The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-02
Brussels Cor. Chicago Tribune.

BruSSelS cor. CnlCagO lf1Dune.
 ~HERE are several well known and (U much tried ways of catching hus-
 bands. But that which has been adopted by the maidens of the village of caussines-Lalaing is novel, for, as Amer jeans will have heard, 1t consists of-catch- ing them wholesale on day specially set apart at Whitsuntidc for lovemaking.
 Ecaussines is a place where the supply of matrimonially inclined maidens greatly exceeds the local demand for them. The girls not having the means to go in search of husbands hit upon the idea of inviting bachelors from all over the world to come and woo them. They advertised the fact that girls were to be had for the asking at Escaussines. They went further than that They intimated that they would relieve bashful swains of the ordeal and do the asking themselves. Some three or four years ago they held their first mat rimonial fair. They have been holding it annually ever since.
 Having read some idylnc accounts of the charming spectacle the fair afforded, I resolved this year to go and see the show myself. The train which bore me from Brussels contained several hundred young men, who were bound for the same place. We had not proceeded far on our journey when became aware that most of them had provided themselves with flasks, from which they plentifully forti- fled themselves with Dutch courage" Perhaps, that they might not too easily succumb to the charms of the Ecaussines maidens, thought. But after seeing the damsels 1t struck me that, if such was been needlessly wasted.
 Ecaussines Is an ugly conglomeration of drab colored houses and cobblestone streets. It had prepared itself for the bachelor invasion by putting on gala at- tire, but that did not suffice to make 1t attractive The streets were spanned with triumphal arches bearing the inscftption "A vous nos coeurs''-which might be freely translated, Our hearts are yours for the asking by the delicate maiden fingers of Ecaussines. On the win dow of nearly every house was stuck a big red heart with a sentimental inscrip- tion. This indicated that within dwelt a maiden of several of them, waiting to be wed. Most of them are stiil waiting Thece emblems of the tender passion were These embiems of the tender passion were them.
 The courtship revels did not begin until the afternoon. Meanwhile the cafes had been doing big business, for Ecaussines under any condition, is thirst-inspiring place, and the Belgians are thirsty peo- pie. Thus Bacchus got a good start of Cupid. When the time came for the lat ter to take his inning most of the eligible bachelors were in that condition which seafaring men describe as three sheets in the wind.''
 Some 300 or 400 of them, wearing white hats. fell in behind blaring brass band and paraded through the town, waiting beery kisses to the coy maidens who sat at the windows bearing the signs of the red heart When they came to a halt Tn the market square the Quee of the love less Ecaussines spinsters. Msfie Ghende, emerged from somewhere dnd stepped to the front She had fluffy staw-colored hair and wore a costumk k of''., hue to match it Her face would ne,er S.p her a fortune, but she had plenty of .$sur- ance and a saucy way aboft her that took the fancy of tine crowd. She was1at- tended by four maids of hontr, attiret in weird combination of saffron and grep. In respect of good looks Marie had lp cause to be jealous of them.
 The most picturesque figure in her en- tourage was her knighf errint, rugged old peasant of four stbre, who danced a breakdown in his sab4s for ten centineS, and who was down Y the programme to do battle with all c1ners Tor the heart and hand of the fairIAarie' He wac not called upon to yedese nis coAuen&A aew-