(HIS,P) On Belgium, based on historical and personal experiences, by K. Lamprecht (shorthand manuscript of a lecture held on March 4th 1915 in Dresden)

Primary Source
20th Cent. \| Belgium \| World War I	[P\|S\|M]
20th Cent. \| Germany \| World War I	[P\|S\|M]
On Belgium, based on historical and personal experiences, by K. Lamprecht (shorthand manuscript of a lecture held on March 4th 1915 in Dresden)
The lecture was preceded by a quartet, after an introductory play on the organ, sag the following two songs : To the Tribe of the Flemish Hoffmann von Fallersleben 1840. Don't seek your hail in the west ! In foreign land there is no fortuna to be found: If you search the fortresses of fortune, turn back into yourselves ! It is out of your ancestors' virtues that you have to build your castles, and the lion on your flags teach you to trust in yourselves ! Faithful preserve in your midst against Welsh (1) wantonness your language and your custom your fathers' goods and blood Only then you can say, full of praise that you live in our time, that in our days your old glory flourishes. Oproep aan de Dietschers. (Call on the Germans) (2) Em. Hiel 1870. Lang zijn der Dietschers schoone gewesten Gescheurd en gespleten en weerlos gemaakt. Lang worden Dietschers, zij eens de besten Mannen geheeten, miskend en verzaakt. (S. 398) Voegt u te zamen, Zuiden en Noorden, Vereenigt uw streven voor 't nieuwe gebied! Staten en namen kan men vermoorden: 't Volk, dat wil leven, vernietigt men niet! Vrij van gedachten, machtig door werken, Vol koenheid en blijheid beheerscht weer de zee! Door uwe krachten wordt weer de sterken, Voert tot de vrijheid de volkeren mee. Long the Germans' beautiful land had been partitioned and made defenseless Long the Germans, who once were called the best, were despised, misjudged. Join together, south and north unite in your effort for the new Empire ! States and names can be annihilated: not a nation willing to live ! Free in her thoughts, powerful in her effort, full of courage against the sea now again become the powerful leaders lead the nations to freedom ! Ladies and Gentlemen ! The songs we just listened to shall introduce us to the questions which are of importance in the field of Belgian history and the fate of Belgium. The impressions which Germans are exposed to these days of the character of the Belgian people and especially of the character of the Flemish, are determined by the impressions of the war. We have to overcome these, we have to realize at the start, that, whatever turn the fate of Belgium may take, that they chiefly are a brother nation which early was lost and went astray; in order to regain him, we have to teach and practice severity, but at the same time experience, precise knowledge and, arising from her the patience gained by experience. In order to establish a counterweight to the events at the beginning of the war, I have believed to introduce everything which is to be said here by an atmospheric element, as it is provided so easily by music. We will have to refer to the songs in a different context. At the moment you shall only take note, that also in the 19th century at least the Flemish, i.e. if we divide Belgium in 8 parts, five large parts [were Flemish] as opposed to three parts of the Walloons, that the Flemish had us not totally forgotten, that they were capable to join/form a German or at least Germanic movement and that those in Germany who could sensitively listen to anythng Germanic in the world, f.i. Hoffmann von Fallersleben, have listened to these sounds. And is it not a remarkable coincidence, that the beautiful poem by Hoffmann calls upon the Flemish to think of their old, glorious days and to again make honour to the lion of Brabant in the coat of arms of Brabant, that this song follows the melody "Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles" (3)? He is answered in 1870 in the peculiar song which was presented to you in its Flemish version, by Emanuel Hiel, a song which, like so many songs of German poetry of the 19th century show that poets truly are prophets. You will be astonished, in the final verse to find stressed the successes of 1870, as goal of the future German movement: on one hand: become masters of the sea ! The Germans are called upon, to rule the sea - and: liberate the nations ! Free them of the bands, which, slowly, but already in those days, the English tied around the continental Europeans. If we tonight want to focus on the Belgian question, which of all questions which can concern us, probably is the most complex, and the solution of which requires the hand of a great statesman, because England simultaneously will invest her full diplomatic energy, so I will attempt to do this according to personal experience. I begin with the generally known fact, that Belgium so to say has two nationalities, two very different peoples, the Wallonian people and the Flemish people. In numbers the relation is 5-3 in favour of the Flemish, as I stressed earlier. If one on an ordinary day in prewar times came down from the upper French city, to the market with its wonderful old representative houses and the old city hall, one mainly heard Flemish. The newspapers sold there were all Flemish, most of all the "Vooruit", thus the Belgian "Vorwärts" (4), which belongs to the same political direction as the "Vorwärts". If one looks at the population figures of Brussels, here also a relation of at least 5:3 can be established. On the other hand, if one travels quickly through Brussels and Belgium, one gets the impression that it is French in character. I will deal with the question in more detail at a later point. This easily can result in the assumnption that the Walloons were the representatives, the legitimate representatives of French influence in Belgium. But it is not so. The Walloons are not French in the ordinary meaning of the word. Their various dialects vary so much from French, that the ordinary speaker of High French, if I may say so, hardly understands them. Physiologically, too, the Walloon population differs considerably from the French. In Liege one may find them in purity, even better in the Ardennes, which is their main homeland. I remember an early mass in St. Martin in Liege, where rather pure Wallonians were to be observed. They are rather small, especially the women, with red-blond hair and a hawk's nose and with very determined faces, seemingly sympathetic to rule; I think, all characteristics which do not quite correspond with those of the Germans, especially those of the German women. They are so small that I felt, in the church of St. Martin, as a tree which was left standing in a tree nursery. I towered above the entire society, although I am only a person of average height. For a German perspective of Belgium and - I believe, further, for the fate of Belgium, too, if one looks at it independently of the German questions, the Walloons are of less interest. They did not produce a great independent civilization. At a very early stage, as we will later see, they have been pushed from Belgium's lower plains, which in those days still largely were swamps (p.399) into infertile mountain areas. They also have often been politically split. Even today in part they belong to Luxemburg. The Prussian districts Malmedy and Montjoie also contain many Walloon elements. To these the Belgian Walloons are to be added. Overall it can be said that Belgium forms a slightly moved tetraeder, within which the nationalities are distributed in a way leaving the Walloons to the south of a line which runs diagonally from Belgium's north-eastern corner to its south-western corner, while in the northern half, in the direction of the sea and toward Holland, the Flemish live. Strangely and interestingly for us, the entire German-Belgian border is Walloon, while the entire sea coast is purely Flemish or at least purely Germanic. If we endeavour to get more closely acquainted with the land of Flanders, and to confirm the few impressions I just narrated geographically, by observation, we best do this in form of an ordinary journey undertaken by Germans in Belgium. So we depart from Dresden Central Station; the next stop is at Cologne. We will, if we don't know the Rhineland yet, even if the stop in Cologne is only brief, already will get the impression of a somewhat French character. The people there speak German in a rather strange way. They say Jean and Robber instead of Hans and Robert, and there is quite a range of names in which the word stress is similar. The dialect of Cologne, which operates with strange nasal sounds, also the anapastic and partially dactyle rhythm of the dialect of Cologne, all that seems strange, and on the trip to Aachen - Aix=la=Chapelle - this strangeness only increases. If, beyond Aachen, we approach the border, the railway, which since beyond Cologne had to overcome slight inclines, further climbs to somewhat higher altitude and then descends westward into the valley of the Vesdre, a little river which feeds into the Maas (Meuse). Here the impressions suddenly become more strange. The landscape gains in the freshness of colours, vegetation is stronger, we see rich pastures, cattle feeds in the open, an aspiration coming from the see manifests herself in numerous individual features, which the region owes to the gulf stream, this large heat supplier of western Europe. This region is inhabited by original Walloons. Luettich (Liege) never has been anything else than Wallonian. Her name in Wallonian, as generally known, is Liege. However, at the railway station of Luettich we find three spellings : Liege, Luik (Luik is the Flemish spelling) and Luettich; because here German traffic is so important that the German spelling has to be given. If we continue our journey, the train, on the other side of the Maas valley, has to labour uphill onto the Brabant plateau. The Brabant plateau is rather boring, but all the more fertile, covered by large areas of wheat fields. We observe the layer of black humus being a foot deep and deeper. Then the surface descends again and we reach, as we wish, either Brussels or Antwerp, anyway into a larger lowland, a lowland situated not much above sea level, partially even below sea level. Originally these were swamps, of course, but now, Ladies and Gentlemen, if you for instance travel from Antwerp to Ghent or Bruges, you pass a garden of God. This is a land of the highest fertility. I precisely recall the first impressions I got there. I experienced one delight after another. The blessings of the soil even exceed those of Lombardy, by far. The land is parcelled into relatively small plots. They are surrounded by naturally grown treelets and trees; overtowered by high trees which are preciously taken care of by the so-called tree gardenery. Every tree is individually taken care of, branches are cut, it is rectified by logs etc., thus the highest form of forestry. If we continue, we gradually reach the sea. This would be the Flemish impression. The impression of the country would be totally different, if we would take the route from Liege via Namur and Jeumont to France. There we mainly have to pass the Ardennes, a landscape which also today does no longer display her original shape - where, in the populated regions of Europe, would this still be the case? There are much more destructions, extraordinarily in the Maas (Meuse) valley, caused by mining etc., so that it required the artistic skills of a Meunier to catch this landscape in a painting. Beyond the route directs toward the region of Paris; the landscape is enriched by French canals, by the high shade trees standing there, or having stood there - now they are cut down to a large degree - until one reaches Paris. So much on the outward impression. For us it will be of special interest, how far to the south the settlements of this component of the Belgian people for which we will have to show special consideration, the Flemish, reach. This is relatively far. In France in familiar conversation still the Cing departements du Nord (Five departments of the North), not to be confused with the Departement du Nord, are distinguished from the rest of France. These five departments form a part of the old Flanders, and wherever you travel in these five departments, in the architecture, in remnants of the earlier culture you meet elements of a Flemish impression. This begins roughly in Valenciennes, then further to Arras. In Amiens it has disappeared, this is pure Gaul. From Arras it continues along a ridge, by which the Ardennes steeply descend to Cape Gris Nez, to the sea between Boulogne and Calais. But when you drive northeastward from Calais to Dunkirk and beyond, to the next stations, thus into the region of de Panne, unfortionately called la Panne by the Germans, because they take it for French - which is absolutely is not, it is the southernmost seaside resort of Belgium, its name is Flemish De Panne, translated to 'the pan' (the little valley) if you leave the train there and see the farmers, you might think (p.400), you were at home between Wittenberg and Jueterbog, or in the Altmark. The same figures, strangely enough wearing the same costume. Large, heavy men with well-developed hips, so that it would be possible to hang a hat there, with beautiful black caps and a storm band affixed to it, shaved faces so that the individual hats give a minister-like impression, wearing a long, black coat, boots - in brief, he is the farmer of the Altmark and he is the farmer of the Flaeming. Why should he not be? The farmer from Altmark is a Flemish, the farmer of the Flaeming all the more is a Flemish; it is the same population. This would be the borders of the Flemish-ness to the south and west. Now one may ask how these two so different peoples - we will learn more about this difference later - manage to coexist with each other in the Belgian state. For this a theory exists, which certainly will be of importance, because it is upheld by leading Belgian historians; it states there is one Belgian nationality, including both, and equally, Walloons and Flemish, their differences disregarded. This is not so false as it might seem at first glance. Repeatedly I conversed with my friend Pirenne, the outstanding Belgian historian, on this question. Here only one surprising observation is mentioned. If one comes from Germany into Belgium, without doubt one observes two separate nationalities. As soon as one drives from Aachen to Herbesthal, the culturescape is different, the people are different, one has the impression : Belgium begins here. If one continues to drive toward Paris, when crossing the Franco-Belgian border, one does not get the impression that southern Belgium would be separated from France; it looks as if this was one unit. But strangely, if one now turns around and, for instance, travels from Paris to Brussels, when one crosses the border into Belgium, one gets the impression : it is something else, the continuation of the features is not the case, not only the landscape changes, the people also are different. The men who live in Hainault, around Mons etc., in German called Bergen, they are of a different kind than the French. What shall one say? Here a question mark remains. Now we can undertake a last experiment and ask ourselves : what position do the individual neighbouring states take toward this peculiar Belgian constellation? At first, let us begin with the Englishmen. They don't even take a position. They simply regard Belgium as a bridgehead of British influence in continental Europe, and anything else does not concern them. Let us now turn to the French. The first question is : What is their position towards the Flemish ? In literature you hardly will find a positive judgment. Negative judgments are plenty. One wants to remove the Flemish, one wants to get rid of them. Belgium shall become a French nation. This is clear. But to go beyond and penetrate the Flemish character they would try in vain. If one, as the literature does not provide the answers, asks the people, a single short story enlightened the situation for me. Such lightning-manner enlightenments the cultural historian does not meet frequently, but they do happen. Once I drove from Tourcoing to Lille, and with me in the train sat a talkative, well-informed Frenchman, of whom I assumed that he was a colleague of mine teaching at the University of Lille. Our conversation turned to the Flemish, and I asked : "Now, of the Flemish you have quite a number in Lille, I want to observe them a little." He responded : "Flemish in Lille ? No, they don't exist." Meanwhile we arrived in Lille, and my French host, so-to-say, who now did the honneurs for his country, was so kind to accompany me to a restaurant. We left the railway station, and I was approached by a boy with shaggy clothing; he looked completely Flemish and begged; I responded "Verscham di wat!" (be ashamed of yourselves !). Then he turned around and shouted to a friend who just intended to hurry here: "Die gift niets" (he doesn't give anything), after which I said to my companion: "Voyez-vous?" I got a very polite response. "Ah", he said, "vous parlez du flamand? Mais ca n'est pas une langue grammaticale." (You speak Flemish? That is not a grammatical language). The Flemish is only a murmur, it is not organised humanely-grammatically. This is about the maximum effort a Frenchman invests in dealing with the Flemish. How can love and deeper understanding emerge? As far as the relation of the German with the Flemish is concerned, we shall not fall for illusions. We have, Ladies and Gentlemen, become very strange to the Flemish and the Flemish to us. A while ago in the songs you have heard a little Flemish, and as the art of music likes to reconcile, in this case it also has removed a number of contrasts. But when you want to listen again to the Flemish at home, even if you read it correctly, with the almost unavoidable High German accent the Flemish often use when they recite to us Germans, you will find : a ridge separates the High German and the Flemish, which belongs to the Lower German or 'Plattdeutschen' dialects. If we continue to look around us, ties binding us together are found in political views, but only where the poet speaks, as in the song of Emanuel Hiel, hardly anywhere beyond. That a Flemish would found Belgian interior policy on German motives has not happened in the 19th century. The knowledge of Germany in Flemish circles is poor, it is almost entirely business knowledge, no knowledge of heart. Beyond what I have presented to you reaches perhaps only the music. The Flemish are musically highly talented, and if their special talent is to be described in one word, the name Beethoven suffices. The Beethoven family is of Flemish origin, and what at first sight might seem as identical, in the (p.401) artistic appearence of Rubens and the musical appearance of Beethoven, that is Flemish national character, thus impulsiveness, brutality in a certain sense, courage, clear, firm, but sometimes sharp differences, sudden mood changes, immense fertility, security and room for experiment, pressing forward in all possible ways: that is Flemish. These characteristics have not been lost until today. In the field of music, f.i. we think of such a wonderful creation as the "Oratory of Saint Francis" by Tinel, especially the composition on the song of the sun. This is first class, and the Germans, wherever they reside, will always be uplifted by it. But when the cultural historian is asked to speak, he will say, these are the last ties, they refer to the sensual side of culture, to hearing, to the eye. The deeper goals and accomplishments established by a common civilisation miss. So we face, Ladies and Gentlemen, if we deeply observe the presence and what is durectly connected with it, a number of mysteries, and the Belgian historiography finds herself in the same situation. But there is no other way out than to ask history for an answer. And as the connections are deep-rooted, if we want to unravel them, we have to go far back. Then we gain a rather notable image : it is one of the little known facts of the original history of the Germanics, that about at the end of the 2nd century before Christ a migration from Germany's interior to the lower Rhine took place, which originated in the lands of the Chatti. The Chatti, in old high German Hazzi, are the present Hessians. The Hessians are the only German tribe which stuck to their ancestral soil; it is the "blind Hessians". They have migrated into other lands, but they stuck to their mountains. Now, one of the earliest migrations went from Hessen - we can observe it because of place names - into the area of the Siebengebirge and from there downriver into the last land still habitable; in the Rhine Delta the emigrants reached the water; the delta to a large part was inundated. Such beautiful names as, for instance, Meriwido, appeared, which roughly translates to sea forest or sea wood; it is a region which in case of tide was inundated, in case of ebb, not. The Chatti settled in the modern Betuwe and continued to exist as Batavians. Caesar learned to know them as extraordinarily warlike. He turned them into a special unit, which proved decisive in the battle of Pharsalus. As branch of these Batavians the Salian people emerged as the northwestern wing of the Frankish tribe, which emerged at that time. How close the relations to their old homeland still were, you can see from the fact that the Salian Law, to be dated into the early 5th century, the oldest of our popular laws, which probably has been created in Belgium, also was valid for all Hessians who had migrated elsewhere. From Hessen numerous groups had penetrated into the region of the mouth of the Mosel and upriver to Trier, and in Trier an old high German translation of the Salic Law has been preserved which originates from that area. During the 2nd, 3rd and 4th century A.D. the Frankish tribe emerged. It included all Chatti with all what was connected to it, with the area of their extension down the Main until Wuerzburg and in all their branches into the Rheingau, into Rheinhessen, on the Mosel; especially the beautiful places the names of which end on -heim, which you can find so often on the labels of bottles containing good wines, they are almost exclusively Frankish. Another branch of the Franks were the Ripuarians, in the area of Cologne and beyond, and finally the Salians in the present northern Belgium and southern Holland. This was the position, from which the Germanic peoples progressed against the Roman Empire. In this progress, the Salians, thus the Belgian Franks, contributed the prominent share and made the greatest gain. This is explained by the fact that the Belgian Franks had their backs best covered by the sea and the swamps of the Rhine delta. For them it was easy to unfold their forces, and they were bound together by the narrowness of Belgium. In their advance through Belgium, they had to overcome the Ardennes into the direction of northern France, to Soissons and beyond to Paris, and to stand form together against the opposing Celts. In that period you meet many petty statelets with kings, which are described in the sources; we talk of the old reges criniti, the kings who wore their hair long, in the stule of the Chatti - these small statelets they have avolished in those days. The main murderer of these individual royal lineages was Chlodovech (Clovis). He has murdered innumerous of such clans, and he had the Germanic audacity, once, while walking in the walls of Cologne, to complain that he stood alone because all the other clans had passed away. While one single large monarchy emerged, for the first time the possibility was given to develop a strong force. The possibility was given to develop the simple royal household into an administration, to grow into the cultural tradition of the Roman Empire. This combination created the powerful Frankish Empire of the 6th to 8th and 9th century, the Merovingian and Carolingian Empire. You see, in the region of Belgium and northern France in the moment this connection with world history is given, this first large, fresh and strong combination emerges. This combination consisted of the cultural combination of the institution of Empire and the Germanic peoples. Therefore the culture developed on this basis, which thrived in the 8th and 9th century and can be well observed, had two corresponding (p.402) borders. We know them well on the basis of the Carolingian legends, especially the French ones. These borders are the Seine on the one side, the Rhine on the other. Beyond, the legends know only Dortmund, in a nebulous way. Thus, between Rhine and Seine a large, uniform cultural area emerged. Ecclesiastically, too, as the new regional church is a cultural phenomenon of the Empire. If one observes the development of the christian church in these areas, one can see how all matters are commonly dealt with; how, for instance, in the dioceses of Utrecht and Cambrai, f.i., similarly is proceded. The monastic affairs also were commonly arranged, the sending of missionaries etc. Even in the relics of this period, in our libraries, the largest of which is the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, you can, if you arrange the individual manuscripts next to each other, you can observe the streams in which a common culture was created within this large region, and how it unfolded. Even elsewhere we have sources, in literature, especially in the development of the animal epos in the style we know it today, in architecture in the course of deep-ranging penetrations, for a long time to come : the Cathedral of Doornik (Tournai) belongs to Rhenish style; the Cathedral of Cologne, in her floor plan, on the other side, is closely related to that of the Cathedral of Amiens. Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the 9th century was fatal for this culture. It is the period in which the large western European nations are formed, in a certain sense England, although it existed earlier, but namely France and Germany. They exist from that time, when their borders lead through modern Belgium, through the middle of that old cultural region; they interfere with the cultural region and tear it up. A Wallonian-French half is formed immediately, a German-Germanic, a German-Flemish side. What should become of that poor piece, which was located in the center? In this moment, so critical for the history of Belgium, an unexpected combination appeared, which solved all questions. I can not explain the larger context, I can report only the following: at this time a totally different kind of world trade developed. The gates of the orient, which had been rather shut in the 7th and 8th centuries, opened up again. A really international exchange of European and tropical products emerged. The larger share of this trade passed the Pillars of Hercules, thus the Straits of Gibraltar, then through the Bay of Biscay and landed, yes, where did it land? Not, as one might think today, in London, it was not yet strong enough, but on the shores of Belgium. A connoiseur of Belgium will understand this very well. If you stroll along the large dunes in the north of Belgium, on one side you can see far onto the sea, on the other side you sea a happy landscape, overtowered by the towers of Bruges, bot to far from the sea. If you, beginning from these coasts - what you can do in a single day - sail from Sluis to Vlissingen (Flushing), on one of these small boats which cross the mouth of the Schelde, we immediately understand how easy it was for those ships, after they had passed the inhospitable coasts of Calais, to sail into these rivers and to dock somewhere on the banks of the Schelde. This was made easier for them by a canal, dug from Cadzand to Brughes. This canal, only as wide as an assembly hall, still exists. If you travel through it from Brughes, passing surface plants, on an old rusty steamer - the two times I took the course, I was accompanied by a few Beguines, which went to remote locations in the north to pray - on the right and on the left large, tall trees, shadow-giving elms, then you really are at a historical location. The tour goes on until Damme. This was the old port of Brughes, today it is only an old trade ruin. When you enter Damme and walk the headstones, you reach a large market, where you can find a modern monument featuring the poet Maerlant, and you sea an old city hall of gigantic dimensions. If you step in, you enter a luxurious hall, a small part of which is turned into a cafe. And if you look curiously down into the hallway, you see a remarkable sight. The hall now is used as a barn. At the time when I saw it, peaceful hens were busy picking the last corns out of the thrashed hay, and from the ceiling the heads of the dear prophets and evangelists, from the ornated ends of the gotic beam ceiling, looked onto the peaceful scene. The situation of the city`s church is similar. The church has been planned in dimensions close to that of Cologne Cathedral. But only the choire has been finished, and even this choire is more than sufficient for the present parish. Towards the nave it is sealed off with planks, and if one is standing in it, one sees, as it once has been the case with Cologne Cathedral, around 1820 or 1830, how water drops from the ceiling and how green moss is growing, which add to the optic impression, but which harm it architecturally. If one now turned from Kadzand to Brughes - this has been great events of the 13th century; Dante comments on works such as the just described canal as almost one of the miracles of his time - one closed in on the center of central European trade. But it will not be necessary for me to describe Brughes. Who, among us, has visited Belgium, knows it with its wonderful old Belfry, its marvellous churches and most of all its hospital St. John, in which a German painter of the 15th century, Hans Memling, has been kindly treated. The hospital still owns a number of paintings by Memling, among these such, which depict the nuns of the artist´s era. And we still can observe the nuns walking around treating the sick, wearing the same outfit their predecessors wore in the 15th century. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, this is one of those images of eternity in world history, which are only provided by great religious relations. The focal point (p.403) of Europe´s trade was in Brughes; from here the wares went or could go further to the east. In addition Flanders soon saw an industry emerge, mainly in Ypres - not Eipern, there is no Eipern in this world (1). In Flemish the place is called Jepern, Ypern is the old German spelling. If you would come there, you could see - today it will not stand unharmed - a marevellous old hall, a building of first rank, of great extension, for the cloth market. I can´t enter into details. In short, since the 11th century in the cities of Flanders and Brabant, an energetic civic life emerged. At the helm of this civic development, which in individual cities soon showed a hint of independence, in the west the Count of Flanders held the decisive position. In the following context the Count of Flanders gradually became independent. Relations to the German Empire were never really clear. Only a part of Flanders was part of the Empire, so-called Imperial Flanders,la Flandre de l'Empire. Similarly, a small part of southern Flanders seems to have been part of France. Otherwise the county took an independent position between the large bodies of France, Germany and also England, as they were indebted to the era of the formation of nations. And now we see something unfold which we can regularly obswerve in similar situations. The most interesting parallel is Venice. Venice has flourished between the large fragments of the old Roman Empire, and I may say, as a mountaineer ascends by making his way up in a chimney, by once resting upon one side, then on the other, so the clever merchants of Venice, and not the less the clever merchants of Brughes, Ghent and Ypres, have advanced. As far as the Flemish were concerned, once they sided with the French, once with the Germans, sometimes with the English. The main goal was : forward, always forward towards more freedom and independence. In this era, which reached its peak in the 14th century, Flanders and Brabant have ascended to that civilizatoric level, which in the 15th century , almost equal to Italy, was unsurpassed to the north of the Alps. This did not only affect the cities; the entire country was influenced by the cities. And we have to look more closely at this, because we will meet questions which are still close to us today. A lot of excrement was brought from the cities into the countryside, and the fields were fertilized, and we still can observe today how the lightly coloured sand, which originally existed at most places, has gained the present black humous colour. For the cultural historian who travels Belgium by its many railways, one of the most interesting observations is to see how deep the humous reaches at individual locations, and the deeper it is, the more safe is the assumption that one is close to a new, large city. On the so cultivated flat land the farmer grew up who began our colonization of the east and who was at its core. Here the methods were developed by which one triumphed over the superficial agricultural exploitation of the Slavs, and penetrated into modern soil depths. From here the men originated who turned the Goldene Aue (literally the Golden Vale) into what its name stands for. From the Unstrut, the settlement continued over Flemmingen, near Naumburg, into Saxon land, often following old Cistercian monasteries, with which the settlers cooperated, and from there to the mountain slopes, of the Erzgebirge and throughout Silesia. Where there was a lot of heavy soil and swampy land, so that a Slav could not make a living, there a German settled and held on to what was entrusted to him. These are the first great relations between the Flemish and Germany´s interior, and still today reminiscences regarding these live on among the Flemish. For this, one of the most curious pieces of evidence is a song : "To Eastland we want to go, there is a better stead". From here all Germans have learned to handle heavy soil, and in our field partitioning, as so readily seen from the railroads, it still can be observed today. I do not know if one of you occasionally has made such interesting observations, when he travelled a land along a high dam, and saw the land to the left and the right, and asked himself : what degree of liberty prevailed among the men who created this landscape, what degree of economic and personal liberty ? This, except for minor shades of differences, one can deduce from the location of the field plots. If one sees all this, one realizes only the extent of the progress which was brought into our country by the Flemish at that time, even if numerous inner German forces have joined in the colonization, the later the more. Besides there was the great urban civilization. Large cities in the Flemish region began to develop in the style of the Italian communes. A democracy emerged. Large armies were formed. As democracy always looks at the display of outward luxury, a marvellous architecture emerged. Large struggles were fought, and an exterior political history, rich as few in the German lands, and yet little known to us, unfolded. We have a classic book on this topic bz Vanderkindere, unfortunately, as far as I know, not yet translated into German : "Le siècle des Artevelde". The Artevelde were the era´s great democratic protagonists of Gent. What we all do know, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the flower of artistic culture which grew out of these circumstances. The so-called Netherlands´ painting tradition of the 14th and 15th century, which still was so German in character, and in descriptions of art history never should be treated separately from the narrative of German art, belongs into this context. If you want to understand the emergence of genii, of the van Eycks, you will say : centuries of an independent civilization must have preceded if only the technical knowledge, the perspecitival experience of the painter. This has already taken place around 1430. Already at that time a new era was entered full steam ahead, the youngest era of our history. From then onward we have an uninterrupted sequence of great artists, via Roger van der Weyden (p.404), who was half a Walloon (Rogelet de la Pasture), and from there to later painters, such as, f.i. Hans Memling from the area around Aschaffenburg, the Bruges citizen of whom I already reported, and the line continues untilk into the middle of the 16th century, by when Italian influences become evident. Now, these are well-known facts. But besides there are peculiar phenomena such as the style flamboyant of Gothic architecture, which can be studied almost exclusively in Belgium, thus an indigenous architecture. Then there was the vast knowledge of the world, accumulated gradually in the merchant cities, the wealth of travels and merchant discoveries. I only want to mention that the Canary Islands at that time were called the Flemish island. Further the marvellous development of the music by Oekeghavn and beyond him that development of the music which in Italy surpassed everything else, which became the leading influence on the papal chapel and the choires of Venice, and an influence of Flemish painting which lead to the foundation of Flemish schools as far as Portugal. These were great times, this is what was described as "ancient glory" in Hoffmann von Fallersleben´s song performed earlier; in this today´s Flemish still have their roots, this is one facet of Germanb history which to exclude it from it is an injustice. Because it is unjust to speak at this early date of an independent national Flemish development. German was, what happened here. The continuation of all these developments in the music as well as in painting and beyond, partly even in architecture, has taken place in Germany. As a German one may not disregard this civilization. Also in the field of literature this is not possible. Also here the Flemish are at the forefront, especially in the field early forms of the satire, where in prose a finer nuancing of personality, a stronger knowledge of humanity, began to be developed, where new forms of the description of the spiritual life were found, where for the first time an attempt was made to place persons on stage and to order trhem to walk. Yes, they walked - still rather edgy, but they did. The courage of the poets to have them walk was there. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the European nations continued to develop. They reached cultural heights, for which a large population was precondition, and the small tribe of the Flemish could not keep up. Furthermore tha damage occurred, which separated the Northern Netherlanders, the Dutchmen of today, and the Southern Netherlanders because of their religious confessions, and other obstacles in the path of national development emerged, which we better grasp, if we relate political history with the area of cultural history. The transition into the modern era occurred in France earlier than in any other country north of the Alps. Already at the end of the 14th century, the French were far advanced, while they later, in the 16th century, fail and namely in the first half of this century, by far, lag behind our great civilization. But in this early stage they were ahead of us, and for the north of France and for Flanders this lead to the advance of French political influence, in form of the expansion of the Dukes of Burgundy. The Burgundians become the masters of Flanders. With Burgundian rule, the flourishing Flemish culture experienced another elevation, but already it is a period of mixture, the French influence absorbed certain areas of Flemish culture into alien forms. Yet, the Burgundians disappear after a century, and the last Burgundian heiress, Maria, as it is well-known, married Emperor Maximilian I. With this, a German influence begins, or, could have begun. But just at this moment the Empire lost in influence, and the German influence was weak. Austria held on to the Southern Netherlands for centuries, up to the end of the 18th century, up to the French Revolution. But culturally, these centuries were only an Indian summer of a very rich civilization which reached her peak in the first half of the 17th century, in the lifetime of Rubens, under the administration of the so-called archdukes. We approach the threshold of the newest era. It is characterized by the following. While a certain calm appeared in Belgium, an immense struggle unfolded, which after the disintegration of the Dutch thalassocracy, was to decide the dominance of a British or French rule of the sea. Western Europe, in the second half of the 17th and in the first half of the 18th century, is the stage of almost uninterrupted wars, until the matter of dominance finally was decided by the Peace of Paris (1815), in favour of Britain. This dominance found its strongest manifestation in the neutralization of Belgium and the Northern Netherlands, which, for some time to come, formed one unified state. But it even remained so after the two split up. This neutralization of Belgium and the Netherlands, we hardly have to point out these days, is only a cover for the fact that England had gained both countries as a bridgehead for her continental influence. This explains her great concern for Belgium's neutrality. Belgium is not English territory, but it is located very ... here I may not continue; this has been forbidden by the Generalkommando; we will still spend a few words on the topic. Now we deal with this political-military connection between Belgium and England. It could have been of no concern to England if Belgium would have fallen victim to French influence or not. Just the opposite, as the advance of French influence in Belgium only would sharpen the domestic problems in the country, this could be regarded desirable by the English, as Belgium would become more and more dependant on protection. Since 1815 we observe an intensifying French cultural policy aiming at not only overforming the Walloons, but also the Flemish, who are refused to have any other than a French quality, because they were Belgians, and already in Ceasar's time, predestined to become Romance - a propaganda sets in which wants to cover both tribes (p.405) with a pure breed of French civilization. Against this, as against the attempts by the Wallons to assimilate the Flemish, which went hand in hand, the Flemish have resisted. But, Ladies and Gentlemen, they have resisted in a legal way, they accomplished a certain egalitarian treatment for their language, existing on paper. In reality the French influence has continued to progress. The Flemish speak amongst themselves, if they want to be regarded as well-mannered, mostly French; conversation in Flemish is for the communication between master and domestic servant. Namely during the last ten years the French made considerable progress, through the great World Exhibitions of Brussels, earlier in Liege and Ghent. There the French have done enormous feats, to overpower us - and we were, in Ghent, at a decisive stage, not even represented. If we now want to turn our attention to a very brief third part of our observation of the central historical observation, to a part of practical application and of the hopes for the future, we will, in order to achieve progress, have to begin with our mistakes. Here things are, Ladies and Gentlemen, as with so innumerable matters in this world. We believe foreign policy can be conducted exclusively as great power policy. This is a gross misconception, which has to be pointed at by a historian. It means to misunderstand everything which has happened historically. History is the development of human soul to higher forms. This is in no way related to great power policy. No people is won over through great power policy. It is also not won over through single-sided economic policy. In the course of 10 years, perhaps; by then the people notice who wins and who loses, in economic terms. Ladies and Gentlemen ! Where the relations of the heart are not concerned, one may not count on lasting gains. But we have no instruments for this in our foreign policy; we do not even perceive that such instruments have to be created. Believe me, I know what I am talking about. Such a policy is single-sided and can never lead to anything great. Only slowly the opinion gains hold, that only a wider policy which opens the hearts and shows an open heart herself, which looks at matters on a wider scale and is no longer fixed on a certain arbitrary little goal, leads to any progress. Take a look at the Turks. Do you believe we will keep them, if we do not show that we have feel sympathy toward them ? Do you believe we win them over by criticizing them for having acted correctly in this or that case ? I could apply the same observations to someone closer to us, our neighbours located between us and the Turks; I refrain from doing so. In this area our nation still has to learn everything, has to redevelop the characteristics of the heart, with which the German is equipped by birth, to their original, great and simple security. Here we have to make progress. At many a place where the English and Germans compete, it turned out that the foreign nation rather sided with our enemies, because she meets more sympathy there. The so-called introduction of discipline also does not suffice. Yes, Belgium needs more discipline, without question; such an ill-mannered band as the youngsters who recently walks the streets of Belgium and the Netherlands hardly finds an equal on this planet. Measures have to be taken, but based on a heart full of love, because love, in the field of education, is severe. If I feel true love, I believe myself to be legitimated, based on this love, to establish order. If we now look at the near future, without any doubt, if we actively want to keep a hold on Belgium, now inmidst of the struggle, one should approach most of all the Flemish with the free and open heart of an educator. Overall this seems to happen. If my information is correct, and I have reason to assume so, this namely applies to our policy toward the lower classes. But I also have been approached by Flemish students who asked "What shall become of our poor people", or, as it was formulated in a letter I received recently, "our bastardized people", "our people driven into a corner ?" We have to find out how to connect. We should consider if we should enroll such students, who presently do not learn anything at home, for a number of semesters at a German university. It will not pay in every single case; there are always disappointments, but in individual cases it will bear fruit. For the time being, leading circles are not interested; they deny any friendship they ever had with Germans, and I know of cases when friends who have been there have been rejected when they wanted to make a formal visit. Here one will have to wait, will have to show patience with these circles. Now we get to a fatal point on which I am not free to speak. What shall we do with our foreign policy ? I do believe I can say something, somewhat indirectly. I do believe you will agree with me : our nation should stay firm and united in what she is. We have to stand to ourselves, and than we have to see if one or another people is willing to enter into this or that form of a lose confederation with us. To find the right form, a form of love and the heart, a practical form, that will be the task of great wisdom. Perhaps Belgium will be among those who join. We have to keep in mind that this is a simple consequence of the historical development. These would be some practical questions. In order to explain them I could continue, Ladies and Gentlemen, and I would have to consider namely the solutions history offers for a strong and deep policy toward Belgium. But here, for the moment (p.406), we have to trust in the wisdom of our authorities and in the wisdom of all those, who, in loyalty and devotion are called upon to manly promote truly German work. We can do no more, than, with the beautiful song, of which we fortunately have so many new ones, realize again : we have to be patient. We can talk, but this is only talk. Furthermore, it is for us to persevere! (now the songs "O Deutschland, hoch in Ehren" and"Haltet aus!", supported by an organ, followed) (1) Welsh here to be understood as all Romance and Celtic languages together [back] (2) Editor's Note: Lamprecht translates the expression "Dietschers" as "Deutsche", hence Germans. Reader Francois Heymans points out, that Emanuel Hiel used the expression in the sense of 'Great Netherlandic', i.e. combining the Flemish and the Netherlanders; so the line further down 'Join together, south and north' makes more sense. There are other flemish texts which use the expression 'Dietsch/Diets' as 'Great Netherlandic', so the song "Kempenland aan de Dietse Kroon'. In 1917, the 'Dietsche Bond', in which Flemish writer Rene de Clerq played a leading role, agigated for the Great Netherlandic idea. In the English language, the adjective 'Dutch' is used to describe things Netherlandic. "Dietsch/Diets" describes the (desired or felt) unity of the Flemish and the Dutch, and separates them from Frenchmen and Walloons; the context in which it is used in Flemish sources of the 19th and early 20th century, clearly is Great Netherlandic. The question inhowfar the expression was suitable to distinguish the Great Netherlanders from the Germans remains to be answered by a thorough investigation. [back] (3) The Song of the Germans, Germany's national anthem, also written by Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1841). The refrain "Deutschland, Deutschland ueber alles" translates to "Germany, Germany over everything" (in 1841 meaning the politically not existing German nation was to rank higher than the individual states). [back] (4) "Vorwärts" was the official newspaper of the German Social-Democratic Party (SPD) [back] Dokument in deutscher Sprache
Source: Die Woche. Export-Ausgabe. Heft 12. Kriegsjahr 1915 (Druck und Verlag von August Scherl G.m.b.H., Berlin SW., S. 397-406 (Translation: AG)