Unfortunately I could see it only under a January rain, but Monsieur de Stoop, a prominent weaver3 of Courtrai, the town of 36,000 inhabitants which is the valley center, made the Flanders fields bloom [80]again as he described to me the successive steps which lead from them to the woven linen his factory produces—I should say, produced, for the Germans left his plant, along with seven others, an utter ruin. He was unable to explain and apparently4 no analysis has yet determined5, just why the waters of the Lys river surpass all others in their power to rot the encasing straw and generally to cleanse6 the flax; but one thing is clear, they have established Courtrai as a world market for fine raw linen. Sometimes the stalks need be floated only two or three days, sometimes it requires very much longer to macerate7 them, the period depending chiefly on the weather, and particularly on the temperature.
After Pierre Verhagen in “La Dentelle Belge”
All meshes made with bobbins: 1 and 4, Valenciennes, round mesh8; 2, Valenciennes, square mesh; 3, Valenciennes, mesh almost round; 5, Chantilly; 6, Old Flanders; 7, Point de Paris
[81]
BELGIAN LACE MESHES (Plate II)
After Pierre Verhagen in “La Dentelle Belge”
Meshes, 8 to 12, made with bobbins: 8, Binche; 9, Malines; 10, Point de Lille, made for France; 11, Point de Lille, destined10 for Holland; 12, Gauze Point, made with needle, used in Point d’Angleterre; 13, Brussels machine-made net; 14, Ordinary machine-made net.
After its soaking and cleansing11, the linen fiber starts again on its journey, this time to the various countries where it is to be made into thread and woven into tissues. Much goes to England and to Ireland, to such firms as Beth and Cox. From there it returns to Belgium in the form of linen thread for fine laces, quite a different variety, of course, from that employed in sewing. Lace thread, both cotton and linen, may be used for sewing, but never sewing-thread for good lace. An outsider can scarcely estimate the importance of the quality of the thread to the lace-maker. Of two skeins bearing the same number, one may be supple12 and easily led, while the other is brittle13 and wayward. We hear many stories of how women used to spend their lives in damp cellars, in order to keep their thread moist and soft. I have been told several times, for instance, that a certain piece of lace had been made below ground, because only there was its marvelous technique possible. Whatever the degree of truth or legend in these assertions, it is known that the rarest laces require certain atmospheric14 conditions, and are, [82]above all, dependent on a superior fineness and pliability15 of the thread.
The English and Irish spinneries lead the world; they produce most of its lace thread. One of them; the Coates firm of Paisley, has established in Belgium branches in which Belgian capital is interested,—at Gent are the filteries, which prepare thread for weaving, and at Alost and Ninove are the filatures or spinneries which turn out the finished sewing and embroidery16 thread. The cottons and linens17 of these mills are too coarse for the delicate laces; however, during a single war year, the Brussels Committee was happy to be able to buy from Alost as much as 600,000 francs worth of thread. By some miracle, the Ghent filteries escaped the practically universal ruin visited on mills and factories, and should be operating before peace is signed, but for the spinneries of Alost and Ninove, the future is still dark.
[83]
During two years the enemy, feeling they might one day run the mills where they stood, left them intact, tho they requisitioned their stocks of thread. Then as they saw they might not perhaps be able to continue their beneficent occupation of Belgium, even if they won the war, they began to remove the mill machinery18 to Germany. They were especially ruthless when the mills were known to be of English or French ownership. They stole the secrets of the factories and finally they deported19 the workmen. These men are scattered20 everywhere. Even if the machines of the factories were not completely destroyed it would be impossible under a considerable time to reassemble the skilled workmen essential to the spinning industry. The Germans will undoubtedly21 try to capture the trade, and to market their goods, if they must, through such neutral countries as Denmark and Switzerland.
[84]
When I arrived at Courtrai, Monsieur and his family were just moving back into the house from which they had been ejected. They apologized for the room they so hospitably22 offered me, in which the original bed had been replaced by an iron one they recognized as having belonged to an English family of Courtrai. The brass23 trimmings were gone, and the mattress24 had of course been removed, but Madame had been able to find one stuffed with sea-moss for me. The curtains were slashed25, blocks of wood nailed to the once handsome walls, there were no lights, no metal knobs or fixtures26 of any kind, no service wires left. Below, the cellar had been almost filled with concrete to provide the conqueror27 a safe refuge during danger periods. It requires a special kind of courage to take up life again in a place like this, but these good people said: [85]“We can not complain, we are so much better off than others, and at least we have saved our health; with that we can be sure of being able to build again what they have destroyed.”
From there I went to Baron28 de Bethune, a connoisseur29 of laces, who had before the war opened a lace museum in Courtrai, chiefly for Valenciennes. I found him ill in a little house in the town; he had long before been driven from his chateau30 in the suburbs. His sister, who had with great difficulty made her way from Louvain, received me with apologies in the midst of a heterogeny of boxes and packages, the few personal possessions they had gathered together in the hope of some day having a home again. I was not to see the old Valenciennes and other specimens31 of the famous lace days of Courtrai; fortunately for his museum, Monsieur had succeeded in getting them to Brussels where they were still, to my personal regret, hidden away. However, I was not surprized, [86]for I had been unable before starting for Flanders to see the celebrated32 collection of the Cinquantenaire Museum at Brussels, for that, too, had been successfully secreted33. Museums are slow in rehanging their treasures. Even tho the presence of the three neutral Ministers, the Spanish, American and Dutch, in the capital, was supposed to be a guaranty of protection to the national collections, and undoubtedly it was only their presence that prevented in Belgium what happened to the Museums of Northern France, the Belgians with unwearying ingenuity34 concealed35 what they could. Whenever I hear of hidden laces, I am reminded of a morning at Malines and a sad little basket containing a fine collection of old Malines lace, I saw exhumed36. It had been buried deep in a box, along with the family silver, and as the daughter of the mother who had worn it took its once lovely flowers and webs, now [87]gray and earth-stained, between her fingers, they powdered to dust.
Monsieur suggested that I see Mlle. Mullie, a leading dealer37 of Courtrai, who still handles a large output of Valenciennes; tho Courtrai, which was once a brilliant production center, is no longer of great importance. After the French Revolution, which killed Valenciennes-making in its original home, it migrated to other parts of Northern France, and to the two Flanders; to Ypres, where it enjoyed an especially happy development, to Bruges, Ghent, Dixmude, Furnes, Menin, Nieuport, Poperinghe and elsewhere. For a long time Ghent led all these, with over 5,000 workers listed in 1756. But starvation wages and successful imitations have told against this, as against other laces. Nevertheless, in the census38 of 1896, Bruges was still credited with 2,000 Valenciennes workers, and Poperinghe with 500, while there were [88]scattered groups of considerable importance in a great number of the villages of Western, and some of Eastern Flanders.
Courtrai and the nearby villages where the lace is actually made, still stand, tho many buildings have been destroyed, but while her people were not forced to become refugees, lace-making was seriously interrupted; workers were evicted39 from their homes and their schools. And they suffered further because there was scarcely any thread left, the dealers40 often asking as much as 20 cents for ? of a yard of lace thread, about the previous value of the same length in finished lace. Under these conditions it was especially easy to see the importance of the efforts of the Brussels Lace Committee, which furnished thread at the normal price, and gave more for the lace than was ever offered before the war.
BOBBIN LACES
First column: Malines, Malines, Point de Paris, Point de Paris, Valenciennes (square mesh)
Middle column: Point de Paris
Third column: First three, Valenciennes; fourth, Point de Paris
[89]
Point de Paris lace combined with linen. The lower right-hand centerpiece shows the rose design, emblem42 of Queen Elizabeth
Unfortunately the German facteurs (agents for lace dealers) worked cleverly here, too, as in other districts. They had always plenty of requisitioned thread to offer, and succeeded in buying considerable lace, for which they offered high and varying prices.
The younger women of the Courtrai region have been rapidly giving up Valenciennes to make Cluny, which pays better. A Valenciennes beginner, for example, must work a year as an apprentice43, during which time she is able to earn scarcely more than five cents a day. The wages of the good workers have advanced, but unless they can be increased even more, there are few who will continue to make this difficult lace.
After 60 years’ experience in lace, and latterly she has employed 1,000 women, Mlle. Mullie says that one is fortunate, among 5,000 workers, to find five who can execute a sample from a drawing not already interpreted or pricked44 for the [90]worker. Before the war there were two good piqueuses in Ypres to whom Courtrai sent her difficult patterns, but only one of these still lives.
In peace-time the greater part of this Courtrai lace goes to Paris (some is sent to New York), which is all one needs to say in tribute to its pattern and its quality. Paris knows lace better than any other city in the world; she accepts only the best. We were talking of the 60 per cent. duty the United States Government levies45 on imported laces, and the harm it works to the Belgian industry. “That is our greatest discouragement, but there are other Government stupidities,” Mlle. Mullie smiled. “France, for instance, charges 10? francs on a kilo of Valenciennes, and the same amount on an equal weight of Cluny; the Valenciennes may be worth several thousand, and the Cluny three or four francs!”
The true old Valenciennes mesh, called [91]“Rond,” is still made at Courtrai, as well as at Bruges; the modern Valenciennes commonly has a square mesh, which is preferred by many connoisseurs46, since it is more transparent47 and sets the flowers off more strikingly. “Whether or not you prefer it to the square, you must see the traditional round Valenciennes mesh,” Mlle. Mullie said, and we started off in the rain for a group of tiny brick houses, the Gottshuisen (God’s houses) which the city furnishes free to certain old people.
Before we reached the first, I saw two white heads near a window, bending over cushions; and once inside, on those cushions, lengths of snowy Valenciennes of the old round mesh, of an admirable regularity48 and loveliness. These two women were both over 70 years old, and they sat before their bobbins, twisting and braiding the eight threads of the mesh as they had twisted and braided them for [92]over a half century, and still cheerfully hoping that they might some day win more than 15 or 20 cents a day for their work. “Now we must have more,” they said gently, “because thread and oil are so much more expensive than they were before the war.”
In the next house, the old woman whose sister was ill could afford no light at all; when dusk fell she had to leave her bobbin mounds49 and her mesh and flowers and go to bed—what else could she do without coal or oil?
It was the last day of 1918, and I decided50 that Mrs. Bayard Henry of Philadelphia, who had sent me a little money to use as I chose, would be happy to give to these sweet, faithful women and their thirteen neighbors, candles and oil as hope symbols for the New Year. I left her gift with Mlle. Mullie.
It was already very late, and I had not time to go to Wevelghem and Gulleghem,[93] two of the most important lace-villages contributing to Courtrai. Mlle. Mullie was facing the future with courage. “I am sure,” she said, [94]“that Peat, from whom I have bought thread for forty years, will not forget me, and that I may be able to count on a shipment from England at a just price as soon as anything can come through. That I have been cut off during four years will make no difference. I shall write, too, to a friend in France, and from Puy I may have a few skeins. The question of pins and bobbins is serious—they seem to have disappeared, and one can not start a worker on less than a dozen bobbins. Those I have thus far succeeded in finding cost 95 centimes the dozen, as against the 28 centimes of pre-war times. There seem literally51 to be no pins. However, despite everything, I, at least, hope to see my thousand women at some not too distant time again busy over their cushions. A few have already sought me out to let me know they are ready, waiting only for the precious thread. I regret infinitely52 the passing of the fine ‘Val,’ but we shall continue to produce as much as we can, and at any rate we shall try unceasingly to raise the standard of the Clunys and Torchons.”
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1
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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fiber
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| n.纤维，纤维质 | |
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weaver
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| n.织布工；编织者 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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cleanse
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| vt.使清洁，使纯洁，清洗 | |
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macerate
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| v.浸软，使消瘦 | |
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mesh
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| n.网孔，网丝，陷阱；vt.以网捕捉，啮合，匹配；vi.适合； [计算机]网络 | |
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meshes
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| 网孔( mesh的名词复数 )； 网状物； 陷阱； 困境 | |
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10
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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cleansing
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| n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词 | |
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12
supple
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| adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺 | |
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13
brittle
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| adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的 | |
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atmospheric
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| adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的 | |
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pliability
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| n.柔韧性；可弯性 | |
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16
embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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17
linens
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| n.亚麻布( linen的名词复数 )；家庭日用织品 | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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deported
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| v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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hospitably
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| 亲切地，招待周到地，善于款待地 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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25
slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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26
fixtures
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| （房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动 | |
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27
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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28
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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connoisseur
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| n.鉴赏家，行家，内行 | |
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30
chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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31
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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32
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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33
secreted
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| v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的过去式和过去分词 )；隐匿，隐藏 | |
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ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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35
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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36
exhumed
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| v.挖出，发掘出( exhume的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dealer
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| n.商人，贩子 | |
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38
census
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| n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查 | |
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39
evicted
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| v.（依法从房屋里或土地上）驱逐，赶出( evict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dealers
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| n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者 | |
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41
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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42
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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44
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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45
levies
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| （部队）征兵( levy的名词复数 )； 募捐； 被征募的军队 | |
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46
connoisseurs
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| n.鉴赏家，鉴定家，行家( connoisseur的名词复数 ) | |
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47
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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48
regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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49
mounds
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| 土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆 | |
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50
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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51
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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52
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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