Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-10-07
AN ANCIENT CITY.
vntssesting Facts About the Csmusrclsl
Metropolis sf BeiElua.


some twelve hundred years ago.
Now commerce has thrust itsok
in amongst its antiquities in q man.
pcr necessary, though discordant
and to tho detriment Of tho
national reputation for ncatness. II
is to be hoped that the English have
not caused the deterioration in this re-
spcct Their relations with tc coun-
try are intimate. Several lines OF
steamers connect the place with British
ports, while tho resident English pop
ulation probably numbers from one
thousand to two thousand. However
this may be. the city, while not rs dirty
Us most European towns, is not char
actcristically clean either individually
or as a municipality. The types OF
people are less national and more Co.'S
mopolitc. Interesting pccularitics OF
dress are less observable. For in
stance, in the vicinity Of Ostcnd and
Brugcs the women of all classes, OK
ccpt the very fashionable, wear long
mantle covering the entire person OF
fashion that must date back to Puritan
times. IL is made Of silk, satin or cloth
of different degrees of lincncss, which
indicate the wealth or social position
of the wcTcr. There is Il generous
hood attached, which may be Of silk
or satin. while the body of the gar
ment is of more common stun. But
of whatever material made, it has bu,
one form, and the wearing of it is con-
sidcred essential to dcccncy and re-
spcctability. The women OF Ostcnd
and Brugcs adhere to it as tcnaciously
as the Spanish cavalier TO his
cloak. In both cases its ampli.
tudc presents similar advantages.
for in conccaling poverty of dress
it gives u certain uniformity of appear
ance to classes whose position in life is
widely different. Deccncy requires its
use in summer as well rs winter, and
as the weather is often warm along the
southern shore OF tie North Sea, the
fashion must entail more or less dis
comfort. You miss this picturesque
ness Of costume at Antwerp. though
it, presence would add an item Of i'll
trrcst To the long, shaded streets and
alleys, and really not look amiSs in the
crooked ihoroughfarcs given up TO busi-
ness. But the people of Antwerp are
Ike all the other BclgianS, really very
nice in their way with few cNccp-
tions. They are not constantly seek
ing 10 exploit travellers. and when
asked for information they often go
considerably out of their way TO ira-
part il. Hotels are fair in quality and
reasonable rs regards price, while
there is seen everywhere remarkable
degree OF good nature, and Il desire to
be friendly and useful that TO the tour
st accustomed to the impostions of
continental tradcsmcn and hotcl-kccp-
crs is really charming.
Antwerp lies upon the Escau,, n
short stream. but with broad and
deep estuary. which permits vessels OF
the largest class to come up to the city.
Here lie the steamers that ply TO En-
glish ports-thc ships of all nations
from far and ncar-and here ut this
moment may be seen the United
States lag nuttcring at the tai'rail
of the pretty little man-of-war Ken
ncbcc. 1t is n growing city. whose
population the local sta,isticians
have recently increased to over
two hundred thousand, with IN air OF
quiet contcn,mcnt and cqnablc coln-
mcrcial prosperity that is just now
conspicuously absent in French cities.
The same thing may be remarked all
over Belgium. Every ono is so neat,
so well dressed. so well fed and seem
ingly 50 contcntcd, that you wonder
where the misery is that has caused the
strikes and bloodshcd. Never were
there to be seen more peaceful land
scapcs. Never were there villages
more typical of contcntmcnt. while in
all the towns. though there is not that
hustle which attends the transaction of
business in America, there is always
something doing, and every body
seems employed though he may not be
getting rich. English enterprise has
had considerable to do with the de-
velopmcnt of the country. English
influence Is potent everywhere. En-
glish statesmen watch with jealous
eve for fear that in contravcntion OF
existing treaties 1t may fall into the
clutches OF either France or Germany.
Such result is always possible.
though not probable at present 1t is
more necessary to Germany, since that
country is cramped on the North Sea.
Should she ever get 1t her relations to
France in the way of frontier would he
of the most intimate kind 1t would
then be very hard to toll where ono
country ended and the other began.
since along a great part of the Belgian
frontier the land is rs level rs floor.
The two armies would be brought face
TO face. They could even see tho
whites of each others eyes Cor. San
FRANCISCO Chronicic.
e
A Poor Sick Woman.