The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-09-26
THE uTERMoUNrAN AND COLORADO CATHOLICS SEPTEMBER e. 1908

winch are not at all to be compared to the similar
CLASS IN England and not better if they are as
good as those we find on some of the misprl7 com
pany-owned lines in Ireland YIN
One of the chief attractions for tho ,;s;+o -
belglum, apart altogether from the natural desire
an educated person would feel to see the land made
famous 10 Tor all time by Julius Caesar, the grand
sons OF Charlemagne, Charles V (to whom half the
world belonger), Philip H. of Spain. Fmnress Maria
theresa and Napoleon l., one of the chief attrac-
uons, say, IS to be found in the art treasures
ana tneSe Iall under two heads-painting and arch-
.' l ~ visit to the picture galleries of
Antwerp and Brussels and if YOU come away with
out 1eellng that you have beheld the sublimitv of
genius on canvas, pity you. Oh! Rubens, Van
Dyek rembrandt, Lebrun, Janssens. Crayer. Huvs-
mans hans Meming, how little Belgium treas
ures your names, how her heart tbrobs with nrida
rs she sees the visitors from so many lands come
TO worship at the shrine of your works Arcbitec-
lure; ZOO pays 4 prominent part in the national
NE OF Belgium. Those beautiful Gothic buildings
uiaC sprung up during the Middle Ages under the
rule OF Mayors and Aldermen remain a monument
Oh the past enterprise of the country Who can
gaze upon the town halls of Bruges Brussels and
Louran without feeling how great were the men
OF O, the oden day And the belfries of Bruges and
0hent what memories do they call up as we gaze
upon them. We seem to hear again the clano
clang OF those mighty bells as they summoned
forth the armed citizens and the burgher soldiers
IN defense OF their privileges and liberties And
l. as gazed upon those belfries with all the hos
torlc ASSOCIATIONS of the past cnging around them
could not help repeating the beautiful lines of
Longfellow:
"ln the market place of Bruges stands the belfry
old and brown
Thrice consumed and thrice rebuiIded still #
watches Ger the town
Not a sound rose from the CITY at that carly morn,
ing hour.
But heard heart of iron beating in that ancient
tower.
Visions of the day departed shadow nbar+o,ns
filed my brain,
Those who lived in history only seemed to walk
the earth again.
All the Foresters of Flanders mighty Balwin Bras
de Fer
Lyderick du Bueq and Cressy, Pbiln, CIV de
behed the pageants splendid, that adorned those
days of old,
Stately danes, like queens attended knights who
love the Fleece of Gold.
/ beheld proud Maximian kneeing humblv on
the ground
behed the gentle Mary hunting with her hawk
and hound.
beheld the Flemish weavers with Namur and
Juliers bold
Marching homeward from the bloody battle of the
Spurs of God
Saw the fight at Minnewater, saw the White Hoods
moving west
Saw great Artevelde victorious scale the Golden
NoIuen Dragons nest,
And again the whskered Spaniard, all the land
with terror smote,
And again the wild alarm sounded from the tocsin's
throat,
Till the bell of Client responded DER lagoon and
dyke of sand
II am Roland l am Roland! There is victory in
the land"
*The inscription on the bell in Ghent befry is:
MY name IS Roland, when [ toll there is fire, and
when | ring there is victory in the land"
And the churches of Belgium, too how they in
terest one, both regards their architecture and
art treasures. No visitor, | am sure would feel
that he has the country if he left it and had
not Toasted his eyes on ST. Gudule the glory of
Brussels the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Antwerp
dating back to the year 1922, and which took more
than ninety years in erection In this little church
Philip of Spain held the chapter of the "Golden
Fleece" at which eight kings and the Emperor
Charles were present. Ny task would be endless
if l endeavored to describe the beauty, the art
treasures the old memories that are associated with
all the churches in the land. 1t is witha truly
wonderful little country from whatever standpoint
you take If, and every foot of it has made his
tory Thousands come each year to see it from
all parts of the world. They may bring away with
them different impressions about it. but | venture
to say they have impression in common, and
hat c-RplCium great little country