Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-02

of the refugees did not forget. Gunhilda,
| Earl Godwin's daughter, made Bruges her
home for nearly wenty years; when she
died she left her levels to the Collegiate
| Church, and when they were sold hundred
! years later they brought sum OF money
| sufficient to restore the church. The MOD
| ern English Observation-Disclosures by
| heart this and countless other stories OF
| the elden English characters who fed 10
| Bruges md when you walk lelsureiy WIN
| them about the town they Will point on'
| to YOU the crypt of st. Basil, where, le-
Rend SAYS Earl Goodwin was wont TO pray
| with the court. and other places frequenteo
| by the titled eXiles.
| Quite few artists and writers are nun
bered among the present English residents,
indeed Bruces seems to be a sort OF mead
quarters for many such workers OF d!vefs
nationalities. even handful OF Americans
having taken up their abode In Quaint
eabled houses lining the sleepy waterways.
For a person with 1.-THE artistic tempera-
ment'' the towns atmosphere is delightful.
Then, too, modern ways not having crept IN
to any great extent, and living being cheap
in consequence francs day secure ex-
cellent lodging and board-there is no need
to pursue art except for arts sake
1t is impossible to walk out in Bruges
without catching sight of artists with open
sketch books. Many make excursions from
Paris, especially to study the town. AT
least half dozen are always to be found
in the Grande Place, making studies of the
noted of all the towns numerous conven-
tual buildngs-is another favorite subject;
so is the Church of the Notre Dame with
its graceful tower visible to the fishermen
of OStend while yet some distance out at
sea, and so the picturesque dilapidation of
the once palatial homes of Bruges' mer
chant princes. No other city in Europe has
retained SO much of the true medieval
character and hence all Bruges is a never
ending source of inspiration to artists
But that bit of architecture which appeals
most strongly, not only to the Temperament
tai classes, but to the average stranger in
Bruges, as well. is the belfry.
Pride of the Town.
The belfry is the one great pride and
show place of the town. No stranger can
be in Bruges half a day without being con-
Quoted to the Grande Place and having the
belfry pointed out to him and its history
poured in his ears long as he will listen.
No child is prouder of her first doll than
the citizen of Bruges is of his slightly lean
ing tower, famed as the finest structure of
Its kind in all Europe; and, truth to tell
the foreign residents speedily come to take
as much pride in 1t as the impoverished de-
Scendants of its builders themselves
Inc sHection with which the town regards
the belfry is best revealed, perhaps, in the
words of the present city archivist:
For 800 years this belfry has watched
over the city OF Bruses. 1t has beheld her
triumphs and her failures, her glory and
her shame. her prosperity and her gradual
decay, and, In spite OF the many vicissitudes
IL is still standing to bear witness to the
genius of our forefathers to awaken alike
memories Of old times and admiration for
one OF the most splendid monuments of
civic architecture which the middle age
has produced
The life, the wonderful kaleidoscopic his
tory or Bruses mas ever centered about the
belfry from the time Of the original towers
erection in the eight hundreds under the
MIST Counts of Flanders. This structure
was destroyed in the great fire four CEN
turtles later, and the present ono built on
the ruins. From the first days of the orig
inal bell tower until quiet times came the
watchers stationed on Its summit sounded
Inc tocsins of war that for all those hun
dreds of years frequently called the burgh-
els to arms at the belfry's base. The arch
ives of the city have been kept In a room
contained in the belfry since its building.
Around 1t popular demonstrations have
taken place. In 1t Macmillan, u prisoner,
trembled for his life when the guilds pa
raded by Haunting their banners in his
face. Close by is the famous cloth mar
ket, or what remains of 1t, rather Today
the belfryS fOrty-SiX chimes, reputed the
finest In all Belgium, besides singing weird
ly every Quarter of an hour, often call the
inhabitants TO the great square for revel
and for thousand years a red flag by day
and red light by night, displayed by
watchers living at the summit have warned
the town of the breaking out OF fire.
A Striking Dramatic Incident.
One of the most dramatic scenes ever
enacted with the belfry as the center of
the picture occurred just after the burgh-
ers had released the Archduke Macmillan
from imprisonment on his signing treaty
to respect the citys preroeatiyes which he
had violated. The situation had been tense
for nearly three months, with the city In
danger of war with Maximilian's angry
fellow German princes, with his father
threatening the magistrates with dire pun
ishment should any harm befall his son.
with the pope ready to interdict. The crisis
at last over, apparently, the whole city as
sembied as one man to make merry in the
Grande Place. Great quantities of malt
liquor had been drunk. the dancing was
merrily on, the festivities had become al
most riotous. when, without warning, the
band. stationed on the belfrys summit,
stopped playing In the middle of a bar.
Instantly the merrymaking ceased. A
sea or faces was upturned to where the
musicians were seen looking with blanched
faces in the direction of the woods Of
Maele. Their dismay was caught by the
people below. and What is 1T? What is
tt?' became the universal cry.
"Maximilian's men are firing the peas
ants honest! was the answer, and the
city, hearing 1t, knew In it's heart that
sroublous times with the German archduke
were not yet over; that he would surely
break the treaty, as he had his word be-
Iore. rSAceSSiye JOY gave way 10 deep
forebodings, and silently the people sought
their homes
Two years later these forebodings were
realized when the city, after being reduced
by siege to the verge of starvation by Max
imilian's lieutenant In Flanders, the notori-
GUS Count Nassau. made the best terms 1t
could, only to find that what remained OF
its once splendid commerce had deserted to
less tumultuous Antwerp, never to return
to its old canals and quays and ware
houses.
SO impoverished was the city made by its
conflict with the king of the Romans that
1t has not recovered anything like even
decent general comfort to this day.
Bruges is notorious for the great number
of its dependents. reckoned at II 600; hence
its numerous churchly structures, nuns and
friars fiocking in to care for the Inhabitants
In the days Of distress and despair fol-
lowing its submission to Macmillan. The
poor house, q colnmodfous building, capa-
BILE of holding coo persons Is always over
crowded. and the waiting list Is long.
Modern charitable Institutions are to Be
found at frequent tnteTyalsi IS q d0ubtSsat