Peeps at Many Lands: Belgium | Page 7

England. But evil days came, and for more than 200 years this mighty

city remained in a most forlorn state.
In the nineteenth century, however, when there was settled peace in
Belgium after the Battle of Waterloo, the people of Ghent set to work
in earnest once more, and made up for lost time so well that now their
town is full of flourishing factories, and has a harbour from which a
deep canal leads to the River Scheldt, and is used by many ships. Most
beautiful flowers are cultivated in nursery gardens and hothouses, and
are sent all over the world in such quantities that Ghent has been called
"The City of Flowers."
From busy Ghent, where the belfry in which Roland used to hang and
the walls and towers of many an ancient building look down upon the
crowded streets, you may go to the still busier town of Antwerp, which
stands on the River Scheldt.
Like Bruges and Ghent, and, indeed, every town in Belgium, Antwerp
is very old. It is said that long ago there was a giant who lived on the
banks of the Scheldt, and compelled the captain of every ship which
came up the river to give him money. If the money was refused, the
giant cut off one of the captain's hands, and threw it into the river. In
Dutch the word werpen means "to throw," and thus the place where the
giant lived was called Hand-werpen, which became, in course of time,
Antwerp. Perhaps you may not believe this story, but in one of the
squares at Antwerp there is the statue of a man called Brabo, who is
said to have killed the giant.
Close to this statue is the cathedral, which is one of the grandest in
Europe, and where there are some famous paintings by the great artist
Rubens, who lived at Antwerp for many years.
Another very interesting thing to see at Antwerp is the Plantin-Moretus
house. It was the home, more than 300 years ago, of a printer called
Plantin, who made a great fortune, and whose descendants took the
name of Moretus, and carried on the business for a long time. You will
see there the types and printing-presses of the sixteenth century, and
also the very furniture of the sitting-rooms and bedrooms, just as they
were in those bygone days. One of the rooms was the nursery of the

Plantin children. The men who show you over the house are dressed as
servants were in Plantin's time. By going there you will get a far better
idea of the family life of those times than by reading any number of
story-books or looking at any number of pictures.
Antwerp has, like the other Belgian towns, had its ups and downs, but
now it is one of the greatest harbours in the whole world. So many
ships go there that there is hardly room for all of them. It may seem an
extraordinary thing that a country like Belgium, so small that two or
three English counties would cover it, should have such an important
harbour crowded with the shipping of all nations. But Antwerp is
connected by railways and canals with the busiest parts of Europe, and
the Scheldt is a noble river, by which merchantmen can find their way
to every region of the world.
A hundred years ago Antwerp was in the hands of the French, who had
seized Belgium; and when Napoleon was beaten he clung to Antwerp
as long as he could. Just before he fell, there was a conference at a
place called Chatillon, when they tried to make peace, but could not;
and afterwards, when he was at St. Helena, Napoleon declared that the
war continued chiefly because he would not give up Antwerp.
"Antwerp," he said, "was to me a province in itself. If they would have
left it to me, peace would have been concluded." He wanted to keep a
fleet in the Scheldt, so as to threaten England. If you look at a map of
Europe, you will see how near the Scheldt is to Kent and Essex. The
Belgians cannot do us any harm, but it would be a dangerous thing for
England if some strong and unfriendly nation had possession of
Antwerp.
But we must leave Antwerp, and hurry on to Brussels, which is the
capital of Belgium.
It is just an hour by railway, and as the train rushes on you will see on
your right a town from the middle of which rises a massive square
tower. The town is Malines (or Mechlin), and the tower is that of the
Cathedral of St. Rombold. Malines was once, like Bruges, a most
important city, and so many pilgrims went there that the cost of