Embittered and filled with resentment toward conservative Catholics, Smid Lambrecht became fascinated by the Roelanders, as the Daensists in the Ninove region called themselves. Frans Lambrecht quickly became the most prominent figure in this burgeoning political movement. Lambrecht devoted the rest of his life to Daensism. Fanatical, even: when in 1905 the weekly magazine "Klokke Roeland" of the Ninove Daensists was absorbed by the conservative Catholic party, he founded a new weekly magazine, "De Vrije Klok" (The Free Clock). (City of Ninove)
In the Dender region there are many places that are connected to the history of the social-Christian labor movement and political party that emerged at the end of the 19th century under the impulse of the Aalst priest Daens.
This also applies to Outer, where Pieter-Frans Lambrecht ran a forge. One of his closest friends was Master Emile, teacher at the official municipal school. When the school struggle of 1879 broke out, official education came under heavy pressure from Catholic education. However, Master Emile refused to resign from the municipal school. This made him the scapegoat of the entire village. Smid Lambrecht remained loyal to his friend and shared in the persecution. Because of this he lost all his customers and called him "the cold blacksmith". His bitter resentment towards the conservative Catholics led him to the Roelanders.
In April 1893 he was one of the founders of the Christian People's Party of Priester Daens and was completely committed to the development of the new party. He was a people's man who could speak straight to the hearts of the workers and farmers. With his square head and black ringed beard, with his blue smock and heavy stick, blacksmith Lambrecht became one of the most popular figures in Daensism.
The fact that Daensism penetrated Brabant is largely due to Lambrecht. Together with the Roelanders Alois De Backer and Prosper De Pelsmaeker, he worked for brickmakers and hop farmers, among other things, with the establishment of a brickmakers' union in Brussels and a union for hop farmers in the Pajottenland.
Several times he stood together with Priester Daens as a candidate on the Daensist electoral list for the parliamentary elections in the Brussels district. He was not elected.
His deployment in Brabant ended completely exhausted. In 1906 he became ill and died at the age of 48. He was buried in Outer, but the municipality did not grant him a tribute gravestone. It was exhumed and on December 1, 1907, its memorial column was inaugurated in the cemetery of Ninove. In 1978, at the initiative of the City of Ninove, the Priester Daensfonds and the Davidsfonds Outer, the memorial column was transferred to the Kerkplein in Outer.
As a tribute to the most important Daensist of Outer, a street in the village center was baptized Smid Lambrechtstraat.
Source: information board on site
Translated by Google •
In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!