The veterans in Flemish literature have only issued fresh editions of their former works. The writings for instance, of Hendrik Conscience and of Madame Courtmans, the charming tales of the two sisters Loveling, and the curious Eastern verses published by Jan Ferguut (M. van Droogenbroeck) have all seen new editions. There have also appeared a small volume of posthumous poetry by Madame David, ‘Nevelbloemen’ (‘Flowers of the Clouds’), and some satirical and political verses by Jan van Rijswijck, published with pious care by his son. Dramatic literature is represented by the plays of Madame Slimbroeck de Peuter, Messrs. van Goethem, Auguste Hendricx, de Tiere, and Hendrik Peeters. The historical drama ‘Karel Stolk,’ by the last-mentioned writer, took the triennial prize for dramatic literature. But although the essential characteristic of Flemish literature in Belgium hitherto has been to cultivate poetry and produce tales or novels depicting manners and customs rather than startling events, yet there are signs of a greater variety of subjects being handled in this idiom, which is, indeed, the mother tongue of one half of the population of Belgium, and is in reality identical with the Dutch language. M.J. Stinissen has written a volume of studies called ‘Gedachten over Opvoeding en Onderwijs’ (‘Thoughts on Education and Instruction’); M. Sleeckx a new series of aesthetic studies, ‘Literatuur en Kunst’ (‘Literature and Fine Arts’); Prof. L. Roersch a monograph on the philologist Jacob Heremans, one of the promoters of the Flemish movement, who died a few years ago; and M.J. van Droogenbroeck a treatise on the use of Greek and Latin metre in Dutch verses.
M. Emmanuel Rosseels devoted an elegantly illustrated book to the Plantin Museum in Antwerp, ‘Het Huis van Christoffel Plantijn’; and monographs on local history have been written by M.R. Pieters, on the town of Dixmude; by J.B. Lambrechts on the village of Berchem, near Antwerp; and by J. Lambrechts, on the convent of Hasselt. M. Frans de Potter continues his great work on the history of the town of Ghent ‘Gent van den Vroegsten Tijd tot heden’ (‘Ghent from Early Times to the Present Day’).
Finally, two publications of old texts have attracted very general attention both here and in Holland. M.M. Jonckbloet and Van Helten have collected the unpublished satires of Anna Bijns, who in the sixteenth century displayed much spirit, and struggled with determination against Luther and his partisans in the Netherlands;
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