Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-02-11
Limbe1g Is Noted For
A Cheese And 4 Siege

Dutch" Limburg, that portion of
ancient Limburg which Belgium
seeks to have Holland restore to her
because it will enable her to fortify
her frontiers more strongly, Is de-
scribed in the following bulletin from
the Washington headquarters Of the
National Geographic Society.
That portion of Limburg now
ruled by Holland lies east of the
Meuse is smaller han Rhode Island
In area. and has a population slight
ly less THAI that of Detroit. Michigan.
"Limburg's cheese is famous
though its significant history Is almost
forgotten It's name, applying 20 a
considerable area. dates back to the
eleventh century and was derived
from a castle built along the Vesdre
river on the site of the present town
of Limburg.
For two centuries thereafter the
history of Limburg was one of tedious
disputes until it suddenly was illum-
mated by the exploits of John OF Bra
bant, whose brilliant battles against
superior forces resulted in the union
Of Limburg and Brabant. Thus Linn
burg became the beneficiary of thai
Magma Carta of the continent, known
as the Joyous Entry granted by
John III. Duke of Brabant. n
document established a miniature
league of nations among the feudal
states, ~pledging the rulers of Brabant
to respect territorial integrity and TO
a referendum of taxes wars. and trea-
ties to their subjects.
For a time Limburg was annexed
to France; portions of it then fell to
Luxembourg and thus passed into the
German confederation. That section
of the original Limburg now in con-
~troversy was Incorporated in Holland
hvr tGa London nOnfarnnnn at the close
OF our Civil War. After the Belgian
revolution, nearly thirty years earlier,
it's chief city and present capital,
Maastricht, adhered to Holland. The
rest of Limburg. including the area
which now i ga province of Belgium
sent it's legislators to the Brussels as
sembly throughout the period of
nearly a decade when Holland refus-
ed to recognize the independence or
Belgium.
Maastricht's most conspicuous ex-
plot was it's four months resistance
of the siege of the terrible Duke OF
! Parma. With a small garrison as a
/ nucleus, citizens and peasants from
the vicinity resisted a veteran army
Of about equal numbers. Parma had
miners tunnel under the walls. A
'woman's regiment from the city
scalded hundreds to death with show
ers of boiling water. eanWhile men
employed bellows from church organs
to blow burning brush into the subter-
ranean trenches. Then the women!
nicknamed mine mistresses.' hurled
blazing torches OF pitch upon the en-
! envy at the city's gates.
"When, after a terrific siege, the
defenses crumbled the citizens threw
I'D inner Notifications. They held out
until, attacked as they slept from ex-
haustion one night, a concerted at
Jack by overwhelming numbers in,
J Vaded their last stronghold. Red hot
! sand and boiling water deluged then
from their own roo tops. Even the
aged women and the children were
butchered. About 5000 persisted, and
! the city was plundered."
Concerning the cheese that made
tLimburg famous, the bulletin quotes
a communication from William Wis
ner Chaplin as follows:
"Iimburg is sometimes called the
tGarden of Holland. OF the celebrated
relish known as Iimburger cheese Il
has long been a query how an article
of food made from delicious materia
and considered such a delicacy car
possess so obnoxious an odor n still
retain its self respect This peculiar
tity has made Iimburger cheese re
sponsible for many amusing incl
dents.
"A Dutch-American rural either
once went to town to make some pur
'schases, among which was some of thi'
Eodoriferous commodity. For conven'
fence he placed it in a long box il
the wagon, behind the seat Happen
! ing to stop on the road, an inquisitivt
! acquaintance approached and asked
what the box contained
.'In answer he raised the lid ant
4 replied 4 have my grandmother
"'Well,' rejoined the inquirer, az
| he caught a Whit of h contents
She's not in a trance: