Bisbee daily review., 1918-10-31
COuTtrGi

In the great war many cities, famous in old times have become famous again this day. Ypres, Lille, Lens, Amiens, Canlbrai, St. Quentin, Laon, Verdun, Rheims, all along the battle line their lights of glory shine on the pages of today and we turn back in the great book and look closely to see the radiance reflected about them from the long ago. But not one of these cities has more to boast about in the matter of glory and of momentous events that oc- cured before their walls than has Courtrai, that ancient city of Flanders, taken by the British the ether day There had been no fighting before Courtrai, no waiting or hoping or longing for her redemption from the Hun. She was far from the battle line. There are no endless rows of wooden crosses before her walls, and in the night winds that blow across her fields can be heard no sighing of any army of ghosts of the men who fought and died that she might be free. Not in this war But in wars gone by many men have died for and against Courtrai, and the ghosts of men dead for five hundred years haunt her streets and fields.
 Before the ramparts of Courtrai over five hundred years ago was fought the most remarkable battle of democracy against autocracy in all the history of the world Here the common citizens of Chent and Bruges, on foot and with pike and axe, defended the town against the on slaught of the knights and nobles and the proudest chivalry of old France, and when the day was done these plebian feotmen celebrated in old Courtrai their victory over the patrician horsemen and princes of the French king. Forty thousand Flemish burghers fought against an equal number of the French at Courtrai in the year 1902, and the day after the battles these workers and weavers and winegrowers gathered up three thousand golden spurs from the heels of dead knights on the battle field. Many historians referred to this fight as the bat tie of the Spurs.
 At another period Charles the Rash, the proud, reckless, brave and glorious Duke of Burgundy rode with picked band of fol- lowers against Courtrai, and these same burghers laid down their hammers and their yardsticks and picked up their trusty pikes and went forth to meet him. And Charles the Rash fell in that fight and his body was found next day in shallow, frozen pond with a ring of his dead knights and men-at-arms about him. No gayer, more gallant or glorious figure ever made his war horse caracole across history's page than Charles the Rash. Born to the pur- pie. bred in arms, vainglorious, handsome, flashing, princely, brave to rashness, as his name implied he was the type incarnate of the patrician and autocrat of his day and age His generals tried in vain to dissuade him from leading his small band against those massed bikes that guarded Courtrai, but his invincible pride would brook no opposition of mere citizens against his princely pennons, and he rode to his death, as debonnair and dauntless' knight ever couched a lance or whirled sword Tn the lists of war
 But the men of Burges and of Ghent cared net for his beauty or his fame or his skill or his fiery courage or his silver mounted armor They set their Pikes and hamstrung his horse and hacked him with their axes and left his corpse in the sedges of pond where it froze in the sheeted ice of winter night in Flanders, as mean and as melancholy shroud as ever encased the form of darling of fame and for tune and princely rank
 Yes, Courtrai has had her battles. She has always stood buIwark of democracy against the princes. Her citizens have never quailed before the power of kings. And now she is free again from the con