THE FORESTS OF BELGIUM 



31 



Vallon de la Vuylbeek. 

 a superb composition of sunlight and shadows, one of many such beauty spots in the forest of soignes. 



Forest of Soignes, and wrote so elab- 

 orate and exhaustive a treatise upon its 

 influence upon the life of men? Every 

 city should possess such a haven of 

 refuge ; there is no other setting of such 

 nobility and restful beauty. It is the 

 one great glorious creation without 

 which all the art of the architect and 

 the landscapist shall never attain per- 

 fection. It is one of the greatest sources 

 from which men may draw the in- 

 spiration to make all our towns and 

 cities not alone more beautiful, but 

 more happy, dwelling places than we 

 have been able to evolve up to the 

 present time. 



It was in recognition of these things, 

 as well as of the fact that the selfish 

 interests of timber exploiters would soon 

 have left no tree standing in Soignes, 

 that La Ligue des Amis de la Foret de 

 Soignes was formed. 



It was for just such a purpose that 

 Rene Stevens undertook to make known 

 to the people of Belgium the unsuspected 



beauties of a forest which is theirs by 

 irrevocable right. 



There are many ways of going to 

 Soignes. You may climb the Montagne 

 de la Cour, with its delightful evidences 

 of the still-living Flemish spirit and 

 manners, and journey by way of the 

 tram which traverses the Avenue Louise, 

 to the entrance to the Bois dc la Cambre 

 one of the finest of all the parks of 

 Europe. Through this you may walk 

 direct to the forest, and thus approach, 

 through an avenue which affords a fresh 

 hint at every step, of the splendors which 

 lie just beyond the park. Or, you may 

 tram to Boitsfort, and inter the forest 

 by either the Dreve de Welriekende or 

 by the Dreve des Deux Montagnes. 

 From Auderghem, also reached by 

 tram, you may enter the forest by way 

 of the majestic Chaussee de Wavre; or 

 you may take tram at the Luxembourg 

 Station, and cither halt at the northern 

 entrance to the forest or traverse it at 

 one of its narrow points and alight at 



