The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-07-25
q WINS ARE
REA W. ENED
BY THE War
Nieuport, Dixnude and Ypres
viii Go Down in History OF
Great Struggle.


fcorrespondence OF the Associated Iress.l
FURNES, Belgium. July 24.-The-
little Flemish towns that loafed for
centuries on the banks of the User
before being reawakened to give their
names to the history of some OF the
most dramatic episodes of the war
Newport, Dixmude, Ypres-counted
little commercially, and only Ypres
/ figured much in history. Wars had
| reduced the former proud capital OF
Flanders to a droning town OF less
than 10000 Inhabitants, OF whom vir-
tually only the Valenciennes lace
makers worked. The men we're called
I"tournesols" which may be translat-
| ed either as "sundowers" or shade
seekers; they earned the name by
shifting their lounging places on the
Grande Place SO as to keep In the
sun when the weather was cold, and
| to keep out of it when it was not. The
remaining Importance of the place
was, as that OF Dixmude, Newport
and Furnes, chiefly its treasures of
| art Those of Ypres were mostly
| gathered in the Merghelynck museum
and have been practically all saved,
| including pictures by Snyders, Van
Cost and Van Thulden, with rare
specimens of wood carving, Spanish
4
While the Germans were approaching
the line of the User, Monsieur Henri
Dommartin, state librarian at Brus-
| sells, transferred the museum intact to
Dunkirk and from there to Havre.
The most precious work OF art In
the entire region, THE Alteration OF
the Wise Men OF the East" by Jor-
daens, valued at four million francs,
was lost at Dixmude. 1t has been re-
moved from the bombarded church
to a theater for safety: the theater
was caved in by shell and the pic
ture destroyed.
Other Works Saved.
A number of other works OF art,
| including rare specimens OF Cordo-
van, relics of the Spanish occupa-
ton of Flanders. were saved here by
Monsieur Dommartin and Monsieur
Eugene de Groot. deputy for Fumes
and Dixmude.
When the French troops went
through Loo to meet the Germans
along the User. they saved valu-
able picture, Christ between the Two
Thieves" by Van Bockhorst, pupil of
Rubens. Other objects of Jesse rvalue
were left but afterwards saved by
Monsieur Dommartin with the aid of
the cure of the parish. They were
about to leave when the cure cried:
AZ was going to forget the mass book"
The mass book OF Loo was one of the
most valued relics OF Flanders. 1t
was printed by the widow OF Bal
thaZer Moretus, son-in-law Of Plan
tin, in 1701. It contained many beau
tiful engravings and was ornamented
with precious stones and escutcheons
with the arms OF Loo.
At the convent of Loo some remark
able portraits of the first bishops Of
Ypres were found in the cellar and
put into place of safety.
The great panel, Esther at the
Feet of Assueras,, was saved at
Newport by the French while the
Germans were bombarding the town.
1t is torn in many places by frag-
imbedded in the frame. "A picture rep
resenting the Siege Of Newport" in
1900 was also lacerated by shells be-
fore being rescued along with valu-
able portraits of Philippe IL, May
Tudor, Albert and Isabella, A mon
STRANGE of great value was dfscov-
cred by Monsieur de Groot here wall
ed up in cellar.
Pride of Furnes.
The pride of Furnes was its famous
pieces of Cordovan leather and spec
linens OF art of the middle ages, when
in Flanders every man condemned
was required to execute in bronze a
reproduction of his crime In the form
of the part of the body on which he
had committed it. or the part OF the
body with which he committed 1t.
Among the relics of that age taken
to place of safety from Fumes
ere bronze head with lips sealed
by a ring-the work OF man con-
demned for b1asphemy, and a fist of
bronze armed with a poignard, the
work of an assassin.
At Wulveringham, soldiers passing
through and quartered for the nighE
in the church saved the Christ on
the Cross" ..Adorationof the Shep->
herds" and the "Martyrdom Of Saint
Jesus"
A celebrated statute of Christ. at
tributed to the French sculptor Du
Quesnoy was the property OF the
little church of Lampernisse. which
was destroyed by a shell, together
with the forty-four soldiers occupy
ing 1t. The cure had saved the relic
however and it was later found among
the objects saved at Wulveringham-
The value OF the works ofsart saved
from ruin along the User runs high
into the millions. The value of what
is known to have been lost is also
formidable.