The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-25
HE SEES WORKS OF ART.
Topeka Traveller in Europe Admire
Paintings Of Famous Old Masters.

Writing from Cologne on August O.
Bernard Crosby says
Left Paris Saturday afternoon, Aug
ust 4, arriving in Brussels same after
noon. Took a drive over the city which
with it beautiful parks, squares, spaci-
Gus streets. grand buildings and other
attractions justly entitled it to its name
of Little Paris. In the evening heard
the orchestra of the theater de la Mon
naie in VauxhaIl. The music was grand.
Wagner's Tannhauser with some very
fine solo singers, mostly Belgian and
German. Sunday morning went to the
Catholic church, st. Gudule, a beautiful
Gothic building with very fine windows
and a handsome carved wood pulpit
representing the explosion from Para
disc. From there went to the Hotel dc
/ Vile Clown hall) presided by burgo-
master, 1 might add each town has
Hotel de Vile and each one is probably
| the finest building in the town. In these
| all marriages take place (then at the
church), and all trades are represented
by beautiful paintings. Across the street
are the various guild halls or trade
unions buildings.
after lunch went to the Palace des
| Beaux Arts. A very Imposing building
4 with tall massive columns, on the top
of which are immense figures represent
4 ing music, painting and sculpture The
! picture gallery inside is the real issue
AS Belgium is the mother of the old
Flemish painters, this is the place to see
their paintings with their original sur
/ roundings.
Late in the afternoon we took a drive
1 through the boulevard. A number of
people and carriages were out. In the
evening went to Vauxhal again. The
following forenoon went through the
Palais de Justice About the size of our
state house, costing about 10 millions
Massive columns, all granite and carved
marble. Furnished about like our con-
gressiOnal library in washington.
We took the train for Burgess that
I afternoon and went through Notre
Dame, a cathedral richly gifted with old
paintings. Then a drive around the city
Some other queer sights, wooden shoes,
yokes around men and women's necks
| carrying things and pulling carts. Then
| there are canals running all through the
city. There are some beautiful spots.
Large Dutch windmills, etc. The
next morning drove again and went
through hospital of st. John, Muse Com
mercial and Chapelle du Saint Sang, all
| of which were adorned with old Elem
4 ish paintings. Left that afternoon for
| Antwerp, or Anvers as they call it.
Another beautiful city and rich with
paintings (Rubens). Went through
the Musee Plantin, the old printing
plant Of Christopher Plantin (1549).
Here it is, just as It was left with its
old type, books and manuscripts. An
old grapevine on the inner court is said
to be $50 years old. In Notre Dame
cathedral which we saw next is Rubens
IaD1OuS O6HCGuL lie
Cross painted by him on his return
from Italy. To see it alone is worth the
! trip abroad Perfectly wonderful. 9th
ers of his, the Elevation of the Cross
and Assumption are in the cathedral. In
the afternoon went to the Royal Musee
which is one Of Europe's noted gal
leries. Here is found Rubens' Christ s
Crucifixion, and Quinton Matsys En-
tombment and hundreds of others. Then
to st. Jacques Church, where Rubens
is buried. He has q picture there of the
Holy Family, using the portraits of his
own family for the Saints. Then a
drive around the dock and afterward
to Cologne, where we start up the
Rhine Went to the Cathedral Dorm.
which is the most magnificent Gothic
church in the world. The outside dec
GRATED with cornices, flying buttresses,
galleries, foliage and gargoyles. The
inside is perfectly plain which makes
it look immense. One thing like about
it is that there is no screen In the cen
ter and from the door one gets a clear
view Of the whole nave and choir. This
Is grander than the cathedral of York.
England, and the west facade much
more interesting on account of the
statues being in their places and not
broken out. To give you an idea Of its
size viii tell you it is 157 yards long, 81
yards wide, transepts "a yards, roof POI
feet high and towers 515 feet high. We
carry our Baedeker in so many Of the
churches I am afraid when get back
III get it mixed with my prayer books.
am sure II is a habit hard to break,
for Baedeker is really indispensable
and can be relied on wholly"