The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-19
By DR.. w. E. GRIFFIS.

~ In W.
We. as Americans, wish very natu-
rally to trace a connection between
our country and that of the hero
nation now rising, like the phoenix
with renewed life out of the recent
war fires. In a large sense, old Bel
GUM is dead and new Belgium is in
vigorous Infancy
The relation of those people, whom
Cesar called the bravest." to our
composite ancestry is closer than
most Americans realize. The first real
settlers of our four Middle States
were not Dutch but Walloons. These
French speaking Belgians had long
been nefghbors Of the Pilgrim Fathers
in Leyden. When New Netherlands
purely geographical expression-re-
ceived a civil government it was Of
ficially named Nova Belgica, that is.
New Belgium. This was the classic
name of the seventeen united provinces
or the Netherlands federation Marked
on the coat of arms of William the
Silent these seventeen dottings, or
bricks of turf, can be discerned on
many stained glass window in the
Reformed churches in America.
Between 1909 and 1924 no Dutch
families lived on Manhattan Island, or
in adjoining regions, or cultivated the
soil. Those who previously visited,
traded, explored, or sought fish or
furs, or built the yacht Onrust (Rest-
less) were but summer visitors. or
Chance male Adventures only, though
one party did winter somewhere in
the new Dutch province. In fact,
during the Twelve Years Truce
i Q609-162I with SPAIN which Power
claimed the whole area of both the
Americas-no Dutch settlement could
honorably be made.
Furthermore, the struggle between
the Calvinists and Arminians led, re-
spectively, by Barneveldt and Mauvice.
between Secession and Union, state
right and national supremacy, was
pivoted on the question of the coloni-
zation of America. The Calvinists. or
Union and proclamation men, won,
and the result was the formation of
the Dutch West India Company. This
had in view the settlement of New
Netherland Yet few Dutch people
wished or had need to leave the old
country for the wilderness.
But in Leyden (the same in 1857
1920 as in 1914-191s) among the hun
dreds of thousands of refugees were
many Walloons from the southern
provinces of Belgic land. Their un-
armed fathers had been driven like
chaff before the tempest Of the Span
ish invasion of 1867. Led by Jesse de
Forest, in 1924 these refugees were
willing to cross the Atlantic; for their
motives were the same, their theo-
logical doctrines identical, and their
general religious ideas in harmony
with those of the Pilgrim Fathers.
When they reached Manhattan they
at once sent greetings, in French and
Dutch, to their former neighbors in
Leyden. Then Gov. Bradford answered
in Dutch-a tongue of which probably
all the young Pilgrims had made use
when in Holland.
Out of this Walloon stock that first
peopled New York and New Jersey
have come the De Forests. a score of
other first families of the Empire
State and very large progeny promi-
hOhb al PdbhS hlt. InOuSdhuS VI
Americans who imagine and are popu-
larly supposed to be descended from
the Huguenots-who did not come in
numbers until after 16S9-are really
the posterity of the Walloons of Bel
GUM, who held to the same church
order and view of the universe with
the French Huguenots. In fact, Sam
uel Champlain in 1909 found some Bel
CLANS in the region of the lake in
northern New York named after him.
Nor was this all. There were
there thousands of other Belgians.
both Flemings and Walloons among
the Dutch" emigrants to America,
the Roosevelts being specimen fam
lily. In 1890, after the example of the
American commonwealth, the Aus
trian yoke was for a time broken
and the United States of Belgium
formed. The confederation was, how
ever. short lived. and Austrian autoc-
racy reestablished. until the Congress
of Vienna imposed a new yoke by
making Of Holland and Belgium one
country In 1880 the natives of this
di-ethnc and bi-lingual country threw
off the Dutch rule and became indie
pendent. From that time forth, with
her neutrality guaranteed by the
Powers. Belgium has developed with
rapidity. From 164S her noble river
the Scheldt. had been closed by the
Dutch TO foreign navigation. In the
negotiations which secured its free
navigation and enriched Antwerp, the
American doctrine of the freedom of
river navigation. aided by direct d.
plomacy from Washington. had
powerful and benefcent influence.
Although in the story OF this great !
little country the Liege professor, III.
Wander Linden. a refugee for four
years in England at oxford, does not |
often mention or make prominent
Americas part in the evolution of Bel
gium. This work is one Of fine schol-
arship and Is of the first order of
value. Moreover. the style Is winsome
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