Evening star., 1932-01-10

| because he has always been everything
that q true king should be- she re-
sponded. Through the trying days Of
! the war he remained fearlessly at his
post. When things were darkest he
never gave in for one instant, never
lost courage. He was called by the
people Chevalier du Moyen Age, or the
knight Of the Middle Ages He was
always in the front line trenches with
his troops.
And Queen Elizabeth too, was a
tireless worker at the time. From
morning until night she toiled in the
hospitals bringing comfort to the
wounded and sick. Therefore both SOW
ereigns more than deserve every iota
of devotion their people render to
them"
Thus this little nation finds one of
its greatest unifyng bonds in sover-
eign who Is worthy OF their deepest
respect.
Madame May was asked about the
languages spoken in Belgium.
Although the Belgians are united
national family, part of the people are
Flemish and the other part are Wal
looms" she explained. Each group
speaks its own language. Consequently,
there is not one national language in
Belgium. but two"
The Flemings. Madame May indi-
Gated, were originally centered In lhe
northern part of the country, and speak
a language akin to German. The south
ern part of Belgium is the traditional
home of the Wslloons whose language
is similar to that of the French.
Which group Is in the majority
now?" Nine. May was asked.
II should not say that either was"
she replied. That is the reason why
neither group has been able TO make
its language universal throughout the
oring to meet the situation my making
the learning of both languages COM
pulsory In all the schools.
IF my dear son had lived he would
have had to learn both languages"
she continued. But, inasmuch as girls
are not expected to go into the public
service, they are not required to attend
school. and therefore not required to
learn both dialects"
This, then, is an indication of the
place women still hold in Belgium.
According to Nine. May they have as
yet the right to vote only in purely
local elections as. for example, for lord
mayor. When 1t comes to general
elections however, the exercise of the
franchise rests chiefly with the male
population.
bordering on the great North Sea have
come priceless gems to add their lus-
ter TO the cultural crown jewels Of
the world.
Here lived great tapestry weavers
and designers, SO skillful in their
technique as to be scarcely, If ever,
rivaled In their art. 1t Is in Belgium
that the art of lace-making has
reached its highest degree of perfec-
tion. From Belgium, too, came Maeter-
linck, the mystic and symbolist; poet,
dramatist and essayist whose mind
conceived such pieces as THE Blue
Bird"
But Madame May, although paying
glowing tribute to all of these, would
rank Belgian painters as the outstand-
ing geniuses produced by her country.
In the fifteenth century" she
painted a many-paneled alter-piece
which is now in the Cathedral at
Ghent. The work is excellent art show
ing unusual skill In portraiture. The
landscape was not equaled by any
thing in Italian until years later. The
skill with which minute details were
executed is remarkable"
With regard to the latter character
istic, this envoy's wife recalled that
some one has effectively summed 1t up
in the words: Each precious stone
seems to invite one to lift 1t from the
robe or crown; each golden thread of
embroidery Is as carefully painted rs
the face OF the garments wearer"
THE Van Eyck brothers are often
referred to as the inventors of oil
on to explain that they had invented
an excellent varnish which gave oil
colors q fresh brilliance and caused
them to dry quickly. This discovery
greatly facilitated the Use of this me-
dunn and has resulted in linking the
names Of these Flemish brothers WITH
the beginning of oil painting.
~
In the later school Of Flemish paint
ers Madame May spoke of Memling,
Reubens and Van Dyck.
Memling, according to her appreci.
ative description, was able to soften
the coldness and hardness of the, ear
lier Flemish work with regard to both
conception and technique
One Of the most delightful OF Mem
llngS WOrKS Is IN Lne Hospital OF ST.
John, at Bruges," she said. Here are
to be found, adjoining the regularly,
scenes executed by him from the leg
end of St. Ursula"
ReubenS, of course, is one of the
giants among the artists, Madame May
pointed out. His paintings often show
heavy tones and emotionalism, as well
as transitery effects of light which he
has captured more than once in his
clouds and rainbows. The scope of his
work has been wide, including allego-
ries. religious pictures, portraits. land
scapes and subjects from classical
mythology. a.
Van Dyck was an assistant to Reu-
benS for time" Madame May re-
called, He is especially, famous as
portrait, painter. and, most of all,
painter Of children, The subjects. Of
his paintings are aristocratic.
In the Museum at Antwerp are, bis
Descent from the Cross, and Cruel
fixion'" ~
An interesting comparison has often
been made between Reubens and Van
Dyck as reflected In their work Reu-