Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-13
BRUSSELS FAMED
HOME Of GENIUS
Modern Belgium City Which
Ranks With Boston in
Population.

BRUSSELS fame rests partly on
popular misapprehensions," says a
bulletin of the National Geographic
society concerning the city where
the international financial congress
now is meeting.
Its name Is linked with a carpet
that is not made there and also with
cathedral which, properly speaking,
is not cathedral at all, but a
chu.ch-that of st. Gudule.
but. even after deducting this
much from Brussels credit. enough
remains to give 1t a foremost place
among world capitals. Were the ro-
mantle adventures Of the city cast
INTO movie" scenario. the title
| might accurately be From swamp
! Dwelling to Petite Paris
From Swamp to Civic Beauty.
! The seventh century village on the
Senne, near the center of what now
| is Belgium. was called Brueselle, lit
| orally swamp dwelling with de-
scrlptive intent. The genius of a peo-
| pie for making much of meager phys
| icai circumstances fully warrants the
| nickname often given the modern
! city of parks, boulevards, art gall
| leries and famous university.
AT the historic Brussels confer
ence in 1874 the city had a Fremont
| ton of its tragic experience in 1914.
| The worlds great powers. and many
]
| humane usages in war Prussia up
held the principle that citizens of a
| clty-men, women or children-who
resisted invasion of an enemy thereby
rendered themselves liable to pre-
| cisely the same treatment as their
7! armed soldiery. England sided with
| the smaller nations in Directing to
| this proposal. Only thirty years later
/ Germany illustrated her theory by her
! atrocities in Brussels.
Heads Mounted ON Spikes.
Suffering was no new expert
ence for Brussels. More than three
centuries earlier its great square had
seen Count Egmont and Count Horn
walk to the scaffold. as the former
recited the fifty-frst Psalm, and a
little later both heads were displayed
ito the assembled multitude on iron
spikes. More gruesome still, both
heads finally were boxed and sent to
Herod might exult at another VIC
tory over his northern subjects
Though the Brussels carpet Of
modern times is not made in Bel
GUM. Brussels was paid deserved
tribute in its naming, for when 1t
England. the product was patterned
after the tapestries for which Brus-
sells was famous for centuries.
''In addition to it's weaving Brus-
sells gained renown for its lace
making. and its needle-made laces
still ind their way all over the civil
liked world. including a considerable
quantity to the United States. The
feminine culture of feudal times
sought to express in the delicate de-
signs Of flmy fabric what men
wrought in the lace-like architecture
Of its cathedrals.
Part Played BY Cellar Moisture.
Geography reinforced tempera-
ment. in this instance. 1t is not
stretching q point to say that Miss
America strolls along 9Th avenue, on
a sunny day, with a bit of lace giving
piquant touch to her tailored CO.'S
tune, because it is damp and dank in
Belgium. The mere necessity for
keeping ones hands busy on a day
part. Moreover the process of retting
flax, to separate 1ber from core. re-
quires the condition of moisture
which can easily be had in a Belgian
cellar.
I'm the time Of Louis XIV France
was the rival of the lowlands in lace
making. and SO acute did the jealousy
become that in 1870 thousands Of
crowns worth of Flanders lace was
burned by the hangman.
Woman's Fingers Avert Disaster.
after the blight of Philips des-
potic rule, lace-making was the only
industry that survived. Woman's fin
gers. it has been said, then saved
Flanders from utter ruin. Even be-
fore 1914 visitors to Brussels were
impressed by the participation of
women in many occupations reserved
to men in other lands-a condition
deftly attained by women with their
skill in the textile. arts as the. mi.
tial leverage.
THE first-time visitor to Brussels
may hnd himself beguiled to an 'ex-
hibition' Of fabrics in some private
home; only to learn that the exhibit
ton is a display of laces for sale.
The chances are he will find a bar
gain that will alleviate any irrita-
ton at this ingenious form Of sales
manship.
again he may be surprised to learn
that the compact, neighborly Brus-
sells ranks with Boston in popula-
fiOY1 -"