The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-01-25

nous all over Europe. There are now about 500OO0 spindles in the city itself, aIid as many more in the country about. Our American cotton comes here In bales, and is spun and woven into cloths for export, a vast amount Of it going to the Belgian Congo.
 Ghent Is also noted for It's linens. It has one of the largest linen mills of the world, employing about 5000 hands. It Is the center of a rich farming region and in the country nearby some of the heau- tiful faces for which Belgium is noted are made. A great part of the lace Is still made by hand, the women doing the work with numerous needles on cushions.
 Judas Mirrors.
 We have a Consul General at Antwerp. I called on him at Il o'clock this morn ing, and l have no doubt that he knew just how looked before got inside his door. and thls without peeping out O. the window. I have written of the brass peep holes which the French nave n the front doors of their apartments so that they can peep through and without be- ing seen size up the person who knocks before opening the door. The Belgians, including the American Consul, have an arrangement which keeps pace with that of the French and goes them one better. It is a combination Cf little mirrors fast ened on an iron arm or bracket to the wall just outside the window, so that the person within can see all that goes on up or down the street. Himself unseen, he can recognize the passersby, and can ,spo. every caller as he approaches his dwelling. Our Consul General at Ant werp as he sits in the large easy chair by his window looking out on the street. has three such mirrors covering both directions and also the street immediate ly below. and the front door. would not intend to insinuate that a great man like him wastes his business hours in watch ing the fair pasersby; but l doubt not he thus spots the stranded Americans and gives directions to his clerk to tell obnoxious callers he is not in. Such Judas mirrors are comon in the Neither lands.
 Odd Things in Belgium.
 This country, however, has many queer things. The horses, for instance, wear straw hats in the summer, while the wo- men go bareheaded. The horses cost money and their heads need protection. The women are cheaper, and the men tell me they can be had for the asking.
 This is d country of uniforms. There are men everywhere wearing gold-laced coats and gold-braided caps, Every oth- CT servant has a cap and brass buttons. This is so with the street car conductors the railroad men and the servants of the stores. There are soldiers or officers on every street corner dressed up to the hines There are very few beggars, for begging is against the law, but the people are poor, and 1t is only the officials. their so-called servants, who are as spick and 10 rad nnnudaa Mghirh znOf inc summer fields.
 1t is odd to see women scrubbing the streets as our women scrub their kitch- ems. That is what they do here. Every man must keep his own sidewalk clean, and 1t is his wife or hired girl who does 1t. The servant gets down on her knees and washes the pavement.
 It Is odd to see a Belgian business street In the evening. All the store windows have shutters of iron and wood which roll up and down. When the store closes the shutters are dropped and the whole street s lined with blank walls.
 Where Dogs Really Wcrk.
 One of the oldest things, however. Is the Belgian dog. The expression work like a dog" must have originated here, for the dogs are worked harder than any other animals, You see them hauling vegetable carts. pulling in the shafts or hitched to the axle. Sometimes they toll along side by side with a woman, and sometimes they do all the pulling them selves Every man who runs push cart has a dog to help him and the milk cart is always pulled by one or more dogs It is wonderful what the dogs pull and how we'll they work. I tested one at a dog market in Brussels. The owner wanted to sell him to mo for % francs, or $s; and upon my asking a trial he loaded 1.5OO pounds upon the wagon and