THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND. JULY 11, 1909.
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HUMAN SKILL IN BUILDING
CARRIED TO ITS ULTIMATE
IN THE ANCIENT TOWN HALLS
OF BELGIUM.
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BELGIUM is the country of archi
tectural perfection. Many of tbo
world's greatest masterpieces are to
be found In the various cities, and In
state and municipal buildings there is
hardly one that does not maintain the
superb standard.
The world's foremost architects have
lavished their skill on these structures,
and he who would study the Gotiilc form
at its finest must visit the land of Leo
pold. Antwerp, Brussels, Bruges and Louvaln
all have a host of superb buildings.
Brussels especially is favored, and vis
itors to the "Cradle of Lace" never weary
of praising Town Hall and its annex.
The Town Hall at Brussels is conceded
by experts to be the finest example of a
building of the kind in Europe.
It U pure Gothic, with Its many polnt-
ad arches, jrand terrace, hexagonal tur
rets and crenallated balustrade. The tow
er, which has more than 500 years of his
tory to add dignity to its record, for it
dates back to 144S. is 370 feet high, and is
the last touch of beauty to a building
that never can be forgotten.
Of the Antwerp Town Hall, the Interior
is the most attractive part. The facade
In renaissance is the work of the noted
Da Vries. The entire structure dates
back to 1SS1.
Louvaln, noted at all times for its men
of mental power, declines to concede the
palm for beautiful architecture to Brus
sels, but maintains that its Town Hall is
the most superb in Belgium, and critics
are not lacking to give their hearty as
sent. It is without doubt a very fine sample
of the purs Gothic, and resembles the
Town Hall of Bruges in general stvle.
Bruges, however, is far older, for it
goes all the way back to the fourteenth
century, having been built in 1376. It has
suffered far Jess from the siege and from
the sans-culotte than might have been
imagined.
In the case of the Bruges Town Hall
and the principal buildings of the other
cities which have any antiquity, a large
part of the present handsome condition
has been due to the close attention which
the government constantly gives to its
architectural masterpieces.
Thus no "restoration" Is necessary, with
all Its ruthless tearing down and destroy
ing that which is known to be old in or
der to produce that which will look as
if It had age.
There has been a never-ceasing; pro
cess of restoration ever at work on
.these buildings to keep them constantly
In the proper condition.. Pride In them
has been a characteristic of the Bel
gians for centuries, and whenever a
stone became misplaced, or repairs of
any kind were needed, the remedy was
promptly applied.
Even during the wars of the centu
ries the same close attention was given
to maintaining these monuments of
inspired building, and after peace had
been restored the first act was always
to repair the damage that strife had
aone to the edifices of the citv.
The Town Hall of Ghent is "an excel
lent example of a building that has
been preserved down to the present
time in all its glory. It Is not pure
Gothic It Is an admirable combination
of the Gothic form with the ideas of
the renaissance. The effect is at first
somewhat too severe, too regular to
Impress the visitor as deeply as some
other edifices of Belgium do.'but when
the detail of the buildings Is closely
studied, it is found that, there has been
most admirable discrimination In the
blending of the two styles. One has
not been emphasized at the expense of
the other. The effect Is harmonious,
complete and satisfying, and the exqui
site carving holds the close attention of
every student of sculpture.
The citizens of Ghent guard their
building with the most jealous care.
When repairs must be made the original
material is used as far as possible, for
there Is a righteous horror of the "res
toration process."
When it became necessary to make
some repairs to the ancient town hall
of Bruges, the work was put in charge
of Count von Kegn. and his first act
was to appoint a historian, charged
with no other task but to get the best
likenesses of the 48 sovereign counts
of Flanders.
It was the plan of the chief architect
to put statues of the counts in the
niches of the facade. But the list had
to be complete and the likenesses well
authenticated, or the plan would be
abandoned. This was the ultimatum.
Some part of the historian's work
was comparatively easy, for many of
the counts were men of notable
achievements, and among the many re.
markable artists which the nation has
produced were painters who had de
voted themselves to delineating the
royal features.
But not all these Flemish counts had
been prominent. In any company must
come some nonentities, and the diligent
search narrowed the list down to 43, of
whom good portraits were extant, leav
ing five on whom the data was either
unreliable or completely lacking.
In the meantime the statues of many
In Defense of
Philosophical Treatise on
BY T. T. GEER.
THE crusade against noise as the
leading feature of our Fourth of
July celebrations, now being waged
in all parts of the United States,
should doubtless meet with the sup
port of all "sane" people, but If
confined to the mere verbal expres
sion of patriotic impulses and of
appreciation of the "heroes of '76," there
is reason to fear that it will be diffi
cult to enlist the enthusiasm of young
boys and girls, not to say of old boys
and girls, in any demonstration which
would be of sufficient interest to keep
the day we celebrate alive. It is con
ceded that these outburts of deafening
explosions are unpleasant in the ex
treme, but in this as in most cases of
human action, the animal predominates
and must be recognized and what are
you going to do about it?
Delving a little deeper into this dis
position to create apparently . unneces
sary noise, common to all animals, one
might Inquire why men should applaud
a speaker when he declares a senti
ment which appeals to their sense of
approval. It doesn't really mean any
thing or. rather, it adds nothing to
the value of what has been said. The
lesson taught, if that has been the re
sult of the speaker's effort, would-be
precisely as effective if every auditor
had remained silent and taken it home
where his cogitations could be con
tinued wholly divorced from the clap
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of the 43 had been prepared or were I
in the process, but as soon as Chief '
Architect Kegn learned that five were I
lacking, he ordered all the work
stopped. The list must be right or the
project dropped.
Deeper still delved the historian. He
made journeys. He went to old art
galleries. He dug deeply in the home
places of the dead ruleis of the past,
and finally he was able to present a
completed list of portraits. Then, and
not till then, was the fiial order veri
fied. Had one been lacking the royal
figures of Flanders 'would not now be
looking down on visitors from the
ancient street.
This is the kind of conscience has
been put Into the work of maintaining
and restoring the homes of . authority
in the land of Leopold.
The "Clotht Hall" at Ypres. although
it Is not actually the town hall, is gen
erally accepted as such.
The real seat of municipal authority
is an unpretentious little building that
has been noted by few visitors, the
Cloth Hall being such a handsome
building that it quite dwarfs anything
else in the town.
Visitors to Ypres usually note some
thing familiar about this handsome
pile, which is not surprising, since In
its essential details It has been repro
duced In the United States in many of
the superb railroad stations of the big
ger cities.
At Audenarde, one more of the old
est cities of the Scheldt, there is an
other very good sample of the Gothic
architecture. The tower which rises
from the center of the facade has five
stories and a crown-shaped roof.
"
In one respect Antwerp's town hall
has a considerable advantage over Its
.rivals, the prospect Is somewhat better.
Ghent and Bruges somewhat over
looked the chances of a distant view
of the buildings, but In Antwerp the
town hall fronts on a pretty little park
with fountains, trees and green spots.
Sitting here and looking at the town
hall in leisure, one gets an excellent
idea of Its beauties.
Most of these buildings are fitted out
In a style worthy their magnificent ex
teriors. A
Notable examples of statuary and
painting have been strewn through
them with lavish hand. Thus they be
come more than the mere seat of mu
nicipal power. They are the visible
representation of the dignity, the cul
ture and the refinement of the city.
As far as possible the local note Is
emphasized. For Instance, if a " town
has had a great artist or sculptoi
there are certain to be some samples
of his work in the town hall.
To the beautiful municipal buildings
must be added the handsome churches
with their spires. There are also a
host of superb palaces and private resi
dences. The world's architects go constantly
to Belgium in search of ideas, and well
, they may.
a Noisy "Fourth'
Animal Side of Human Being.
ping of hands or the boisterou
a shouts
or bravo:'
And yet, nobody Is likely to ask this
seriously. Especially would the speak
er rebel at any such abandonment of
present methods of expressing approval
of his so'ul-stlrring or halr-liftlng ut
terances. Everybody will admit that
if a theater curtain should drop at the
end of a specially good act where
Henry has shown his undying attach
ment for Gladys under the most try-
u i uurnsiances ana wnere every
yiiFcpei. pieases, wnnoui any demon
stration of approval whatever, the in
rerence would be that either the actors
were a "punR - lot. or the auditors
ouncn or unappreciative stoics. And
yet, what benefit in an Intellectual
sense is the clapping of hands, the
creation or a deafening din, . after the
scene has closed, the players retired
and the full effect of their efforts re
ceived? Indeed, nothing could be more
senseless than the flapping of your
two hands together because someone
has said something that you endorse.
Of course, from no intellectual point of
view can it be defended or accounted
for. It only creates a noise and use
less noises are an abomination, except
mat our animal natures demand them.
must. iiv s veni somewhere in some
way.
And going a little further in the con
sioreration or tnis question of audible
demonstration unaccompanied by any
sort of verbal expression, it may ap-
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propriately be asked why do men and
women laugh? Or cry? Whv disturb
the natural repose of the face with a
smile which for the time displaces the
features Because something: has han-
pened which appeals to our sense of
humor? Usually this hilarious indul
gence partalres of a noisy outburst suf
ficient to be heard-a block away, though
ii presents no new idea whatever. It's
every phase Is utterly devoid of addi
tional Intelligence and. as it would
seem, therefore, unnecessary. But we
laugh as a means of giving expression
to a certain emotion, and It seems nec
essary, though In time we may reach
that stage of perfection where the emo
tions may be suppressed and all noises
which do not contribute to our Intel
lectual advancement absolutely abol
ished through an Increased conception
of the value of conserved energy.
Of course, useless noises are distract
ing, exasperating, but It Is necessary
to remember that civilization Is activ
ity, a condition which . spells noise,
while there is no place quite so silent
as a wilderness. There was a time
when the great Columbia heard no
sound save his own dashlngs. but It
was such an insufferable condition that
it was changed as rapidly as possible
and now the North Bank road vies
with the O. R. & N. in an effort to
destroy the solitude by sending un
numbered reverberations Into every
canyon and valley where Lewis and
Clark heard only the distant howl of
the prowling coyote.
In Portland today It is so noisy on
our principal streets fully one-half
the time on account of the deafening
noises occasioned by passing street
cars that conversation is impossible,
and the telephones In two-thirds of
the business offices are rendered use
less much of the time for the same rea
son. The fact Is we can't do things with
out agitating the atmosphere, and since
we are more or less animals anyway,
there seems no help for it. On the
Fourth of July most people feel the
necessity for a vent in their excessive
patriotism, which nothing but a ylp
and shout, or its equivalent, will satis
factorily afford. Who wants to hear
the "oration" on that day? Who does?
Not a man who has not observed as
often as he has attended a National
celebration that the most unimportant
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individual In the entire assembly is he
who has unfortunately consented to
"deliver the oration." All he can say
has been read in the papers and books
hundreds of times and is known, to
everybody. The young people are
found elsewhere- on the grounds.
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making- noises, and only those who are
on the shady side of life are gathered
around the stand, really for the reason
that they enjoy the rest which the
peats afford.
And yet, when the Nation Is in dan
ger the young fellows are the ones
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who scramble over each other In the
rush to enlist In its service and make
the best - fighters the world has ever
known! And these young men. as a
rule, since .their earliest boyhood have
cared little for any . phase of Fourth of
July celebrations save that which be-
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gan and ended In noise, though this
admittedly would frequently include
the "oration."
Of course this is true only because
we are a lot of animals, but, being
animals, where is the remedy? Why
should a gathering of grown men give
three cheers for the American flag?
All noise. Wasted energy. Ten thou
sand men spend a half day looking- at
a game of baseball. If these men should
devote that half day to hoeing potatoes
it. would represent 5000 days' work di
rected toward the production of food
for the human race. And yet, what is
more exhilarating than a game of base
ball to the spectators? If all the days
spent In all the cities of the United
States during 10 years attending foot
ball, and baseball games were employed
in digging the Panama Canal it would
suffice to complete that great connect
ing link between the Pacific and the
Atlantic. And it would be Impossible
to imagine a greater gathering of in
animate, worthless hulks than 10,000
Americans watching a game of base
ball for two hours and remaining as
quiet and sane as a church congrega
tion. It la the red blood that calls for
a vent which only finds adequate and
satisfactory expression in noise and
lots of it. The sick man not only de
tests noise, but those husky fellows
who make it. It is a sorry situation,
but there will perhaps never-be a rem
edy for It. And maybe there shouldn't
be.
So, let us do what we can to prevent
the use of such explosives as endanger
human life and property, but as to
noise. It Is well to remember that in
the Garden of Kden, even. Adam and
his side partner got into a racket the
first thing and the turmoil has not
ceased to this day. Nor perhaps never
will!
Tfae Girl and the Game.
He took her to the ball game, and when
they had found their places.
He showed her where the players stood
and told about the bases:
With patient care he showed her that the
umpire did not play.
Explaining that on every point he had
the final say;
He pointed out the benches where the
rival players eat.
And made it clear that "club" Is not the
same thing as bat.
She thanked him prettily, and said she
thought that It was splendid
To have the chance to see a game and
be so well attended;
And when he carefully set forth the
pitcher's plan and aim.
She thanked him once again, and said
that she was glad she came.
He told her why the man was out, and
showed her how a fly
When caught before It struck the ground
would make him out, and why.
He did not give her any chance to ask a
single question;
He analyzed the game for her without
the least suggestion.
With finger pointed at the men, he
showed how it was done;
Showed how the coacher signaled to the
men to stay or run;
And while with cheers the very air above
the field was jarred.
He showed her how to mark the run
upon the little card.
She smiled a gentle smile and said she
wished she had his knowledge.
That she had tried to play the game one
year at Smassar College
He grinned In pity, then he told in meas
ured terms and slow
The inner motives of the game as then
and there on show.
Then came the ninth; the score was tied;
two out and the bases full.
And every rooter In the stand exerting
psychic pull.
A long clean Tilt to center and a tu
mult on the bleachers.
With men In wildest voices shouting like
to crazy creatures
And she! Oh. she was on her feet and
yelling all the while
In accents that you could have heard,
I'm sure, for half a mile!
"Oh. run! ice wagons! Run! Run! Run!"
Her tones were shrill and loud.
And soared above the roaring and the
shrieking of the crowd .
He never said a word as they walked
homeward from the game.
But for a week or so the world was not
to him the same.
Wilbur D. Nesbit In Chicago Post.
- Turintr ihe Fall and " Winter season of
inns. in(it. which ended March 21. 221 per
sons perished by phipwrerk and vessels
met with diater off the New England and
British North American coasts.