persecution. These seem less like
Nightmares. They are nearer to human
experience and more readily grasped
Some German Fines
There is, for instance, the story Of
the Frenchman who owned a steel mill.
The Germans demanded that he operate
it. He replied that he had no fuel,
whereupon they sold him a hundred
tons Of coal, for which thty made him
pay cash. The next day they requi-