One hears much in Belgium of the “Flemish Movement,” whose motto, adopted not long after the establishment of national independence, in 1830, is the Flemish sentence, “_De taal is gansch het volk_” (“The language is the whole people”). This organized effort to foster Flemish traditions and literature had from the first the support of public men and writers, including Henri Conscience, Ledeganck, and Van Beers, who lent their voices and their pens to extol the heroic deeds of Flanders and to advance in every way possible the influence of the language in the kingdom. Maeterlinck and Verhaeren have employed both Flemish and French in writing prose and poetry. The Walloons, anxious that the French tongue should continue to predominate in official affairs, steadfastly opposed the agitators of the _Mouvement Flamingant_. But at last the Flemings won their fight. Before the law, both languages are now equal; public documents and notices are printed in “the two national languages”; advocates may plead their cases in either one, according to preference, and in many towns street signs appear in both Flemish and French. Attempts to compel all employees of the Government to learn both languages has been only partially successful. The Flemings are not only rather more numerous than the Walloons, but they are bound by their common loyalty to the Church of their fathers. The Walloons are of the Liberal faith, politically, and not such zealous churchmen as their Flemish brothers. Since the year 1884, the Flemish Party, also called the Conservative or Catholic Party, has been in power. A Flemish Academy and theaters for the presentation of the drama in Flemish were erected, in cities like Antwerp and Ghent, and these still receive part of their support from the State. The popular balladists of the Walloons are the poets, Defrecheux (de-frech-eu) and Vrindts. Camille Lemonnier (le-mon-nee-ay), whose medium is French, has written powerful novels of both Walloon and Flemish life. “It is to Germany’s interest,” says an observer, “that the Flemish movement should develop and become more markedly aggressive. On the other hand, France cannot but view with rising apprehension the decline of her influence in Belgium, which will sink to a still lower point if the propagators of the revived and intensified Flemish movement attain all their ends.” It is gratifying to record that the World War unified more than any other agency has ever done the people of the north and south of Belgium. WRITTEN FOR THE MENTOR BY RUTH KEDZIE WOOD ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR. VOL. 8, No. 3, SERIAL No. 199 COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION. INC. [Illustration: IN THE BRUSSELS MUSEUM “A COUNTRY FAIR,” BY DAVID TENIERS THE YOUNGER] _BELGIUM_ _Peasant Life_ FOUR