, 1880-04-16
BRUGES.
Tho Decay ofn Once Great F1em&sh CITY,
London Tt,nss.


short paragraphs fl o,,r columns a few |
doys bnck told tho story Of tho decay Of |
Urupes. Six centuries and more ago this
Flemish city wna already amazing tho world |
with ts prosperity. III those days town d |
fcw miles from tho sea was reckoned among |
ports. Canals brought Drngcs ns close to tho \
ocean, eight miles of1, MS It was safe for |
wealthy city to be. Druges was ono Of tho
fev great reservoirs in which Europe stored
whntover riches It created or gathered to- |
Ectller. Tho I1ansc Towns sent It tho protl-
mcts they collected on The shores Of the BAL
tic md from half-myt!'fcal Russia. Augs..
burg and Nuremberg arl the Imperial
cities Of tile Rhine maintained ambassadors
md factors within It's walls. Shipping from
Genoa, and Venice, and plsa, nnd Icaliorn
carried to It The manufactures Of Italy und
the merchandise italy imported from tho
East. With England tho relations OF l}rMgcs,
political mid commercial. wern ct tic most
Intimate. friendship. Elg'tsh sheep lastaifeH
T. to ippEE e EEnss sS loeas e"wt Ct dsf as S
coiil for which BRIGGS exchanged the spices
md silks Of tlle East and tho toys Of Italian
art, rim women Of nrnges were ere arrayGd m
uie clty entertained rs lis guest thought slle
HSs ike 'bt,n hcrseli Tfq citi:sns i were keen 1T
nts rtsrg ge s,a f9Ttorod aT 5 at oy 9e IT,
;,r'n5ns,v1 trhe wealth wlitcjl poured
in from west and Gust, and
SSrt sa f9st SXffsysS a sars sG md nGe H
Irfn,is mn,nsterirs m. Tc city bccnne n treas
ilreho,tsc OF pni,tiings md tapestry. stntl,nry
md carved work It's bMrgG@rs @ affected 11,a ,ro to
Themselves & jIke princess md warrctl with
ti,cir rivnjs of Client or niiIcd With foreign
sS!f'a!s1 sis s'p%@ tSs% teF ssFy .
1, tonsno nor understood their temper, trnmp!c,l
,pon ,st tl,cir franchises. Yet it. WIS noL TINT
sNiftei ti,n coTtre Of the worlds commerce,
Thc current no longer ran under the walls
aad along. tho eailalS Of Dr,!ge; ; Thsnce; 1. .,
f ae ems eease M to S son nv !" prmefpe
Of vitality, it continued to exist bccnuse lis
bulk md place IN iu' H WorldS la 6eI,g weES toq
lias been dyine Ii, reality for tic past three
! Centuries Every decade lis tratle grows
| lass. its nopuintiun dwiNtles, 1tld It's monks
"'s EarI1 step mar, takcs lic trcnds upou ruins.
T6c cnrtil Is strcwu with ri,Ins, and built llp
Of them also. Asia Is oversYrread Will, Tic
ashes md bones Of renowned elites. In Italy
Of tic pajnces Of the past. France nlnl Ger
many have their wrecks too. Thuy arc to DO
found along tho Rhine md tho Danube.
9{ 6ysono 81, g9'n2 n, 2,.s oysr n n1ng The
itsof Ike I soutt, til and nd tc tic Vest and tio east
l,nyc their legends OF municipalities which
az ow s RI yIagss F. ~, and S9 qf taS s,,e
sSe Thu Inv " Of fi hnnaary inist sem 10 BE- cor.
sinnt ;ircay antf downfall. Tic faic OF
rages Mith 4so0o citizens sti!l and rs in} 10.
r rcEret. Tho very fact that Drngcs
PRESERVES 50 much of tho circumstance
of former prosperity, while, Il possesses
ssss S5 s eantyoS s1y y s HsySs wsh sssf e. e
prosress I before It's face The MoGi,naefts Of
It's former glories remain % point the eor-
1last oi the 81 multitude It'll % q begears " who Tive i've
upon aims or by preying upon strangers
within It's circuit testiiics reproachfnlly to
fnsss q fIyis f ss;ns yfo5 and se"erosy
rics. pisl ain,s-}touseB which support TINT
isnrbary b m coost, In The Tevns,t, on the Italian
HcrSe1a af the nd Ass m Sr tnS ttayssF Sssss &
departcd magmiiieence. dit iii thoso reglonr
tGe wliolo laid partakes of tho same mourn.
fiji Md deserted inspect A blight has set
precincts t Inc t ct BruEcs W there Is an air Of busy
nninatlon. Tic feids aro cultivated like =
EardcI. There are tall chlmneys. wreathet!
Tia Tia Nieteet Ntis vi Gomtry as It WIS il il tie Four
fnenth to tnko its Share, ar,ii more than
its a!.nrc, in carrying tho world forward, Nc
aiie e Of the Atlantic whicI, DeiEinn mnn,t
t Via to III jmnroye M iron. % Relatively the coui
!! try my hsye lest sFeanad II Il the raee ) e! q.
! tha Middle ACES were content to product