East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-07-15
BY CARL W. ACKERMAN.

Mail to New York. -LOuvain is fall
of surprises and filled with pathoc.
one is surprised 10 find at least sew
cn-tenths of the city untouched by
the fire which the German army kin
dled to punish shipping warfare One
is surprised to see the Hotel de Vile
standing with not a trace Of smoke,
fire or shell. The beautiful carved
statued facade is as white as paper.
One is surprised too. to see the pro-
gres the inhabitants are making IN
cleaning and rebuilding their ruined
city.
But all this cheerfulness in a city
that was thought to be dead is al
most covered up by the pathetic faces
of the inhabitants whose homes
were ruined.
/ travelled through Louvain today
by automobile tramped through
the center Of the city, examined tho
interior Of the cathedral and later
rode through the city on the train and
saw the blocks and blocks of brick
walls, pierced and blackened, but
which one day were homes and stores.
Louyain is undoubtedly a martyred
city.
Colonel Burmann, of the German
army, who was our guide, was one o.
the first Germans to enter Louvain
He knows the history of the fighting
and fire better than probably any 9TH
er soldier now in Belgium No one
pitles Louvain and its inhabitants
more than this big German officer.
The fire was started, he said, only as
a last desperate effort of the Germans
to stop the shipping warfare. Thou
sands of Germans, he declared wers
shot down as they marched through
the city. In the cathedral alone he
said the Germans found 400 Belgian
rifles and many boxes Of ammunition.
Today the art treasures of Louvain
are securely packed in the basement
of the Hotel de Vile. The art world
owes the safety Of these priceless
works to a young German art student
who was in the invading army, When
this boy who has studied in Lou
vain University, heard that the city
would be set afire rushed to the COM
mander, told him Of these valuable
treasures. This youth then mapped
cut the location of these treasures
and under his guidance they were re-
moved from the burning territory to
the basement of safety
was told that most of the paint
ings from the cathedral were saved
but as | tramped about in the ruins l
counted siv large oil paintings still or
the walls Of the church but entirely
pnharmed. This cathedral appears
about half destroyed. On one sido
the paintings and beautiful black
and white marble aItacs are Untouch-
ed. Or the other only tn hare stone
walls le.nain. The church chimes
have "a en- from the loft to the ca
thedral fl5nr and broken into Il score
OF pieces.
But Louvain's ruins are guarded as
precious treasures by the inhabitants.
The only souvenirs travellers pick up
are postcards and the dust on their
shoes
Should you wish a birdseye view of
Louvain imagine a city shaped like c
large wheel with ten spokes running
from the axle or center Picture t.
yourself the cathedral. Hotel de Vile
and Louvain university around the
hub. The spokes are city streets and
between are the houses and stores,
for Louvain was a city of 10000 peo-
pie Imagine then that a fire swept
away the houses between three spokes
and destroyed everything around the
hub except the Hotel de Vile and the
cathedral. Then you will see Louvaih
today.
Now stand before the Hotel de
Vile and look to the west Not a
house or building is touched by fire
o, she'll A short distance away read
the sign: "Cafe de Wilson" Now
turn to the left and you see more city
streets untouched and crowded with
inhabitants. Business going on as
usual Nearby you read another sign,
Hotel de American" In a nearby
restaurant you will find bread as
white as you eat in America for it's
bread made from American wheat
which the Belgian Relief Commission
is supplying.
Down the street we travel en- route
to Brussels you will see workmen pill
ing up bricks from the ruined houses
for the inhabitants headed by the
mayor are trying their best to rebuild
the city.
Louvain is full of surprised and
filled with pathos. But from what l
saw today I do not believe it is a dead
city 1t will rise some day out Of its
ruins for with seventeenths Of the city
untouched by fire or shell, with the
beautiful Hotel de Vile still stand
ing to inspire the people, it needs only
peaceful, normal times to grow anS