Only the walls of St. Peter's Church, containing
many priceless paintings, remained.
Meanwhile, on the morning of August 20, 1914, the German army had
swept away the comparatively small Belgian rearguard force before
Brussels, and advanced upon the capital. On the previous 17th the
King of the Belgians removed his Government to Antwerp. The diplomatic
corps followed. Mr. Brand Whitlock, the American Minister, however,
remained. In his capacity as a neutral he had assisted stranded
Germans in Brussels from hasty official and mob peril. He stayed to
perform a similar service for the Belgians and Allies. His success
in these efforts won for him German respect and the gratitude of
the whole Belgian nation.
A lingering plan for defending Brussels by throwing up barricades
and constructing wire entanglements, to be manned by the Civic
Guard, was abandoned in the face of wiser counsel. It would merely
have resulted in a bombardment, with needless destruction of life
and property. Brussels was defenseless.
In flight before the German host, refugees of all classes were
streaming into Brussels--young and old, rich and poor, priest and
layman. Nearly all bore some burden of household treasure, many
some pathetically absurd family heirloom. Every kind of vehicle
appeared to have been called into use, from smart carriages drawn
by heavy Flemish horses to little carts harnessed to dogs.
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