The Alaska daily empire., 1914-08-24
SOMETHING OF
 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
fny Gertrude E. Mallette.l

(By Gertrude b. MbllellS.l
 Brussels. which the French know as Bruxelles, and which has just fall on into the hands of the invading Ger man armies was first protected again. st hostile forces in the year lO44, when Baldric, the Count of Louyain constructed its first walls. Since that time Brussels has known many mis- fortunes and during the fifteenth cen tury the city was twice razed by fire and once ravaged by plague. In l56S the city was the scene of the tragic execution of Count Egmont and Count Hoorn, who gave their lives in forfeit as penalty for their opposition to Phil ip II in his policy regarding the Neth' erlands.
 Marlborough made his headquarters at Brussels after the battle of Families in 1895 and one hundred years later it was taken by the French who held 1t until 1874 at which time 1t became the capital of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1880 the city was the center of the revolt which resulted in the separation of Holland and Bel gium. Since that time 1t has been the capital of Belgium and has won for itself an enviable reputation in connection with the cultivation and patronage of art.
 Like so many other cities in the public eye in Europe today, Brussels has an old town and new town, the former speaking Flemish and the lat ter almost exclusively French. The river Senne runs through the city, cutting the plain from the hill which forms the new town. The old fortif- cations have been changed into boule- wards, change which has taken place in many European towns whose poli- tical situation has changed frequently, and with their rows of elm and linden they stretch for distance of five miles or more of very beautiful prom enade commanding an extensive view of the surrounding country.
 All except one of the many gates to the city are modern, the one rem nant of the ancient Notifications is the Porte de Hal, built in 1879, a mas sive military tower which in later years has been used as prison. The streets of Brussels are all very ire gular, some of them so much so that they have been spoken of as twist ing" There is a wealth of ancient architecture in the city. particularly in the old town. perhaps the most fa- nous example of which is the Church of Notre Dame de la Chapelle, which is an edifce of great beauty.
 All the world knows Brussels for it's faces and it's carpets. and perchance the vegetarians may think of it as the home of Brussels sprouts" and be entirely justified, for the sprouts form no small part of the autumn crop of the Belgian. gardens. Trade is car ried on chiefly by rail, the river be- ing unnavigable, though the canals are used to great extent. Perhaps the best glimpse one can get of these ca nals without actually being in Brus. sells may be quoted from Stevenson, who says. in connection with his ca noe trip down the Willerbroek canal: "Of all the creatures of commercial enterprise, canal barge is by far the most delightful to consider. It may spread its sails. and then you see 1t sailing high above the tree tops and the windmill, sailing on the aqueduct, sailing through green cornlands, the most picturesque of things amphibious. Or the horse plods along at foot pace as if there were no such thing as business in the world; and the man dreaming at the tiller sees the same spire on the horizon all day long. It Is mystery to see how things get to their destination at this rate; and to see the barges waiting their turn at the lock affords fine lesson of how easily the world may be taken"