- Lot 465

[BRUSSELS MANUSCRIPT] [Charles WOESTE ]- "To Mr. Charles Woeste, tribute from the House of Workers." Brussels, 1891. In-4, 275 x 190 mm, 4 ff, autograph signatures. Red chagrined percale, broad gilt framing with scroll and fillet, corner fleurons, gilt title to upper board, dates "1866-1891" to lower board, moiré paper linings and endpapers. Ff. unbound, some wetness and small traces of wear to the binding. Letter in tribute to Charles Woeste (1837-1922) on the occasion of his silver anniversary. He was a catholic deputy, constantly reelected from 1874 to 1922, minister of Justice in 1884. The signatories thank him for his support of "the working class". Founded in 1887, "Concordia" was one of the "workers' houses" erected by the Catholic social movement in reaction to the socialist "people's houses". This house served as the headquarters of a mutuality and various associations linked to the movement. Our document is signed by the delegates of Concordia and various guilds (tailors, shoemakers, employees, painters, etc.), among them Charles Mousset (1858-1931), president and co-founder of Concordia. A typographer, he was one of the spearheads of Catholic social works in the capital. Elected to the Chamber in 1894, he was also a member of the Superior Council of Labor, director of the "Moniteur belge" and collaborated to the catholic newspaper "Le XXe siècle" and to the weekly "L'Action catholique". Source : Jean PUISSANT, notice in Maitron.fr (2015, rev. 2019).