[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—There may be a
good deal to be said for Mr. Yeats- Brown's idea that every European town should be called " by the title its natives have given it." If that were done, however, towns in the Flemish part of Belgium should certainly not be called by French names. Anvers is not the native name of Antwerpen, nor Bruxelles of Brussel. Courtrai, Bruges, Malines should all be avoided and in their stead Kortrijk, Brugge, Mechelen be used.
Let me add that this is no mere matter of history. Even in Brussel a majority of the population speak Flemish to-day, although its administration has become largely denationalized (as Mr. Huysmans, when Minister of Education, called it). But the administrations of the other towns mentioned make use of Flemish, or Dutch, and not of French, and Mr. Van Cauwelaert for instance, the burgomaster of Antwerpen, would not consider it any improvement in " politeness " if Englishmen were to call his town Anvers instead of Antwerp.
Previous page
