THE SPELL OF BELGIUM
By
Isabel Anderson
THE SPELL OF BELGIUM
The Spell of
Belgium
ILLUSTRATED
BOSTON
THE PAGE COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
Copyright, 1915, by
The Page Company
All rights reserved
Made in U.S.A.
First Impression, October, 1915
Second Impression, January, 1916
Third Impression, June, 1917
Fourth Impression, March, 1919
Fifth Impression, January, 1922
PRINTED BY C. H. SIMONDS COMPANY
BOSTON, MASS., U.S.A.
DEDICATED
WITH AFFECTION TO
MY GODCHILD
CHARLES PELHAM GREENOUGH
MAY HE BE AS BRAVE AS
THE BELGIANS
FOREWORD
Belgium has contributed generously to the world in the past. Much hasbeen destroyed in this ruthless war, but much remains, for Belgium hadmuch to give. How splendid are her unique guild-halls with their frettedtowers, her massive mediæval gates and quaint old houses bordering thewinding canals!
Through centuries, in one way or another, she has continued to hold theworld’s admiration. In olden times, when the clever weavers wroughthistoric scenes in their Flemish tapestries, they surely wove into thehearts of our forefathers the Spell of Belgium. In Belgium, the home ofthe violin, we have listened to the magic strains of the great mastersand been charmed by the musical verses of Maeterlinck. There, too, wehave gazed upon her inimitable Rubens and van Eycks. But today we standspellbound before the Belgians themselves, the heroes of this war.
The legends of Antwerp were written out by the eminent Flemishhistorian, Sleeckx, over fifty years ago, and were found in the library[viii]at Antwerp. This version has been translated directly from the Flemish,and is believed to be unknown to the world, outside of Antwerp literarycircles.
I wish to thank Her Excellency, Madame Havenith, wife of the BelgianMinister in the United States, for information, letters and photographs,and Mrs. Abbot L. Dow, whose father, General Sanford, was one of themost popular American Ministers ever in Belgium, as well as Miss HelenNorth, who lived for many years in that beautiful country. I wish, also,to thank the National Magazine for the use of a portion of the chapteron Motoring in Flanders. My thanks are due to Miss Gilman and MissCrosby, too, for their kind assistance.