Legend Not Confined to China But Survives To-day In European Countries We find it not hard to believe that there are those in distant China who still worship dragons as the personification of rain gods, or that the Indians of Mexico or the natives of New Guinea implore dragonlike creatures to bring ripeness to their crops. Byt we do not always realise how much of the early belief in dragons survives to our day in civilised countries like Holland or Belgium, Germany or France, to say nothing of England where St, George and his Dragon have grown into national figures. Yet there are many survivals of the dragon-slaying ceremonies of the Middle Ages that are still practised to-day, states Mr. D. J. Van Der Ven in the "Nederland Mail."
Perhaps the most complete is that which, once every seven years. is held by the inhabitants of a little village in Limburg, Beesel-on-the-Mass, where the latest performance was witnessed in 1935. The scene is laid on the banks of Limburgs holy stream, where the sul fur-belching monster is seen nestling among the willows, from whence it is to issue to capture the beautiful Princess, This symbol of chastity and virtue, attired in the dress and sugarloaf hat of Burgundian days, is accompanied by four damsels all of whom mime in the most touching manner their horror and their fear, The tragedy reaches its climax when the sad King, hi sturdy peasant limbs robed in roy purple and ermine, bowing to the inevitable bids his fair daughter farewell, prior to sacrificing her to the Beast, that his subjects may be deft unmolested. That is when the advent of the gallant Knight, St. George, alters the whole picture. After a lifelike combat, he captures the fearsome Wurm Which is led captive by the soldiery to the Dragon Stone on the village square, there to be despatched by a most realistic sword thrust which, piercing a blood-filled pig's bladder, causes the deep-hued dragon-blood to run along the timeworn grooves on the prehistoric offering stone, It all exactly so as we see it in ancient pictures by Flemish and Italian masters
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.