In the present crisis of Belgian affairs there is much to remind the historical student of the events which led to the fall of Antwerp in 1585, and the outrageous invasion of the Southern Netherlands by the army of Parma. Then, as now, Holland opened her arms to her wounded and captive sister. The best Flemish scholars and men of letters emigrated to the land where Cornheert and Spieghel welcomed them. Merchants and artisans flocked to a new sphere of energy in Amsterdam. Several of the professorial chairs in that city, and in the great universities of Leyden and Harderwijk, were filled by learned Flemings, and the arts, that had long been flourishing in Brussels, fled northward to escape from the desolating Spanish scourge. The grim pencil of Raemaekers becomes tender whenever he touches upon the relation of the tortured Belgium to her sister, Holland, his own beloved fatherland. We do not know yet, in this country, a tithe of the sacrifices which have been made in Holland to staunch the tears of Belgium. “Your sufferings are mine, and so are your fortunes,” has been the motto of the loyal Dutch. EDMUND GOSSE [Illustration: BELGIUM IN HOLLAND “Your sufferings are mine as are your fortunes.”] Serbia The fight of the one and the four might, in view of the difference in the size of the combatants, be called quite fairly “the fight of the one and the fifty-three.” Each of the assailants has his own character. Germany is represented as a ferocious giant; Austria follows Prussia’s lead, a little the worse for wear, with a bandaged head as the souvenir of his former campaign: he does his best to look and act like Germany. Bulgaria loses not a moment, but puts his rifle to his shoulder to shoot the small enemy: he acts in his own way, according to his own character: kill the enemy as quickly as possible and seize the spoil, that is his principle. Turkey is a rather broken-down and dilapidated figure, who is preparing to use his bayonet, but has not got it quite ready. Serbia, erect, with feet firmly planted, stands facing the chief enemy, a little David against this big Goliath and his henchman, Austria; and the other two, so recently deadly foes, now standing shoulder to shoulder, attack him while his attention is directed on Germany. The leader and “hero” of this assault is Prussia, big, brutal, remorseless. The Dutch artist always concentrates the spectator’s attention on him. You can almost hear the roar coming out of his mouth: “Gott strafe Serbien.” This is the figure, as Raemaekers paints him, that goes straight for his object, regardless of moral considerations. Serbia is in his way, and Serbia must be trampled in the mire. The artist’s sympathy is wholly with Serbia, who is pictured as the man fighting against the brute, slight, but active and noble in build, facing this burly foe.