The Portland daily press., 1895-09-23
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE.
Belgium and Its Gay Capital, Brus-
sells. ia

and Brussels.
CORRESPONDENT OF THE PREss.)
Ba lie, August 30.
Antwerp has always been place OF I'M
portance since the 9th century, Tor The
Nertbmep are said to have come down
and destroyed it in S37. The CITY was
founded in the 18th century, and it now
contains about two hundred and fifty
thousand inhabitants. 1t has most adj
yantageous site on the river Schelde, go
miles from the sea.
In the Middle Ages it was a very i'm
portant and wealthy town. In the reign
of Charles V, it was the most prosperous
city on the continent, when the people no
doubt regarded all outlying places as
beneath their fear of rivalry. Venice was
then the only city considered at all eligi-
BILE. Antwerp at that time numbered one
hundred and twenty five thousand in
habitants. Thousands of ships anchored
there at the same time and hundreds
arrived and departed daily. 1t was also
noted for it's great fairs to- which mer-
chants from all the civilized world resort
ed. After that it had its decline and then
rose again.
A great giant by the name of Anti
gonnous used to station himself inside
the harbor in it's very earliest days and
demand Of each ship owner a heavy toll
for every vessel entering the port, and If
refused he ruthlessly severed and throw
into the river SoEelde right hand.
Hence, says the legend, the name of Ant
werp arose from the words hand and
"werpen", werpen meaning to throw.
There is statuessof Salsvires Brabo in the
Grand Place who is said to have cut off
the head of this monster.
TheEride through Antwerp is very pleas
ant: almost everything is old here, ex-
cepting the new parks and rives, and these
are built over the old. An ancient
bastion with moat surrounding 1T has
been converted into lovely park and the
moat itself has become very ornamental
sheet of water, spanned by charming
bridge. "Thus, the new exists to redress
the DID,"
Te Stein is also of past ages. 1T was
the old Antwerp cathedral but 1t was
handed over to the city as relic over
three hundred years ago. A century be-
fore this it was the seat of the Spanish
inquisition. The Bourse is also fine
edifice, which at noon yies with New
York and Paris, indicating in its jargon
the rise or fall of the stock market
THE CATHEDRAL AND PAINTINGS
OF RUBENS.
But finally the lights and shades of the
old cathedral of Rubens and it's old
stained glass windows radiant with
scenes from the life of Christ, afforded us
an hour of unalloyed pleasure; for the
name of Rubens has lent a charm to
everything in Antwerp.
Rubens' picture "The Elevation to the
Cross is only second to, his descent
from the Cross which is his master
piece. In the Elevation" the strength
of human passion and human agony is
brought out. The faces of the Roman
soldiers, of Christ's accusor and perse
gagged in hanging him upon the cross are
hardened with passion and unrelenting
harshness, and even the superbly line
horses champ their bits as If in anger,
while the expression of Christ himself is
full of repressed agony.
There is look of unmitigated horror
and despair on the faces of those, who
had been willing to leave all and follow
Him, as they knelt beside the cross with
their eyes raised to heaven.
But in the descent" their looks have
all changed. Other men are sorrowfully
loosening his bands and lifting and lower
Ing him tenderly, as we lift our dead, as
though the life of living love could still
feell and respond to the sorrow OF the
The look of Christ has become again
divine, the agony is there but is changed
into submission, it is the calm after the
turbulent tempest, Divinity has con-
quered humanity.
Those who knelt about the cross in the
elevation" are now standing around.
but the hard lines Of sorrow are softened
into something of peace cit is finished"
His last words, have opened to them the
vista of eternal life and although no less
sad there is hope of the future immor-
tality with Him they love written on the
sorrowful countenances.
The St. Christopher printed on either
side of this picture has the Same disap-
pointment for all that it did for the old
Arquebusiers.
Rubens agreed to paint picture of St.
payment in some business transaction.
They thought, as one naturally expects,
to find ST. Christopher bearing the lovely
child Jesus over the stream and one pic
lures himself the look of surprise on
his face, after putting down his burden,
which had kept growing so heavy, in
finding that it was the Lord. But
Rubens conceiving something loftier than
this, in the design of the Virgin before
the nativity on one side, and of Simeon
bringing the child into the temple on the
other. He presented these to the Ar
quebusiers who failed to appreciate
Rubens flight of fancy. So, partially to
satisfy them, and partly to avenge him
self, he painted st. Christopher alone on
the back of one shutter and the hermit
endssan ugly sold owl on the other, the
owl in its darkness representing the OBJ
tuseness of the Arquebusiers in failing to
appreciate his original design.
MUSEE PIANTIN.
Another place which is very interesting
30 visit is the Musee Plantin, situated
near the cathedral. 1t is full of old
tapestries proof sheets, and wood-cuts of
a few centuries ago; for this museum
presents the living picture of the dwelling
o,d continuous nramises of a patrician of