The Washington herald., 1906-11-11
GOING ABROAD
Observations of Feminine Rambler.

stops at this port three days to coal. Wa
ter and provision. and take on immense
quantities Of freight from Belgium and
south and west Germany. Jack and I
have rambling notions about sightseeing,
and we decided to cut out Brussels and
after a glimpse Of antwerp. take flying
trips 10 BTuges and Ghent-
I loved Antwerp for'the little Christmas
trees selling ~ the market place for Is
and 20 cents. and thought regretfully OF
one I paid so for last winter. The market
place. by the way, was the loyeliest sight
imaginable with cut flowers on great
wicker trays and punches built six feet
/ into the air. as well as the most magniii-
cent specimens Of potte6 plants. The
/ Reubens and Van Dycks satisfied my love
for pictures, and in The Descent from
| the Cross. a sibilant guide pointed out
with an air Of intimate acquaintance
with the Reuben's family, the perfect
likenesses Of The first wife. the second
/ wife. the cousin the friend. and even the
/ big Flemish horse. with fetlOcks Ike
/ punches Of celery, which was won't 10
I carry the master upon his journeyings.
/ There was also a dog in one Of the pic
lures that Van Dyck-Reuben's pupil
/ thought should figure among Reubeu's re-
/ latons and pets. so he, Van Dyck took
/ the liberty of painting his canine majesty
/ into one corner Of the canvas, thus com
/ pletHg a domestic picture in a great
/ masterpiece Of art.
/ Within the cathedral, guides are kept
]
/ iug= before the pictures The exquisite
/ face Of Christ. painted By De Vinci on
I marble. and as fine as miniature, can
/ not be seen without climbing onto some
! steps. and having a lighted candle held IN
J exact position to catch the divine radiance
I Of the countenance. Jack liked the FIem-
( ism oak pulpit that represented the diff
/ ferent nations Of the world, and the fg-
ure Of Africa on the dark side was of
/ immense interest in that It had a Poca-
/ hontas. representing America, for a near
neighbos
Sunday mornings service at the Cathe-
+ draI IS quite q cheerful affair All the
little chairs are set with backs to the
altar. People wander iR, kneel for q mo-
ment and then turn them about and sit
down After brief rest they rise again.
return the chairs to their original position,
and saunter out Women come To church
without their hats in the most informal
way. and an army Of poor feminine
/ specimens go about at intervals Of ter
minutes beseeching aims. Tarders, in
J picturesque, long. lace-trimmed coats and
blue saebes-like the one worn by the
! president general Of the j.. a. R.-carry
their great STATS cf Office Up and down
the aiales. and parties Of little children
f hand in hand, saunter from nave 70 nave
/ The Cathedral is so large that all sorts OF
/ things happen at the same time. FoI
/ instance. I listened 10 an organ recital
4 in enc corner, while Jack sat under a
/ French sermon in the center aisle, and
our friend. the Countess Schlienen. lis
tened 10 mass in another part Of the
church. About the entrance TO the
Cathedral IL seemed rather ike a railway
station. so many people were passing in
and out. and there were so many meet
lings between old friends and so much
kissing going on among the Belgians and
/ French. The way the men OF these two
nations kiss Is something amazing. They
are never content with one salutatiOn
bur they kiss each oth,rs cheek at least
six times iE order to express the proper
degree Of friendliEess. Jack used L,
blush a beautiful crimson every time ht
witnessed one Of these osculation matches
4 promenade bridge is built above IN,
docks al Antwerp, and here the native.
came In hundreds every afternoon Oul
ship was in port. TO listen to the decI
! concert and behold an East Asian inel
making ready for her long voyage. It wa'
rather discOncerting 10 md people gaZnG
through our porthCle or wandering abou
the interior OF the vessel at any and al
hours Up in the smoking-ro0m, too, th'
way visitors disposed Of sandwiches anC
drinks was startling to behold Evident
ly IL is great occasion in AntwerI
when mail steamers. bound for the Orient
are in port.
Antwerp has a reputation for Tathe'
IFrenchy shops. but I went into abou
twenty-five looking in vain for ordinary
neck rUching The fashionable necl
Iadcrnment seemed TO be an enormously
high laundered collar that turned over
billowy bunch Of lace, most villainou'
combination of discomfort and elegance
Finally at a milliner's shop. purchased
for the equivalent of s. cents q ncCl
ruching that went once and half AROUND
my neck and was a fat roll Of white
chiffon made upon an inch-wide band O.
black percaline- Frenchy, wasn't it,
I laughed at the remembrance Of tn,
honeymConers gone of to Brussels fo
Spite" when the best lace manufac
tories in Belgium are right at Antwerp
Ghent once numbered among the fore
most cities of Europe. offered To me
singular picture of the contrast betweeI
-a
modern industrial life. The celebrated 0l,
Flemish town carried US back to the tent
century. and when / reached that period
it happened at the Cathedral of st. Bavon
where we went TO see the Van Dyck al
tar-I refused further retrogression. auc
decided upon a visit 10 the former abodes
OF the counts of Flanders. But at Grav
enkasted il was even worse, the ninth cen
/ tury looming out Of the past TO reproac!
Jack and me with our mcdernity.
"Oh, OH" groaned Jack, when we eo
to BrUges, this is a city Of the dead, fol
sure"
Everything was of the past and full o'
memories Of vanished greatness L al
. most went over the guides plaintive tale
Of how Bruges was once one OF the mos
. brilliant commercial cities of the world
how it WED with Venice as center OF
world commerce. The deserted Ionelines,
and quiet stiffness of the streets an(
, alleys. once gay with life. were tomb
Ike in their effect Life was only ap
parent in the principal thOrOughfaTes
i. Elsewhere people either slept and dream
ed Of the days gone by, TO the greatnes,
OF which the magnificent surviving mOnu
, ments attest or there are no people {,
sleep. XVorkmen's small houses. datins
from Middle Ages lined the tran
Gull streets through which We made ou
final way TO the solitary, peaceful Be
ruinage. Jacks countena1ce was 81
ingubrious that I was glad to get hin