The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-10-16
CITY that IS dead
BRUGEs, FAMED IN HISTORY
AND ART, IS NOW DYING.
Population Once Two Hundred Thou.
sand is Now Fifty-Two thousand
Fifteen Thousand Are Paupers.

A special correspondent of the
New York World says the sleepiest,
dirtiest, poorest, and yet one Of the
most picturesque cities in Europe
such is Bruges, once on the North
Sea, now seven miles from the coast.
The story of the rise and fall of
Bruges is pathetic. Once, many CEN
turies back, the premier CONNER
cial city of Europe, not excepting
Venice, Bruges has, for generations
past, lived on its artistic visitors,
who come thither to paint the finest
OF old world scenery. Now gradual
;, these are leaving! What will be-
come Of the good people of Brug
should the exodus continue, heaven
only knows. Already there are 49,
900 paupers among a total population
OF $4,000.
A year ago there we're 5000 for
eign artists resident in the town. in
Guiding 5000 English men and wo-
ren. Now but 8 1000 remain all told.
Art buyers have tired OF purchasing
tho same old pictures Of Bruses with
is noto-;orsly hideous folk and
sleepy, filthy canals. And not too
, sooa, it. would seem. 1t is calculated
that $4,000 paintings Of Bruges are
placed on the market annually, the
greater number quite commonplace
and worth less than SO or $40 each.
, In all, some 100000 paintings of
Pruges arc said to be in existence.
Bruges in the thirteen and four
teenth centuries had population OF
more than 100000 eoulds; it was the
richest and gayest city in Europe; its
inhabitants were noted for their wit
! and beauty and for their magnificent
as,ue. People nocked to Bruges for
the best of everything just as they
fock to New York, Paris or London
! to-day. What a change has come
over the town since those glorious
days!
And just because year in and year
, 5ut the waters of the North Sea re-
ceded, inch by inch, foot by foot. till
Pruses was no longer a seaport!
Canals were built, but only for small
shipping, and now the coast at Blan.
kenbe1 CHE is seven miles away. The
dreariness is awful. The streets are
empty enough by day, at night af:er
; s O'Clock no one is seen abroad at
! eli. A solitary threatre Is in keep
| ing with the general tone Of melan-
i choly, for here the good burghere
can see the latest thing in tragedy.
There is no such thing as wealth
) in Bruges-that is Just what is 80 &C
conodating for foreign residents
! who manage to live in absurdly
cheap style. The food and hotels at
Bruges are known far and wide az
the worse in Europe; no one has q
! halfpenny to spend there. Centen-
arians abound There are more than
100 in the town-as many as IN
France and England together
Though Bruges is the city Of besgars
par excellence, there are never any
! 10 worry the pedestrian. They are
all carefully looked after by the
state, the old women living in q sort
of alnshouses superintended by the
Roman Catholic clergy.
Such is "Bruges in morte," dying
moro and more each day. An attemp,
has been made to revive past pros
perity by b. lding great canal to
j the coast, But this expensive move
it would cost $3,000,000-has 80 fal
not had the desired effect. Bruses
is past salvation.