BELGIUM THE BEAUTIFUL

[Music] [Applause] when Julius Caesar made his conquest of Gaul he stated that of all the Gallic tribes the bravest were the Belgian the world has come to admire the pluck of this little lowland country rich in soil in art and in historical tradition these flat low-lying lands were in ancient times covered by a vast forest interspersed with meadows and cut up by the rivers that empty into the North Sea Brussels is sometimes called little Paris the Magnificent palace erected by the late king leopold ii monarch art lover and financier the bourse is one of the world's great financial centres in ancient time transportation in the Low Countries was by water not many years ago heavy barges moved along where now all is bustle this busy street is built over one of the old canals a little American jazz makes even a sharper contrast with the sleepy old medieval town crowds are always interesting this crowd speaks two languages Flemish and French see the parish papers are on sale we have here the news girl and the news man but not the news boy if you asked for what these Brussels noted your wife will instantly put you right Brussels lace truly colossal is the Palace of Justice in Brussels it stands on the edge of a cliff 200 feet above the Lower Town and the gilded crown on the dome is 340 feet above the pavement no cost was spared in the decoration and embellishment in this historic Central Square stands that gem of Gothic architecture the Hotel de Ville Brussels lease in stone within the windowed niche of that High Hall sat Brunswick's fated chieftain the night before Waterloo there was a sound of revelry by Mike and Belgium's capital had gathered then her beauty and her chivalry and bright collapse shown or fair women and brave men this dear old flower seller loves her job Brussels like Paris loves to eat and drink while sitting on the sidewalk and watching the world go by here is a merry group such as you can see any day along the boulevards the new railway station of ampler is one of the finest in Europe Antwerp is progressive she has cut broad boulevards where once were narrow streets who with artistic Belgians would think of putting flowers on a lamppost all street signs in Belgium carry two languages French the official language and Flemish the native tongue of a majority of the people Antwerp is proud of her parks her zoo before the war was world-famous and he's rapidly regaining its position this splendid art gallery was erected properly to display the masterpieces of the famous artists of all countries Rubens van Dyck standing before the fine old city hall is this strange fountain which commemorates Bravo's the mythical hero who defeated and cut off the hand of the giant Antigonus and threw it into the river hence the name Antwerp handweapon throwing the hand here are the Flemish very much like you and me keeping the peace among them is seemingly not a toilsome duty the Cathedral of Notre Dom is the largest and most beautiful gothic Church in the Low Countries begun nearly 600 years ago but as you see the South Tower has never been completed and were passed today one of the best harbors in Europe though to reach it ships must pass through Dutch waters on their way up the scale it was here that the mythical giant Antigonus used to stop ships and demand use if any ship master refused his right hand was cut off and thrown into the river until the hero Bravo performed the same office for the Giant and freed his native land from the tyrant through this grim gateway we pass into the quaint old city of Bruges once powerful and prosperous traffic in the olden days was almost entirely by water and Bruges is threaded by canals like these with graceful arched bridges these quiet stretches of peaceful water had been deserted by the busy traffic which now teams in the harbour of Antwerp Bruges is little and poor she once was rich and powerful this beautifully decorated gothic gem the City Hall shows again what wealth the merchant Princess lavished upon their civic buildings civic pride was in Bremen the city was their state their national governments are all of them use their city is old here are statues of ancient rulers of the town each of the guilds is also represented by a figure that typifies the trade in the marketplace of brugge stands the belfry old and brown rice consumed and price rebuilding still it watches over the town it's sweet tone carillon marks the hours with old flemish full human among the most charming of my memories of europe is an afternoon spent in rowing leisurely along the network of canals of brugge picture to yourselves the refreshing shades of green the glory of the flowers listen to the flash of the or the song of the birds and feel the all-pervading quiet in this delightful old town how harmonious the graceful bridges the festooned vines not a touch of harsh modernism to break the charm this beard old lease maker in her clean cap is a fit subject for the artist out into the countryside here's a typical Belgian village straight as an arrow runs the road on one side a cycle path to act as a windbreak trees are planted along the margin a dog of Flanders have you read the delightful little story under that title you have often heard the expression dog tired the poor brute that is hauling these four women certainly looks it yet how Willy the level country fortunately makes the task easier the gaunt skeletons of trees with a clump of Verger at the top have been so trimmed to furnish for cooking there are no better farmers than the Belgians modern scientific methods applied to this deep rich alluvial soil bring yields of hay and grain and root crops that are beyond belief again Belgium fields resound to the lowing of cattle Belgian butter and cheese - are almost as famous as those of her neighbor Holland the Flemish Weaver's laid the foundation of the wool trade in the lowlands here is a source of their raw material but one wonders how on land so costly they can profitably raise sheep in competition with Australia windmills are characteristic of any landscape in this flat region when the Miller wishes to grind he stretches his sales then man's the wheel at the base and turns the top around until the great arms face the wind here some ingenious lad has set a windmill to working little figures he has them performing all the operations perhaps which are distasteful to him we will let the camera help the wind make them hustle up their tasks here is a typical village street note the low doorway this old lady looking into the sunset of life seems contented with her blessings on the little man [Music]