FTODAY WRITTEN ANDPICTVRED BY GEORGEWHARTONEDmRDS ^-^ CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY DATE DUE mf'-:i r^ CAVLORO ^BlNtCO IN y.s.». Cornell University Library DJ 39.E26 Holland of to-da 3 1924 028 343 907 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028343907 &x:ioiiaad of Go-day cnoolland of (oo-daij C/eozge vvlzattoaC?dwatdd 8TBoffat RJazd ^ (So. mcMix T Copyright, ipop, fry MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY NEW YORK All rights reserved 31 'M n G X x^ , X t'n|)yri^lit, 1909, by George Wli.ulun Kdw^nls The Bowl o( Oranges TO E. B. S. CONTENTS rAG£ I CHARACTERISTICS 3 The dykes — Government — Religion — The language — Geography — Entertainment. II ART, ANCIENT AND MODERN i8 Dutch painters — Art, ancient and modem — The pa- troons — The automobile — Skating festivities — Civic marriages — The feast — Wedding ceremonies. III "THE HOLLOW LAND" 36 Walcheren — Spanish Zeeland — Breakfast — The sv^eet chimes — Veere, the deserted — DortrecHt — The Hollow Land — Erasmus in the Groote Markt. IV UTRECHT 54 The Cathedral — Amsterdam — The back streets — A glass of ice water — The Premier Mine — The Weeper's Xower — Clean Broek — Theatrical Marken — Zaandam — The "Trekschuyt" — Fishermen and their houses — — The Museum. V ALKMAAR, THE CHEESE MARKET ... 78 The siege — The market place at night — The side shows — Hoorn — Those little birds — The grateful mothers — Hindeloopen — The Boer, or farmer — The Betuwe, or Goodland — The fields. VI TULIP BULB CULTURE 98 Railway manners — A pretty Dutch house — Haarlem — A penal colony — St. Anna's hofje — The absence of viii CONTENTS PAOE poverty — Scheveningen — The fishing town — The her- ring fishery — WilHam of Orange, and Tromp — The Half Moon. VII THE THEATRES 121 The stork — The tobacco shops — On to the tramways — Mynheer at his ease — Through the waterland — The hospitahty of the farmers — An arrangement in Orange — In the Nonh Sea — The return to port ^ A Dutch peasant. VIII THE HAGUE X APPENDIX History — Under Spanish rule — William the Silent — Napoleon — Wilhelmina — Origin — The People. XI DUTCH SILVER 142 A cosmopolitan town — The consort — "London fog" — The Queen — The pleasures of the table — The nobility — The church — Contentment. IX THROUGH FRIESLAND ,54 To Stavoren — In Friesland — The "Floating Shop" — Ijilst — Workum — Hindeloopen — Oh to Bolsward — Leeuwarden — The farmers— The Pinke.wad — Dokkum The Innkeeper — Wierum — Nes. 189 207 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Facing Page The Bowl of Oranges Frontispiece The Amsterdam Gate, Haarlem 6 A Fisherman of Urk, Zuyder Zee . ^ 14 Delftshaven 16 Over the Teacups, Kroominie 22 Harlingen from the Water 30 The Town Hall, Middleburg 42 A Zeeland Milkmaid 44 The Townhall, Veere 46 On the Way to Market, Veere 48 Type of Oyster Girl, Goes 52 Amsterdam : 58 The Weeper's Tower, Amsterdam 60 Type or Jewish Boy, Amsterdam 62 The Great Cullinan Diamond before Cutting ... 66 Marken 70 On the Jetty, Marken » 72 A VoLENDAM Type 76 The "Weigh House," Alkmaar 80 The Tower and Boats, Hoorn 86 At Hindeloopen • 92 The Strange Headdress of Hindeloopen 94 A Dutch Boer 96 A Tulip Field 100 A Street in Leyden 108 A Dutch Go-cart 112 X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Facing Page The "New Church" Delft ii8 One of the Boys «. 128 In a North Holland Tower . . . % 138 The House in the Wood, Hague 144 H. M. Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands . . 148 Old House, Gorkum . . . . , 152 A Tiled Interior . . . ^ 156 An Interior, Enkhuizen ...... .160 The Friesland Hat ... . <, 162 Some Friesland Gables 164 An Antique Push Sleigh, Friesland 166 Farm House, Friesland ... .168 The Water Gate, Sneek . . 172 Near Ijilst ... ...... 174 A Young Girl of Breskens . . 176 Carved AND Painted Interior, Bolsward, . . 178 The Town, Bolsward. ... . . .182 The Stern of a River Boat, Leeuwarden . . 186 The Old Church, Leeuwarden . . . 188 Examples of Dutch Silver . . loo Tea caddies, etc. Examples of Dutch Silver . iq2 Two war corvettes, mounted with castles, etc. Examples of Dutch Silver . . . . , iq. Oared corvettes, royal sloop, etc. Examples of Dutch Silver . . . . . iq6 Spoons and forks of an extremely delicate workmanship. Examples of Dutch Silver ipg A large variety of spoons, knives, etc. Examples of Dutch Silver 200 Models of cow, drinking cups, etc. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi Facing Page Examples of Dutch Silver 202 Six rare examples of sleighs, etc. Examples of Dutch Silver . • • ,• 204 Quill houses, Zealand buttons, etc. Examples of Dutch Silver . . . . ^ 208 Miniature weigh houses, etc. Examples of Dutch Silver 210 Silver tops, cabinet pieces, etc. Examples of Dutch Silver 212 Model of warship. (Holland of Oo-daij &k azactezidtiCd /^"^y^^HR first impression that the traveler in ^//^ Holland gets is in one respect similar \_y to that given by the far western prairie regions; and the broad wind-swept flat country, with comparatively few trees, and lying open to the gales of the North Sea, has a little of the same bare aspect. But with this is mingled a most decided aspect of novelty. Here the fields are cultivated with the care of suburban market gardens, and are separated by long, V-shaped ditches, through which the water runs sluggishly some feet below the surface of the ground. Looking across them, one sees broad, brown velvety-hued sails moving in various directions among the growing crops; the roadway is on an embankment, running high above the land, frequently crossing canals, lying far enough below for the brightly painted, well- laden barges with lowered masts to pass freely, generally without the need of draw-bridges. The trekschuiten, or passenger boats, once so common 3 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY in the canals, are fast disappearing; like the dili- gences, they have been replaced by the system of tram-cars which now cross the country, but here and there this old-fashioned means of communica- tion between the towns and villages still survives, and it is certainly a delightful experience to make a journey on market day in one of these arks. It is generally a long and rather narrow boat, low in the water, and usually painted green and white, with a low-roofed deck-cabin divided into two compartments running the entire length, with clean board-seats,and tiny lace-curtained windows, the floor scrubbed with sand until it is almost as white as snow. The roof is covered with a mix- ture of sand and pulverized shells on a foundation of bitumen to hold it. It is most delightful to sail or be pulled along by "boy power" through the country between the "pollarded green banks" and look upon the changing landscape — "Dutch pic- tures untouched," as some one has aptly described them — and the brown-armed mills in legions en- gaged in battle against the water enemy. It will be readily understood that the dykes are a very important feature of the country, and some of these are well worth examination and study, if the visitor have plenty of time on his hands. For the most part these dykes are composed of earth and sand and clay, kept together by wil- lows which are carefully planted and tended. 4 THE DYKES Some of the dykes, however, for example the gi- gantic one at the Helder, are built of masonry. Many of them are broad at the top, and, being paved with klinkers (brick), form very good car- riage roads. The dunes or sand hills which line the coast serve as the barrier against the ocean. They are systematically sown at regular intervals with a coarse, grayish green grass, which holds the sand together, preventing the wind from blowing it away altogether. Some six million guilders are spent annually by the Dutch government in keep- ing these dykes in order, and a special body of engi- neers, called "De Waterstaat," is appointed to look after them. An elaborate system of drainage has also to be maintained by means of powerful en- gines, windmills, etc. It must be remembered that the Dutch people have not only to fight against the inroads of the ocean, but they have also to deal with many rivers which, taking their rise in other countries, flow through Holland for their final exit into the sea. Consequently, when there are heavy rains, say in Germany, the Rhine brings down an immense volume of water to add to the troublesome superfluity. The two principal canals are the North Holland Canal, which was con- structed in 1819-25, from Amsterdam to the Hel- der, and which is forty-six miles in length, one hundred and thirty feet broad, and twenty feet in depth, and of a width varying from sixty-five 5 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY to one hundred and ten yards. Here are locks, consisting of large basins, which are tremendous pieces of engineering. Their construction cost the State an enormous sum. The Merwede Canal has an average width of about one hundred feet, and is something like forty-four miles in length. The climate of Holland is similar to that of England for Spring, Summer and Autumn, save that it is warmer in the Summer and the cold is much more severe in Winter. August is the hot month and the least preferable. During the Spring the country around about Haarlem pre- sents an aspect of indescribable patchworks of great sheets of color. These are the tulip and hyacinthe beds, vivid and beautiful, but the bulbs are grown for profit, not pleasure, and economy of space is carefully studied. Holland has a rela- tively low rainfall, accounted for by the absence of heights to attract rain-clouds. But as a matter of fact, the experienced traveler does well to provide himself with mackintosh and umbrella, for the showers, though brief, are frequent. The guilder, or florin, is the common basis of the Dutch currency. Commonly called a guilder, plural gulden, it is always written "f" for florin, thus 65.00, f. 1.25, etc. The decimal system is used. There are one hundred cents in a guilder. The half guilder and quarter guilder are as com- mon as our fifty-cent pieces and quarters. It may 6 The Amsterdam Gate. Haarlem. GOVERNMENT be well here to embody a few dry facts and figures relating to this wonderful little country ; they need not, however, be read unless one is so inclined, but they are necessary to a proper understanding, and for reference if required. Self-government is a part of the life instinct of the methodical Hollander, and was at the root of the country's antagonism to Spain. With an inborn love of administering their own affairs, they combine a respect for established constitu- tional authority and a deep inherent reverence for their sovereign. The country is divided into i,ioo communes — urban or rural districts. The enfranchised in- habitants elect the communal council, or "Ge- meente Raad," which holds ofBce for six years, and is presided over by a burgomaster. The latter, however, is nominated by the sovereign. In au- thority over the "Gemeente Raad" is the Provin- cial States, also a popularly-elected body, presided over by a commissary appointed by the crown. The duties of the Provincial States are admin- istrative in their own state only. The elect hold office for six years. Above the Provincial States are the "States Gen- eral," consisting of two chambers. The First or Upper House (fifty members holding office for nine years) receives its election from the mem- bers of the Provincial States. The other, common- 7 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY ly called The Chamber, is elected by the people. Over the second chamber sits a President, ap- pointed by the sovereign. Here all national legis- lative business is transacted, and bills intended to becorrie law are prepared and sent up to the First Chamber. The latter cannot propose meas- ures on its own initiative. The Executive or Cabinet consists of ten ministers, each chosen by the sovereign, usually from the Lower House, for the Premier must always be a member of "The Chamber." The portfolios are as follows: Fi- nance, Justice, Foreign Affairs, Marine, Interior or Home, War, Public Works, Waterways, Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Labor, Colonies. In addition to governing by ministers, the sover- eign elects the "Raad van Staat," a body some- what higher than the Privy Council of England, for it has powers by which it deals with ( i ) gov- ernment bills brought before "De Kamer" (the Lower House) and (2) private bills awaiting royal sanction. Although elected for the respect- ed terms named above, one-third of the members of the "Gemeente Raad," the Provincial States and "De Kamer" retire automatically every two or three years, but are eligible for re-election. The army service is maintained partly volun- tarily and partly by conscription, determined by a ballot. Exemptions are allowed to sons of indi- gent parents and other special cases. According to 8 RELIGION the nearest authority at hand, the strength of the peace-footing is 1,950 officers and 25,000 men. For war the numbers would be immediately raised to 126,000, with 50,000 auxiliaries. For the national budget, the following are some recent figures, omitting the cost of the army and navy, which, combined, absorb only three and three-quarter millions, paid for by separate taxa- tion. In 1904-05 expenditure exceeded income, a most unusual occurrence in Holland, but the na- tional debt was reduced by two and one-half mil- lions. The imports are a little under two million sterling, including twenty millions from the United Kingdom. The exports are 170 millions, including thirty-eight millions to the United King- dom. Of the religion of the population of Holland, about three-fifths are Protestants and two-fifths Roman Catholics. There are about one hundred thousand Jews, of whom nearly one-half are in Amsterdam. The Protestants are subdivided into innumerable sects, the chief being the Dutch Re- form Church. This is the State Church, but is disestablished. The national census of the population is taken every ten years. The following are the figures for the last three decadal periods: December 31, 1879 4,013,000 December 31, 1889 4,549,000 December 31, 1899 5,104,000 9 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY There are only four towns, according to the last census, with populations exceeding one hundred thousand, namely: Amsterdam 524,000 The Hague and Scheveningen 250,000 Rotterdam 320,000 Utrecht 102,000 To return to the subject of money. Before go- ing to Holland, the traveler would better make himself acquainted thoroughly with the mysteries of the Dutch coinage, and learn their names by heart. The stranger is rather apt to treat the guilder, which is the principal coin, too much as if it were equivalent to an English shilling, but he will find that the balance will come out on the wrong side, as the guilder equals is. 8d. Then the "dubbeltje," a silver coin representing two- pence and looking not unlike our old-fashioned three-cent piece, long since recalled from cir- culation, is so ridiculously tiny that one loses sight of its real value. The following are the names of the Dutch coinage now in cir- culation: Halve Stuyver, Stuyver, Dubbeltje, Kwartje or Vijf je — Halve Gulden, Gulden, Rijks- daalde, Gouden Millem or Tientje. This last coin is of gold. Notes are also issued for 10, 25, 40, 50 Guilders, and upwards. The traveler will say that the less said about the 10 THE LANGUAGE Dutch language the better for him. He will undoubtedly find it most difficult, if not impos- sible. But one great advantage in choosing Hol- land as a holiday resort is that the majority of the Dutch people know some English, and as a rule they are proud of their knowledge and prefer to use it whenever possible. They appear to be able to learn foreign languages with great facility, for even among the lowest orders, many may be found who speak several languages besides their own. This may be partly accounted for by the fact that their own language is so difficult and so little un- derstood out of Holland that the Dutch in self- defense are obliged to acquire the tongues of other nations in order to compete in business. Dutch is certainly one of the most difficult of languages to acquire, being more guttural than German, which it somewhat resembles, and it may be classed by the student as a lower Prankish dia- lect. According to the best authorities it existed as early as the thirteenth century. It has developed a strong individuality, is expressive and devoid of the character of patois, such as hampers the Flem- ish tongue. It has incorporated words of for- eign origin less, perhaps, than any other of the low countries, and is of a remarkable richness and flexibility. Its literature is rich and vigor- ous, as may be recognized by the following verse from a favorite song: II HOLLAND OF TO-DAY Wien Neerlandsch bloed in de aderen vloelt Van vreemde smetten vrij, Weins hartvoorland en Koning gloelt, Verhef den zang als wij : Hij stel met ons, vereend vanzin, Met onbeklemde borst, Het godgevallig feestlied in Voor Vaderland en Vorst. — Tollens. (Literal translation: "Let him, in whose veins flows Netherlandish blood, free from foreign stain, and whose heart glows for country and king, raise the song with us, united in sentiment, with unburdened breast, in the festal song pleasing to God, for Fatherland and Sovereign.") The vow^els, a, e, i, o, u, are pronounced as in French, and are lengthened, but not altered in sound, by being doubled (thus oo-o) ; ei and ij, or y, are like the vowel sound in the French pays; au and ou like ow^ in now, but broader (aw-oo) ; eu like the French eu or the German o ; oe like the English 00 or the German u ; ui has a sound fluc- tuating between oi and ow (as in now). In most other combinations of vowels each retains its usual sound. All the consonants are pronounced as in English, except g and ch, which have a guttural sound like the g in the German Tag; w, which is pronounced like v; j like the English y or ee; and V like f. Final n is often dropped in colloquial speech (e. g., Leyde' for Leyden, Marke' for Marken). 12 GEOGRAPHY The definite article is de for the masculine and feminine, and het for the neuter; genitive des, der, des, or van den, van de, van het; dative den, der, den, or aan den, aan de, aan de, aan het; plural for all genders de, den. Amsterdam is the capital of the kingdom, and The Hague is the official residence of the Queen and Consort, although they prefer to occupy the "House in the Wood," or "Huis ten Bosche and Het Loo." The Netherlands are divided into eleven provinces: North Brabant, the capital of which is Hertogenbosch ; Drenthe, the capital of which is Ansen; Friesland, capital Leeuwarden; Guelderland, capital Armheim;Groningen, capital Groningen; North Holland, capital Amsterdam; South Holland, The Hague; Limburg, Maas- tricht; Over-Yssel, capital Zwolle; Utrecht, capi- tal Utrecht; Zeeland, capital Middleburg. Be- sides these provinces, the district of Luxemborg, 210,000 inhabitants, capital of the same name, is a Duchy under the crown. The most important Dutch colonies in the East Indies are Java, Suma- tra, Borneo, and Celebes; in the West Indies, Surinam, St. Eustache and Curagao; to which must be added a number of factories or state hold- ings of Guinana. The total area of these posses- sions amounts to 766,000 square miles, and the population to 28-29,000,000 souls. As near as one can find out, the navy consists in the neighborhood 13 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY of 150 vessels, of which only a few are of the first class, commanded by two vice-admirals, four rear- admirals, " 'schouten-by-nacht," 26 captains, 35 commanders, and manned by upwards of 75,000 hands. Holland, Pays Bas, The Netherlands, or what- ever name one chooses to call it, is certainly one of the remarkable regions of the world. Here man is indebted to nature for very little. Napoleon, pretending that the soil was formed of alluvial deposits, the debris of French rivers, annexed the whole region, with a perfect realization of its vast value. But the great plains intersected by rivers while formed as he claimed, are yet the handiwork of the patient and industrious Dutchman. The sea does his bidding, and wind is under his con- trol. Foreign writers, not understanding his great qualities, have ridiculed him, but he has never been affected by such criticism. The very laws of nature have here been reversed, for, disregarding the injunction, every house is builded upon the sand, and the whole coast is held together practically by straws. There being little or no wood in the country, whole forests have been brought hither in ships, and buried as pile foun- dations for the cities. Save in the Island of Urk in the Ziiyder Zee, there is not a stone to be found anywhere, yet artificial mountains (almost) have been brought in vessels from Sweden and Norway H y^ Copyright, 1909, by Gi^urgc Wharton Kdwarda A Fisherman of Urk — Zuyder Zee CONDITIONS OF LIFE and in the most masterful and ingenious manner erected as barriers against the encroachment of the sea. The vast array of windmills over the country exact toll from the very air, and rivers are made to course, and trees grow exactly where they are needed. Water, air and earth thus under con- trol has made for the greatness of The Nether- lands, which though of comparatively insignificant area, has an historical interest greater than coun- tries of larger dimensions. Forced to keep per- petual watch against the forces of nature, she has had likewise in the past to make heroic resistance against foreign aggression. To the American the Kingdom of the Netherlands has special attrac- tions. Our laws, or rather the best of them, are based upon hers, and she has ever been a refuge to the oppressed. Liberty of thought and action she insists upon for all, as our own Pilgrim Fathers found at Delfshaven. In many ways the Dutch have made man their debtor. Her sons have been illustrious in art, in science and in polemics, and in geographical research and discoveries she cer- tainly holds an exalted place. In art she is su- preme. It was a Hollander who invented the mariners' compass, a spectacle-maker of Middel- burg who invented the telescope, a Dutch physi- cian, Cornelius Van Deebbel, made the thermome- ter. It is stated and claimed that Coster of Haar- lem invented wooden type, and that the first news- 15 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY paper printed in Europe appeared in the Dutch language. Among other great men Holland has produced the author of a work that has perhaps a more ex- tended circulation than any other book, Thomas a Kempis. Erasmus, Erotius and Spinosa, too, are recalled to mind. The prophet John of'Leyden and the New Jerusalem Church, the sects of the Moravians, and the Jansenists had here their origin. Ever the sanctuary of the reformer, Hol- land was noted for its tolerance of opinion, while in England and elsewhere those who differed from the party in power were consigned to the gallows and the stake. The regicides of King Charles I found refuge in Holland, and here too Charles II and the unfortunate Royalists sought shelter after Worcester Field. Lord Shaftsbury fled hither from England to avoid the penalty of high treason, and died in peace at Amsterdam. Here John Locke, under distinguished patronage, wrote and circulated his great essay, "Concerning the Human Understanding." One might continue for pages without exhausting the list, but it is Holland of to-day with which we are now concerned. The visitor will find that Holland is a land which he will respect, as well as admire, for its picturesque quality. There being no mountains, there are con- sequently no valleys. Each town and village will offer to the traveler a quality and charm of its own, i6 T^; ■:.T^i'r»raF'^5*wsra««*i6i,^»-i»r-'- Delftshaven, ENTER TAINMENT the engineer, the agriculturist and the artiat will find everywhere food for thought and study. No- where else can such pictures be found as those in the galleries of The Hague and Amsterdam. No- where else can such stupendous engineering prob- lems be studied; and the Dutch farm is perfection. As to the living, it need hardly be stated here that in Holland the mutton and beef are of fine quality, and while the style of cooking is not always that to which one is accustomed, still one may always find a good meal to be had, even in the remote dis- tricts, while in the large towns and cities the hotels are equal to those of any country. Much, however, cannot be said of the water; it is generally drink- able, but charged waters are inexpensive and abundant and are recommended to the traveler in preference to that derived from the housetops. As to wine, those of the Rhine and Moselle are not dear, and the beer is good, though sour to the taste. So that one may live as comfortably and as inexpensively in The Netherlands as in America, and it may be said further that nowhere on the Continent will the traveler be better served and entertained. The men are kind-hearted yet re- served, and the women, while shy, will cheerfully accord one civility. The children are sometimes too curious and obtrusive, especially in the tourist regions, but they are all kindly disposed. 17 X^^ERTAINLY no one can fully appreciate I ^ the art of the great Dutch masters till \^_y he has seen the country in which they lived and painted. For theirs are pictures which have grown out of the very soil, which have been painted by men who were content to paint the portrait of their own country, artists who could "descry abundant worth in trivial common- place." The Dutch school is the exponent of every- day life ; it has no aspirations after the great and glorious, the mysterious, or the unseen. Nature, as seen in Holland, either out of doors or in the house, is the one inspiration of its art. We are in the domain of naturalism. We must not sup- pose, however, that the Dutch school in its realistic character presents nothing but a brutal material- ism, and never rises above the delineation of drunken boors at a village inn. There is a truth- fulness in the Dutch pictures which commands admiration. It has been well said that "A dead i8 DUTCH PAINTERS tree by Ruisdael may touch a heart, a bull by Paul Potter may speak eloquently, a kitchen by Kalf may contain a poem." All the painters of this school confine themselves to loving, understanding, and representing Nature, each one adding his own feelings and taste — in fact, adding his individual- ity. This love of Nature is specially manifested in those landscapes and sea-pieces in which the Dutch school excels. Visiting various parts of Holland, in different kinds of weather, we shall see how each painter identifies himself with the special aspect which he depicts. A barren, gloomy landscape under a leaden sky, unrelieved by a living creature, its grim monotony only broken by a waterfall or a dead tree, at once shows us Jacob Van Ruisdael, the "Melancholy Jacques" as some one has aptly styled him of landscape painters, who finds "tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones." A bright early morning, when the sun flashes merrily on white sail and glancing stream, and the fat black- and-white cattle are browsing knee-deep in the rich meadows, reminds us of the lover of light, Albert Cuyp. A warm afternoon, when the shadows of the fruit trees lie across the orchards, and an ox or horse or some other animal lies in the grateful shade, tells us of Paul Potter, the Raphael of modern painters, the La Fontaine of artists. An evening landscape, where amid the 19 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY grazing cattle some rustic "Meliboeus sports with Amaryllis in the shade," and presents an idyl such as a Dutch Virgil might have written, brings be- fore us the painter of the night, Van de Velde. A still pond, with the moon reflected on its sur- face and a few cottages nearly hidden by the dark alder and poplar trees, brings before us the painter of the night. Van der Neer. The sea-shore with high-stemmed Dutch ships sail- ing over the waves is the favorite haunt of Willem Van de Velde; a river flowing on toward the horizon, and reflecting a dull gray sky, recalls Van Goyen ; and if we look on a frozen canal, crowded with skaters, Isack Van Ostade stands confessed. And this is not only true of landscape and sea pic- tures; the everyday life of Holland is identified in its various phases with different painters of this school. Owing to the changes which time and fashion make, we shall not find in the streets the "Night Watch" of Rembrandt, or the "Banquet" of Van der Heist in the town hall, the long satin robes of Ter Borch, the plumed cavaliers of Wouverman, or the drunken peasants of Adrian Van Ostade. And if, in passing through a Dutch town, we see a young girl leaning on the old balustrade of a window, surrounded with ivy and geraniums, we may still recognize Gerard Dou. In the peaceful interior of a Gothic house where an old woman is spinning and which is lighted 20 ART, ANCIENT AND MODERN by the warm rays of the sun, we see Pieter de Hooch/ How did such a body of painters con- trive to spring from such an unromantic and dis- tressful period as the latter half of the sixteenth century, from so small a country, and during the time of lif e-and-death struggle known as the eighty years' war, when the fortunes of the nation reached their lowest ebb? The enigma is still unsolved. The artists followed one another in rapid suc- cession. Born in Born in Frans Hals 1580 Jan Steen 1626 Van Honthorst . . . 1590 Jacob van Ruysdael 1628 Adriaen Brouwer . . 1 605 De Hooch and Rembrandt 1606 Metsu 1630 Jan Lievens 1607 Nicholas Maes and Adriaan van Ostade 16 10 Vermeer 1632 Van der Heist .... 1 6 1 1 Adrian van der Gerard Dou 1613 Velde 1635 Govert Flinck .... 161 5 Van Mieris (senior) 1635 Ferdinand Bol. ... 16 16 Hondecoeter 1636 Ter Borch 1617 Van der Heyden. . . 1637 Wouwerman 1619 Hobbema 1638 Albert Cuyp 1620 Jan Weenix 1640 Paul Potter 1625 The earliest dawn of art in modern Europe, as shown in fresco and distemper, is found on the southern side of the Alps; but painting in oil, the art which glows on the canvas of a Raphael, a Ti- tian, or a Rembrandt, had its origin in the Nether- '"German, Flemish and Dutch Painting" by H. G. Wilmot-Bux- ton and Edward S. Poynter, R.A. 21 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY lands. Most authorities from the days of Vasari have credited the discovery of oil painting to the brothers Van Eyck, who painted at The Hague, Ghent, and Bruges during the latter part of the fourteenth and the early part of the fifteenth cen- turies. But they v^^ere not the first artists of the Netherlands in point of time. For centuries the churches had been filled w^ith paintings w^hich seemed to have possessed considerable merit (Davies' "Holland"). The moist climate, how- ever, worked destruction to most of the wall pro- ductions. The churches of Italy, with their wide walls and broad roof spaces, afforded scope for fresco decoration which was wanting in the struc- tures of a Gothic type. Hence, the Netherland paintings were of a different class, being smaller and mostly executed on wooden panels. The ground work of the panel was prepared with a thin coating of fine plaster, and upon this coating were laid the colors mixed with the white of an egg or the juice of unripe figs. Oil was employed, but its use was attended with great disadvantages. It was difficult to lay the colors finely with it and they took a long time to dry. For this reason it was never used in the finished part of the work, but only for large masses of drapery and such. The great objection to this process lay in the fact — not then discovered to its full extent, however — that in time the whole mass flaked off, leaving nothing 22 Over the Tea Cups. Krominie. ART, ANCIENT AND MODERN but the bare surface of the panel. The Van Eyck brothers mixed some substance, probably resin, with boiled oil, and found that they had a medium which dried quickly and with which the finest and most delicate work could be accomplished. The plaster on the panel was interpenetrated with this varnish and the whole wrought so finely to- gether that at last the surface became like enamel, and it is generally next to impossible to detect the traces of the brush. (See Conway's "Early Flemish Artists," also Burger's well-known book on the "Muses de la Hollande," in which Dutch painting is most exhaustively treated, and "The Puritan in Holland, England and America," by Douglas Campbell.) Of the modern school of painting numerous ex- amples are scattered all over Holland. In Rotter- dam at Boyman's Museum are some splendid examples ; also Teyler's Museum at Haarlem. Ex- amples of Mesdag, the painter of the sea, are found in nearly all cities. He paints the sea in its prevailing tones of gray. Israels paints his figures with great power in both oil and water color, and his pictures appeal to the imagination from the very simplicity of composition. They are quiet, even melancholy in sentiment, depicting scenes of poverty with great feeling. Anton Mauve lived near Muiderburg on the Zuider Zee and had a great love for sheep. There is a deliciously cool 23 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY and exquisite touch in all his work. No other artist of our time has painted so sympathetically that soft, violet gray light which envelops the landscape and the creamy dunes, crested with sparse grass tufts, and the feathery trees of North Holland. Roelaf's landscapes should be seen and studied. Also the interior views of the Dutch churches by Bosbooms. The brothers Maris, who painted an enormous number of pictures and whose paintings are in nearly every prominent collection in Europe and America, have upheld upon their brush points, with the above-mentioned men, the glory of the modern art of the Netherlands. Piene- man was a most assiduous worker with tendencies toward the heroic school of Jordeans of Antwerp, much of whose work is to be seen in Holland, notably in the Orange Room at the Huis ten Bosch, the Hague. His most ambitious work is that huge canvas at the Rijks Museum, "Battle of Waterloo." It measures twenty-six feet by eighteen feet. The subject, of course, appeals to every Dutchman, for the Prince of Orange was one of the many heroes of that day. This picture was painted in 1884. Sir L. Alma Tadema, that most distinguished Hollander whose work is well known the world over, and who lives in a veritable palace in Lon- don, England, was born at Marssum, near Leewar- den. He studied under the famous painter, Baron 24 THE PATROONS Leys, and also worked for a considerable time with his uncle, Mesdag, the marine painter. As we have seen them at the close of the seven- teenth century, the Dutch school was practically extinct and remained so for a hundred years. As these great masters came so they went, quickly and mysteriously, and although a second Rembrandt has not appeared, nor a Paul Potter, yet the Netherlands has in this last-mentioned list of mod- ern painters an academical body, yet without its restricted forms, of whom it may well be proud. The Netherlands, of course, is a maritime na- tion, a nation of sailors and fishermen. The whole coast is dotted with fishing villages, which are fast losing their character and becoming fashionable watering places. Of these, Scheveningen is per- haps the chief and still maintains a large fleet of extremely picturesque fishing boats (pinken), the cargoes of which are sold by auction on the beach immediately on their arrival. (I am informed that this custom is now to be abandoned.) I have tried in vain to understand the system of sale, and I have often tried to describe it. The scene on such occasions is often very picturesque and highly amusing. The boats are wide and deep and open in the center of the ribs, and only decked fore and aft. On each side are huge "lee boards," for the boats are flat-bottomed. They are of one mast and carry a jib and mainsail, dyed deep golden brown. 25 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY There is no paint used on the bodies of the boats save a strip of the most delicate green near the "gunwale." The hull is covered with a thick coating of hard oil, giving the wood a most beauti- ful appearance. To see the fleet of? shore and coming sailing in at full speed, all in line, and running up on the sand, high and dry, is a sight worth traveling far to witness. The village people in their wonderful and varied costumes, the fathers too aged to work, and the mothers and children await their coming in long lines on the beaches. Horses are hitched up and driven at full speed into the shallow water and made fast to long lines stretching from the bows of the boats which they pull shoreward, driven by loud cries and exclamations. Then the "patroons," or captains, descend with dignity from their respective boats, and mounting on the backs of some of the men are conveyed ashore through the surf to the beach, where they await stolidly the unloading of the fish. The fishing is prose- cuted with considerable success. Drag-nets, or trawls as they are called, are thrown overboard and hauled along the bottom of the shallow waters of the North Sea, naturally scraping up everything in their way. Large numbers of skate are caught. Other vessels go still further, even as far as the north coast of Scotland after the herring, and meet with great success. The men are splendid and 26 THE AUTOMOBILE sturdy specimens of their race, blond and blue- eyed, with fine bronze skins, and some of them with great charm and openness of character. They are simple and loyal and generally treat the stranger with great courtesy and kindness. All the fishing boats are registered and numbered under the law and are controlled and watched over by the revenue cutters. Of course, there is much drinking among the men, as is to be expected. In the season there is great interest in horse- racing. There are fine tracks at Rotterdam, at Amsterdam, at Woest-Duin near Haarlem, at Utrecht, and at Groningen. The sport has its organ, a weekly newspaper named Hippos. The scene at these races is often quite gay and animated, and considerable money changes hands through the presence of large bodies of strangers from Ger- many and Belgium. There are many rowing and sailing clubs, the principal one being under royal patronage and called "The JRoyal Dutch Rowing and Sailing Club," with headquarters at Amsterdam. The outer side of the Amstel is a favorite piece of water for the racing of small craft; while the Ij and the near-by Zuider Zee are used by larger boats. Dur- ing the season several very successful regattas are held on the River Ij. The official organ which may be studied for particulars is the Neder- landsche Sport. 27 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY To the cycler, the signs everywhere seen through Holland bearing the word "Wielrijders" (cyclists) should be carefully regarded if fol- lowed by the word "Verboden" (forbidden), for the Dutchman is not always patient with the for- eigner at any infringement of the law. The official touring club is called the "Alg. Ned. Wielrijders- bond." This is a most flourishing, well-established association, and under its laws has resulted in the manifest improvement of the roadways. All through the country are seen sign and distance posts emblazoned with the familiar winged wheel, and fixed charges are maintained at the different hotels. The sign for the hotel is "Bonds-Hotel." The distances marked on the post are in kilo- meters. The automobile is now a common sight through Holland. I well remember my own ex- perience in the first machine perhaps which the "Vollendammers" had ever seen and which came up from Amsterdam purposely to deposit me at "Spender's," and the throngs of excited peasants, shaken for the nonce out of their usual apathy. The machine was a noisy red one, and the petro- leum gases forming in the exhaust suddenly ignit- ing went off with the noise of a small cannon, at which the excited Mynheers promptly withdrew their hands from their capacious pockets, shut their eyes, closed their mouths, and seizing their children by the shoulder or anything they could 28 SKATING FESTIVITIES get hold of, promptly fled to a safe distance. Me they regarded as a being miraculously endowed with unheard-of courage and protected by the wing of some sweet little cherub from his seat up aloft, and as such entitled to a new distinction and re- spect. The chauffeur they regarded as some sort of monster, removed from their ken, and when he grufl3y spoke to them in their own tongue, they re- fused to believe the evidence of their ears and only stared, and when he turned the machine with great skill in the narrow roadway by the canal and opened the throttle, vanishing noisily in a cloud of dust, they remained standing one and all spell- bound and speechless, so that I had to carry my own traps to the little stairway which I mounted and along the raised pathway until I met the hos- pitable Spander, who welcomed me with open arms. But the Dutchman is now very familiar with the automobile and regards it with a certain degree of contempt, considering it only in the light of its occupants and as furnishing him with extra guldens. Indeed, the demands of the modern Dutchman upon the gulden of the inexperienced traveler are only limited by the latter's willingness to disgorge. This will be, I think, sufficient warning. Intending visitors to Holland in the winter will do well to join one of the skating clubs to be found in every town, as the sport is most popular through- 29 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY out the country. Nearly all the larger clubs are members of the Dutch skating association, or the "Nederlandsche Schaatsenrijdersbond," at Gron- ingen. The Hollanders learned to skate from the Romans, and examples of the earliest skates which they used may be seen in the different museums. They were made of bones, smoothed and polished to a flat surface, and were tied to the feet with strings. The scene on the rivers and canals in the winter is a most animated and interesting one, and the Dutch are completely transformed. No sooner does the ice bear than the whole people begin to glide and swirl to the poetry of motion. The canals then become the real streets. The sounds of dis- cordant organs from the merry-go-round are heard everywhere, and over all is the pungent odor of the stale grease from the "Pofifertjes" and "Wa- felen" booths, presided over by fat, bare-armed "Vrouwes," who make them with indescribable rapidity for the ravenous peasants. The first are little round pancaky blobs, twisted, cooked in grease and covered with butter and sugar. The "Wafelen" are oblong wafers stamped thinly in an iron mold, fried, and also buttered and sugared. It is etiquette to eat two dozen "Poffert- jes" and two of "Wafelen" at the first order. Aft- erward you may eat as many as you wish. A thin, sour beer is drunk with them, or a sickly, sweet lemonade. To eat them is one's duty. To 30 M: m _Ji Harlmgen from the Water. CIVIC MARRIAGES watch the cooking is a fascination. They are made by hundreds at once over a brisk charcoal fire. The cook busies herself in twisting the little dabs of pasty dough into the molds and dumping out those that are cooked. One may see pictures in the museums painted by Jan Steen showing the operation. The peasants stand in rows before these booths, eating the dainties. They are very noisy, and while one sees but little drunkenness, there is very little real revelry. The Dutch take their pleasures very stolidly, and the great evidence of the "festa" is the glare of the naphtha and the loud, blaring notes of the steam organs. The Dutchman, when he wearies of skating in the win- ter, seats himself with his "meisje" by his side on the backs of the most wonderfully carved and brilliantly painted elephants, camels, horses, or griffons, in the "carrousels," or merry-go-rounds, and will ride for hours at a time with staring eyes and open mouth in a sort of trance, until he is pulled off forcibly by the owner of the machine and made to pay up. There are numerous side- shows on the banks with alleged two-headed boys, giant females, dwarf ponies, etc., presided over by loud-tongued barkers, but the devotee of the sport will prefer to leave these scenes behind and glide along into the country districts over the smooth ice in company with the brilliantly costumed and bright-cheeked peas- 31 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY antry, arriving at the next town in time for dinner, which should be ordered in advance unless the town is a large one. The skating carnival is gen- erally the cause of many weddings among the peas- antry, and if one is so happy as to be present at one of these a most interesting experience may be enjoyed. Thursday is the peasant's day for the ceremony, for on this day the fees are very small. My Dutch friend says that on other days it is "largely expensive" to be married. The "Koster" complains bitterly of the present economical ten- dency which induces so many young couples to dispense with the religious ceremony in favor of the civic marriage. My Dutch friend explains that there are several distinct decorative ceremo- nies at church, ranging in price from say four guild- ers to twenty-five, and for the latter figure there are carpets and artificial flowers and trappings galore. On Thursdays, then, there are generally a number of couples at the church waiting their turn. The happy bride is brought in a high- backed tilbury, if in the country, the interior of which is decorated with two large mirrors in the shape of a heart lavishly trimmed with arti- ficial white flowers, where she sits admiringly con- templated by the party. The ceremony is rattled through with great rapidity, after which the peas- ants depart to the nearest hotel in procession, the groom in full evening dress, and with a stolid, 32 THE FEAST bored expression. He consumes vast quantities of beer, after which comes the banquet. This, it is explained, is the second ceremony, for when the preliminaries of an engagement are decided upon, a betrothal dinner is held. The friends are in- vited to the wedding by the present of a box of sweets, or maybe a bottle of wine, popularly known as "bride's tears." On the day of the wed- ding, the whole party imbibe generously of a cer- tain brand of this wine which contains small floating particles of gold-leaf. They after- ward dance and carouse for the balance of the night. There are other strange customs per- taining to the ceremony, but perhaps they may well be left to the imagination. I was invited to one ceremony which seemed so peculiar that I cannot refrain from describing it. On this occa- sion I happened to meet with the consul, an Amer- ican friend, who invited me to go with him to witness a civil ceremony of marriage, which he said was most singular according to our ideas. When we arrived at the house, the ceremony had begun. The happy couple were standing together before the burgomaster, who was empowered to perform the service. I could not understand quite what was being said, but when it was over, the bride, who was gorgeously arrayed with a wreath of flowers about her lace cap, through the meshes of which shone a magnificent beaten gold head- 33 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY dress with pendant diamond sparks at each side of her rosy face, and with many strings of coral beads about her throat, her figure arrayed in the Zeeland costume, shook hands first with the groom, then with the burgomaster, and disappeared from view into a back room with her girl companions. The groom drank off a large goblet of warm, sweet champagne, the temperature and quality of which I discovered when my own glass was filled. Round after round of wine was consumed and huge slabs of cake were passed about, until in desperation and hidden by the crowd, in self-defense I emptied my brimming goblet surreptitiously on the floor. I managed to ask the consul, whisperingly, to ex- plain. He said that the bridegroom was in South Africa and unable to be present; that the couple wished to be married at once; that he had sent for the bride to come to him, and as it was contrary to etiquette for the bride to go to him unmarried, the bridegroom's brother acted as proxy, and that the young damsel, now a blushing bride, would sail by the steamer from Amsterdam for Natal the following morning. The usual custom of an all- night celebration then progressed. Then ensued dancing to the music of a discordant band, and the constant eating and drinking among non- dancers went on. We all signed our names in a large book, and I was most hospitably urged to remain as a distinguished guest. My friend, the 34 WEDDING CEREMONIES consul, told me that this was not an unusual cere- mony, but I had never heard of it before. There is an old saying in Holland that there are only two things a girl chooses herself — "her potatoes and her lover." They see each other at the "Ker- mis" and then the lad feels his heart's desire. So he puts on all his best clothes and bravely goes to her parents' house. The father and mother give him welcome, the girls smile and nudge each other, and no one refers to the purpose of his visit, though of course they well know why he has come. At last they all retire from the room, even the father and mother, and the two are left alone beside the fire. They speak of everything but the subject at heart. Not a word of love is uttered, but mark you, if she does not feed the fire on the hearth and it dies down, it is a hint that she does not care for him, but if she heaps piles of fuel on the fire, he knows that she loves him and means to accept him for her husband, and he knows that it is all right, and from that day forward he is accepted as one of the family. The engagement is for a year or two, more or less, and they are permitted to go everywhere alone and amuse them- selves without criticism or interference on the part of the parents. 35 //■ Glie c/hoLLow J^aad ^-^^.^^HE traveler is recommended above all to \j/ enter Holland by way of Flushing in \^ Zeeland, as the island of Walcheren re- tains more of the old costumes and the original types of peasantry than perhaps any other of the provinces. The picturesque costumes of the women, with their queer head-dresses and flashing gold and silver cap ornaments (Hoof- dijzers), show to great advantage and impress the tourist with the strange antiquity of the people. The milkmaid going her round with utensils burnished like silver and gold and sparkling in the sunlight; the patient dogs drawing the little green carts laden with brass milk cans ; the curious carvings on the dark, leaning house fronts; the funny little mirrors (spui) at each window, show- ing to those within the passerby; the busy "huis- vrouw" cleansing the footway before her dwelling or sweeping the immaculate bricks of the road- way; the sweet, soft, jangling chime of the bells 36 WALGHEREN in the "Grootekerk" with its lofty tower of four stages, dating from the fourteenth century; the gaudily painted brown-sailed fishing craft, manned by the stolid, broad-beamed Dutchmen, are all sights which will impress one most strangely. The town of Flushing, or "Vlissingen," is about a mile from the harbor. This walk is most entertaining. There is a huge dial showing the height of the water in the River Scheldt, a dial resembling a clock and with the letters "A. P." on it. In Dutch this means "Amsterdamsche Peil,' 'and shows high- water mark at Amsterdam. Here is the town hall on the "Hout Kade," erected in 1733 ; formerly the mansion of a wealthy citizen, it was adapted to its present use after the English destroyed the other by bombardment. Now comes a curious house across a bridge of boats. It is adorned with the figures of the Graces. Then down a street lined with beautiful chestnut trees to the very heart of old Flushing. Here we find the peasant women gathered in the "Oude Markt," all busily chaffer- ing and wrangling over their various commodities. Across the canal to the "Beurs Plein," to the "Ro- tonde" on the sea front, with its lighthouse and a raised walk upon which is a statue of Admiral De Ruyter, who was born here in 1607. His father was a ropemaker, but his mother descended from a noble family. It was from here that De Ruyter's fleet sailed out to attack the English fleet. The 37 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY circular tower was built in 1563 and was once the chief gate of old Flushing. The island of Walcheren is about ten miles in length and eight miles in breadth and has played a most important part in Dutch and English his- tory, and its story many years further back is full of interest. "Among the quicksands of storm-beaten Walachria, that wonderous Normandy came into existence whose wings were to sweep over all the high places of Chris- tendom. Out of these creeks, laugunes, and almost in- accessible sand banks, these bold free-booters sailed forth on their forays against England, France, and other adjacent countries, and here they brought and buried the booty of many a wild adventure. Here at a later day Rollo the Dane had that memorable dream of leprosy, the cure of which was the conversion of North Gaul into Normandy, of pagans into Christians, and the subsequent conquest of every throne in Christendom from Ultima Thule to Byzantium" (United Nether- lands") As to its connection with English history, every schoolboy has heard of the Walcheren expedition in 1809, when the Earl of Chatham was sent with troops to destroy the naval arsenal which Napoleon was creating in Antwerp. The incompetent Eng- lish general, instead of carrying out the object of the expedition, stopped en route to take Flushing, in consequence of which Napoleon had sufficient 38 SPANISH ZEELAND time to put Antwerp in a state of defense, while 7,000 English soldiers left in charge of Walcheren perished of marsh fever and £20,000,000 was sac- rificed. Flushing has made a magnificent endeavor to become a great port, and it is hard to understand why it has not succeeded. The map of Holland will show at a glance that its position is unequaled, and millions of guilders have been spent on its harbor works and docks. Steamers leave here regularly for Hull and different parts of the continent. The magnificent harbor is divided into three parts, known as the outer port, and the first and second inner ports. The outer port comprises about thirty-two acres and has a depth of twenty- one feet at low water; a canal twenty-four feet deep connects the harbor with Middelburg and Veere, cutting the island of Walcheren into two parts. The town is sheltered from the north and northeast winds and the ever-changing sea. To the left is the coast of South Flanders, some of its villages being easily discernible. To the north are the downs with red-tiled farmhouses dotted here and there. To the northeast one gets a glimpse of Biggekerke and Koudekerke, two villages worth visiting by the way. There is a little steam tram running between Flushing and Middelburg, four miles away, but a pleasanter way of making the journey is to take the little steamer running at f re- 39 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY quent intervals through the canal, in company with the gaily dressed peasantry to or from their way to market. In this way a better idea of the country people may be had. Middelburg was in the middle ages one of the richest and most flourishing cities of the Nether- lands, as may be seen from its well-built houses, once the homes of merchant princes, and from its spacious docks and waterways. Its municipal charter, dated 12 13, is one of the oldest documents of the kind in existence. It was a great market for wool, and was crowded with merchants from all parts of Europe, especially from England, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Its intercourse with other nations led to a large trade in wine. All wines coming from Spain and France, for example, for consumption in Holland and Germany had to pass through Middelburg and pay a heavy duty there. In 1572 Middelburg was the last place in Zeeland occupied by the Spanish. It capitulated to the Zeelanders in 1574. *It has been described as the most peculiarly representative and Dutch of all the towns of Holland. On Thursday, which is market day, there is great opportunity of study- ing the Zeeland peasants, for it is upon this day that they flock in from the country after their labors of the week. Their dress is peculiar, most picturesque, and perhaps the most elaborate in Holland. Both sexes wear a great many quaint 40 BREAKFAST beaten silver ornaments, which may be purchased from them sometimes, but for which they ask twice the value. There are many little silverware shops in Middelburg where may be found the quaint old Dutch spoons such as are described by Thackeray in "A Roundabout Paper." On market days these shops are thronged with peasants, purchasing the curious Zeeland silver buttons and buckles. These are made of silver wire in concentric circles which are soldered to its base, and are quite moderate in price. The eating at the hotels here is not very good from our standpoint. The traveler will find a superabundance as well as many kinds, of cheese. There is cheese with caraway seeds and cheese without, soft cheese, hard cheese, yellow cheese, red cheese, green cheese, and white cheese, not to speak of certain dark brown cheese, the merits of which I am unable to qualify. The bread is generally good. Of the meat I cannot say as much. My Dutch friend tells me that mutton is hard to get and I found it so, and the reason he gives is that sheep are only killed when they cease to be valuable for wool-bearing, and lamb on the table is an almost unheard-of rarity. Veal is the great staple, and is served in all manner of forms and is generally well cooked. The soup, which is good, is plentifully besprinkled, especially in the north, with cinnamon; it is rather full of greasy "eyes" and contains forced meat balls or tiny sau- 41 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY sages. To a hungry man who has spent the day sight-seeing this food is more or less palatable and is generally served with a huge flagon of beer. The dining-rooms away from the cities in the small towns are redolent of tobacco, for the Dutch are great smokers, from the boy of five in the street to the nonogenarian. Eggs are eaten cold for breakfast and are served in a huge bowl in the shell with various kinds of cheeses sliced and crumbled, a pot of boiling water, and a little caddy full of tea with which one is supposed to make his own tea. After a few essays at tea-making the tourist becomes quite expert, but my own experi- ences are fresh in my mind and are too unsuccess- ful to dwell upon here. In studying Zeeland, the traveler would better make his headquarters at Middelburg rather than at Flushing, for I found the hotel distinctly better at the first-named town, and its situation is certainly fascinating — occupying as it does one side of the quiet square enclosed by the walls of the Abdij, as the Dutch oddly spell it. There, amid a grove of trees, one sees delicate spires and a charming fa- gade — the headquarters of the Provincial Council, who, meeting in a fifteenth-century hall, have had the temerity and taste (or lack of it) to furnish it with "art nouveau" furniture. A proverb of the Middelburger reads "Goed rond, goed Zeuwsch" ; that is, "well rounded, very Zeelandish," and cer- 42 fm^ The Town Hall, Middelburg. THE SWEET CHIMES tainly many of the inhabitants bear it out, and the shape of the town as well, which curves about the "Abdij." Here one notices for the first time the peculiar costume of the women, who are comely, red-cheeked, and quite delightful to behold in their lace-frilled caps and bright shawls. The peculiar- ity is in the color of their arms. The sleeves of their waists are cut off high above the elbow and so tightly worn that the bare arm from thence down seems bursting from the pressure above, and expanding, takes on the color of a ripe reddish plum mottled with delicate violet tints — most un- pleasant to the sight. Middelburg presents a bright and happy ex- terior. There is everywhere the aspect and evidence of fresh paint; even the tree-trunks and plaster casts of statuary in the gardens are touched up with the paint and whitewash brush. The doors are immaculately white, likewise the marble steps, reminding one of Philadelphia, and the shutters of the windows are ornamented, often with a curi- ous hour-glass-shaped painted ornament, which I am informed is the conventional form of cur- tains draped back behind the glass, and it may be so. It is certainly quaint. Green paint is lavishly used too, and the freedom is sometimes question- able, but in the main the effect is pleasing from its very novelty. One is awakened in the morning by the pro'- 43 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY foundly plaintive music of the bells and carillon and of Long John (De lange Jan) in the tall tower of the Abbey at the "Niew Kerk." Day and night his voice is heard over Middelburg every seven and a half minutes, eight times in the hour. Think of it, forty-one bells every seven and a half min- utes! Happy the man who can sleep under such a bombardment. As for me, I like it, for my student days were spent under the eaves in a small red-tile-floored room in Antwerp in the very shadows of the cathedral, and I love the bells, the beautiful silvery, deliberate, persistent chime. The chimes are played by small hammers which con- nect with a drum like that of a music-box, and this is revolved by the clock machinery. Here at Mid- delburg is another celebrity (GekkeBetje) Foolish Betsey — so called from her steady wilfulness in disregarding her obligations to Long John. Bet- sey is the great clock in the Stad-Huis, and is the pride of the town even though she will not keep correct time. One very curious custom will strike the traveler, that is the railing (often of brass brightly polished) maintained by every house owner across the side- walk in front of the house at each side of his property, making it impossible for the passer-by to use it. My inquiries as to the meaning of this were answered by uplifted eyebrows, a stare, and a shrug of the shoulders, so I forbore. But the 44 Cupv right, I ; ;, by GLorg^ bv GLori;t, \\hirton I-]«ard^ A Zeeknd Milkmaid VEERE, THE DESERTED streets and houses are certainly an unending en- tertainment. There is something at every turn to charm one from its novelty and unusualness: a rosy-cheeked maid with her skirts tucked between her knees scrubbing the already immaculate door- step ; a sleepy fat baby in a low-wheeled box, while a puppy contentedly licks its pudgy face; a dog-cart filled with golden brass and ruddy copper milk cans; a gathering of ancient lace-becapped women, placidly drinking tea in an arbor bearing the painted motto, "Lust in Rust"; two hip-jack- eted, wide-breeched peasant boys gazing into each other's eyes in a sort of trance, and saying not one word while I watched them covertly for fully three minutes by the watch ; the glint of sunlight on the patches of moss on the side of a moored barge in the canal, and the long reflections of its sails and cordage in the sluggishly moving water. There is an interesting museum, "Zeeuwsch Genootschap der Wetenschappen," dedicated to the history of Zeeland, containing many shells and stuffed birds ; Admiral Ruyter's wheel on which he made rope when a boy; the first telescope, made by Zacharias Jansen, the inventor; two of the first microscopes (1590) ; a room furnished in the Zeeland style of old, and other curious and interesting objects which may detain the visitor. The other towns of Wal- cheren, Westcapelle, Domburg, Arnemuiden, and Veere, can be easily reached from Middelburg on 45 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY foot or conveyance, as one prefers. Of these, the most curious and charming is Veere — silent, dead, once the chief rival of Middleburg, but now well nigh deserted and abandoned. One can see its huge tower for miles across the level landscape; its fellow lies beneath the sea, they say. It is vast in its proportions, all unfinished as it is. One end alone is used for services and the rest, whitewashed, nude, and stripped of all its one-time ornamenta- tion, is very melancholy, never having recovered from its desecration by Napoleon, who used it for a barracks and a stable. Six magnificent stone col- umns support the roof on each side of the nave, and I am told that a permanent fund of some 2,000 gul- den is hardly sufficient for the constant repairs necessary to keep it from falling down. On the silent quay is the fine Scotch house for- merly the headquarters of the Scotch wool trade in Zeeland. The exquisite Stadhuis claims atten- tion with its lovely onion-bulb spire piercing the sky and its visible bells softly ringing and jangling. Here, too, one notes the curious painting of the shutters of the lower story, with their hour-glass- shaped decoration. Seven statues of the counts and countesses of Veere adorn its front above the first story. It was built in 1470-74. The Vier- schaar, or courthouse, paneled in oak, is now a museum; its chief treasure is a silver-gilt cup, presented by Prince Maximilian to Veere in 1651. 46 II ^ I ; ■S-. - jH MH ^ - r'/^ }''^.y '' ^^-vf*-,-~y*'«f?#*— 3?; ■ >-e,t-- i^Su' •' •?!| ■|ii' I •■I'Uff The Town Hall, Veere. DORTRECHT Notice the bronze hands over the fireplace. A person sentenced to be "behanded" might by law commute the punishment by paying a certain sum and presenting a bronze hand marked with the name, crime, etc. There is a small hotel or two; the "Belvedere" may be mentioned as occupying the old Camp Veere tower, an ancient bulwark with pleasant views across the water to North Beveland. Domburg, away to the westward, is a small bathing resort, reached by steam tram via Koudekerke from Middleburg. At Domburg the men bathe to the right, women to the left. An ancient and picturesque man, clad in red flannel and armed with a fog-horn, acts as master of cere- monies and recalls the adventurous bather. He bears on his back the word "Badman," but this does not, I am sure, refer to his character, but to his vocation. The Bad Hotel, too, belies its name. It is, on the contrary, excellent in every way, and there are other good hotels here, too. The traveler should now return to Middelburg and Flushing and take train for Rotterdam by way of Dortrecht, passing through Arnemuiden. The train crosses an embankment over the Scheldt, the last glimpse of the gigantic church of Vere vanishes in the distance, and Goes on the island of South Beveland, with its red roofs, orchards, and lofty church, is seen. Now the train enters North Brabant, crossing an arm of the sea, and arriving at 47 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY Bergen-opzoom, a dull little town with a heavy- towered church, passes on to Dortrecht. Dort, as the Dutch lovingly call it, "that most picturesquely deep-dyed of the Dutch towns," stands on an island separated from the mainland during the flood in 1421 and is the most ancient of Dutch towns, dating from the tenth century. There is a small hotel on the quay, "The Bellevue," where Whistler and I and Van's Gravesande spent many happy evenings together some years ago, watching the shipping on the river and discussing art, life, and things — eheu fugaces. It was here that the experience of this erratic genius with the fishwives told of in another chapter took place. The view of the old river from the windows of the hotel is most entertaining, with its possession of tjalks and barges, and the mill opposite with its waving brown-sailed arms. Dort's leaning houses, we are told by the engineers, are the result of design, but whether or not, they are most alarmingly curi- ous, for one may almost reach across certain of the streets from house to house at the upper win- dows and clasp hands with one's neighbors. Cer- tainly no other town occupies its place with calmer placidity, nor has any other so medieval an as- pect. The canal, far below the street level is crossed with a multitude of bridges. Quainter than Amsterdam, it is the nearest in resemblance to Venice, and there are flights of steps to the water 48 On the Way to Market. Veere. "THE HOLLOW LAND" edge, to the moored boats where the fisherwomen wrangle and wash clothes, and where walls green and mossy rise from the canals, and everywhere is bright green paint, growing flowers in window boxes, caged starlings and placid pussy cats sitting beneath them on the sills of the windows. Barges are constantly passing and the presence of the stranger is unnoticed, nor does his easel or white umbrella awaken more than passing interest. On Wijnstraat are some good examples of the quaint houses of the Hanseatic period with roofs rising in curious steps. The Picture Gallery is in the Linden Gracht, and there is a South African Museum adjoining it. The Groot Hoofd Poort is a pictur- esque gateway, dating from 1862, of red brick en- riched with escutcheons, lions, and heads. Inside is a sixteenth-century Dutch room paneled in oak, and here are also some fine banners of the ancient guilds. The Groot Kirk is one of the most inter- esting churches in Holland. The choir and east end are discarded. And whisper! I saw once the washing hung up on a line to dry behind the screen — true, it was on a week-day, but neverthe- less The organ, it is said, has three manuals and 63 stops. There is a fine white marble pulpit (1756). The screen was erected in 1744. The carved choir stalls were wilfully damaged at the Reformation, and are considered the finest in Holland. They are by Aertz, a native of Oort. I 49 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY was asked to notice particularly the "Triumph," which depicts the Christ and a sort of chariot in which is Satan lying bound. The other panels were more interesting to me, however. In the "Munt Poort" on Voor Straat are some fine Renais- sance decorations. Dort was the birthplace of Albert Cuyp, Nicholas Maes, and Ferdinand Bol, the famous painters. There is a statue of Ary Schefifer, the artist, who was born here. His pic- tures, too, may be seen in the Wijnstratt at the museum. A good deal of business is carried on. Great rafts of timber which are made up on the Rhine in Germany are usually broken up here and dis- posed of — many of the windmills about the town are used to saw them up into boards. Founded in the eleventh century, Dort was of considerable importance in the middle ages by rea- son of its customs. All products brought into Hol- land had to pay duty at Dort until the envy of Rotterdam succeeded in obtaining a portion of the trade. The first Congress of the Netherlands Commonwealth was held here in 1572, and while proffering loyalty to the king, determined to up- hold the policy of William of Orange. This was a momentous gathering in the history of this distressful country. The great religious Congress, or Synod, of Dort sat here for nearly two years (1618-19). The Synod cost a colossal sum in ex- 50 ERASMUS IN THE GROOTE MARKT penses and was less inspired by Christian love than any meeting ever held in the name of religion. There is a most picturesque gateway of red brick with quaint floriations in the Dutch Rococco style, dated 1682. The escutcheons, lions, heads, and ornaments are well worth studying. The museum inside, too, will repay one. There are old chests, models of galleons full-rigged, and a Noah's Ark full of animals. There are also cases of old silver turnip watches, and jewelry, and banners of the ancient guilds. Rotterdam is reached by rail or steamer, the latter means being the more interesting, in about an hour and a half. Of its 200,000 inhabitants, one-quarter are Roman Catholics, and there are about 7,000 Jews to be reckoned with in trade. It is named from its situation on the Rotte; that is, the Dam on the Rotte. It may be described as a most novel and picturesque medley of water, trees, curious drawbridges and vessels. One may loiter for hours upon the Boompjes (so called because of its row of beautiful trees, boompjes being the Dutch for trees, or little trees), which is the place "where merchants most do congregate." There is great animation and color everywhere — the streets are alive with people, so that one can realize the fact that Rotterdam has a population of 200,000, The multitudinous drawbridges are being con- stantly raised or lowered to let the brightly and 51 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY picturesquely painted barges pass, and the delay is most cheerfully borne by the halted pedestrian. While it is not a particularly pleasant city to visit it is very cosmopolitan. Its chief claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of Erasmus, and his bronze statue may be seen in the Groote Markt sur- rounded by fruit stands and jostling, scolding, chattering peasant women. Another illustrious son is that exquisite painter, Pieter de Hooch. He died at Haarlem in 1681. He excelled in his man- agement of light. Sunlight dififused is one of his mysterious gifts to art; his pictures are bathed in it. The traveler may stop here in Rotterdam for a few hours at any rate, and visit "Boymans' Mu- seum," where he will find some good pictures, and at the "Museum voor Geschiedenes en Kunst" a fine collection of old furniture, glass, Delft ware, and weapons. The church of St. Lawrence has no equal in the country; its somber gray tower quite dominates. There is a typical windmill on the "Cool Singel," some storks in the Zoo, and a most picturesque and busy river. Lucas says "All Dutch towns are amphibious," but some are more watery than others. He says, too, that they do not swim in their waters, and this I can vouch for, but they certainly do wash every- thing in sight; such a splashing and a dousing as goes on from morning till night can be seen no- where else in the world. Lady Mary Wortley 52 ..'■'■■v.: - ..IT Type of Oyster Girl. Goes. THE CHURCH AT GOUDA Montagu sent an interesting letter to the Countess de Mar in 1716 from here. She says: "All the streets are paved with broad stones, and before the meanest doors are seats of various colored mar- bles, so neatly kept that I assure you I walked all over town yesterday 'incognito' in my slippers without receiving one spot of dirt." There have been some changes since Lady Mary's day, but in the main her account reads as if written to-day. And now we will pay a short visit to Gouda (pronounced Hooda), sometimes called Ter Gouw, where we find a fine church surmounted by a bulbous tower sufficiently picturesque to satisfy one, and some magnificent stained glass windows of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. There are twenty-nine large and thirteen small windows presented by various princes, corporations, etc. The best of them are the twelve by the brothers Wouter and Dirk Crabath in 1555-57, and of their pupils. Before each window is thoughtfully placed a cartoon of its subject. Perhaps such an assemblage of antique glass can be seen nowhere else. One can examine window after window in wonder at its beauty and quality and marvel that the town was not long since despoiled of its treas- ures. From here to The Hague is but seventeen miles, also by rail. We will, however, defer our visit to this town, the favorite residence of the royal family, until another chapter. 53 Ihtzecfit m 'Y Dutch friend having left me tem- porarily, I was thrown on my own resources, and leaving my baggage, I wended my way down to the "Catherijne Kade," crossing the canal. Naturally of a modest and retiring disposition, I do not court undue notoriety and observation. This is neces- sary to state here because alighting from the train at Utrecht, I immediately became aware that I was for some reason an object of attraction. The porters were rather attentive to my luggage, and when I tipped them they grinned broadly and winked at one another. I was curious as to their actions, but it was when passing over the bridge on the Rijnkade that I met a number of school chil- dren, and to my amazement, something in my ap- pearance convulsed them with laughter, and with shouts and gesticulations, they turned and ran on ahead of me, walking backward as children do, and staring at me the while. In vain I looked 54 THE CATHEDRAL myself over, felt of my hat, my hair, and my col- lar, which seemed all correct and in place. At- tracted by the noise men and women appeared at shop doors and, when I passed, fell in behind me, and soon I was at the head of a long, straggling procession, which closed in upon my heels in a most uncomfortable manner, and it was only by dodging through an alley and turning on my steps, then through the Stadhuisbrug and back to the quiet streets by the canal, that I managed to elude my pursuers. "What," thought I, "is the matter with my appearance?" and I stepped into a little shop which displayed some books in a window, and bore the sign, "Boekhandlerij," and to the clerk behind the counter asked did he "see anything strange in my costume?" His answer dum- founded me. "Does Mynheer pull the teeth to- day?" Briefly told it transpired that a couple of itinerant quack dentists had been in town the day before, that they carried American flags, and had extracted teeth free of charge in the Cathedral square, selling tooth-powder, besides, restoring miraculously the whiteness of black teeth in one application. "But why," said I, "am I thus fol- lowed? I am no dentist." "Why, Mynheer wears the yellow shoes like the others ; never before have we seen such in Utrecht, therefore the people think Mynheer a dentist." I fled back to the station, and 55 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY my comfortable tan shoes were promptly consigned to the depths of my traveling kit. Utrecht lies peacefully in the midst of verdant fields and vast, deep woods. Its parks are charm- ing; it has a fine campanile, opulent-looking houses, and a university. Its canals are different from those of other Dutch towns, inasmuch as they lie considerably below the level of the streets. There are practically two roadways, one on each side of the waterway, the upper lines with prosper- ous-looking shops and well-appearing buildings, forming a sort of roof for a lower line of vaults and stores which give upon the lower level to the canal. The effect is picturesque and novel. The Cathedral is only a sort of fragment, as the nave was destroyed by a storm in 1674. From the vast- ness of the tower, it must have been one of the finest and most important in the Netherlands. It stands upon the opposite side of a large square. The interior of the remaining portion is disfigured by unsightly woodwork, but it contains some very interesting monuments. From the tower, a level country is visible for miles, with its towns and villages shining in the sunlight. The "Malieban" or Mall should be yisited, a charming avenue of lime trees, three rows deep on either side and more than a mile in length, forming one of the finest promenades in the Netherlands. The city is the headquarters of the Jansenists, a curious Roman 56 AMSTERDAM Catholic sect, founded in the fifteenth century by Cornelius Jansen. They form a separate com- munion in Holland, numbering some six thousand, and "bull" after "bull" has been promulgated against them by various Popes. A very ancient city, Utrecht has a very interesting history. In early days when the country was subject to the Romans, it was known as "Trajectum ad Rhenum," that is. Ford of the Rhine. Its first bishop was Wilibrod, an Anglo-Saxon, who came from England to preach the gospel in Walcheren. The prince- bishops of Utrecht were famous for their power and wealth, and ruled with the counts of Holland for many centuries. The famous treaty of Utrecht, the union of the southern provinces, the foundation of the Netherlands republic (1579), was signed here. The paintings on exhibition in the town are commonplace and do not call for special mention. The saying of Erasmus, who waxed witty at the expense of Amsterdam, and compared the Am- sterdam people to "crows living in the tops of trees," need not be quoted further, as every traveler refers to it in detail, but it is certain, as the guide books say, that "were the city turned upside down it would present the ap- pearance of a forest of bare tree trunks." The Exchange, I am informed, rests upon some 3,500 piles driven into the sand. There is so much to be seen in Amsterdam that one is at a loss where 57 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY to begin ; the canals are filled with huge ships and barges busily loading and discharging cargoes, and in the streets are seen vast heaps of casks and bales, and facing them shops crowded with peo- ple, here the shopmen and clerks, there the rough wandering sailors and boatmen wide-breeched and ear-ringed. The city is most confusing in its con- figuration. The north side is given up to the docks on the Ij (pronounced "Eye"). It is built in the form of a horseshoe, and the streets radiate from the "Dam" like a spider's web. The Dam is therefore the center or hub and presents a busy aspect at all hours of the day. On the Rembrandt Plein the scene is very animated and gay on fine evenings with the crowds, and the lighted cafes, and the cosmopolitan gathering. But it is the river front which will attract the tourist, and leaning upon the rail of a bridge one's nostrils are greeted with the odor of strange bales of goods, of tar, and the smell of cooking from the galleys of the ves- sels. And one cannot linger long upon the bridge either, for there is the constant raising and lower- ing of the draws to let the boats pass to and fro. The rattle of the chain and block mingles with the roar of wheels, and the noisy whistles on the tugs, the jangle of chimes from the steeples, and the guttural shouts of the boatmen. Huge "Boms" pass in tow of diminutive tugs, carriages pass side by side with the boats, sails are mirrored in shop 58 Amsterdam. THE BACK STREETS windows, and the rigging is reflected in the water of the canal. From the Dam start the numerous tramways with attending crowds in swarms, sol- diers are on duty before the Palace, merchants hurry to and from the exchange, shoppers pass to and from the Kalverstraat, and peasants in curious costumes from the country stand and gaze in wonder. During the last week in August the small boys of the city are permitted to make a play- ground of the "Beurs" or exchange, a privilege granted by the city in commemoration of the dis- covery of a plot by the Spanish in 1622. The massive gloomy building on the west side is the palace, but it is said the Queen only stops here one week in the year. It is described by Thackeray as follows : "You have never seen the Palace of Amsterdam, my dear sir ? Why, there's a marble hall in that palace that will frighten you as much as any hall in 'Vathek,' or a nightmare. At one end of the cold, glassy, glittering, ghostly, marble hall there stands a throne on which a white marble king ought to sit with his white legs gleaming down into the white marble below, and his white eyes looking at a great marble atlas, who bears upon his icy shoulders a blue globe as big as a full moon." And he continues in the same strain. But frankly I think the room of fine proportions, and altogether impressive in its magnificent length of 120 feet, 59 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY 60 feet in width, and 100 feet in height with white marble walls. There are many curious back streets in Am- sterdam through which I have wandered day after day, streets bordering on quiet, sluggish canals, and lined with dark, solemn-looking houses of black and brown brick, with immaculately clean white window frames, rising sometimes to a considerable height and culminating in curious stepped gables from which quaint cranes and hooked pulleys pro- ject, and above which the "Hei-tutors" fly. I don't know why, but these houses suggest spooky secrets, and seem inhabited solely by strange waxen-faced, lace-becapped ladies gazing furtively into the little "Spui" (or small mirror) which is invariably fastened to each window. I have mental pictures of interiors behind these many-paned windows con- taining vast stores of exquisite marqueterie furni- ture, rare Delft ware and paintings by Hals, massive sideboards crammed with Dutch Apostle spoons; inverted silver drinking cups surmounted by windmills and antique ships, and heavy cut- glass chandeliers with brass balls handing pendant from the ceiling. Many days have I idled along these silent "Grachts," seeing only these dim, furtive, reflected waxen faces in the windows and an occasional black cat scurrying across the way. But there is great contrast to the silent, dark canals in the great "Kalverstraat," which runs south from 60 ik i i f^ ..'li ■ J; k ■^n ! ■ ' ^ / ■■■^l The Weepers Tower. Amsterdam. A GLASS OF ICE WATER the Dam, by day and night filled with hurrying multitudes of merchants, peasants, and voyagers, and noisy with the clank of the wooden "shoon." The Kalverstraat is the Broadway of Amsterdam, but only in the sense of its being a busy thorough- fare, and not from its width, for it is quite narrow. The tourist will seek in the evening the "Warmoes Straat," in which is situated the "Krasnapolsky," the most gigantic restaurant in Europe, and per- haps the most cosmopolitan. It was here I caused consternation one evening at dinner by calling for a plate of ice, for I was thirsty and longed for a cold drink of good water. The waiters came and looked at me by turn and excitedly talked among themselves and gesticulated, finally calling the manager, who asked me with great courtesy what I desired. I explain that I desired a plate of ice. He repeated "Ice?" I again said ice. Three waiters behind him looked at each other and echoed ice. Then they all vanished. I waited. Finally I called the nearest waiter and giving him with a magnificent air a "dubbeltje" (small coin) said simply, "A plate of ice, if you please." He too started visibly and said, "Ice?" I once more re- peated ice. He in his turn vanished. After wait- ing for some time came the head-waiter with a plate of ice, two small cubes of the size of butter balls, set it down before me with a hesitating air and said, "Ice, mynheer," then stood to one side to 6i HOLLAND OF TO-DAY see what I would do with it. Then came waiter number one, bearing a plate with one small piece of ice of the butter-ball size, which he in turn set down before me, saying "Ice, mynheer," and stood to one side with the proprietor to see what I was going to do. Then came waiter number three bear- ing triumphantly a plate with another small piece of ice which he placed with the other dishes, say- ing, "If you please, ice, mynheer," and joined the other two. With a spoon I placed the four small pieces of ice in a glass with some seltzer, and to their astonishment I drank it. They seemed satis- fied, however, for when my bill was presented at the end of the dinner, the charge to my consterna- tion was — ^well — I'm ashamed to tell how much I paid for thatglassof ice water, but I noticed the ex- treme respect with which the waiter brought me my hat, my coat, and my cane and bowed me out into the night. Around the Rembrandt Plein are the princi- pal cafes, surrounding the statue of the great painter. In summer evenings this square is well- nigh impassable with the strolling crowds from the Kalverstraat and the people seated about jthe small tables and chatting gaily. Friday evening until the night of Saturday, one of the greatest sights of the city is the "Jews' quarter." In this veritable "Ghetto," Spinoza was born. The house is still shown and is numbered 41 on the Waterloo 62 5- \ V '^'' M i Type of Jewish Boy. Amsterdam. THE PREMIER MINE Plein. The great Rembrandt, also, dwelt for a number of years at number 4 Jordenbreestraat. Of course, as is well known, this is the great center of diamond cutting and polishing, and in their lit- tle dingy cafes the merchants may be seen chaflfer- ing over gleaming heaps of the precious stones. Some writers have spoken of the fact of their let- ting the nail of the little finger grow long so that they may use it as a scoop, but I have not seen this myself. The great Cullinan diamond, which was pre- sented to King Edward by the Transvaal Govern- ment and the cutting of which has just been finished at Amsterdam (1909, January), was really larger before the cutting than all the other great diamonds previously discovered, such as the Kohinoor, the Nizan, the Regent and the Orlof. It was Tom Cullinan, a veteran miner, prospecting one day, who saw on a plateau on the farm of an old Boer, the sort of clay which, to his practised eye, prom- ised diamonds. The experts had little faith in the locality, nothing ever having been found there- abouts. The Boer farmer refused to permit any further prospecting and demanded a large sum of money in cash outright. Tom finally raised the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and bought the farm. The diamond drills which were put to work immediately, struck at the depth of nearly six hundred feet what is known as Kimberly 63 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY Blue Ground and the result was a dozen fair-sized diamonds. After that the Premier Mine, as it was named, became a record-breaker, yielding a num- ber of stones about three hundred karats, two above two hundred karats, and sixteen, it is said, above one hundred karats in weight. Tom CuUinan thus became a wealthy man. He did not, however, dream of the wealth which was in store for him or of the luck which thereafter pursued him and which put into his hands a stone worth upwards of five million dollars. In the month of January, 1905, one of the managers. Wells by name, was as- cending the scarred side of a pit after the day's labor, when his eye caught a flash from a monster glassy stone embodied in volcanic clay on the op- posite slope. He took his bearings and marking the spot, immediately sought the location where he picked out an enormous mass of crystal almost as large as his first and took it to the office. It was put upon the scales and weighed 3,024 karats, or more than i 1-3 pounds avoirdupois. The geol- ogist of the Transvaal state pronounced the stone a chip from a much larger block. It was then named the Cullinan diamond, after the finder. The previous largest find in the mine was the Jagersfontein of 1893, which weighed 970 karats before it was cut into ten stones, worth between four and five thousand dollars apiece. One may judge of the size of the Cullinan diamond by the fact that it 64 THE WEEPER'S TOWER would take ten of them to match it in size. It is said that this enormous stone was sent to England by registered mail with a shilling stamp upon it and that upon its safe arrival it was deposited in the safe deposit vault and was insured for $2,500,000, or just one-half its estimated value. It was finally decided to cut the stone into eight parts, using seven for a royal necklace and the largest fragment to be presented to the Crown and to retain forever the name of CuUinan. The work of cutting and polishing was done at Amsterdam at a cost of fifty thousand dollars. It is said that about two-thirds of the stone was lost in the cutting, the largest fragment being known as a "drop brilliant" weighing 516 1-2 karats. It is much larger than any other cut diamond in the world. This drop brilliant was cut with 74 facets instead of the regulation 58. The largest previous- ly known brilliant was the Jubilee of 239 karats. Consul Henry Morgan, of Amsterdam, has fur- nished in a report, the following information con- cerning the polishing of the great diamond in that city. "It was necessary in the first instance to cleave the stone in three pieces in order to remove two very bad flaws. This cleaving is done by first making an incision in the stone with a diamond-cut- ting saw at the point where it is to be split and fol- lowing the grain to a depth of one-half to three- 65 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY quarters of an inch. Before this cleaving opera- tion was undertaken crystal models were made and cleaved in order to ascertain as far as could bd known just what would happen when the same process was applied to the real stone. After the incision the cleaver inserted into the slit an espe- cially constructed knife blade made of the finest steel and then with a thick steel rod struck it a hard blow and cut the stone in two exactly at the point where it was proposed it should be cut." And it is said to be an exceedingly well-executed piece of work. In this quarter one may buy wonderful antique rings and diamond sparks, but unless one is expert and delights in bargaining, and is willing to be cheated, one should avoid the experience. At the head of the "Gelderschekade" is a quaint build- ing called the Weeper's tower, dating from the fifteenth century. Here the families or wives of the fishermen waved good-by to the departing sailors long ago and watched them disappear. At the side of the fish market is "St Anthony's weigh- house," a curious red-brick structure. Not far from here is the "Prins Hendrik Kade," where De Ruyter lived in the seventeenth century. It bears on its front his portrait in relief. St. Anthony's weigh-house, now used as a fire station, was in the fifteenth century the outer limit of the city. Some of the city guilds met here, 66 The Great CuUinan Diamond before cutting. CLEAN BROEK and I am told a society of surgeons once had a dis- secting room on the upper floor. Rembrandt's "School of Anatomy" originally hung in this build- ing. There are some magnificent charitable insti- tutions in the city. Charles II when in exile at Bruges is said to have remarked that "God would never forsake Holland," so charitable were its in- habitants. A frequent sight in the streets are the children from the orphanages, who may be recog- nized easily by their picturesque costume or uni- form of red and black. The skirt and bodice of the girls are divided equally vertically in two colors, one side red, the other black. I had an excellent view in the evening at the open-air concert in the Zoological Gardens of the life of the people, and at the "Tolhuis," a large tea garden across the ferry, of the lights of the city, and listened to the music of a fine military band. "The Rijks Museum" con- tains magnificentandworld-renowned paintings, the list of which is too extended to note in this chapter, but the traveler will seek the Gallery of Honor, at the end of which is the Rembrandt Room with its huge masterpieces. "The Night Watch" at once impels attention. It is, of course, not a night watch at all, for the lighting is from sunlight in a courtyard, but the misnomer will forever cling to the canvas. It represents Captain Frans Banning Cocq and his company of arquebusiers leaving their headquarters for military exercises. 67 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY In the same hall hangs the brilliant work of Van der Heist, "The Banquet" of the Amsterdam shoot- ers. This work brought the artist a great reputa- tion. Thackeray describes the hands of the figures as being as wonderful as the faces. Here are pic- tures by Frans Hals, Jan Weenix, Metsu, Dou, Ter Boorch, Jan Steen, Wouwermans, Hobbema, Ruisdael, and a host of others no less wonderful. There are also many modern paintings, the most popular of which is Queen Wilhelmina's corona- tion by Ecrelmans. There are numerous other pic- ture galleries in the city. All in all, the tourist will find it difficult to tear himself away from Amsterdam. Broek has long been celebrated by writers of Holland as being the cleanest place in the world, but when I passed through it did not strike me as being cleaner than any other town of its class, though it did impress me as being more upon the toy-box order than any other, and it seemed to me that the inhabitants were painfully aware of their reputation and were try- ing to live up to it. It is certainly clean, for across the road there is a wooden bar to prevent horses or vehicles from entering the principal street, and a sign pointing out the way to a back thoroughfare by the canal. I saw an old dame who was nearly as wide as she was tall, busily sweeping up some imaginary dust into a pan in the middle of the 68 THEATRICAL MARKEN roadway. She scowled at me as I passed so that I looked at my boots to see if they were not as clean as they might have been. It is all on a diminutive scale and looks like a play town ar- ranged for some fete, and there are tiny ponds be- fore the houses and three-foot drawbridges over two-foot canals, connecting the walks. But it is a pretty village with its tiny gardens, its trim trees, and its little ponds, and I am not sorry that I passed through it. Monnikendam I spent the night in. I seemed to be the only guest in the hotel, which was named "Doelen" as usual. When I awoke in the morn- ing, the first thing I saw was an immense pulpit painted white and gilded, at the other end of my bedroom, which seemed to be a sort of council chamber for some association for it bore the in- scription "Tot Nut Van t'algemeen," the meaning of which I never discovered. A queer, for- gotten town with a stately old brick church big enough to hold a regiment. The houses are red, the shutters are green, the streets are deserted, and the pavement is of very yellow brick. It was from here that I took a sailboat for Marken, which won- derful island is nothing but a huge meadow dyked up against the sea, with the most theatrical popu- lation imaginable. It is said that the women rare- ly ever leave the island and that they know nothing of the outer world, but I am inclined to doubt 69 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY this, for they do understand the value of the "stuijver" (coin). The little villages, of which there are several, are built on high mounds of earth brought from the mainland in boats, and these are connected by narrow brick-paved roadways run- ning across the fields. In the spring and fall when the winds are high, the sea rises and the little vil- lages are separated completely. The costume of the men is comical. They wear a kind of divided skirt ending at the knees, with a blue shirt and sou'wester. The dress of the women I shall describe with a certain diffidence as a short, full petticoat of some blue stuff; a very gay bodice covered with bright flowers, in red, green, and pur- ple, which seems to be laced up the back; blue knitted sleeves from wrist to elbow, then to the shoulder in white, and bright orange handkerchief or a string of coral beads around the neck. Each woman wears a queer, close-fitting cap of black cloth with an edging of white lace, and her hair is cut straight across in a bang at the forehead, and two long, curly locks hanging down each side of her face to her shoulders. As for the children, up to the age of ten they are dressed exactly alike. It is only possible to tell the boys from the girls by the button the former have on their caps, and the red rose the latter wear under their chins. Marken is pronounced "Marriker." It has been said that Marken is no place for the sensitive 70 r . .1 Marken. ZAANDAM traveler, and this I think is true. The people are certainly mercenary to the last degree and some travelers have called them savages. But I would not go quite so far as this. The women impressed me as being better-natured than the men, and I was prepared to take it all on trust and believe in them thoroughly until I saw some of the interiors of the homes. The trouble with Marken is that it is a commercial community, a business enterprise with a discreetly hidden business manager. The lavishly displayed bric-a-brac. Delft plate, brass milk cans, the Apostle spoons, as a rule are all made for the occasion and placed there by astute dealers, and the prices they ask for these would stagger even an American. And so let us leave them to the business. Certainly, if Volendam, which I shall describe hereafter as a deep red village, is so identified, then Zaandam must be styled the "Green Village," for nowhere in Holland is there such a lavish display of green paint, and curiously enough the effect is charming. It would seem as if the weather had a qualifying effect upon the color, for it becomes with time of an exquisite turquoise tint. These houses seen beneath the rows of trees which run down its long streets, are in effect most pleasing. Zaandam is divided by the River Zaan. There is a little hotel called the "De Zon," presided over by a most kind old vrouwe, and here one may sit 71 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY at peace with the world and watch the ducks swim- ming in the canal. Zaandam is preeminently the windmill town and invariably is associated with Don Quixote, but of course he has had nothing whatever to do with it, and as Whistler would say, "why drag him in ?" These mills are whirling and gesticulating in all directions. There are blue mills, red mills, white mills, brown mills, black mills, and two green ones. I am told that for the most part they are pumping water, but I saw some which make fertilizer; others grind or cut tobacco, and many saw wood. The guide book tells me that there are four hundred of these mills and that they stretch along the canal for five miles. I counted eighty from the station alone, while waiting for the train, to the amazement of a cabman who was watching me and who certainly thought I was crazy. The moment I disembarked at Zaandam, I was beset with guides of all sorts: small boys danced before me, old men pushed and pulled me, and one man, not being able to reach me for the crowd, tapped me on the head with a long stick which he held in his hand, and holding up his other hand shouted, "Peter's house, Peter's house." But with one single word in Dutch with which I had been equipped by my Dutch friend, and which I will never disclose, I discouraged them and sought out the house of Peter myself, for one can- not miss it, whether one wishes or not. It is now 72 On the Jetty. Marken. THE "FREKSCHUYT" encased for preservation in an outer covering of zinc and brick and outwardly resembles a small chapel. There are two small rooms to be seen, in one of which is Peter's bed. The walls of the hut are covered with autographs and some Russian tablets. Peter the Great lived here in 1697 when he worked as a shipwright in the yard of one Myn- heer Kalf. The monarch is said to have spent only eight days in this hut, and if this be so, he is cer- tainly responsible for a great deal of trouble to the poor tourists and no little money has fallen into the pockets thereby of the bland Zaandamers. Anton Mauve, one of the greatest of the modern Dutch school of painters, was born here in 1838. He died at Arnheim in 1888. Strange to say, neither Zaandam nor Arnheim has evinced the slightest interest in the fact. And now Volendam, the artist village. To this we must go in the "Trekschuyt," a funny little ark of a boat drawn by boy-power along the canal, said boy, and a sturdy one too, being hitched up into a sort of harness with a wide leather band across his breast and the tow-line attached to a hook in his back. He leans over his "job" at an angle of 45 degrees and pulls the boat along the canal at the rate of about two and a half miles an hour, while a lean old man with a pole at his armpit keeps the stern of the boat away from the bank of the canal. Mynheer of the vast, 73 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY gloomy hotel at Monnickendam, helped me down to the boat with my traps in the morning and in- troduced me to our boy-motor. The boat, which lay in the canal, was shaped like a small Noah's Ark, nearly as broad as it was long, with a door at one end, giving entrance to the interior. Through the little square windows in the sides I saw the pretty faces of a number, of girls in charming lace caps. The faces vanished as I looked and I heard a good deal of giggling and the boat swayed alarm- ingly from side to side. Once on board, mynheer presented me formally to the quaintest collection of girls that I have ever seen. There were six of them in the prettiest costumes imaginable. They quite filled the little cabin with a number of brightly polished milk-cans and one huge basket of celery. Soon we were off, and in response to their questioning I began to tell the girls where I came from, and where I was going, my name, my age, my family history, and my occupation, and soon they were gaily chattering upon matters not more than half of which I could understand. I asked one of them to sing me a song, which she did very shyly, at first, and the rest joined in the chorus. It was something about chasing pigs out of the garden, and a poor, sore heart, but I could not see the connection, although this must have been my fault. Then my neighbor asked me if I would sing a song. I said I couldn't, that I never 74 FISHERMEN AND THEIR HOUSES had excepting in the privacy of my own quarters, but that I would if they wished it and would ab- solve me from the consequences, that there were cows in the fields all about us, and that some con- sideration was due to the boy who was pulling the boat. At the first sound of my voice, the boy re- turned to the boat and asked me if anything was wrong. I of course resented his impudence, think- ing that if the young ladies did not object that it was no concern of his. The girls seemed perfectly satisfied, for after the first few bars, they laughed uproariously and they did not ask me to continue, although I was perfectly willing. They did, how- ever, entertain me charmingly by telling me much that concerned Volendam, at which we arrived all too soon. The village is below, or almost so, the sea level, excepting some of the houses on the outer dyke. I may say that Volendam is now, alas, dif- ferent from what it was when I first saw it, nearly twenty years ago. The traveler is beginning to find it out, and Mynheer Spander's Inn has been enlarged and is thronged in the summer. The houses are largely of wood with quaint gables, and the color, as I remarked before, is a deep red. That is to say, the houses are so painted, and that, as well, is generally the color of the jackets and trou- sers of the men. The great trouble with Volendam is its open drain, from which there is great danger, I should think, of typhoid. Artists have found 75 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY Volendam, and its streets and houses are thronged with them. They come, too, from all parts of the world. The population has learned to like them, and the men, women, and children can fall at once into the easiest possible poses.- Mynheer Spander and his kind daughters were hospitality itself. They have provided a richly furnished studio for the painter which contains nearly all that one would need. The men are taci- turnity itself. On their return from fishing, one may see them squatting on their heels all along the dyke in sheltered spots, smoking furiously and per- sistingly, without saying one word for hours. One is struck by the collections of wooden shoes arranged outside each doorway in assorted sizes until one learns that it is the rule that all shoes must be left outside before entering. The houses are very small, usually a story and a half, and are below the level of the street. The Volendam matron, when dressed ceremoniously, wears, I am credibly in- formed, some fourteen petticoats, which are sus- pended from a wooden hoop worn about the waist. Those who can afford it wear as many more as they can get, the outer one being of woolen stuff in broad blue and white stripes, embroidered with silk. The cap is unique and different from all others, and has two long lace points projecting from each side of the face. The community is of the Roman Catholic faith. It is only on Saturdays 76 A Volendam Type THE MUSEUM and Sundays that the little harbor is completely filled with fishing-boats with their crews, present- ing a very busy sight, and at church on Sunday the picture is unique. Returning to Edam by the "Trekschuyt," one might linger for a little while at its museum. The house is a sufficiently remarkable one. It has been styled "a curio of curios." Mynheer informed me that it was built by a sea captain, a wonderful man, away back in the sixteenth century, who so loved his vocation that he fitted up its interior as far as possible in the likeness of a ship. The custodian hands one a candle and invites one to descend into the "hold." Formerly, I am told, this portion of the household floated in the canal water, but it is now fastened to the rest of the structure. There is a steep ship's ladder, leading to a small cabin on the upper deck, which contains a curious table so mechanically arranged that upon displacing the top some secret' drawers are disclosed. There are various cunningly arranged closets, all contrived by this singular character. It is filled with old books and curios, and on the wall is a large paint- ing, representing the battle of Chatham. I am told that the Dutch vessels therein engaged were built here. Of course, the town gives its name to the brand of cheese, but as a matter of fact little, if any, of this commodity is manufactured here. 77 Of. (yloazket F course the great attraction of Alkmaar is its cheese market, at which 5,000,000 kilos of the commodity are sold yearly. Every Friday morning curiously shaped vehicles quite filled with yellow shiny cheeses are driven into town from all parts of the country round about. Contrary to our notion, these cheeses are not red, unless for export. The wagons are of light, varnished wood, high up above the wheels and painted bright blue inside. They are all headed for the market place and the Weigh House. The Carillon is busily ringing out its sweet tones. The Wedding March from Lohengrin played on these bells is a delight to the ear, and from the tower at intervals two little mechanical wooden horsemen charge each other to the notes of the mechanical trumpeter. The sight in the market place is most curious and unique, perhaps the most curious in all the Netherlands. There are huge 78 THE SIEGE golden heaps or mounds of cheeses which glow and glitter in the sunlight. Long lines of boats come in and discharge their cargoes in turn before the painted and gilded Weigh House, and the square is filled with buyers and sellers, shouting and getting in each other's way to such an extent that one won- ders how they do any business. To the onlooker they seem to be shaking hands constantly, as if con- gratulating each other upon the amount of cheese in the market place. The peasants are tossing the cheeses down to the porters, who are dressed in a kind of white canvas and wear large, flat-brimmed hats of red or blue or yellow, as the case may be. They carry on small hand-barrows two or three hundred-weight of the yellow balls. They glide over the ground in a curious scuffling, shambling manner. There are scales scattered about, cor- responding in color to the hats of the porters. The whole scene, in fact, is a wild, kaleidoscopic revel of glaring yet harmonious colors. The bargaining presents a most peculiar ceremony. By dint of listening carefully, one hears a price named which is at once rejected by the other, who seems to name his price only to have it in turn rejected, and after an interminable number of these rejections, the purchase is completed by both hands meeting with a quick sort of a slap, and so the bargaining goes on until noon, when a truce is declared. All adjourn to the little eat- 79 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY ing-piaces for dinner, which is a most serious and formidable ceremony with them. Apart from this, Alkmaar is not of very great interest. There is here a typical almshouse, called in Dutch "De Oude mannen Enn-Oude vrouwen huis," with pretty, white walls and a picturesque tower. There is a picture of the siege of Alkmaar in the Mu- seum, for this was the point of attack by the Duke of Alva after the conquest of Haarlem, when the citizens of Alkmaar defied him. Motley's vivid narrative describes how "The Spaniards advanced, burned the village of Egmont to the ground as soon as the patriots had left it, and on the 21st of August Don Frederick, appearing before the walls, proceeded formally to invest Alkmaar." In a few days this had been so thoroughly accom- plished that, in Alva's language, "it was impossi- ble for a sparrow to enter or go out of the city." The odds were somewhat unequal. Sixteen thou- sand troops constituted the besieging force. With- in the city were a garrison of 800 soldiers, together with 1,300 burghers capable of bearing arms. The rest of the population consisted of very few refu- gees, besides the women and children. Two thou- sand one hundred able-bodied men, of whom about one-third were soldiers, to resist 16,000 regulars! "On that bank and shoal," says Motley, "the ex- treme edge of habitable earth, the spirit of Hol- land's freedom stood at bay." But after a heroic 80 piiiiyiff The " Weigh-house." Alkniaar. THE MARKET PLACE AT NIGHT defense of seven weeks, the brave inhabitants tri- umphed ; the siege was raised. Here, in August, one of the famous trotting matches (Harddraverij) Which attracts thousands from the country around is held in the park, and here one will have an unequaled opportunity for the study of North Holland manners and customs. The Kermis is now forbidden in most of the towns. But generally after harvest time it was celebrated, and the otherwise sleepy little town would rub its eyes, put on its best cap, and give itself over to a heavy sort of gaiety. The market place, generally so deserted and grass-grown, was then dotted with gorgeous booths, merry-go-rounds, and caravans, brilliant in tinsel and vermilion, the smoke from the lamps of which, for it is by night that the Ker- mis thrives, mounts high in the air to the tower. The groans and snarls of bagpipes, the noisy rum- ble and discordant notes of large organs, the clash of cymbals, awaken the echoes of the market place to which the peasants are flocking from miles about in high-waisted wagons, hay-cushioned, and drawn by huge, hollow-backed Flemish horses, bell- rigged and brass-harnessed; in low two-wheeled carts, drawn by savage-looking yellow dogs, of non- descript breed, and in high-polished and varnished "Tilburys," whose white canvas hoods gleam in the soft light of evening. Still others are drawn by hardy-looking shaggy ponies. Some wagons are en- 8i HOLLAND OF TO-DAY tirely filled with rosy-cheeked, chattering girls from the farm clad in brilliant costumes and lace caps ; some wagons are laden with sweet-smelling clover, upon which is perched Mynheer and his comfortable-looking, shrewd-faced Vrouwe, who is generally the superintendent of the farm, and to whom a silver gulden represents a good day's profit from cheese and butter; others are laden with thick-featured, phlegmatic young men from the fields, who wear high-waisted jackets and wide leather belts clasped with huge embossed silver circular buckles, each one smoking furiously. The roads leading into town are thronged also with long lines of the poorer peasants, men, women, and girls, who own no conveyance of any sort, the la- borers upon the roads and in the potato and beet fields, tanned a dark brown by the sun, with hands thick and calloused by hard work. All these are bound for the town and the fleeting joys of the Kermis. From afar the glare in the market place can be seen and the massive Cathedral spire, aglow with lights. The noise of the peasants' wooden shoes upon the uneven stones is like the clattering of a giant mill-wheel, and they present a solid ap- pearance like an army in motion. The air is filled with shouts and laughter, and now and then a com- pany of girls who are arm in arm will break into song, and not unmusically. Although it is nine o'clock it is not yet dark, twi- 82 THE SIDE SHOWS light lingers long in the low country, but high in the heavens a few stars show here and there and are reflected in the sluggish water of the canal, over the little bridge of which the peasants are now clatter- ing noisily. Many children, too, are among the throng, queer-looking old-faced children in short- waisted brass-buttoned coats and skirts that spring voluminously from beneath their arm-pits and quite reach the ground; children to whom the sight of a real doll is a novelty, and who, later on, are to sit at the long tables and drink huge mugs of foaming beer and consume piles of greasy waffles, the smell of which is nauseating at times ; or who will stand open-mouthed and eager in long, strug- gling lines before the toy stands, their fingers itch- ing to handle and caress the beautiful objects dis- played, and who will eagerly hand up their scant coin to the jaded-looking woman who presides over the wheel of fortune, the prize of which is a sheet of paper containing, as it may be, ten, twenty, or fifty little dabs of suspicious-looking white sugar, which they lick off with delight. Whatever figure the brass arrow points out, that number of dabs is handed over to the winner. In the square, one side of which is filled with tents and merry-go-rounds, the peasants struggle and push in a solid, evil-smelling mass, watching at one side the tumbling wooden horses and lions upon which are straddled the peasants, screaming 8.3 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY with delight to the blatant blare of heavy orches- trions, and upon the other side, the antics of a clown upon a barrel, his face whitened with chalk and a red spot upon either cheek, who rings a harsh-toned bell and roars out a coarse joke di- rected at the peasants, to which they respond with force. At intervals a couple of frowsy-looking women in soiled pink tights walk afifectedly across the platform before the show-tent, followed by a hideous dwarf who mouths and leers amid ap- preciative roars. Ordinarily the peasant is silent, but upon these occasions makes up for his erst- while taciturnity. Before another booth a hoarse- voiced showman roars out the attractions of the fat woman of incredible weight, becoming purple in the face in his simulated enthusiasm, and fran- tically endeavors to coax the hard-earned "dub- beltje" from the phlegmatic, open-mouthed Myn- heers. There is weight-lifting by champions and strong-lunged men, each surrounded by admiring crowds. At intervals small portions of colored fire are burned, now green, now red, lighting up the quaint gables of the houses and throwing com- plementary shadows of the poles, flags and people, magnified out of all proportion. In the cafes, dancing is being indulged in which becomes fast and furious as the night grows. The sanded floors are crowded with couples turning and twisting to the raucous tones of large orchestrions turned by 84 HOORN jaded, heavy-looking men. Beer flows by the barrel, and later on a particularly evil sort of brandy made from potatoes, which produces some- times upon the peasants a murderous frenzy. The police are everywhere, in and out of uniform, their watchful eyes taking in every movement of the crowd. The air is heavy with the fumes of tobacco and the smoke of oil lamps. Overhead, the vast square fabric of the tower rises majestically, its summit lost in the dark blue of the heavens, and even above the noise of the moving peasants, the hum of voices, the coaxing shouts of the showmen, the beating of drums, the blare of trumpets and the countless indescribable noises of a large crowd, there comes to one faintly from above the faint, mellow jangle of the chimes, followed by the hol- low boom of the big bell, striking twelve. The Kermis is well on. But there is another side to the Kermis, which is shown by the police records, and this I am compelled to say is the opposite to the picture which I have drawn. This is fraught with drunkenness and crime — even mur- der, and so the Kermis is now forbidden in the large cities, and only tolerated in the more remote communities, and even in these the church unites with the authorities in a careful watch over the peasantry, and the lines are more tightly drawn than formerly, when the predatory bands of for- eigners, who accompanied the itinerant shows from 85 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY town to town, were permitted to plunder the people at will. So in a few years at most the Kermis will be a custom of the past, known only in history. Hoorn is a most attractive little town, and its spires and, tower appearing from the heavy masses of the trees present a most beautiful picture. To see it in shadow against the warm, yellow sky at eventide and a big whitish dab of full moon rising behind a gable and a few velvety sailed fishing boats gliding by noiselessly while the peasants throng the coping at the harbor front, their red and blue waists reflected in the water, will give one great delight. It is said that Hoorn was named from the protecting mole at the harbor mouth and that the city was once very rich and great in the days of Tromp, whose ships were from this port. Our own Cape Horn is its namesake, for it was Willem Schouten, its discoverer, who was a sailor from here. Van Diemen's Land was discovered by Abel Tasman, and the country is now called for him Tasmania, and it was Pieter Coen, whose statue may be seen here, who is said to have found- ed the Dutch East Indies. There is only one busi- ness day at Hoorn during the week and Thursday is the day. The scene is a reproduction in minia- ture of the cheese market at Alkmaar. The streets are irregularly built and crowded with quaint architecture of three centuries ago. The tourist is an object of curiosity, but he will meet with great 86 The Tower and Boats. Hoorn. THOSE LITTLE BIRDS civility and often kindness. Admiral De Bossu surrendered here and with three hundred prisoners was carried into Holland. He remained in prison three years. His goblet is preserved at Hoorn, his sword at Enkhuizen. At the corner of the "Groote- oost" one will be shown the houses from which the wives and families watched the great battle of Hoorn, and there is a bas-relief representation of the fight. Everything about Hoorn is particularly quaint, clean, and charming, the houses bending forward over the street and trimmed with black paint, and the whole effect against the thick trees indescribably mellow and rich in color. There is a fine museum and pictures of soldiers and burgo- masters and a splendid portrait of De Ruyter by Bol, all shown smilingly by a nice girl in a most fascinating costume. From here we go to Enk- huizen, which, by the way, need not detain us long, for we take here a little steamer to the island of Urk. The visitor to Urk will find it like a voyage to another country. It is a raised plateau above the surface of the shallow waters of the Zuider Zee, and the people are called Free Frisians. It seems to cower by itself behind its dykes, but for which, one is assured, it would certainly be swept away. On a rainy day it is the dreariest place that I have ever seen, and imprisoned in the small sitting-room of the inn, if it may be called such, one could only 87 HOLLAND OF. TO-DAY smoke, hug the fire of peat which burned most fragrantly upon the hearth, listen to the bubbling of the steaming kettle, and try to teach the starling in a wicker cage in the window a new whistling note or two, while the stolid Mynheers, drawn up on a bench opposite, smoking furiously, drank in every detail of my personal appearance. Outside the rain splashed dismally and an occasional peas- ant slopped by, his klompen sounding noisily. This was my first evening at Urk. The next day was much more amusing in the bright sunlight, al- though I spent a restless night in the bed built in the wall, to get into which I had to mount three steps and thence fall into a bottomless feathery abyss, which closed in upon me, and which I had to rearrange before I could rest. Added to this was a pattering noise made, I afterward discovered, by fleas, who were performing acro- batics on a newspaper which I had left on the table. The proprietor in the morning gave me some pow- der to sprinkle about the bed and the floor which he said quieted "the little birds," as he called them, and rendered them stupefied for the night! This operation has to be gone through with regularly in parts of the Netherlands. But the morning dawned bright and clear over Urk, and after a frugal breakfast of eggs, several kinds of cheese and some hot tea I sallied forth. The streets of Urk are quite deserted save for a 88 THE GRATEFUL MOTHERS few women and children, the men being away with the fishing fleet. Those to be seen are mainly old ones who have practically retired from work, and these, as I passed through the streets, invariably sallied forth, pipe in mouth, and their hands in their wide breeches pockets, and, falling into line, stopping when I stopped, moving when I moved, followed me wherever I went, standing motionless when I paused to make a sketch, their heads moving in unison, and their eyes looking in vain search for what I sought in the prospect. The humor of the situation dawning upon me, I led them up one street and down another, walking now fast and now slow, and suddenly doubling upon my track to their confusion, but it did not faze them in the least. Invariably they returned to the attack, escorting me finally in triumph back to the inn, where they reseated themselves upon the long bench. This sort of amusement soon palled upon me, so I ordered beer for all of them and paid for it promptly. It was here that I made great fame for myself as a medical practitioner. I had a little case of homeopathic remedies for simple ailments, and I ventured to prescribe for a slight childish ailment from which the little daughter of a neigh- bor was suffering, and which produced the desired result, the child recovering during the night and being at play in the morning when I came down to breakfast, to the manifest relief and delight of 89 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY the mother, whose gratitude and enthusiasm could not be restrained, she volubly insisting that I had saved her child's life. Thus my fame spread over Urk, and when I returned from my work to dinner I found an array of patients awaiting me, to my dis- comfiture. So I fled from Urk by the afternoon boat with the grateful mothers waving me good-by from the dyke, and with numerous presents of cake and sausage which they pressed upon me. The sausage was long and thin, bulbous in places and inclined to curl suggestively, so that I surrepti- tiously threw it all overboard as Urk was fading in the distance. The captain of the little boat is a genius in ex- tracting guldens from the chance traveler. From a distance of considerably over 3,000 miles I salute him! On the upper deck of this boat near the wheel and in advance of the smokestack is a small bench. The space for first-class passengers is at the stern of the boat, the peasants being supposed to go forward in the bow. I saw the deck-hand carry down some square blocks of coal-dust mixed with tar which he deposited at the door of the engine-room. I had seated myself comfortably in the stern for the last glimpse of Urk, when there came vast volumes of black smoke from the stack and I was enveloped in a cloud of black smudges. The deck-hand invited me to mount the steps to the captain's bridge and I did so, taking a seat on 90 HINDELOOPEN, the aforesaid bench before the smokestack, and in a few minutes the captain turned and said, "Tickets, please," and extorted from me an extra gulden for the "privilege" of sitting before the smokestack. It is not the amount but rather the skill of the extortion which interests one. It is said that Stavoren was formerly so wealthy as a city and its inhabitants so opulent that the handles on their doors and the hinges of their win- dows were of beaten gold and very large in size. It was formerly the residence of the Frisian mon- archs and was named from the god Stavo. It is now silent and practically deserted, and I presume I must relate the story of Guicciardini, who in- forms us quaintly that there was a certain rich widow who dwelt at Stavoren and who finally be- came so wealthy that she really knew not the sum total of her vast possessions. "This," says the writer, "produced in her manners at once arrogant and petulant, and she treated all who came near her with great insolence." Loading a vessel for Dantzic with all the commodities which the shop- keepers of Holland could find, she put it under the charge of her most skilful captain and com- manded him to bring back to her the most ex- quisite, the rarest, the most useful and the most valuable article to be procured in the world. Not daring to question her further, the captain set sail and sold his cargo in foreign lands, searching in 91 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY vain for the article which the widow desired but which she would not nominate. At length, after deep cogitation and many sleepless hours, the cap- tain concluded that there was nothing in the world more valuable than wheat, so he loaded his ship with this and returned to Stavoren. When he ap- peared before the widow and delivered to her a sample of his cargo, she ordered the captain to throw the grain overboard into the harbor, and in her rage and disappointment she ordered him from her presence and stripped him of his authority. The captain did as he was bid, and the grain taking root, a sand bank was formed at the entrance of the harbor which quite choked it up, preventing ships of any tonnage from entering, and the grass- grown sand bank which appears in front of the harbor is now known as the "Vrouwenzand." My Dutch friend tells me that Hindeloopen means "stag hunt" and tells, too, that this is the headquarters for all the bric-a-brac dealers in the world ; that it is here that all the spurious cradles, chairs, cupboards, gaily painted "antique" sleds and nearly all the modern Dutch silver are made in the little back streets. This may be so; I do not profess to know. I can only say I was filled with delight during my stay here, and that I left it with deep regret, and I have vivid recollections of beautiful interiors, lined with blue and white tiles, and filled with exquisite painted woodwork 92 '*f^'- At Hindeloopen. THE BOER, OR FARMER and cabinets of wonderful carving, groaning with curios and massive beaten-silver vessels. I never have seen so many Delft plates, or so much beauti- ful shining brass and copper anywhere else. There is a queer showroom with wax figures, showing typical peasants of Hindeloopen, and here one may see the Friesland women, who are said to be the handsomest in the country. They wear a skull cap of solid, beaten gold. It fits over the whole head closely, and forms an heirloom, descending from mother to daughter for generations. It is covered with lace, through which it gleams most attractively. This head-dress had its origin, so it is said, when the favorite daughter of one of the early rulers of the free Frisians, suffering from an incurable skin disease, had the misfortune to lose her hair. Her father offered a large reward to any one who could suggest an ornamental head cov- ering which would enable her to appear to advan- tage before the court, and the cap which she wore and which was designed by a gold worker found so much favor in all eyes that it was adopted by the court ladies and then became part of the pro- vincial costume. It is called in the language "Kapsel." I am told that the Dutch Boer or farmer has not changed in character within the last hundred years and that he is not discontented. We have seen him at the "Kermis" and in the sea- 93 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY port towns, and perhaps we have in our minds a very good picture of him. We have seen him also in the cheese market, and we know that his cheese making and his farm is the object of his life, but it seems to me that the old Boer with his shaven, mahogany-colored face and his bright, keen gray eyes is certainly much more attractive than the younger ones. I have in mind one fine old fellow I fell in with, and with whom I became quite friendly, who was arrayed in a most picturesque costume. Calling one morning in a high-backed "tilbury" on his way from market, over a glass of foaming beer he invited me to inspect his "Spul" (that is to say, his farm plant). As we drove up to the house, which was in the "Polders" in the midst of a fiat country and backed by a beautiful clump of trees, he showed me his idols, which were two score of clean black and white cows, with large, full udders, a stable full of fine young horses, a "stive" full of the cleanest white pigs I have ever seen, a chicken and duck yard in immaculate order, a gorgeous pagoda, or summer house, painted green with a minaret surmounted by a gilded weather vane; a beautiful Sunday carriage for church- going, in the form of a chaise, with golden wheels picked out with red and blue flowers, the property of his wife and daughters, and a dog house of large proportions mounted on a pivot, in the midst of a paved circle of brick, which he explained to 94 The Strange Headdress of Hindeloopen. THE BETVWE, OR GOODLAND me he had arranged so that the dog that was chained to the house could, when it so pleased him, drag it around on its pivot to face the sun in what- ever direction it might be shining. The gardens were in "apple-pie" order. His pear trees were groaning with fruit, his straw ricks were numerous, and his sheep were scattered over the landscape as far as one could see. He was a typical specimen of the Boer, a man of some education and of great native shrewdness, a member of the town council, or what we would call an alderman, and was worth, probably, in the neighborhood of half a million gulden. But he was a Boer, as his father had been before him, and of this he was very proud, and a conservative, rooted adherence to the ways of his forefathers is the dominant keynote of his character. I was most hospitably entertained, and the pre- vailing bad times have certainly not yet penetrated this quaint land. I noted in the principal sitting- room that the walls seemed composed of closed paneled doors, and remarked upon this, when the Boer opened one of these panels and showed me that the recess behind it contained a bed and that all these doors I saw were simply the entrances to the beds. They therefore all sleep in the one room, the Boer, his wife, son, and the three daughters. How they manage the disrobing one can only con- jecture. When they get into bed they simply pull 95 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY the doors to, and there without any ventilation whatever, save that which enters through the small pierced hearts in the upper panel, they sleep "the sleep of sweet content." The Boer can and does rise to positions of high estate, but once and for all he remains, rich or poor, a peasant. He is of sterling character, keenly intelligent, extremely bigoted, and withal the vital strength of the Netherlands. Passing through the country one sees on every hand droves of black and white cows, ample in size, generally clothed in a jacket, and almost in- variably wearing ear-rings which are pieces of tin, stamped each with its registry number. I forgot to obtain one of these as a souvenir. These cows and the pigs are a familiar sight. Somewhere I have read of a character in the Netherlands who had amassed such a fortune from pork that when- ever he met one of the beasts he raised his hat politely. The town of Edam even displays upon its municipal arms the figure of a fine fat cow, and I saw upon one of the house fronts over the door- way of a rich retired Boer, who is said to have been a butcher, a pig carved in wood with a knife stick- ing through its throat. Thus was this man proud of his vocation. It is over the rich country called "Betuwe" (Goodland) on account of its fertility that the Boer is seen in his glory. Surely there was never a more restful country. There are broad, grass-grown roads, considerably above the 96 A Dutch Boer. THE FIELDS level of the belt of fields, and the rich cherry orchards and farm-steadings, and it is hard to understand that the safety of the whole country- side depends upon the watchful care of the dyke, standing so firmly underfoot. But with study and observation, we see that every point in the land- scape is significant and that each building of the farms has its own scheme of protection and its own level, and also why the farms and villages in the "Binnenwaarden" hug so closely the protecting dyke. In the summer there is peace for the farmer, but in the late winter when the ice breaks up, and the river becomes a torrent beneath the ice, and the wind changes and the ice melts and the enormous blocks come sliding down, mounting the dyke, then it is that the watchmen cry out "D'r uut! D'r uut! De Waaol die kruut!" (Come out, come out, the ice is drifting) and so the country- side is warned of the danger to their property, if not to their lives, and gather in defense. 97 Gaiip cJaulb (ouLtuze HE Dutch are wholly practical and it may be said that their reputation as gardeners is an entirely commercial one. But we will not go beneath the surface preferring to consider the exquisite pictures which we find from the artistic standpoint. I am told that there is no estheticism among the Dutch, but considering their use of pink and green paint, used with such delightful result upon their boats and their houses, I am strongly tempted to deny this assertion. Traveling through Leyden to Haarlem one passes through exquisite fields, flood- ed with broad sheets of scarlet and white and yel- low tulips, with occasional groups of the peasants busily working between the rows. The effect is always unique, and I would advise the traveler to climb up to the top of one of the mills for the best view. The bulb is generally grown, not for the flower but for the "onion," as it is called, and my Dutch friend tells me that in the season hun- 98 RAILWAY MANNERS dreds of tons of the blossoms are allowed to decay and are thrown on these beds as fertilizer. The cultivation of tulips is a great business for the Netherlander, and we all remember the stories of the great tulip "bubble," when thousands of florins were paid for one particular bulb, and when one single "Semper Augustus" was sold for 13,000 florins and the government intervened, the law against gambling was enforced, and the price of tulips fell to nothing. Dealers were beggared in a single night. It was Cornelius van Baerle's black tulip which won the prize offered by the Horticultural Society at Haarlem. The prize was one hundred thousand florins! It was in 1637 that this extraordinary mania took possession of the Dutch, and the merchants became so infatuated that not only they, but nearly every other citizen, became engaged in it. The traffic in the bulbs was conducted with great formality by officers who signed, sealed and delivered deeds of transfer. We are told of one variety named the "Viceroy" which was sold for 2,500 guilders ; and another "Semper Augustus" for a new carriage and pair of "gray" horses and 4,600 guilders be- sides! Of this last-named bulb only two were supposed to be in existence, one at Amsterdam and the other at Haarlem. Signed contracts were de- livered and immense sums of money paid for bulbs never seen by either buyer or seller. They were 99 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY bought and sold only with reference to the rise and fall of their hypothetical value. We are told of an estate in one case which had to be sold to meet the deficiency of a speculator, who had bound himself to deliver a bulb by a certain day, the nominal value of which kept rising in consequence of the refusal of the owner to part with it. For- tunes were thus rapidly made and lost, and when, at length, the bubble burst, a panic entailing ruin and despair followed. We read of one town alone in which was invested in hypothetical tulips more than 10,000,000 guilders. Spring is the best time to visit Haarlem, and it was in the month of May that I first saw it, and falling in with a charming old lady in the railway carriage to whom I rendered some small attention, she offered me her silver candy box. I did not then know, as I took it, that this is a most usual form of courtesy in provincial Holland, and for- tunately I made no mistake in accepting and par- taking of a cinnamon lozenge from her box, which was handed to all in the carriage. She had that clear waxen complexion which one sees in Franz Hals' paintings, and her cap was stifif, and her collar so white, and her dress so black, that but for the play of her features she seemed unreal. She talked volubly to her neighbors and agreed or disagreed in a most charming manner. I took pleasure in watching how admirably adapted is the 100 A PRETTY DUTCH HOUSE Dutch countenance for the display of varied emo- tions and thoughts. Across her face flitted each expression as of sun or shadow over the meadows, and I quite lost myself in watching it. There was also a priest or minister in the carriage, who took snuflf and occasionally wheezed forth a remon- strance which interrupted the conversation like a false note in a tune. I failed to understand what the argument was about, but whatever it was, he was a pessimist and always began his objections with "Neen, neen, dat ik kan niet!" During a lull in the conversation I ventured the information that I was bound for Haarlem to see the tulips and hyacinths. At the sound of my voice and my pronunciation he elongated his neck the better to look at me, and ejaculated, "English?" I replied "No, American." To which he responded "Asherbliff" (phonetically). This I find means at will either "Please," "Good-by," "Thank you," "How much?" "What did you say?" Whether it is really as omnipotent as all that is a question, but certainly I found it most effective and useful in ekeing out conversation. I asked to be advised as to a stopping-place some- what outside of the town, and to my amazement and delight the old lady after examining my sketch book, invited me to come with her. She pointed out the different plats of tulips and hyacinths as we bumped along in the railway carriage, naming lOI HOLLAND OF TO-DAY each delightfully so that I wished for the art of stenography that I might take it down in short- hand. At the station a high-bodied tilbury was in waiting, and into this I put her innumerable bundles and baskets, and helping her up the high step, scrambled in after her, seating myself beside her under the hood at the back. A boy in absurdly short trousers, not short enough for knickerbockers, and with a thin neck wound around with an orange scarf of many thick folds scrambled up on a small seat before us and we were off. The fat, hollow- backed horse galloped down the Jans Weg past the Groote Kerk and across the Spaarne out into the country, where at the end of a lovely shady lane the boy pulled up the fat horse. We walked through a gate and up a little front garden bright with flowers to the side door of a quaint-looking two-story house with much green paint and many wide-paned windows with white-painted sashes in black frames. The walks between the beds of flowers were of dark burned brick set sideways. The old lady opened the door with a large brass key and motioned me to enter. The door opened upon a sort of corridor — and a sleek black and white cat rose lazily from a mat and stretched itself, and a starling in a wicker cage fluttered about to attract attention. Down the middle of the corridor ran a mat well and truly laid so that it deviated not an inch to the right or left, and 102 HAARLEM the boards on either side were painted red and polished or waxed so that they shone. The parlor was a veritable blaze of color, the carpet a mosaic of red, brilliant greens and yellows, and looked as though purchased the day before. Anti- macassars, crocheted mats, mirrors in ebony and gilded frames there were, all spotless and un- scratched. In the big cupboards which lined the walls were row upon row of fine china ; each plate in upright position. Across the corridor and through the door opposite was the sleeping "Kamer." Here a large, somewhat bare room with a table in the center and innumerable doors arranged on two walls proved a surprise. I found these doors to be sliding ones, and each masked a sort of cupboard in which was the bed which quite fitted the space. One gets into the bed at night and then closes the door. I leave it to the reader's imagination how I succeeded in undressing in the common room, but I did it bravely and success- fully. There was, of course, no such thing as a bathroom, but a large basin behind the door in the kitchen served me fairly well for the three days I spent with the charming old "Vrcuwe." She gave me a fine, large sausage when we parted. Here the air is heavy and sweet with the odor of flowers which bloom and thrive so well in the sandy soil. Between the city and the sea lie the great sand dunes, billowy and grassy. I saw a large and very 103 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY beautifully kept house in the midst of great trees, a stretch of lovely green lawn and a tiny deer park, with the innocent creatures poking their noses at the passerby. Here, too, one sees many stork nests upon long poles, carefully tended by the house- holders, and over a gate I saw the name of one of the villas, and a most charming and cozy home it was, "Niet Zoo Quaalyk" (not so bad), which struck me as quaint and true. All in all, Haarlem, although modern as to houses and villas, has much to attract one, and especially, as I have said, in the spring, for later in the summer the whole of this part of Holland is hot and unbearable. The best part of the town is on the Kleine Hout Straat and along the Spaarne, near the Turf and Kaas markets, where many types of sixteenth-century gabled houses are still to be seen, and on the east side the fine Amsterdam gate, with its medieval fortified gate and towers and turrets in good preser- vation. For many years the question has been debated. Shall the Zuider Zee be drained? and many schemes have been brought before the authorities to reclaim the area lying within a line drawn from Enkhuizen to the island of Urk and thence to Kampen. Another scheme provides for the carry- ing on of the work in a system of large sections by means of embankment from Wieringen to the Frisian coast, seventeen feet above high water 104 A PENAL COLONY mark, and carrying a railway and a broad road for general traffic. Both plans provide for a deep and wide canal to Amsterdam. Thirty years is the estimated time required for the work, at a cost of many millions of dollars. It is not money alone which prevents this great improvement, nor yet is it the engineering difficulties. It is questioned whether or not the reclaimed Polder would be fruitful enough for farms, but it would seem as if the authorities were satisfied upon this point, for the work has begun already. The land reclaimed is to be sold to the peasantry for nominal sums. The great Fen district lies in the provinces of Drenthe and Groningen. It may be de- scribed broadly as a vast expanse of sad, russet-colored prairie, dotted with flocks of sheep tended by solitary shepherds. Once a vast forest, the trees of which decayed and fell and rotted away, the land lay undisturbed for centuries. Now canals have been dug miles across the country with others intersecting at right angles and the water drained from the sodden soil. Col- lections of huts and picturesque dwellings are seen here and there, inhabited by the peat-cutters. It is extremely dispiriting to watch the laborers at work. They wear especially made boots which protect them, and with sharp-edged spades cut out the lumps of soggy peat in a very expert manner. The workmen stack these small pieces in barrow 105 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY loads and they are then taken to one side, where they are piled with spaces between, giving free circulation to the air, which dries them rapidly, and the cubes are then ready for market. Huge barges carry the peat to market, bringing back sweepings and refuse from the town which is spread over the soil to fill the excavations. Here are gathered the famous "Fen colonies," and there is a certain amount of stir and traffic to be seen. The government maintains these communities as a sort of charity, and the work is carried on mainly by pauper labor. The result, I am told, is not even self-supporting, a large deficit having to be met every year. The relief of the poor, though it is part of the work of the local authority, is in a great degree a charge imposed upon the churches, each religious body accepting the burden of its own poor; almost all of them maintain their own alms- houses, and some of them even their own hospitals. The chief of the penal colonies is at Veenhuizen, and convicted beggars and tramps who are able- bodied, and also those who have been arrested for drunkenness three times within twelve months, are sent here for periods of from three months to three years. This is only the case with men, female con- victs being sent to Rotterdam. There are three of these colonies, in which are over 3,000 convicts. They live in barracks, are fed on black bread, with no luxuries whatever, and earn on an average one 106 ST. ANNA'S HOFJE shilling a week, one-third of which is retained by the authorities until the release of the convict. They do all sorts of work, farming, tailoring, weav- ing and shoe-making. They manufacture nearly all that they require for their own needs. The life seems to be attractive, for I am told the same con- victs return to the colonies year after year. The authorities think the existence of the colonies is justified by the fact that by its means thousands of idle men are kept off the streets, but the State does not intend, it is said, to extend the system, and it gives as a reason the fact that such colonies have never exerted an educative influence, and that it is doubtful if the inmates are ever really reformed, for it has been discovered that many of the inmates are sent here with a connivance of the authorities, that is to say, the police, especially during the severe winter season. But it must be said that the system is carried on in an altogether admirable manner which we might well emulate in America. There are in Holland three great universities: Ley den, which was established in 1575 ; Groningen, 1614; Utrecht, in 1634. The first named was for two centuries the most famous in Europe, far more renowned in the seventeenth century than were Oxford, Cambridge or Paris. Some of the scholars of the age, such as Scaliger, Grotius, Arminius, Gomarus and Descartes, were connected with it. It is still well known, principally as a school of 107 TULIP BULB CULTURE medicine and science. Fielding, the novelist, is reported to have been a pupil, as v^as Oliver Gold- smith. The library is the finest in all Holland, containing some 300,000 volumes and a collection of priceless and unique manuscripts. The Univer- sity of Groningen is now less fashionable than that of Leyden, but it is in a flourishing condition and its handsome buildings ornament the town. I did not gain entrance to it, however. Of the Uni- versity of Utrecht, too, I am unable to speak with authority, for my time in that town was very brief and I only saw it from a distance. Those who wish to read upon this point may consult Boswell's amusing letters to Dr. Johnson. One of the quaintest spots in the whole of the Netherlands is "St. Anna's Hofje," or almshouse, at Leyden. My Dutch friend brought me to the doorway in the "Hooigracht," which is marked St. Anna's "Hofgen," which means almshouse. The door was open and gave upon a long passage lead- ing to a little cloistered square. One seemed to have stepped back into the seventeenth century, and maybe the buildings existed as they now stand away back in 1492, when the almshouse was built. The buildings are all out of perpendicular. There is a quaint little chapel, about twelve feet square, which I am informed has not been changed in any feature since that date. There is a painting here by Lucas van Leidan, and above the chapel is the 108 A Street in Leyden. THE ABSENCE OF POVERTY tiny room of the priest, containing the furniture as he left it, his confessional chair, the small, oak- paneled recess for his bed, his copper warming- pan, and the iron chest for his collections. Here, living in delightful quietude, live a number of nice, clean old ladies, who «eem perfectly happy and who greet one with great politeness. Each old lady has a room to herself with a little wall bed in a cupboard with nice, clean sheets and pillow, and a pantry containing a cup and saucer, a plate, a bowl, a knife and fork and a towel. Above the general living-room is the kitchen, which is like- wise of delightful cleanliness. One old lady pointed out the flat stone before the chapel mark- ing the entrance to the secret passage from the cloisters to the church. I have a lively recollec- tion of the charming smile and the low courtesy which the old lady made when I dropped a small piece of silver in her hand. Everything about Groningen seems in good or- der and very prosperous. Scattered all about are the handsome, well-kept habitations of the farmer, sometimes three-story stone or brick houses, well built and substantial, with a hedge-like row of clipped trees and before these neat gardens with grass plots and bright flowers. At the back of the house, which its peak often overtops, is the huge red-tiled roof of the barn, large enough for the complete Housing of the crops, for the comfortable 109 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY accommodation of its live stock and much besides. On every side is the evidence of wealth, and the absence of poverty suggests the richness of the soil and a most skilful and industrious people. Here is the town pump, about which a throng of women and girls were waiting in turn to fill the pails that hung from wooden, brass-bound, green-painted neck-yokes. They were chatting gaily, quite heed- less of the rain which had begun to fall. Evi- dently their stout woolen dresses could not be in- jured, and certainly they themselves looked hearty enough to withstand any amount of such exposure. Like all the women of their class, their heads bore the marvelous cap of the province, which consists of a closely fitting cap, or muts, of white cotton, another, equally close, of black silk, and over these a solid plaque of shining gold or silver covering the whole head, save a small space at the crown. The side pieces like wings stretch upward from beside each eye. They are not quite as large as the blinders of a horse's bridle, and the band by which these are joined at the back is three inches wide. This is the head-gear worn by the working women even in the early morning, but on fete days and Sunday they wear the added decoration of en- graved, embossed, or filigree ornaments of the same metal nearly two inches across, attached to the front of the plate, and making the effect of gold or silver rosettes beside each eye. On unusual occasions no SCHEFENINGEN they will wear a fourth covering of very thin lace drawn close over the forehead and hanging in a full cape behind. I went to buy one of these gold plaques as a curiosity, not knowing its value. The cheapest one, I found, was priced one hundred and ten gulden, about $55 in our money. The silver ones, of course, are cheaper, but still very costly. At last I found one of gilded brass, but I was told with disdain by the shopkeeper that no peasant girl would sacrifice her self-respect and wear a thing like that. Alas, I saw in the street as I came out of the shop a peasant woman of the better class, wearing her beautiful lace cap, on which was perched a most atrocious French bonnet with a bunch of impossible fruit and flowers and sur- mounted by a long black ostrich feather. Thus has the fashion of Paris penetrated even to this out-of- the-way spot. Although it was summer time, I do not remem- ber ever seeing an open window in a private house in the Netherlands. They are generally curtained with lace and have a vase of flowers con- spicuously displayed. Glancing within, the peo- ple seem to the casual observer to be perpetually engaged in making and drinking tea, for there is generally seen on a polished mahogany table a lavishly brass-bound pail of burning peat, with a polished hot water kettle over it, all ready for in- stant use. There is something very engaging in III HOLLAND OF TO-DAY a country which can so serenely preserve its origi- nal character amid the whirl of twentieth-century changes, where you can buy a good cigar for a cent, and an American woman would be followed and her costume smiled at by a peasant wearing the absurd French bonnet to which I have alluded. To the very comfortable hotel we returned to pass the night, and found a very good supper of boiled eggs, veal cutlets, many varieties of cheese and hot tea, fresh from a neat little kitchen, all shining with brass and bright tiles. But one must not believe in the exaggeration of the guide books. There is to be found in the Netherlands no such ridiculous customs and contrasts as they would have you believe. The keels of ships do not float above the chimneys of the houses, nor does the frog, croaking in the bulrushes, gaze upon the swallows upon the house-tops. And now let us go down to the North Sea and see how the Dutch people enjoy themselves in the summer. Of course the largest of the watering- places in the Netherlands is Scheveningen, and it has a splendid bathing beach, which makes it an attractive resort for fashionable Germans and Hol- landers, and for summer travelers from all over the world. At the top of the long dyke is a row of hotels and restaurants, and when one reaches this point after passing through the lovely old wood of stately trees one is suddenly ushered into 112 A Dutch Go-cart. THE FISHING TOWN the twentieth century, for here all is fashion and gay life, yet with a character all its own. Along the edge of the beach are the bathing machines in scores, and behind them are long lines of covered wicker chairs of peculiar form, each with its foot- stool, where one may sit, shaded from the sun and sheltered from the wind, and read, chat or doze by the hour. Bath women are seen quaintly clad with their baskets of bathing dresses and labeled with the signs bearing their names, such as "Trintje" or "Netje" ; everywhere there are sight- seers, pedlers calling their wares, children digging in the sand, strolling players performing and the sound of bands of music in the distance. So there is no lack of amusement here during the season. The spacious "Kurhaus" with its verandas and "Kursaal," which is large enough to accommodate 2,500 people, is in the center of the dyke. There are concerts every evening, and although the town is filled with hotels during the months of June, July, August and September, they are quite mo- nopolized by the Hollanders and the prices are very high. The magnificent pier is 450 yards long. The charges for bathing are very moderate, vary- ing from twenty cents for a small bathing box to fifty cents for a large one, including the towels. Bathing costumes range from five to twenty- five cents. The tickets are numbered, and as soon as a machine is vacant a number is called by the "bad 113 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY man" and the holder of the corresponding number claims the machine. The basket chairs cost for the whole day only twenty cents, Dutch money. One may obtain a subscription to the "Kurhaus" at a surprisingly reasonable rate for the day, week or season. There is a daily orchestra; ballet and operatic concerts once a week; dramatic perform- ances and frequent hops throughout the season. There is a local saying that when good Dutchmen die they go to Scheveningen, and this is certainly their heaven. To stand on the pier on a fine day during the season looking down on these long lines of wicker chairs, turned seaward, is an astonishing sight. They are shaped somewhat like huge snail shells, and around these the children delight to dig in the sand, throwing up miniature dunes around one. Perhaps no seashore in the world has been painted so much as Scheveningen. Mesdag, Maris, Alfred Stevens, to name only a few of the artists, have found here themes for many paintings, and the scene is a wonderful one when the homing fleet of "Boms," as the fishing-boats are called, ap- pears in the ofEng to be welcomed by the fisher- women. There are other smaller watering-places on the coast, but Scheveningen is unique. In the little fishing town itself, the scene on the return of the men is very interesting. Women and children are busily hurrying about from house to house, and everywhere in the little streets are 114 THE HERRING FISHERY strange signs chalked up on the shutters, such as "water en vuur te koop," that is, water and fire for sale; and here are neatly painted buckets of iron, each having a kettle of boiling water over it and a lump of burning turf at the bottom. Fish is being cleaned and the gin shops are well patron- ized, for it seems a common habit in this moist northern climate frequently to take "Een sneeuw- balletje" of gin and sugar, which does not taste at all badly, be it said. All sorts of strange-looking people are met in the little narrow street, and all doing strange-looking things, but with the air of its being in no wise unusual with them. All in all, Scheveningen is an entertaining spot in which to linger. The names of the fishing boats are sufficiently curious to demand space. In the summer the her- ring fishery is carried on from the towns of Schev- eningen, Vlaardingen, Maasluis, Katwijk, Noord- wijk, the Helder, and the South Holland Island villages, Middel Harnis, Pernis and Zwuarte- waal. The boats are named Hooker, Hoekerbuis, Logger, Sloop, Bom, Tjalk; and in these boats, which are known in English as busses, sword- pinks, flat-bottoms and Holland toads, the fishing industry is carried on. In the discovery of 1380 by Willen Beukelszoon, native of the Zeeland vil- lage Biervliet, of the art of preserving the herring with salt, the Dutch fisheries became extremely "5 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY profitable and the method of preserving the fish is, I am told, the same to-day. These strangely named boats patrol all the seas, practically, of the North, and even in the winter there is a considerable in- dustry in the cod fishery. The "buss" is the oldest known model of all. Models of these may be seen hanging from the ceiling of the church at Maasluis, but the large, square, fiat-bottomed "boms" which we see on the beach at Schevenin- gen are the most familiar of all, and they came into being from the fact that most of the towns on the coast are without harbors and they are required to run up on the sand. In the month of June, which was called the herring month in the olden time, the herring hunters, bearing the blue flag at the masthead, pursued the herring in the North Sea, and eagerly the town of Vlaardingen watched for the first sight of the returning vessels. The people thronged to the dykes, and when the blue flag was run up on the tower, they all shouted the song called "Die Nieuwe Harang." When the catch was brought ashore there was tremendous excite- ment among the buyers as to which should pur- chase the first herring, the price of which was often absurd. But all this is now a thing of the past, and at the present day Vlaardingen pays, I am told, but little attention to the herring, cod and haddock having taken its place. Delft, which in the eighteenth century was so ii6 WILLIAM OF ORANGE, AND TROMP celebrated the world over for its pottery and porce- lain, has lately revived the industry in a very modern manufactory. It cannot be said, however, that the Delft ware of the present day equals in any respect the beautiful workmanship of old. There is an interesting institution, the town hos- pital, which contains four remarkable, anatomical pictures, one of which is said to be the earliest painting of the kind and was executed in 1617 by Mierevelt. The other two are of later date. One should visit here the celebrated model room of the dock yard, which contains many remarkable models of ships and mills. Near the Rotterdam gate is a large, gloomy building, partly surrounded by water and showing the arms of the Dutch Re- public. It was originally used as a warehouse by the East India Company. On the "Oude Delft" is the "Prinsehof," the scene of the assassination of William of Orange, the founder of Dutch in- dependence, who was assassinated here on the loth of July, 1584. The spot where the tragedy took place is on the first floor by the staircase. The murderer was a Burgundian, Balthasar Gerhard, who, prompted by a desire for gain, lay in wait for his victim and shot him when he descended the staircase. The custode grimly points out the mark left by the fatal bullet. The assassin's fate was a horrible one. He was torn to pieces by red- hot pinchers. The fine Gothic "Oude Kerk" with 117 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY a leaning tower enshrines the monument of Ad- miral Tromp, victor of thirty-two naval battles. It was he who, defeating the English fleet under Blake, lashed a broom to his masthead, signifying that he had swept the sea. There is also here a monument to Piet Hein, the admiral of the India Company, who in 1628 captured the Spanish silver fleet, valued at 12,000,000 florins. In the Niewe Kerk is a magnificent monument, the work of Hen- drik de Keyser and A. Quellin, erected in 1621, to the memory of William of Orange. The great Prince, sculptured in marble, reclines on a black sarcophagus at full length beneath a sort of canopy upheld by four curious pillars, cut in marble. There are four allegorical figures. Liberty, Jus- tice, Prudence and Religion. At the statue's head is another in bronze, showing William in full military uniform. The bronze figure of Fame with outspread wings is at the foot. Below the feet lies the Prince's favorite dog who saved his life in 1572 at his camp at Malines in Belgium when he was attacked by two Spanish assassins. Here likewise repose the remains of his wife and his son, Prince Maurice. Hugo Grotius also lies here underneath a very simple monument. There are some fine paintings in the handsome Stadhuis in the market-place. What is called a "corpora- tion piece" shows a great number of gesticulating figures signed by J. W. Delph, 1592. These are 118 I mk \ '.li TK j. The "New Church." Delft. THE HALF MOON said to be the "Arquebusiers." There are also here a large number of portraits of the Princes of Orange. The town is a quiet and silent place, a veritable "drowsietown." The Earl of Leicester, visiting it in 1585, describes it as "another London almost for beauty and fairness." Sir Robert Cecil traveling in Holland in 1588 recorded it as "the finest built town he ever saw." Pepys called it "a most sweet towne," and many other more modern writers have followed suit and have praised it. There is now building an exact model or re- production of the little "Haalve Maan" (Half Moon), the ship in which the intrepid English mariner, Hendrik Hudson, sailed in quest of the Northwest passage, discovering the Noble River, which is now named in his honor. This little ship is to sail across the ocean, convoyed by a Dutch man-of-war, this year, to attend the ceremonies in- cidental in New York to the celebrating of the three hundredth anniversary of the discovery. Thus Holland is not behind in honoring the memory of the Englishman, whom she so gener- ously recognized and supported when hisown coun- try turned its back upon him. So once more, the Hudson will bear upon its bosom the Half-Moon, but this time it will cast anchor in the shadow of the mighty piles of masonry of Manhattan. The craft represents a three-masted vessel, the fore and main masts are rigged with yards, the mizzen mast 119 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY with a lateen sail. The measurements of the orig- inal ship which were found in the archives of the East Indies Company and are being reproduced, are: Length 63 feet, beam 17 feet, tonnage 89 tons. The armament consists of four guns. The vessel is built of oak, and will be perfectly seaworthy. Some one tells me, as I am writing this, that in view of the length of the voyage it has been suggested that the vessel be shipped to New York upon the deck of one of the Dutch liners, but it seems to me this would be most ignominious. 120 Grie Gkeatetd ^^''~>'^^HE Hollander takes his pleasures very ^-yO-N seriously, and he undoubtedly thinks V_y^ himself justified in so doing; his busi- ness during the day is carried on in a very business-like way, but when he goes to his luncheon at midday he foregathers at his clubs and in the restaurants with a great show of leisure. I do not refer now to the peasantry, but rather to the better class. Although my knowledge of the Dutch language is rather elementary, as necessarily a for- eigner's must be, from the character of the tongue, which is most difficult, I have witnessed what must be characterized as very good performances at the play-houses in Amsterdam, and which were cer- tainly received with great enthusiasm by the audi- ences. Considerable taste is manifested in the theaters, and they seem to be well supported, al- though the prices are rather high. But one feature is missed, and agreeably so : the ticket speculator. This individual is conspicuous by his absence. HOLLAND OF TO-DAY In Amsterdam are the "Stad Schouwburg," de- voted to the Dutch drama and French opera; the Grand Theater, the Park Schouwburg, in the oriental style of decoration and given up to the spectacular; the "Frascati" and numerous cafes chantants. In these last smoking and drinking are permitted. The large theaters are closed in the summer, as the better classes are at the seaside resorts, but at the "Paleis Voor Volksvlijt," said to hold 12,000 people, there are occasional concerts, and also in the zoological gardens, and in the "Von- del Park," or at the "Tolhuis," a large tea garden situated on the farther bank of the Y. From this garden is a fine view of the lighted city at night, and the music of an excellent military band may be enjoyed. In the curious old "Pyl-Steeg" in Amsterdam there is a quaint shop, said to have been founded in 1575, to which I was directed by my Dutch friend, and here in a tiny street, where I could touch the houses on either hand, I found a thin, dried-up old fellow sitting behind a leaden-cov- ered counter under a double row of fat, wide, high- waisted black bottles, ranged on a shelf above his head, each bottle decorated with a well-painted head, or a scene copied from one of Tenier's pic- tures, and not too badly done, either. While I was studying these with interest, for I had never seen so many of them at once, the bric-a-brac shops 122 THE STORK in America having occasionally one or two for which they a"sk very large prices, my friend gave an order and the old fellow, seizing one of the bottles by the neck with a deft turn of his wrist, unerringly ejected a gurgling modicum of the con- tents into each glass before him. These glasses are very flat, something like a morning-glory cup with long, thin stems, and they hold very little. The act was done with such skill that I expressed my surprise that he did not spill a drop, and when this was explained to the old fellow he seemed much pleased, and placing some fresh glasses be- fore him repeated the feat with great rapidity for my entertainment. One is supposed to drink the bitters without touching the hand to the glass, this feat being performed by stooping over the glass and sipping it up, after which one may drain the glass in the ordinary way. This was my introduc- tion to the celebrated "Maag Bitter" shop where the Amsterdamer has taken his bitters for years. The stork is an interesting institution, the birds being treated with great and singular respect in the Netherlands. These strange birds may be seen here and there, almost everywhere in the south, but I do not remember any in the north. The house selected by the stork for a nesting place is con- sidered fortunate, and very special facilities are provided by the householders to enable it to build a nest comfortably. At the Hague many of these 123 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY birds are maintained at public expense. The first that I saw was from a window of the railway train as we were crossing the "HoUondsdiep," when a chimney-top came into view on which were two of the long-legged creatures, preening themselves, their nest, an unsightly bundle of sticks and straw, littering the house-top. The tobacco shops in the towns are certainly unique, the Hollander being a great smoker. The shops are very frequent in the large cities, and the merchant has a curious way of piling up the cigar boxes in most fantastic shapes and combinations, both in the window and inside the shop, so that one sometimes fears lest the whole fabric will come tumbling down about his ears. Tobacco is sur- prisingly cheap in the Netherlands, cigars ranging from a penny (Dutch) up. After a long ex- perience and a considerable expenditure, I dis- covered that as a rule the penny ones are almost as good as those marked twenty-five cents. The drug stores are so entirely unlike ours that they call for comment. Over the door, which is invariably kept closed and is quite small and nar- row, suggesting sometimes a private house, hangs a wooden head surmounted by a turban. This is called a "Gaper." Why, I cannot discover. The heads are of various styles and shapes; some are black, some are red, some are yellow, as of the negro or the Chinaman, but they one and all have 124 THE TOBACCO SHOPS wide, staring eyes and huge, red, open mouths. Coming upon one suddenly in a back street, by a quiet canal, I somewhat timidly turned the handle of the door — a bell loudly tinkled as I entered, but no one responded. The room, a small one, with sanded floor, was permeated by the odor of strange drugs and herbs; bottles of all shapes and sizes, bearing gilded inscriptions in Latin, were closely ranged on shelves all about; at the farther end was a high counter, on which were more bottles and several fine, brass-mounted Delft jars with their peculiar blue decorations. The floor was nicely sanded in ornamental figures. I looked in vain for the soda-water fountain, so dear to our Ameri- can hearts, for the candy counter, and the soap and tooth brushes. I found them not; then all at once I became aware of a pair of bright eyes regarding me fixedly from a point of vantage between the two large, brass-topped Delft jars. The stare which she bestowed upon me was calm and very discon- certing. We gazed into each other's eyes for sev- eral moments, and then I became very much em- barrassed. I coughed nervously behind my hand. "Jungjuffrow," I began haltingly. "What will mynheer have?" she said composedly. True enough, thought I — what will I have? What do apothecaries have to sell? Of course — pills! Then said I aloud, and even brilliantly, "Pills! jungjuffrow." 125 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY "But what kind, mynheer?" "Why," said I, with great inspiration (I could not think of the Dutch word at the moment), "large pills, twenty-five cents worth" ; at which she looked at me so strangely, and she was so pretty that I became more and more disconcerted, so that when she gave them to me I did not examine them, but departed rather hurriedly, as if I had intruded, and when I was once more in the street and I saw the water of the canal I went over very quietly and dropped the box of pills into it. Glancing back, I saw her watching me with that calm, disconcerting gaze, and I also saw in the other windows rows of other faces, old and young, likewise regarding me. Then my eyes ranged back to the window where I last saw the face of the "jungjuffrow." She lifted her hand, pulling the curtain aside, the better to watch me, and certainly she had reason to think me a suspicious character. So I fled. The steam tramway system of Holland is most entertaining. Often it has been my pleasure to wait for a tram underneath the shelter of a wayside inn and watch its meandering approach under the shady boughs of the fine trees, watching the sun- light and shadow play upon it as it bumped and puffed along the quiet street, and finally to swing myself aboard with a nod of greeting to the uni- formed conductor, who takes up his fares in a rat- 126 ON THE TRAMWAYS tling sort of tin savings-bank with a handle and a spout which he thrusts before each passenger in turn. One who loves nature and his fellow-beings may enjoy himself to the full on one of these trams. If the proper study of mankind is man then here may one pass his time most profitably. Invariably I have fallen in with some good-humored loquacious peasant, on his way to or from market, and always have I met with kindness and con- sideration. Traveling in this way is cheap and most convenient. And the landscape ; how shall I describe it? The meadows with fat kine, the mills of a hundred varieties, the villas with their charm- ing grounds, and the golf greens — it will surprise you to know that golf was played by the Hol- landers before it had yet found its way into Eng- land. My authority is found in many of the old' paintings of the Netherlands. Of course of late years there has been a great awakening in the game, and now there are many most flourishing clubs throughout the country. A most charming tram ride through picturesque scenery is one from Amsterdam to Hilversum and through Laren, lovely Laren, beloved by artists, thence to Naarden and Muiden, over flat, open meadows dotted with jacketed black and white cows calmly grazing and tended by solitary peasants clad in pale blue blouses, which Mauve loved so well to paint, and who gaze at the passing tram stolidly. Running 127 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY between level stretches of "mere," and finally into a sandy country where sparse firs grow, we then come upon the towers of Nijkerk, Harderwijk, Utrecht, and Amersfoort. Here, as I have said. Mauve painted his masterpieces — very lovely transcripts of nature they are too, and this hallowed spot is venerated by a colony of loyal artists, all of whom are following the master and continuing his precepts. One thing that impresses one strangely is the scarcity of men and boys on the canals. Women and girls there are aplenty on the boats, busily polishing and scrubbing and dipping up pails of water, and hanging out long lines of bright-col- ored garments to dry, and generally there is an excited black dog, nervously running from one end of the dock to the other, scanning suspiciously the surface of the water and all passing objects. But man is conspicuous by his absence. Whenever he is present he seems to be at his ease, lazily sitting on the ornamental tiller, pipe in mouth and seem- ingly lost in thought. The Dutch boat is immacu- lately clean, the decks are spotless, and wherever there is a bit of brass, it is polished to the last degree. The barges are invariably named, as The Lion of Flanders, or The Great William, or The Golden Sun. The Golden Tulip seems to be the favorite name, and the long, curved tiller of the rudder, which is most wonderfully carved, var- 128 SSS^^S"" .>'■ '^-^ "^Z .^ '! One of the Boys. MYNHEER AT HIS EASE nished, and gilded, is further enriched as a rule with a highly impossible crouching lion. There is a small house in the after part of the barge, and here are tiny, deep, curtained windows, in which are invariably blooming tulips or geraniums. De- scending to the interior, there are generally two rooms ; the first, used as a kitchen and dining-room, has a shiny, black, cast-iron stove, mounted on absurdly high legs and lavishly trimmed with brass, fastened in a box of sand. The chimney pipe goes up through the roof and where the hole pierces the ceiling there are festoons of bright rosettes of paper flowers. On the walls are the pots and pans of brass and copper, brightly bur- nished, and two starlings are in a wicker cage. A fat, sleek cat is generally on a cushion in a chair, and there is a row of braided stringed onions and sausage hanging from the ceiling. The floor is sanded prettily. There is on the wall a framed picture of the Queen in her Friesland headdress, and the marriage certificate of the captain and his wife, gorgeously emblazoned. In the other small room leading off from this, are the berths of the captain, his wife, and the children. Traveling in this manner through the canals one sees every kind of fantastic boat imaginable in a long line, stretch- ing out ahead and astern. Passing into the rivers and hoisting sail, one overtakes them slowly one by one, saluting the lusty vrouws, courteously, and 129 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY throwing an apple or a piece of candy to the chil- dren, peering out of the doors of the deckhouses or lifting aside the white muslin curtains and flatten- ing their little noses against the glass to gaze at us. Here and there are shining beds of mud in the stream surrounded by curlews, circling gulls, and herons, all seemingly as tame as barn-door fowls. As I have said, some of the boats are lavishly painted, and the water barrels on their decks will be decorated by green paint, polished brass, and some with landscapes, or naval battles, or bunches of flowers upon them. The masts of the vessel, which are hinged at the base to permit them being dropped at the bridges, will be set off by a beauti- ful piece of hammered iron work, and the brown hulls are so richly varnished that one may almost see one's face in them. This procession of vessels, winding between the shoals and dykes, with swell- ing, velvety, tanned brown sails and gaily stream- ing flags, forms a most beautiful picture against the ever changing background of Dutch landscape, mottled by the fleeting shadows of the sun, with an occasional red roof or mill here and there among the rows of willows. It was in early June that I first traveled through the "Waterland," and it must have been an unus- ually wet time. Everywhere the meadows seemed flooded, and there were long, sad-looking stretches of yellowish water, but this is all good for the 130 THROUGH THE WATERLAND country, I am told, although dispiriting to the traveler, who is forced to get his entertainment at the wayside inns. The ordinary Dutch brealifast at these waysides is very different from that to which we are accustomed, and as a rule provokes hilarity among Americans. Here the guests of the hotel will sit at a long table, covered with dishes containing every variety of cold meat and sausage, various kinds of bread and cake, and huge bowls of cold, boiled eggs. Why cold eggs, I can- not understand, but I have never been served with hot ones, excepting upon order. The peasant is a great eater, and one marvels at the quantities of sausage, rolls, veal, and ham, with great piles of ginger-bread and raw onions, which he consumes. The peasant will take a hard-boiled egg, knock it on the table edge, cut it with a knife, peel it, dip it in the salt bowl, and put the whole mass into his mouth at once, gazing at one with his watery blue eyes as he slowly masticates it. I saw my opposite neighbor eat fourteen in this way, and he then sighed and told me he wasn't hungry. I have heard tales of egg competitions among the villagers at which prodigious, gastronomical feats are performed, but I am sorry to say I never wit- nessed one. After eating the fourteen eggs, my vis-a-vis finished his light breakfast with a huge dish of honey, which he ate with a tablespoon. I could stand no more, so I left. 131 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY On the way through the country, the traveler on foot will find the farmers and their wives most kindly and hospitable. In every case one will be asked to enter and refreshments will be set out on the table, for which pay will be accepted under no consideration. But there is generally a treasure chest in the house, the contents of which will be gladly displayed, and most delightful bargains may be had in the out-of-the-way places. It was an opportunity such as this that put into my hands, at a moderate price, a lovely silver headband. These bands are worn over a tight, black cap, and are from two to three inches wide, fitting tightly around the skull and culminating at each eye with a little, silver ornament called a "Hoofdijzer." This band is in its turn covered by a white muslin cap, but not always. These charming old vrouws are often very generous. I remember one house- hold in which I coveted a lovely piece of beaten brass, and she told me that "sometimes" she exchanged her old pieces for new ones, and I promptly went back to the village and bought a new brass milk can, with which I returned. She seemed incredulous when I asked her to exchange with me and called in her daughters, who stood shyly in the doorway, their beautiful lace caps clouding their pretty faces, as they regarded me with open-mouthed amazement. She declared that she could not take the beautiful new brass milk 132 THE HOSPITALITY OF THE FARMERS can from me, giving only in return the old patched kettle. In vain I attempted to explain to her that the old one was what I wanted, and that the new ones were quite useless to me, and that I was really getting the best of the bargain. She waived this aside unbelievingly, and insisted upon throwing in two lovely pierced brass candlesticks and a little walnut foot-stove, one of the finest I have ever seen, and even then she said that her neighbors would blame her for defrauding me. Dear old dame, I shall never forget you! I have heard it urged that the Hollander is not partial to and has no kindly feelings towards the painter, but I have not experienced this myself. I have everywhere met with the greatest kindness and consideration. It is true that I have been told of the experience of an American artist at Marken who was stoned for making sketches and his canvases spoiled by sand and dirt being thrown upon them. If such happenings are true, then it must have been the fault of the men themselves. The Markenites are very religious people, and one should be careful not to offend their sensibilities. They keep to a very strict mode of Lutherism, and some of them believe that the making of pictures is a violation of the first commandment. I remember Whistler getting into trouble at Dort. My friend van s'Gravesande, the noted etcher, and I had left Whistler in the morning, 133 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY who said he wished to make a little sketch in a neighboring street. Toward noon we thought we would go down to see how he was getting on with it, and as we turned down a small alleyway leading to a canal, we saw a crowd of people and heard many angry, excited voices. It was Whistler, of course, and he was surrounded by a crowd of angry fishwomen, who were threatening to throw him into the canal, amid all of which the great man was calmly waving his little brush at the ex- cited people. Seizing one of the fishermen by the arm, my friend demanded in Dutch to know what was the trouble, and the man explained to him volubly. It seemed that Whistler had dis- covered a little shop near the canal, the window of which was full of oranges and lemons, and this, with the green paint of the shutters and the bril- liant purple sign-board, formed a scheme of color which he was unable to resist. He, however, had objected to the arrangement of the oranges in the window, and insisted upon changing them to his own satisfaction in spite of the remonstrances of the shop-keeper. When Whistler had almost fin- ished his picture, a very small one by the way, the angry shop-keeper had pulled down the curtain, quite spoiling Whistler's view, and he, unable to speak Dutch, had insisted in English that the cur- tain should be raised. Alternately then the curtain went uo and down, and finally the alterca- 134 AN ARRANGEMENT IN ORANGE tion became so serious that the neighbors took part in it. This drew the boatmen from the canal, and soon there was an excited mob, which had at- tracted our attention. Van s'Gravesande placed himself at Whistler's side and, facing the angry multitude, explained to them (in Dutch) that this was a great painter who was a stranger among them and knew nothing of their manners or cus- toms, that for this reason he should be treated with great courtesy, and that he was surprised that his people should so forget themselves as to offer vio- lence to a gentleman and a stranger. The people seemed ashamed of themselves at this and slunk away, but it certainly would have gone hard with Whistler had he not arrived so opportunely. Whistler, however, did not thank him in words, and contented himself with ejaculating at inter- vals, "Amazing! Amazing!" ^ We three passed many delightful days together rambling and sketching about old Dort, and these experiences I shall take pleasure in recording later on in another form, but I must say here that I look back upon these days as the happiest ones that I spent in the Netherlands. The population of a Dutch fishing-town is as quaint as the vessels and the charming, old gabled houses. The fishermen have a character all their own; superb, thick-set, well-fed fellows they are. Their food at sea is not very generous, but there 135 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY is always in the forecastle or the galley, a steaming pot of coarse fish and potatoes, ready at hand so that each may help himself at will. They are hard drinkers too, for when I asked for water, I was handed a cup full of pure gin by the grinning "boy." The fishermen are the flower of the race for strength and hardihood, and they present an ad- mirable type. While they are peaceable as a rule, when it comes to the fight they can hold their own. Yes, some of them are bullies, but it must be said that their surroundings are not such as to breed saints. When they do take to religion, however, they are very devout. I can describe one experi- ence with a fleet in the North Sea. We were after the herring, and our little craft was a mere toy com- pared with the mighty fishing smacks that sail from the English coast towns. It was evening when we stole away from the mouth of the Y, and our blunt- bowed "tjalk" with its brass-bound boom rippled away the surface of the orange-colored sea, aflame with the setting sun. We lay about quietly until dawn, eagerly watching until we saw the predatory flock of gulls rising and diving over the shoal. There is no child's play in the herring fishery. The boat runs out with her nets coiled amidship and heads away to meet the innumerable schools of migrant fish. The buoy is flung over, and then the net is "shot" swiftly by the fishermen, until the line of corks winds astern for many a yard like a 136 IN THE NORTH SEA bobbing serpent on the quiet sea. The leaden weights sink and the snare adjusts itself ; now comes a pause; the men sit down quietly and light their pipes ; all eyes are fixed on the water and then we wait. Of a sudden in the distance we see a strange disturbance on the surface of the sea, and a lam- bent, greenish light appears in the water. Then the gulls begin to call from high overhead. A whispering, popping sound fills the air as if of a thunder shower, but it is the noise made by mil- lions of leaping fish. With mysterious, gliding, sidelong movements they swim; against wind or tide their progress continues. Now they are head- ing towards us. A buoy rears for an instant and then plunges under, then under goes another; a third, fourth, and fifth follow quickly; and the lines of corks are sagging and plunging as the weight of the fish drags them down. We are watching almost breathlessly, and finally the patroon gives the word and the first buoy is pulled in. Over the side the whole sea seems to be a vast glow of emerald flame, flashing in the depths and outlining the barrier of the nets. This flame seems to wind among pale sheets of snowy foam. Long streaks of this green flame fringed with jewels dart away from the meshes of the nets. The whispering sound that I described before fills the ears, and the fish are leaping high in the air. Now the heavy nets are pulled over the side, the men straining 137 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY heavily while their muscles dart out like coils of steel, and little by little, the fish well is filled with a beautiful, silvery mass, and a curious shrill, squeaking sound, as from millions of mice, comes from the herring as their strained air-bladders burst. Our boat sinks low with its load and rises and falls in a very logy fashion at the lunge of the sea. The captains says we cannot stand another hundredweight, but it seems too bad to let the school go by and escape. So we watch greedily the beautiful fish leaping and glittering in the morning sun. The sight of a school of herring in the sunlight is one of the most picturesque to be seen. They bound up into the air, out of the water, all about us, but the slightest movement from the boat will cause them to "sound," then they will rise again and one may follow them for miles by the ravenous flock of gulls which hover over them. We fall in with other boats as we sail for the shore and the skippers compare notes in gutturals. A most picturesque sight we present as we glide in squad- ron toward the jetty. Most picturesque, too, are the men in their heavy boots and strange, high- waisted jackets; brawny giants all of them! How this breed of men came to be developed it is diffi- cult to say, but physically they are certainly the finest specimens of their race. The patroon's beard is sunny, his shoulders are as broad as an athlete's; he is like a mythical figure, such as Ericsson. He 138 In a North Holland Tower. THE RETURN TO PORT makes the plank creak as he walks, and one can see that he is all bone and brawn. You cannot forget his glittering steel-blue eye, nor the flash of his white teeth. There are scores of him among the fishermen, and it is such men as he that make the fishing ports worth visiting. One afternoon in wandering in the outskirts of Zwolle in the north of Holland, I was attracted to a little hut in the wood. 'Twas here I discovered a man and his wife making wooden shoes. He had sawn the wood into oblong square shapes and they were piled up in a rude sort of workshop, against the wall. He stood at a rough bench and with drawknife he fashioned the pieces of wood into shapes of wooden shoes. I could not but admire the skill with which he did the work. His wife, near by, was finishing the shoes with a small sharp knife, and a row of the finished product was neat- ly arranged on a bench before her. I gave him a big, fat cigar and this quite disarmed him, and when I produced another for myself and sat down and lighted a match, which I offered him, he be- came quite friendly. The Dutch peasant's way of being friendly is to ask questions. Was I German or English? Ah — American! North or South? His brother was in Cura9ao, at Willemstad. He was engaged in the dried-fish business. Had I ever beeninCura9ao? Ah — New York! He examined me through a cloud of smoke. Were my shoes 139 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY made in New York? So — how much did they cost? Ah — so? What was my business? So? Did I make money at it? Was I married? How old was I ? How long was I going to stay in Holland? Upon all these points I satisfied him. Then my turn came and I fired the questions back at him, but he regarded this evidently as fair play and gravely responded. He was forty years of age; he had been married six years; he rented the house that he lived in, if it could be called such; yes, that was his wife sitting over there; yes, those were his three children ; yes, it was difficult to make a living; no, he could not make a gulden a day even with the assistance of his wife; no, they did not often have meat to eat, they lived on dried fish, potatoes and beets; yes, they grew the vegetables themselves ; no, that cow was not theirs, that belonged to the farmer, but they minded it while it grazed, and for this they received one quart of milk per day; yes, thank God! the children were healthy; no, he was not contented, but he was not unhappy; he feared that he might get into trouble because he was a drinking man ; no, he did not often get drunk, the wife didn't like it. "Isn't that so, vrouw?" he said. A slow smile broke over her not uncomely face, and she put down the shoe that she was finishing and, folding the blue apron about her hands, she said, "Ja, mynheer." I don't think I ever had more satisfaction than I felt as 140 A D UTCH PEASANT the round pink fist of the baby on the earthen floor closed over the gulden that I put into it. The wife's ambition, I found, was to have a coral neck- lace! Verily, women are the same the world over. They were living in bitter poverty, with often hardly enough to eat, even of fish and potatoes; there was not even a floor under their feet, and their furniture consisted of a bed built into the wall like a bunk, a heavy, bare table with some crockery on it, two wooden benches on either side, and a kerosene lamp hanging from the ceiling, and yet her longings were fixed upon a red coral neck- lace which would cost twenty dollars, our money. I often think of these poor people in the little hut in that far-away wood and the longing in the eyes of that woman, and I hope sincerely that somehow she got her necklace. 141 Gke cTVague HE Hague — Dutch, " 's Graven Hage, or den Haag" — i.e., the "Count's enclos- ure or hedge," has been for centuries the favorite residence of the Dutch royal family. Formerly the political capital of the States General, it has been styled the largest village in Europe, and it was Louis Bonaparte who con- ferred upon it the privileges of a town. The Mauritshuis, the celebrated picture gallery; the Huis ten Bosch, or palace in the wood, one of the most beautifully furnished chateaus in the world, an authority claims ; the "Vijver," or lake, around which are clustered the various palaces; the "Gev- angenpoort," an ancient tower and historic prison; the municipal museum, and next to the "Rijks" the finest in Holland; the "Mesdag" museum, and Baron Steen Gracht's picture gallery are the prin- cipal objects of interest. The Hague is the favor- ite residence of the beloved Queen of Holland and the court. It seems immaculately clean, is digni- 142 A COSMOPOLITAN TOWN fied by various palatial residences and stately ave- nues of trees, and it is all very charming for a few days, but after one has seen the pictures one would better pass on quickly, for here the guilders have wings! The Queen gave her consent to the representa- tives of the Powers interested in the First Interna- tional Peace Conference to hold their deliberations in the Orange Room of the "House in the Wood." It was here that Motley wrote much of the "Rise and Fall of the Dutch Republic." Most people must have read that delightful Roundabout Paper of Thackeray's, entitled "Notes of a Week's Holi- day." Holland seems to have delighted the great novelist, for he alludes to "the vast green flats, speckled by spotted cows and bounded by a gay frontier of windmills," and where the only bitter- ness in his cup was the "florin" which was charged at his hotel for a bottle of pale ale! He calls The Hague "the prettiest little brick city, with the pleasantest park to ride in, the neatest, comfortable people walking about, the canals not unsweet, and busy and picturesque with old-world life." Wher- ever he went he was bubbling over with enjoyment. There certainly seem to be more gaiety and life here than in any other town in the Netherlands. One misses the business activity of Amsterdam, but there is certainly none of the sleepiness of the other towns. One sees in the streets well-equipped car- 143 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY riages, magnificent automobiles nearly as large as Pullman coaches, bearing conspicuous coats-of- arms, and seemingly having space in the limousine for eight or ten people. These machines are most luxuriously upholstered, as one may imagine, and carry two and three men-servants, including the chaufifeur. There are crowds of well-dressed peo- ple strolling about and the shops vie with those of Paris. The Hague is the most cosmopolitan of all the Dutch cities, and many most distinguished people have lived here. It has been the political capital of Holland since the sixteenth century. The great interest, of course, centers in the "Palace in the Wood," which, though small, is most picturesque. It was erected in 1645 for Princess Amalia of Solms, consort of Prince Frederick Henry, son of Henry the Silent. After his death, the Princess prepared the Orange Room as a memorial to him, and the walls are covered with paintings in his honor and recording his victories on the battle- field. Nine of the most eminent painters of the day labored here for four years upon these paint- ings. The Queen's dining-room has a beautiful ceiling in relief, and there are four remarkable Grisaille paintings by De Witt. The Chinese Room contains eighteenth century wall decorations upon rice paper, and the furniture is the gift from the Chinese Emperor. There is also a Japanese 144 The House in the Wood. Hague. THE CONSORT Room, presented to the nation by the Emperor of Japan in 1795. The curious chandelier hanging from the ceiling is entirely made up of cups and saucers. I did not see the boudoir, which, to my great regret, was closed. The private sitting-room seems a little too crowded for comfort, it being literally filled with treasures. The loyalty and de- votion of the Dutch people to their Queen is proverbial, and it is a charming sight to see the stolid faces light up as the Queen drives by in her victoria. The temptation in writing of a strange country seen superficially only, as a foreign country must necessarily be seen, is to generalize and to strain facts to suit the writer's classifications ; and it will be admitted, I think, that Holland has suffered more than perhaps any other country from exag- geration. So many absurd things have been writ- ten and printed about the Queen and the Court that I should like, were space accorded me, to correct such absurdities. As a rule, when reading accounts concerning the Queen in the newspapers, one may take the statements with a grain of salt. In truth, the Queen is a woman of great strength of character and purpose, and her shrewdness in dealing with affairs of great moment concerning the welfare of the Netherlands is well known to her ministers. She has great personal charm of manners, is of the kindliest possible disposition, 145 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY and her charities are boundless. Of course her privy purse is very large, but her private char- ities, likewise, it is said, are enormous. There were great misgivings upon the announcement of her betrothal to Prince Henry, for it must be recorded that the Hollander does not like the Ger- man for obvious reasons, and the German in turn affects to have merely a tolerant feeling for him. The Hollander somehow feels that in this alliance by marriage with Germany lurk certain mysteri- ous dangers, so he regards the Consort somewhat suspiciously, although outwardly he is most re- spectful in his attitude toward him. The Queen is regarded as the embodiment of the House of Orange, and this feeling is quite apart from their affection for her and their delight in her youth and beauty. They claim that Holland is not now, and never will be, less of a Republic than she ever was, but they see in the distance the shadow of coming events which point perhaps to their an- nihilation as a kingdom. But we need not dwell upon this fact, for as we see Holland now she is basking in the bright sun of prosperity and her throne is occupied by an altogether satisfactory ruler, who is held in affectionate esteem and whose heart is their heart, the Queen of the House of Orange. I am indebted to a most delightful old Dutch lady at The Hague for the following account of 146 "LONDON FOG" the youth and education of the Queen: "At The Hague, Wilhelmina's life, under the careful direc- tion of the Queen Regent, did not differ in any- great degree from the life of any other well-born Dutch girl. Her principal instructor was her mother, and her tuition in the ordinary studies and the languages was divided among a number of carefully selected instructors, who were strictly charged to treat her exactly as they would any other well-born school girl. She was not even to be addressed as 'Your Royal Highness,' or even as Princess, during school hours. So it was that she was educated under the watchful eyes of the Queen Regent. But while her education was strict, her childhood was made happy, and she was never permitted to lose sight of the fact that she was destined to rule as Queen of the Netherlands. Reared in the atmosphere of good Dutch democ- racy, she was even allowed the privilege of play- ing with other children. "One winter day as the Queen Regent with her little daughter was driving in her sleigh, they came upon a group of children merrily snowballing one another. The Princess asked her mother if she might not join them, and permission being given, the royal sleigh stood for half an hour while the future Queen of the Netherlands was boisterously snowballed and enjoyed the pleasure of snow- balling her happy subjects." 147 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY The Queen now delights on occasions in wear- ing the quaint headdress of the Province of Fries- land, and the costume is certainly most becoming to her. Mile. Siotard was, I am informed, Wilhelmina's first governess, and until the age of four she spoke invariably in French. After this, she was in- structed in other languages, but never in the Ger- man tongue, her father, it is said, having an ab- horrence of all things German. Her Majesty's next teacher was Miss Winter, an English lady, who superintended her education henceforth. It was she who, to punish the young Princess, ordered her to draw a map of Europe. Wilhel- mina obeyed, and when the map was com- pleted it was found that Holland extended into the German Ocean, outclassing Prussia in size, while Great Britain was shown by a small black speck, in the midst a yellow splotch marked "London fog." Nevertheless, Her Maj- esty has a great admiration for England, and, I am told, thinks the United States of America of great interest, especially since the Spanish war. She is a great student of nations, and has strong ideas and convictions regarding matters of inter- national import, and her mind once made up can- not easily be influenced. Her Majesty is now a fair-haired, beautiful young woman of robust health and a preponderance of animal spirits. She 148 H. M. Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands. THE QUEEN is most active, quick of speech, of most charming manners and personality, keen of insight and ob- servation, and of strong likes and dislikes. The saying, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world," was never better exemplified than on the occasion of the birth of an heir to the throne of the Netherlands. The people of the Low Coun- tries have waited with breathless anxiety for the auspicious event. It is not only a testimony of the loyalty and affection with which the Dutch people regards its queen, but is a proof of the jealousy with which it guards its independence. Queen Wilhelmina was the last of the line of Orange- Nassau. If she failed to have an heir the succes- sion became one of the most open in Europe. Open, that is to say, with regard to the number of possible candidates ; as to the nationality, the choice was limited, as only the claims of German princes could be taken into consideration. None, however, was of such a nature as to settle the rival claims beyond all dispute. In any other constitutional country this might have been a matter of secondary importance, but in the case of Holland matters are different. Her privileged geographical position, with a splendid coast line and many natural har- bors, has exposed her to international jealousies. Of all the great powers of Europe — Russia ex- cepted — Germany is the one with the most un- favorable coast line. Barring Hamburg, and 149 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY perhaps Dantzig and Stettin, she has no natural harbors. Kiel and Wilhelmshaven are purely ar- tificial ports, where the art of the modern Vauban has come to the aid of nature. They do not count for commercial purposes. For half a century Germany has, therefore, cast envious eyes on Hol- land. The presence of a German prince on the throne would be the first step toward preponder- ance, if not toward annexation. The possession of the Netherlands, however, would undoubtedly disturb the balance of maritime power. Although three centuries have elapsed. Great Britain has not forgotten that the guns of Van Ruyter's fleet once woke the echoes of the Thames and that Tromp sailed the Channel with a broom at his masthead as a sign that he had swept the English from the sea. The birth of a Dutch heir to the throne puts an end to international jealousies. This fact undoubt- edly doubles the warmth and cordiality with which Europe congratulates Queen Wilhemina. The visitor to the Netherlands must not be mis- led as to the character of the upper classes or judge them in any way by those whom he meets in the hotels or conveyances. The Dutch gentle- man and lady are far removed from these. Do not believe either that they find their pleasures in the grosser comforts, for they are highly educated and their manners are those of the upper classes of the English. The young men are always sent 150 THE PLEASURES OF THE TABLE to the university, where their education is care- fully looked after, and the young girls are most highly accomplished, with a knowledge of art and music and generally speaking French, Italian, and English. There is much driving, and afternoon calls are general. In the evening at the club the gentlemen congregate for an hour or so before dinner, at which the "Borreltje" or gin and bitters is in evidence. As a rule, dinner is served any time between six and half-past seven, and this is a very formal occasion, although the menu is simple. The people are well dressed, generally after the Eng- lish fashion. In manner they are most kindly and they delight in pretty speeches. Breakfast, as a rule, at this house which I have in mind, and which will answer as a specimen, is generally ready at eight o'clock, but oftentimes the table is kept in order and ready until ten for the young men who may have been out for an early morning ride on the dunes. This is an easy matter, for a mahogany bucket lined with metal and containing peat embers, in which a brass kettle is kept singing, is always placed beside every Dutch breakfast table; it appears, too, at five o'clock teas, as well as after dinner in the drawing-room. This kettle- bucket in Holland is very characteristic. At breakfast one eats lightly, as a rule, bread and butter with a thin slice of gingerbread, making a HOLLAND OF TO-DAY sandwich. There are tea and coflfee, and eggs are boiled, generally in an old-fashioned net on a ring, which is dipped into the kettle. Everybody is welcomed with bon jour, and people take their seats without further ceremony. The mail is brought to the table and distributed, and there will be English papers of the sporting order at hand. After breakfast the women gather in the garden to cull the roses, or do fancy-work in the arbors, embowered in the trees. The garden is a pretty place with rustic bridge over a water trench, green with duckweed and shaded by willows, and down in the hollow lies a pond full of water lilies, where perhaps a swan or two will be swimming. After luncheon there will be driving along the brick- paved road, shaded by trees, past smiling cottages and country-seats, while the bright, little villas, seldom far apart, are seen along the road behind beautiful green lawns. After the heat of the after- noon five o'clock tea is fashionable, and the young men drive off in a fly to the club for an hour before dinner. People generally ask what sort of food is served at dinner. Well, we will have as genuine Dutch dishes, potato puree or bouillon flavored with cher- vil, and containing balls of veal force meat, and there will be water bass from the canal, which are about the size of our trout and are served up in a deep dish in the water in which they are 152 i^-:Mi J8.ift.iit. ^i=A==s t.f/ff'^r^, I I n , Old Houses. Gorkum. THE NOBILITY boiled, and parsley-flavored. This is served with thin sandvi^iches of rye bread. Next comes, gen- erally, roast or stew^ed veal, mutton being so poor that it is rarely eaten. The vegetables are pota- toes with butter, boiled endives, and bread- crumbed cabbage. Then there will be partridge, or some other game, wild duck being plentiful in season, sometimes the young men coming in after dawn with a fine bag. The dessert is mostly French, bon-bons or tarts, but sometimes English jam is served. Dessert over, both ladies and gen- tlemen return together to the drawing-room for cofifee, which is served in the smallest and most precious of blue china, which is generally kept behind cabinet doors. Then come liqueurs, cognac and aniseed, this latter being the favorite. During the evening callers are entertained, after which tea is served, the mahogany peat bucket and its kettle having been placed by the footman as usual beside the table. I may mention that there are but three classes of nobility in Holland, the "Jonkheer," then "Baron," and the highest, "Count." The Dutch are very simple as to their titles, which are rarely used in good society, as every one knows they are Barons or Counts, so it would be thought snobbish or bad form to so address them. Servants may sometimes use the title, but more often they will only say. Mynheer. Of course the peasantry use 153 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY the titles in speaking among themselves, but only to this extent. After tea, the lady of the house always washes her own tea cups, never trusting them to the serv- ants. This washing of the cups is one of the good old customs, and as these cups are worth from five to fifteen dollars apiece there is a reason for it. Another strange custom is the visit of the "Aan- spreker." I saw a curious figure passing swiftly along the path dressed in funeral black, wearing a three-cornered hat with a long streamer floating over his coat which was flapping in the wind. On his feet were silver-buckled shoes, and it was ex- plained to me that it is his duty to make the rounds of the neighborhood announcing deaths. Another strange old custom is that wherever lie mother and a new-born babe there shall be fastened to the door a huge ornament, called a "Klopper." My Dutch friend brought forth one which had been used in the family. It was a large square of lace bearing in the center a finely embroidered coat-of- arms, and he told me that the lace was the finest old "Mechlin." It was lined with white, for it announced the birth of a girl. That for a boy being one-half pink. These "Kloppers" are eager- ly sought for, so I am told. While the Dutch use their own language almost invariably, they will as often speak in French. All invitations are written in the latter tongue, and THE CHURCH sometimes the most familiar correspondence. As to English, it is quite generally used, and I remem- ber few Hollanders who did not have at least a slight speaking acquaintance with it. On Sunday morning it is necessary to attend church. This church is small, whitewashed, and sadly bare. The ladies sit on chairs in the middle of the house, the men occupying places by them- selves at one side. There is a hymn or two with some good music on the organ, a very long prayer by the minister, who is gowned in black, and then a still longer sermon, followed by a collection in which two black bags with long tassels attached to the ends of long poles are passed around by the "beadles." On one of the bags is written "Eglise," that is for the church; the other is for the poor. The service is melancholy and depress- ing to a foreigner, but the people are sincere and very devout. After luncheon and the siesta, the carriage is ordered for the afternoon drive over the beautiful, level roads and through the rich, wooded spaces of the outskirts, passing the lovely villas and crowds of peasantry quietly walking by the road- side. There is much driving, and beautiful equi- pages. The peasantry are out in the gala costume, for this is their great day, and in strange dogcarts, drawn by huge, ill-looking animals, quite filled with stout peasants, who seem to be a tremendous 155 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY load for the unfortunate animals. Then we pass a regiment of soldiers in infantry uniform — blue, with yellow worsted facings and tassels — carrying strange-looking knapsacks and wearing singular pointed caps. They are not well set up, and seem to be small of stature, and their uniform certainly is not becoming. Being a stranger, I am to visit a farm-house, and we soon stop before a prosperous-looking house at the end of a brick-paved walk. There are many cooing pigeons, and I soon discover that all the buildings of this farm are practically under the one roof. Here are the dwelling-house, the dairy, the cow-house, and various other departments. A clear, orderly row of wooden shoes stand outside the door, which opens on a clean, freshly painted passageway paved with red brick, where we are welcomed by the wife of the farmer and ushered into the sitting-room. She is in her stocking feet. The parlor is gay with strips of bright carpet and there is a shining mahogany table in the center. We are served with home-made pear wine, which politeness forces us to drink, and the household treasures are brought forth from a huge, carved "armoire" — the family Bible with its silver clasps, grandmother's holiday gowns, some antique head- dresses, and a fine collection of beautiful old carved and beaten silver spoons, which are greatly ad- mired. We are then taken to the dairy with its 156 ('i^.-Ht.fc.'^iiWsw^Bj t;,'o--*safci_. C'ljnright, U)0<), by ueorg. by George V\'lKirtLiri Kiiwariis CONTENTMENT long tables filled with green and orange stone crocks of milk, prints of butter in wooden bowls, and several loaves of large, fresh cheeses, made by the farmer's wife and daughters. Opening a door we are ushered into the cow-house, which is four steps below- the level of the kitchen. This is an immense room with the roof far above our heads, with a footway of red tiles down the middle; on one hand are piled large clean cheese presses, above which are hanging long lines of copper pans, brightly scoured brass cheese scoops, candlesticks, and various wooden implements used in preparing cheese and butter. Down another passageway leading off, we see the cow-stalls, and all is as clean as the parlor itself. Here in winter some sixty cows are under cover, and each cow-stall is carefully laid with sand, which is marked out in ornamental patterns. There is a small stream of water running through the center of this passage- way to carry away the offal. The cheese is made on a raised platform at the side of this cow-shed, and the farmer describes the operation, which is too intricate for me to understand. I may say that there is not a particle of odor in this building, everything being of immaculate cleanliness. As we drove home the band was playing in the open space and the peasants were enjoying them- selves hugely at various small tables drinking queer black liquid, which it was explained to me is made 157 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY of gin and black currants. On the way home we drew to one side to let a wedding party pass. There were several kinds of carriages, one in par- ticular being called a "Jan-plaisir," this big enough to hold an army almost, with open sides and blinds which roll up and down, and drawn by six horses. There was much shouting and cheer- ing as the gay procession passed by, the cart at the head being the old-fashioned kind, set high in the air on its large wheels, the body carved and gilded and painted with pictures in bright colors. Then we stopped at a drawbridge which is pulled up to allow some river craft to pass, and finally we are at our journey's end. On the whole, then, life in the Netherlands is most comfortable and there is much good cheer, and it would seem true, as the Dutch affirm, that social life in the Netherlands is purer and happier than that of any other people. This may be a sweeping assertion on their part, but they cer- tainly do seem happy and contented! 158 ofizougfi c/ziedland 'N the foregoing chapters I have only lightly touched upon this most interesting, perhaps, of any of the provinces. Leaving Edam by a puffiing, wheezy train one can journey leisurely to Kwadijk, stopping for luncheon as I did, and then on to Enkhuizen, once perhaps the most prosperous town in the Netherlands, but now indeed a "dead city." Approaching in the train one sees little of interest, but from the sea the visitor sees it at its best and most striking aspect, with the great Drommedaris Tower, a most splen- did relic of the now vanished fortifications of the Middle Ages, standing guard over the tiny harbor and scattered collection of red-roofed houses. One sees it against the sky, topped by a white-painted lantern or cupola containing a clock-face, its dark- red brick walls pierced by quaint pointed shut- tered windows in white frames and backed by a dense fringe of trees, over which appears the church spire at the right. There is a lock in the ^59 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY canal beside it, crossed by a lift-bridge, on which as I came up were ranged as many children as it would accommodate, all fringed on the railing and staring down into the canal. I never discovered what it was they were watching. A high-waisted, silk-hatted man in a brilliant red waistcoat, armed with a stick, descended upon them, and with blows and much vituperation drove them away down the street. I found clean accommodations in the little hotel called "De Port Von Cleve," and there fell in with a young schoolmaster, who invited me to join him in a glass of port, which was very good, too, by the way, and informed me almost at the same breath that he was studying to be a burgo- master and would like to converse with me in English, which he proceeded to do with the help of a dictionary, which rendered our conversation necessarily slow and rudimentary, but he was a nice fellow indeed, and when, in his high-pitched voice, he invited himself to accompany me through Friesland, and offered to pay his own way, I wel- comed him cordially. Our driver was a good one, and I had brought some cigars with me from Am- sterdam, so the evening passed pleasantly enough — that is to say, with the aid of the dictionary. The steamer left the following morning — Sun- day — for Stavoren. A good little boat it was, low in the water, painted black, and burning a villain- ous kind of soft coal which blew over and smutted 1 60 An Interior. Eukhuizen. TO STAVOREN everybody and everything on board, and it was quite in vain that we moved about with the shifting wind. It takes about one hour and a half to cross the Zuyder Zee here, where it closes in and forms a sort of neck, which it is proposed to "dam" one of these days, as I have said elsewhere, and reclaim the whole of the vast area lying to the south. Even now the water is so shallow here that this little, al- most flat-bottomed steamer is forced to make long detours to avoid the sandbars. The water was very calm, and as it was Sunday no sails were visi- ble on the expanse. On the way my new friend, the Embryo Burgomaster gave me much otherwise ungetatable information concerning the Friesland- ers, and much more as we entered the small harbor of Stavoren, and I never knew a man to consume cigars as he could. He literally ate them as he talked, but I had plenty, happily, costing but one cent each, and not bad at that price, as might be surmised. I learned among other quaint customs that it was usual here in the north at the birth of a boy for all the women to visit the mother and drink a bowl of "Brandewyn" to her health and honor; that each woman presents a sort of tart or pie, which is displayed in the room — the more pies the greater the honor — and when, later on, the new-born is taken to church many small girls of twelve or fifteen years volunteer their services in carrying him by turn. The father then presents i6i HOLLAND OF TO-DAY the child for baptism, never the mother. Stavoren is interesting from the water. The roofs of the houses are red-tiled, and the houses themselves are never of more than two stories ; they are quaintly gabled and tree-embowered. Queer boats are drawn up before them in the canal, and on their bows are painted in white letters S T (Stavoren). The bodies of these boats are not painted, but tarred or pitched, and the result is certainly beau- tiful. My friend hailed a nice, prosperous-looking Hollander on the quay as we landed and intro- duced me with many gesticulations as a personage from America, New York, all in one word, and I must record the delightful cordiality with which I was greeted, which, indeed, generally was the case throughout the Netherlands. Mr. Bessema immediately asked us both to his house for supper, and followed by two boys who shouldered our baggage, we were presently shown through a large tiled kitchen lined with brass and copper and fur- nished with fine old furniture ; down dark, mysteri- ously dim passages, painted blue, to the parlor, where we were at once presented to Mevrouwe Bes- sema, a delightful-looking, waxen-complexioned lady wearing the Friesian headdress, a cap of solid gold divided at the front, with projecting flaps of gold bejeweled above the ears. My lady Bessema was rather chilling to me at first, but I noted that my friend was lavish with his "Asher 162 HI"'. >. . 5|5^#i«'' l-)ti\anti- The Frieslaiid Hat. IN FRIESLAND blifft" (als't u blieft — if you please) , so I followed suit, and found this a most excellent expression to fill out a sentence of which I was not quite sure. Soon supper was announced by a bare-armed, love- ly young Friesienne in a gold casque, and we sat down to a rather formal and bare table. Tea was passed around from a sort of samovar and sheep's milk poured with it. I was a little afraid of it, but it tasted sweet and good. There was much conversation between the host and my friend con- cerning the price of mutton and beets, during which I covertly observed the tiled walls, the ma- hogany wardrobe, and the exquisite gilt Friesland clock over the mantelpiece. After supper our host would not hear of our leaving his house, so we thank- fully remained until the following morning. The ladies retiring, we sat up rather late smoking and talking of the changes in Holland and the march of improvements, and before we went to bed Heer Bessema brought forth three bottles of Bass's ale, in which we drank his health. Mevrouwe Bessema, or juffrow, and her daughter, we did not see again that night; and I slept in a high bedstead under a thick feather thing like a mattress, in a pretty and clean room under the eaves, until — bang! on the door, and a silvery voice outside calling out, "Het waater, mynheer!" I caught only a brief glimpse of this young damsel before I left, peeping at me from behind a door. I suppose it is not etiquette 163 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY for a girl to speak to a stranger in the Netherlands, but I quite forgot to ask my friend as to this fact. Evidently our presence was known throughout the village, for an army of children escorted us to the boat at the quay which was to take us onward. The curiosity of the Dutch child is unequaled, most embarrassing, and eventually becomes an intoler- able nuisance. They will stand for hours staring at one unwinkingly, and nothing seems to discon- cert them. I have had them four deep about me while I was painting and it took every effort to make them understand that I desired to see what I was painting before me, and that I could not see through them. One remedy I found generally efficacious: to pick out the largest and most ill- favored of the lot of boys, and giving him the sight of a gulden, promise to present it to him if he cleared the way. It was amusing, though, to see the throng which escorted us to the boat this morn- ing, and we left with a cheery adieu from Heer Bessema and the populace upon the bank. The first village we reached was Heeg, which is not very quaint or unusual, and so we concluded not to stop. The houses are neat (netje) and sur- rounded by a kind of trellis of vines, which gives a pretty effect. Connecting each house with the roadway is a small brightly painted, high-railed wooden bridge over a narrow and somewhat "smel- ly" canal. Here I first noted the "floating shop" 164 Some Friesland Gables. THE "FLOATING SHOP" or barge in the canal. The boat was not a large one, but it was brightly painted and on the high rudder-post was a large gilt lion of carved wood. The cabin windows were brightly decked out with colored paper cut in forms and modern crockery decorated in bright colors ; huge fringes of brooms were stacked on deck, and, alas! there was much tinware instead of the beautiful brass and copper of old. All the merchandise was of the cheapest sort, and I found that these wary merchants will always endeavor to trade the tins and ornaments for anything that the peasants may have in their homes. These dealers, generally Hebrews, have well nigh cleared the vicinity of the antiques once to be found. Everywhere on the canal and its banks is color — red, yellow, white, and green — and the women and girls seem to be washing, wash- ing eternally, and, indeed, nearly all the domestic secrets are frankly carried on in full view of the passer-by. The brightly painted and varnished boats are hung from stem to stern with long fes- toons of garments, while the captain or patroon or his sons pole the boat along, bent over at an angle, the pole at the shoulder, pushing at the bottom of the shallow canal. Sometimes the boat-vrouwe will handle the tiller, while an excited and nervous dog runs from end to end of the boat. Either bank is lined with a row of thin lime trees shading a clean brick-paved pathway and an almost con- 165 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY tinuous row of clinker-built, red-tiled roofed houses with white casements. All is tiny, toy- box like and unreal to the last degree, and all shin- ing in the translucent light of the moist sky and re- flected in the water, flowers, trees, houses, boats, each with its own note of color value, and all in- describably attractive to the artist. We pass through a curious bridge called, my friend ex- plains, a wip. This is arranged so that by means of a counterbalance on one end it may be tilted up to let the boats pass. It is painted a bright pea- green. I had always wanted to see Ijilst since I read Mr. Doughty's description in "Friesland Meres." He says, "Nothing odder, more bizarre than this village have I ever seen; more Chinese than Eu- ropean looking with its jumble of bright colors, fantastic forms, and squeezed-up populousness!" And now there it is just ahead of us under the trees, truly, as he says, "more bizarre." The usual fringe of children are awaiting us and hail us with delight as we "tie up," falling in behind in solid phalanx when we step ashore. I never saw the equal of this town for quaintness, and my friend tells me that elsewhere it does not exist. The main street is lined with immaculately clean houses, each with its garden, and it is these gardens which at- tract one. There are miniature lakes and boats on them; there are chicken-pens and dog-houses, 1 66 t^t^vf ^ S'»r Copyright, 1909, by George U hjrtnn r Uiards IJILST miniature replicas of the owner's house, all painted and complete with brass-handled doors, curtained windows, glazed panes, and imitation brick chim- neys, with tiny gardens before each containing still smaller chicken-houses and dog-pens, and so on down the scale, and all unbelievable. But it was at Sneek (pronounced Snake) that my friend de- cided to put up at night, so we pushed on and found it, as promised, most delightfully quaint in the evening light, with two well-paved ways of red brick set in pattern on either side of a rather odor- ous canal, but with lovely rows of trimmed lime trees shading the houses and shops and reflected in the canal. The hotel, a good one, nestles behind a sort of screen of lime leaves most curiously fash- ioned by cutting and trimming the tree. I never saw anything like it before or since. Here the Sneeker Mere is five miles long and is a fine stretch of water upon which the regattas take place. We were just too late to see the fun, but we saw the bunting, the crowds on the banks, the tjalks and boiers, steam launches and barges, and a lavishly decorated steamer towing the winning boat all covered with flags, with a lot of well-dressed ladies and gentlemen on board and a band playing the national air, white sails, yellow and brown sails, flags and black smoke, all in the last rays of the sunshine. We slept little that night for the noise 167 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY and confusion in the streets and the hotel, but it was all most interesting. My Dutch friend seemed to be acquiring a wonderful stock of English phrases, some of which were sufficiently ludicrous; for instance, he insisted upon ending almost every sentence by adding '^Iss it not? yes?" the words all run together rapidly, and this became so wearing on my nerves that I at length begged him to omit it. He did so, but I could see that he was discouraged, so I essayed to put him in good humor by teaching him the words of a current American comic song, in which, alas! he became only too proficient. And then he woke me up in the night to listen to an idea that had suddenly occurred to him. "Listen," he said; "when you geef a thing, you cannot to keep him, iss it not?" "Yes," said I. "But when a man geef hees vord, he keep him, iss it not?" "Yes," I answered sleepily. "But when hees geef hees vord, 'ow can hee keep him? Does he get him back?" "No," said I. "But if he keeps hees vord, he does not geef him?" "Oh, yes, he does," said I, now aroused. "Ah, I zink I zee. Ven he geef hees vord, and he don't take heem back — 'ee keep him all ze vile, iss it not? I zee! But Heer Gott — vat a language iss ze Engelsch!" The leisurely wheezy locomotive of the tram dragged us along through a sodden country, for 1 68 Farm House. Friesland. WORKUM it had come on to rain during the night, and the carriage reeked with the wet clothing of three stolid peasants, who smoked villainous tobacco, whispered to each other hoarsely, regarding us the while suspiciously, and who to our relief alighted at the first stopping place, which was a sort of a crossroad half way between Ijilst and Nijhuizum. It rained furiously and in torrents, and the clouds were as black as they well could be, while the thunder roared seemingly all about us, so low hung the clouds. Sheets of water drenched the win- dows of the carriage, which rocked from side to side in the violence of the wind. Then all at once the sun broke forth over the Mere, and the long lines of waterways leading horizonward shone like ribbons of gold embossed in green velvet, and as we slowed up at the small brick station where we alighted for Workum, all was clean and washed brightly by the rain. Workum has the usual one long street lined with the customary small houses of clinker brick, two-storied and gabled generally toward the street. It is paved with rough, round stones, kept clean, and was formerly the bed of a canal with a narrow path on either hand, brick paved. It is shaded with well-kept trees, and quite picturesque and paintable, especially as all is dominated by the immense square tower of the church, which is visible for miles around. In the square is a beautifully proportioned small building 169 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY called the "Oude Wache," on the front of which is an illuminated coat of arms in now faded colors, supported by two comical lions, and surmounting a panel with an inscription half obliterated which I tried in vain to read; the whole resting on a winged head, such as one sees on old tombs. We were escorted to the hotel by a band of urchins armed with long poles, who varied the attentions bestowed upon us by vaulting with them every ditch they came to, and we found that this is a custom here. At the hotel my Dutch friend promised me a taste of a most celebrated dainty, the merits of which he extolled with uplifted hands and eyes. It is called Soeskrahelingen, and is a sort of pastry, served and eaten with cheese ; with this was served a very good port wine at ten cents a glass (our money). I thought it not bad, and ate it to the manifest pleasure of my companion. After dinner, which was served in the middle of the day, Dutch style, and a smoke in the general room, where two vehement young men played a very poor game of billiards, we ordered a horse and conveyance for the four-mile or so drive to Hindeloopen (the name means stag-hunt), which is styled the most unique town in North Holland. Our journey was undertaken in a quaint Noah's Ark of a convey- ance which had seen its best days years ago, and the horses that drew it were evidently of the same 170 HINDELOOPEN period. Our route lay along the tops of the long dyke, with the sight and smell of the sea ever present, and I saw flocks of tarn and other birds flying overhead. Occasionally we were held up by gates where we had to pay toll to the squalid- looking beings in charge. The ride was somewhat dispiriting, I thought, but I saw many opportuni- ties for pictures and the driver was loquacious. He wore a beautiful belt of leather studded with silver nails and clasped by two bosses of beaten silver as large as saucers, upon which were raised the figures of Adam and Eve. I tried to buy these of him, but he named a price so extravagant that I gave it up. At Hindeloopen we were well re- paid by the curious things we found. The old church bears the inscription: "Des heeren woord Met aandacht noort Komt dartoe met-hoopen Als Hinden loopen." Translated it means roughly that the parishioners should leap or run like the deer (Hinden) to listen to the Holy Scriptures. Hindeloopen is a pleasant and clean little fishing village as yet un- discovered by the artists, as is Volendam, but I am convinced that it will not now be long ere one finds a colony there, for Mynheer of the hostelry is de- 171 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY sirous of emulating the Spaanders at the latter town. He has a small collection of silver and china, and some carvings, too, for which the coun- try around is famed. He and my friend struck up a mighty friendship, in consequence of which we fared quite well, and many houses were opened to us into which we would not have otherwise been admitted. In the old church are a pile of biers against the wall, each one for a particular trade, such as the chirurgeon, the farmer, the blacksmith and the sailor. On each is a painted panel and much ornament and figures most charm- ingly conceived and executed, with emblems for each trade. Upon one of them is the following in- scription — "Al wat er is. Mijn hoop is Christus en zyn bloed Door deze leer ik en hoop door die het eenwig goed. 0ns leven is maar eenen dag, vol ziekten en vol naar geklag Vol rampen dampen en Vendriet. Een schim een droom en anders niet." Propriety and custom demand that the sailor, etc., be carried to his last resting-place each on his own bier. The church has remains of the fine carv- ings and stalls left during the Reformation, and as examples of woodworking of the time they are of 172 m ■ '.^ '^ The Water Gate. Sneek. ON TO BOLSWARD high interest to architects. I am sorry that I did not get a photograph of the peculiar "linenfold" cutting, of which I have never seen a more perfect example. But my Dutch friend was for pressing on to Bolsward, and although I would like to have rested here for a few days, I yielded, and we journeyed by train to this large and prosperous town of between five and six thousand inhabitants, of a more or less ambitious character, and noted for a delightful Stadhuis all in red and white and surmounted by a delightfully impossible cupola of pseudo oriental character which is most amus- ing. The bells are as usual visible above the bal- cony, but the church alone repays one for the jour- ney hither. It is paved with fine old tombstones which will delight the antiquary, some very high in relief and very rich, too, in detail and floriation, so much so that one hesitates to tread upon them. We spent quite an hour deciphering the inscriptions, but although my friend was vol- uble in his explanations, I am not now much the wiser, for I was wearying a little of the English lessons which he exacted willy-nilly each night before we went to bed. Bolsward is a great place for the smoker, it seemed to me, from what I saw of the use of tobacco in the streets. My friend gave me the statistics, but I promptly forgot them, so I cannot set them down here. As well take away a Hollander's 173 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY breath as his tobacco! He smokes at all times and in all places — no, not quite that — never in church. I tried to find out at what age boys begin to smoke. I have seen them on the way to school puffing away at a five-inch roll of very black tobacco with all the gusto of a veteran. Entering the council chamber we found a beautiful room paneled in dark-toned oak, with some fine flagons of pewter of very large proportions. The archives contain a document signed by the great Alva of Spain, referring to a dispute between Bolsward and Har- lingen in 1573. I called upon the burgomaster, who received us with great courtesy, and invited us to the inevitable glass of port, after which he tried his English upon me, and I retaliated by trying my best Hollandish upon him, and we parted good friends, too. On the outskirts of the town I came upon the solitary policeman fishing placidly in the canal in full regalia, and it was evidently nothing strange, for the passersby greeted him without surprise. I noted that he had caught nothing. Everything is prosperous and clean-look- ing, but I have a sensitive nose and the canals do smell — in hot weather, at least. All was quiet, the children happily being in school, or we would have had the usual escort. The dyke was empty ex- cept for two women with yokes on their shoulders, brass-tipped and painted bright green, at the ends of which dangled brass cans. The women were 174 Near Ijilst LEEV WARDEN shrilly arguing as they walked. I made some sketches while my friend discussed politics with the law minion. I saw here a large painted sign- board like those we have in America, some 75 feet long and advertising in bright paint "Sunlight Zeep" (soap). The piscatorial policeman here asked me, pointing to the signboard, could I paint letters as well as that, and when I shook my head negatively, both he and my friend seemed disap- pointed. Then he asked me did I know that there was a road from Sneek to Groningen more than a hundred miles long and brick paved its whole length. As the conversation did not seem apropos of anything, I again shook my head and said pleas- antly, "Well, what of it?" This, it seemed, he could not answer, so we said "Goen's dag" and came away. As I desired to visit Leeuwarden, we left Bolsward the following day by rail for Sneek, where we took passage on a little steamer well laden with household utensils and furniture and a crowd of country people, the women in lovely gold casques covered with lace and bright-colored shawls and waists of orange green and purple which enlivened the scene wonderfully. It took us upward of three hours and a half to make the trip, so often did we stop en route, but I did not grudge the delay, so entertaining was it all. Half way, at Grouw, the towers and steeples of Leeu- warden were visible somewhat dimly on the hori- 175 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY zon, dominated by the huge tower of the Oude Hof. Leeuwarden manages to maintain most of its former characteristics within the old limits of the Singel, and is said to be the center of the cattle trade of F riesland. It lies on fiat green meadows, surrounded by solitary farmhouses and lonely hills and long stretches of silvery waterways. Its farm- houses are noted, and have been described else- where as having all the offices and buildings under one roof, which is literally true. We passed en route a typical one. The roof rises from the ground almost to a point high over the clustering trees, looking from a distance not unlike a small replica in red tile of the pyramid jf. Cheops. The house roof is covered with dark brown, highly glazed tiles, and at intervals with unglazed tile. It is sur- rounded by a well-trimmed box hedge, and the shutters are painted green, the window sashes and frames are white, and inside it is divided by a cor- ridor. One-half is the house proper, the other the stable, etc. Overhead are sleeping-rooms for the help. The cow stable is empty, for it is summer time. Here the woodwork is scrubbed clean and bright, and at each stall is a small glazed window hung with a muslin curtain. At one end is the hayloft, and above rises the roof to a point; all about, neatly racked, are farming implements, and there is a clean stye for an immense sow and a 176 A Young Girl of Breskens. THE FARMERS litter of little pink pigs, almost as playful as kittens. The farmer told us that the rigors of the winters produced this type of house, as when the season of snow begins the cows must be put under cover, each in its bestrawed and lace-cur- tained compartment, where it can be fed" and watered in warmth and comfort, contemplating placidly the burnished brass utensils, and with the perfume of burning peat over all. But to return to Leeuwarden. The Frisian farmers regard it as headquarters for the cattle trade, and are to be found here in large numbers on market days, which is rather interesting. There is also here much racing and trotting of horses — Harddraverij, as they call it in the language. The town is large, fairly clean, very prosperous, I am told, and the women are said to be beautiful. I did not see any such, but I saw some fairly good-looking ones. It is upon Sunday, in church, and on the streets after- ward, that one may see them in their glorious golden casques, and from an upper window the effect of gold glittering in the sunlight on the crowds below is remarkable and worth traveling a long distance to see. My friend entertained me with a more or less comprehensible account of the Frisians before we retired that night, and I gathered that these people are the descendants of a Germanic tribe and have preserved their characteristics comparatively un- 177 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY altered. Charlemagne collected their ancient laws, and still in existence somewhere is the Asegebuch in the old Frisian tongue and Latin containing the Frisian laws. The language here differs very con- siderably from that of the rest of the Netherlands, occupying an intermediate position between Anglo- Saxon and Old Norse, and often, my friend said, closely resembling English. It boasts of a consider- able literature, but is gradually being supplanted by the more modern tongue. I couldn't have had a more perfect guide than my companion, and I do not now begrudge the price I paid for his com- panionship, although the English lessons did wear upon my nerves. He was ever good-humored and enthusiastic — ever rising to the occasion, and I take pleasure here in thanking him with entire ap- preciation, and express the hope that his ambitions regarding the future burgomastership were real- ized, but I have never since heard from him, al- though I have sent him, occasionally, illustrated papers chronicling events in which I fancied him interested. In looking over the maps I chanced upon the name of a town that seemed to possess attraction, being on the sea and away from the beaten track. It is called Nes. And as my friend had never even heard of it, we consulted the proprietor. He regarded us with amazement. Why did we wish to leave a comfortable hotel in a fine town to go 178 ':::^^-s^^ Carved and Fainted Biers. Bolsward. THE PINKE WAD to a miserable place like that? NesI Why, that is in Ameland, a foreign country, a miserable little island across the Pinke Wad. The Pinke Wad! How delightful, I thought ; the very name was at- tractive. So, in spite of the remonstrances of the hotel-keeper, who promised a variety of enter- tainment if we would remain, we arranged then and there to leave the following morning for Dokkum, from where we could, I thought, hire a team to take us to Wierum, thence by boat to Nes. The morning proved showery, but we decided to go on by a river boat through the canal. The skipper was an honest- looking fellow, who owned his boat and picked up a living carrying supplies. There was a tiny cabin where our traps were deposited, almost filling the space, and we cast off in the rain and sailed and poled along until we were overtaken by a small steamer, the captain of which very ungraciously, I thought, consented to take our line and tow us for two gulden, which sum I handed over in the rain, together with a couple of cigars. The gift lifted the cloud, so to speak, and he invited me to sit with him at the tiller and be cross-examined : Was I English? Where did I come from? America! Indeed, and why? What business was I in? What did it cost to come from America? So much? How much did herring bring in New York? How did it happen that I did not know? 179 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY Was I married? Then where was my wife? Where was I going? To Nes? And why? Then I attacked him in turn: Had he never been to Nes? What? Was it possible? And why? Why should he indeed? Did he not know that the people of Nes were the finest people in North Holland? The most polite, too! The most cordial to the stranger. Strange, I said, that one so well informed as he should not know that Nes was such a desirable place — far more to be desired than Dokkum. At this he regarded me with such open-mouthed amazement that I could hardly keep from laughing, but I retained my com- posure and gravity, and, giving him a second cigar, I returned to the boat astern where my companion remained soaking in the rain, which was still fall- ing.. I could see that the skipper of the little steamer was very uneasy in his mind regarding me, and at intervals in steering he would turn and gaze in my direction in a very puzzled manner. Evidently my appreciation of Nes and its attrac- tions worried him. And so we continued during the nine miles from Leeuwarden to Dokkum, through the vast green meadows soaking in the mist and rain, passing occasionally a river boat being poled along by bent, silent, stolid men, who rarely vouchsafed a salute in return for ours, and occasionally a steep-roofed farmhouse, and black- i8o DOKKUM and-white cattle grazing in the polders. Dokkum, at which we bade farewell to our boatman with thanks and the patroon of the steamer with some hilarity, which he gravely considered for long afterward I well knew, is a small village with few characteristics differing from others of its class, is a clean place withal, and only noted as being the locality where St. Boniface was slain by the Frie- sians in the year 755 — so said my friend, consulting his book. We were escorted from the canal side to the small inn by the usual mob of children, the number of which increased as we walked, the pha- lanx headed by a remarkable-looking cross-eyed youth with a long,evil-smelling cigar in his mouth. Our names and destinations being entered in the book at the inn, we were served with schnapps and then changed our wet shoes and socks for dry ones in a large room on the upper floor, containing three beds piled high with gorgeous floriated, feathery quilts as thick as mattresses, each bed with a small flight of steps at its side. This was the entire ac- commodation for travelers afiforded by the inn. What happened when a man and his wife arrived I could not but conjecture, but my friend seemed to think it unworthy of comment at any rate. We created considerable excitement in Dokkum. Wherever we went or whenever we left the inn we were followed by some of the natives, and al- ways the children ; when we halted they too stood 181 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY still gravely considering our clothing and appear- ance. When I began to sketch they became so eager to see that the policeman and the postmaster came forth to examine and criticize, and even the old women, usually so indifferent to us, grew en- thusiastic over something or other in my appear- ance, I know not what. I took refuge in a bakery, where I purchased a wonderfully constructed ginger cake, which I divided among the children ; it was, I found, almost as hard as one of the brick clinkers of the pathway, but they chewed it appre- ciatively and said, severally, "Dank u well, Myn- heer." The resources of the inn seemed to be taxed to the extreme by our presence. The meals were tardy and the "Rundvleesch," or steak, was thin, tough, and greasy; the potatoes, too, were stale and, it seemed to me, had often been fried, served, and uneaten. I know that we did not eat them. The innkeeper was from Amsterdam originally, had come as a waiter or worker in the house, and upon the death of the proprietor had married the widow, a sour, hard-featured woman of large stature and brawn, who appeared occa- sionally at the doorway of the kitchen and lower- ingly regarded us, me particularly, I fancied, for whom she seemed to entertain some animosity; at any rate I was really afraid of her. The inn- keeper was an extraordinary person, who in the evening suddenly addressed me in English, and 182 ' 'k^r-^ J'si*ffl;,^*a;v-. The i ower. Bolsward. THE INNKEEPER when I expressed surprise shrugged his shoulders and informed me that he could "speak English, French, German, all tongues in fact. All the same to me what I spik! What ye will!" Then went on to inform us that he had been in London, Paris, Cologne — every f aire! — while the sour-faced vrouwe, a child in her arms, regarded me lower- ingly from the dark doorway. When he found that we were going on the following day to leave him for Nes by way of Wierum, he became strangely silent, then suddenly he said, addressing no one in particular, but with his watery eyes fixed on the ceiling: "Wat baeter Kaers of brill, Als den uil niet slen wll." and retired into the dark doorway, where I heard him vehemently arguing with some one in his nasal gutturals. I somehow became apprehensive, of I know not what, but I asked my friend, who seemed troubled, what it was the fellow had said. "Of what use are the candles and spectacles when the owl will see not?" said he, translating laboriously. "But," said I, "what did he mean?" "It is a proverb," he answered, and would say no more. That night I entertained a select com- pany in the taproom, consisting of the postmaster, the clergyman, and the local policeman, with ac- 183 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY counts of New York City; of the subways then building beneath the city; of the electric tramway system ; of the elevated railroad, which, by the way, I could see they regarded as exaggerated fiction upon my part; of the Flatiron Building, its shape and its wonderful height; of the electric elevators in it which raced up and down the entire day and part of the night; of the crowds of people who came into and left the city by day; of the wonder- ful bridges over the East River, and the ocean steamships that crossed in four and one-half days to and from Europe, and whatever else I fancied would astonish them. My audience appreciative- ly considered it all, and finally, when I yawned, they got up from the table gravely and, taking me by the hand in turn, thanked me for the honor of my company and went each one of them home to his anxious wife to relate, perhaps, something of the wonders of which they had heard of the great world outside. That night I saw to the door- fastenings of the huge room where we slept, for I distrusted the innkeeper, and I had vague un- comfortable dreams of unheard-of villainies prac- ticed upon me, but with the beams of the morning sun streaming into the room my fears all vanished, and after a breakfast of tea, which we made our- selves on the table, and two or three cold boiled eggs, I paid the innkeeper's wife for our accommo- dations, gave the baby in arms a dubbeltje for it- 184 WIERUM self, and the cross-eyed boy shouldering our traps, we drove away in a high-waisted tilbury toward Wierum. I never saw the innkeeper again, and I was not sorry, though I have often wondered what was in his mind concerning me. The drive along the roads and the dyke was entirely uneventful, and I remember nothing of it, save that the boy beat the fat horse shamefully and was ugly when I expostulated with him, so that I had to present a cigar to restore him to good humor. Wierum is a tiny town on the Friesche Wadden, a shallow body of water between Ameland and Mainland. It is well dyked, and there are a few fishermen here, who make a very precarious living; they are not very civil to the stranger, and had I not had the company of a Hol- lander, I think I might have fared very badly. The country is dismal in the extreme, and on the day I arrived, with the wind blowing a gale, the clouds black and lowering, seemingly within reach over- head, I think I never saw a drearier-looking place. We repaired at once to the house of the post- master, a singular-looking man with badly fitting false teeth, which clicked and rattled as he talked — that is, when he did talk, which was but seldom when we were with him. Amid the howling of the gale and the banging of shutters on the house, he told us that we should have gone to Holwerd, a small town farther to the south, from which we 185 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY might have made better arrangements to get over to A^^j, But we might, he said, remain with him until to-morrow, when we could make our ar- rangements. This was a spot rarely visited by a stranger, he said; no, he had never seen an artist there ; he was a painter himself, and a glazier, too, but there was but little business for him in such a small place, so he had secured the position of postmaster, likewise he attended to the formalities of funerals; no, he was not an undertaker, he simply notified the undertaker when necessary; he bought and sold potatoes, beets, and fish for the dealers in Leeuwarden; he was also acting as secretary of the Raad or Town Council — that is to say, when they met, which was not often. Here was a real Dutch prototype of "Pooh Bah," the first I had ever met, and he bore his honors with dignity, too. He had a fine boxwood carved pipe- case sticking out of his coat pocket, from which he presently extracted a well-colored clay pipe, filled and lighted it and clenched it tightly between his misfit teeth. It was too stormy to venture out of doors, for the wind blew violently from the sea over the dunes and dyke, and soon the rain drove against the windows in sheets, the roadway out- side ran in rivers of water, and rarely did any one pass by. So the afternoon passed, and as nightfall came on a man or two dropped in for a glass of "bitters" or a smoke. How should one get to Nes? 1 86 NES I asked. At the question the two men playing bil- liards at the end of the taproom turned to regard me anew. Nes, indeed! I was plainly an object of suspicion to them. What should a stranger want at Nes? My friend here addressed them volubly. It was difficult to follow him, so rapidly did he fire the gutturals at them. I heard many "neens" uttered in various keys, sometimes very sharply and again very slowly uttered. It is cer- tainly amazing what shades of expression a Hol- lander can give to his words. Then my friend in- formed me that we might find it difficult to get through the Pinke Wad. Well and good, quoth I. I care not if it takes a week. The Pinke Wad hath no terror for me. Pike's Peak or bust! I said to my friend, and he made me repeat it so that he had it by heart. And then, of course, I must explain what Pike's Peak or bust meant. This took so much time that it was quite nine by the clock when he had finally mastered it, and it so delighted him that he rolled it upon his tongue as a sweet morsel, although he would call it occa- sionally Pikspike, so I finally ceased to correct him. I don't know what a Pinke Wad is, even now. I never found out. For the rain it rained as I had never seen it before or since, and the wind blew a gale night and day, during which I, clad in rubber coat and high boots, haunted the dyke and the dunes buffeted by the winds and drenched 187 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY by driving rain. I hated to give up the delightful unknown dangers of the Pinke Wad, and the equally unknown joys of Nes, but I could get no one to undertake a journey or a sail over the boiling yellow waters of the Meer into the mist where it lay hidden from my sight. In the storm some of the boats were cast up high and dry, others tore loose from their moorings and were carried away over the Meer. Roofs leaked and chimneys in the little village were blown down. As I passed along the narrow street, bending to the storm, anxious white-faced vrouws peered at me from the small windows. My friend would not venture forth, but hugged the peat fire in the small tap- room, studied the dictionary, and formulated new and intricate grammatical problems with which to bait me whenever we were together. I came near hating him, and I sickened at the sound of the reiterated "Pikspike." And — well, that ended it. I never saw Nes. On the morning of the fourth day we left Wierum; it was still raining! There is still then in Holland one place at least which I was never to see, and as such it is embalmed in the amber of my discontent — Nes, the unknown; Nes, the, for me, ungetatable. And so I left Fries- land. i88 1 The "Old Church." Leeuwarden. CM )enctix -•CX^ L-v/ /^'■">^^HE first inhabitants of Holland came ^Y\/-v from Germany and adopted as their vLy new home the island of Batavia, a long strip of land lying within the forked estuary of the Rhine. So brave a race were they that the bodyguards of the Roman Emperors were drawn from their ranks. It is said that Friesland and the northern districts were likewise peopled with these German migrants, but they differed in national character and admitted no allegiance to the Romans, then paramount throughout north- west Europe, and became known as the free Frie- sians. Under Charlemagne's powerful rule (A. D. 800) the provinces, including what is now Belgium, were united. After the conquest of the Belgians, the Batavians became the allies of Rome; later on they disappeared. Fifty years later, by the treaty of Verdun, the country was divided. Batavia and Friesland were allotted to Germany, while Dukes and Counts, each ruling, yet subject to the 189 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY German Emperors, were appointed to the prov- inces, which now became principalities. Trade routes were established to distant parts of the world; law rather than might made itself manifest in various charters from Princes to people. At the end of the thirteenth century the rulers are found presiding over the provincial estates, marking the beginning of constitutional govern- ment. At this period came the great inundation when the North Sea burst through the dunes and rolled in over the low-lying lands, uniting with an inland lake. The ocean engulfed more than a thousand Frisian villages and formed the present Zuider Zee. Philip, Duke of Burgundy, surnamed "The Good," dispossessed his young cousin, Jac- quelin, of her rightful heritage of Hainault, Zee- land, and North and South Holland. Soon after he acquired Luxemburg and assumed lordship over Friesland as a matter of course. He estab- lished at Bruges (1429) the Order of the Golden Fleece; in 1467 he was succeeded by his son, Charles the Bold, whose dominant object was to make his dukedom a kingdom. He ruined his country financially, and died ignominiously. His daughter, the Lady Mary, inherited the vast but impoverished realm. They lie buried side by side in magnificent, gilded, enameled, and marble tombs in the Cathedral at Bruges. Louis XI of France, another member of the 190 >- C O g liH oj CQ 6: ^ -5 L- o to C bXl -c — c ^ «< Is, an r Pas ng in the ^ °-gu. 1; S O >-. .— wi 3 C 3 _:" rt 4_. C 'z;^ ^ ^ ■C r^ ^ Ji rt •" _ vi rt ^^ ^ Oh OJ X ■— ^ l-" OJ -C & « " c/:) o ^ w ->->,« dies wer (ver ick ^ Cad e lo ers ilest j; -M ^ rt ^ CJ C 03 Cu a- UNDER SPANISH RULE Golden Fleece, earned the laurels of the order by seizing Burgundy. It was now that Lady Mary, to secure the loyal adhesion of her subjects, granted them "the Great Privilege," the magna charta of Holland. In 1493, her husband, the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, inherited his father's throne. Notice the accretion of thrones and princi- palities. Maximilian's son, Philip the Fair, heir to enormous territory, married the Princess of Castile and Aragon, and thus added Spain to the family domain. Philip's son was Charles the V, King of Spain, Emperor of Germany, Emperor of Austria, King of the Netherlands, Duke of Bur- gundy, and monarch practically of half the known world. Under the Spanish rule the inhabitants of Hol- land became restive, and finally forcibly resented its tyranny and robbery, following which Charles V confiscated the Great Privilege and all munic- ipal rights. The people demurred. Punishment swiftly followed, and Charles scourged the people into submission with rods of iron, and squandered their blood and treasure in European wars. He now sought to exterminate heresy by execution, and failed. In 1555, wearied with wars and the cares of state, he abdicated in favor of his son, Philip II, a gloomy monarch of fanatical tendencies, as- sassinator of William, Prince of Orange; the strong maintainer of the Inquisition with its tens 191 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY of thousands of slaughtered victims, and the de- liberate midnight murderer of his own son, Don Carlos. Holland's darkest hour was at hand. Motley vividly portrays the hell let loose upon the kingdom. With the assistance of his servile min- ister, Granville, the Inquisition did its work. The King retired to Spain, but quartered his Spanish troops throughout the States, to the impoverish- ment and despair of the people. The King's sister, Margaret of Parma, was installed in the Nether- lands as regent. At this distressful period, three champions of liberty — namely, William, Prince of Orange; Count Egmont, a brilliant general, and Count Horn — urged the King to redress the peo- ple's wrongs. They claimed (i) the withdrawal of the troops; (2) the removal of the Inquisition; (3) the restoration of the people's right through the States General to vote the sums of money de- manded by the King. The King now retired both Margaret of Parma and Granville in favor of the Duke of Alva, and the garrisons were doubled by an army sent from Spain to suppress the insurrec- tion and root out the heretics. With callous brutal- ity, Alva invited Egmont and Horn to a banquet; though urged by William of Orange to beware of treachery, they went, were seized by Alva's soldiers, and notwithstanding their rank and services to Philip, were executed. By beheading, hanging, burning, and torturing on the rack, the 192 id c o O U . o > H' o o S CQ 0^ S " .S ° B J; 1—1 3 1 "i £ c : S ^ K WILLIAM THE SILENT Duke of Alva put to death some one thousand per- sons, while many thousands were driven out of the country. The insurrection then became a war of independence, under the leadership of William of Orange. Eventually, the Dutch Protestants were successful, and several of the provinces, re- nouncing their allegiance to Spain, proclaimed the Prince of Orange stadtholder, and by a treaty at Utrecht (1579) laid the foundation of the Dutch Republic. William the Silent, who is said to have earned the sobriquet because he controlled himself and made no comment when Henry II had arranged a general massacre of Protestants throughout France and the Netherlands, saved by his prudence, at any rate for a time, the threatened disaster. He was Charles V's favorite ambassador. He was born in 1533 and died in 1584. Although a stanch Catholic and supporter of the King, William re- peatedly protested to him against Alva's atrocities, but without the slightest effect. The blood coun- cil was now established, and incredible as it is now to believe, sentence of death was passed upon the whole of the inhabitants of the Netherlands (Feb- ruary 16, 1568). Philip confirmed the edict, and ordered its immediate execution. Thus Alva's vic- tims could be executed without even the formality of a mock trial. (See Motley. ) William of Orange now took active steps to oppose Alva, but too ut- 193 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY terly cowed to assist, the Dutch populace remained passive while the Prince spent his own fortune on foreign troops. Despite the valor of his brothers Louis and John, defeats followed. The Beggars of the Sea, a body of nobles banded to- gether to resist Alva, met with some success. Prince William's own States, Zeeland and Holland, on land alone, showed determination to resist. The massacre of St. Bartholomew only stimulated the desires of Philip and Alva, Cities whose in- habitants defied the Spaniards were besieged. Sur- render on promise of mercy nearly always resulted in the inhabitants being put to the sword, as at Naarden and Haarlem. (See Motley.) The siege of Leyden, however, brought a sudden check to the Spaniards, for when the city was at its last gasp, William, from his fever-stricken couch, ordered the cutting of the dykes, whereby the coun- try was flooded. His fleet of warships being in readiness, he sailed up to the very walls of the city. Through years of toil and privation Prince William held to his trust, the freeing of his coun- try. Affectionately called Father William, he matched his intellect against the cleverest men of his age, and with his enthusiasm kept alive the waning spark of national patriotism. His is a solitary and splendid figure. When, in 1581, the Holland States finally renounced their allegiance to Spain, Prince William was elected stadtholder, 194 ro . WILLIAM THE SILENT after he had emphatically refused any higher title. On July lo, 1584, an obscure hireling of Philip II, tempted by the large reward ofifered by the King, gained access and secreted himself near the prin- cipal stairway of Prince William's house. Armed with a pistol, he fired several poisoned bullets at the Prince, two of which took effect. Thus passed the spirit of this great man, his last words as he fell being a prayer, "God save this unhappy coun- try." The murderer was promptly executed, his flesh being torn from his body by hot pinchers, but his parents, on claiming the blood money from Philip II, were at once exalted and granted patents of nobility. William's son, Maurice, was then elected stadtholder, and ruled until 1625 amid a period of increasing prosperity. The republic grew and flourished in spite of the theological dis- putes which were rife, and in consequence of which the pensionary, John Van Oldenbarneveld, was put to death by Maurice. The war with Spain was vigorously carried on. The Dutch admirals, De Ruyter and Tromp, added immensely to the power and reputation of Holland. With com- mercial prosperity, the population rapidly in- creased; both on land and sea the Dutch defeated their former masters. The merchant fleets navi- gated the world and founded the Dutch colonies. On the death of Maurice, his brother, Frederick Henry (1645- 1647), succeeded as stadtholder, and 195 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY the prosperity of the country reached its zenith. The commerce of Holland was renowned the world over, and the Dutch navigators, painters, and scientists were in their full glory. By the peace of Westphalia, the great work of William the Silent was completed. Europe acknowledged the independence of the provinces, and William II, son of Frederick, came to the throne, surviving his father by only a few years. In consequence of dis- sensions breaking out, John De Witt was elected grand pensionary. In 1652, the first naval war with England was declared, in consequence of the navigation act passed by the English Parliament, which was intended to promote the navigation laws of Britain and to strike a blow at the naval power of the Dutch. Admirals Tromp and De Ruyter came to the fore, and the English fleet suffered more than one heavy reverse. At the outbreak of the second war, in 1664, De Ruyter succeeded in sailing up the River Thames as far as Chatham. Louis XIV of France cast covetous eyes on the Netherlands, alleging a right to them on behalf of his Spanish wife, Maria Theresa, but he was checkmated by the triple alli- ance, formed by John De Witt between England, Holland's quondam enemy, and Sweden and Holland to resist that very attack. De Witt, however, fell a victim to the vengeance of the people, who accused him of harboring designs 196 ■-r ;-^ o fa M O NAPOLEON against the stadtholder, William III, who was now at the head of the provinces. In 1672, Eng- land went to war with Holland again, and in the same year, the triple alliance having been dis- solved, Louis of France took possession of certain of the Dutch provinces, and De Witt, with his brother, was killed by the infuriated Dutch mob at The Hague. The young Prince of Orange then became stadtholder, and in 1688 was crowned William III, King of England. His cousin, Prince John William of Friesland, was elected President of the Republic and waged war with England against France. The war lasted for about eight years, terminating in the treaty of Utrecht, 1713. John's son, William IV, followed as stadtholder, and again war with England for naval supremacy ensued. In 178 1, Holland lost most of her colonies, and the French Republic took possession of Hol- land in 1795. The brother of Napoleon, Louis Bonaparte, was made King in 1805, and five years later Bonaparte formally annexed Holland under the pretext that it was an alluvion of French rivers. Mention should be made of the memorable feat of the French general Pichegru in capturing the frozen-up Dutch fleet by bringing his cavalry over the ice. The flight of the stadtholder, William V, to England brought into existence the Batavian Republic, which with R. J. Schimmelpennick as President acquired a brief notoriety. Louis Bo- 197 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY naparte, as King of Holland, occupied the throne for five years, during which time Napoleon's "Con- tinental System," recoiling upon his own head, brought commercial ruin to Holland. Louis re- signed the crown in 1810, and Napoleon incorpo- rated Holland with France, After his crushing defeat at Leipsic, the Dutch, with the help of Rus- sia and Prussia, the allies, and England, swept the French over the border, and peace dawned again over the distressful country after Napoleon's over- throw at Waterloo. The famous Lion Monument on the battlefield is erected over the spot where the Prince of Orange was wounded while leading his Nassau regiment to the charge. The restoration of the House of Orange resulted in the acceptance of the crown (18 13) by William, the son of the exiled stadtholder, and in 181 5, by the Vienna treaty, Belgium was added to the king- dom, and the Prince of Orange, under the title of William I, was crowned King of the Netherlands. Dissensions, the result of incompatibility, soon fol- lowed between the Dutch and the Belgians, the latter complaining of the assumption of supremacy by the Dutch, and, furthermore, objecting to the compulsory use of the Dutch language replacing Flemish and the official French. Holland being Protestant and loyally attached to the House of Orange, while Belgium, too long subjugated to Spain and France, being anti-Orange and Roman 198 c c (LI c/1 (LI OJ tsi ■=; ; .S '■— 2 " ■ ex r/2 QUEEN WILHELMINA Catholic, separation resulted. In 1830, the Euro- pean powers, fearing further complications, pre- vailed upon Holland to accept the severance. After ten years of unrest, the King abdicated, and Will- iam II ruled over Holland, with the Duchy of Luxembourg added under the Vienna treaty, from 1840 to 1849, when he was succeeded by William III. Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont (sister of the Duchess of Albany and consort of William III) acted as regent at her husband's death and dirring the minority of her daughter, Wilhelmina. Her regency is held in affectionate remembrance by the people of Holland. Wilhel- mina was born on August 31, 1880, and was crowned in 1898 amid the rejoicing of the entire nation. As Queen she received the homage due to her exalted rank, but it is as Princess of Orange and in her lace cap as a Frieslander, descendant of that race of patriots who dedicated their for- tunes and themselves to the salvation of Holland, that she reigns in the hearts of her devoted sub- jects. In 1901 her majesty was married to Henry, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, on whom she was permitted to confer the title of Prince Henry of the Netherlands. One should note the fact that it was because of her exalted rank she was forced by the laws to propose marriage to the Duke. It has been both urged and denied that it was a love match, but, as a matter of fact, as far as one 199 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY may judge, the attitude of the Hollander toward the consort is one of tolerance. These historical details are really necessary to the proper understanding of the papers which fol- low as showing the origin of these remarkable peo- ple, and the great influence which they have wielded over civilization. Indeed, it would sur- prise some readers to learn that the best of the laws of both Great Britain and America are de- rived from the Netherlands, and that the two great elements (see "The Puritan in Holland and Amer- ica," by Dpuglas Campbell) which have con- tributed to make America what it is are, one, the civilization of ancient Rome, with its genius for government and its instinct for justice and equal rights; the other, the strong wild blood of the Ger- manic race with its passion for individual freedom, which has given its nerve, strength, and energy to modern Europe. The first of these elements was utterly extinguished in England by the Anglo- Saxon conquest, while the feudal system after- ward came in to rob the Germanic conquerors of many of their early ideas regarding civil liberty. One country alone, Holland, was largely free from this devastation and this blight. There the civiliza- tion of Rome was never extinguished, and the feu- dal system took but feeble root. The people pre- served more purely than any others their Germanic ideas and institutions, but engrafted on them the 200 The second row shows model of a Cow used as a Cream Pitcher, and on the lower row a very rare example of Drinking Cup, with an unusual Windmill surmountmg it. 1 he two Baskets are of very fine workmanship. ORIGIN arts, the learning, and the laws derived from com- munication with civilized and civilizing Italy. To the patriot, to the lover of civil and religious liberty, as well as to the student of art and science in any land, this history of this republic and coun- try must always have a peculiar charm. But apart from its general features, this history is so inter- woven with that of England and America that any one concerned with the past of either of these countries will find it a subject of unfailing interest. When modern Englishmen set out to write the his- tory of their country, they crossed the channel and described the Angles and the Saxons in their early home upon the continent. That home was so near the Netherlands that the people of Holland and the conquerors of Britain spoke substantially the same language, and were almost of one blood. To the Englishman, thinking only of the greatness of his own land, this original relationship may seem sufficient honor for a tiny fragment of the earth's surface not as large as Switzerland, but it is only the first chapter of the story. For hun- dreds of years in later times, and until long after the settlement of America, the Netherlands stood as the guide and instructor of England in almost everything which has made her materially great. When the Reformation came, in which northwest- ern Europe was new born, it was the Netherlands which led the van, and for eighty years waged the 20 1 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY war which disenthralled the souls of men. Out of that conflict, shared by thousands of heroic Englishmen, but in which England as a nation hardly had a place, Puritanism was evolved — the Puritanism which gave its triumph to the Nether- lands Republic, and has shaped the character of the English-speaking race. In time England came to hate the benefactor to whom she owed so much ; thus, after the restora- tion of the Stuarts, and still more after the Tory reaction which followed the Revolution of 1688, the political writers about the court habitually ridiculed the Dutchmen for virtues which they could not understand. (See Rogers' "Story of Hol- land.") The republican Hollander deemed the atten- tions of King or noble to his wife or daughter a disgrace. The courtiers about Charles II viewed this subject differently, and regarded the Dutch- man as ill-mannered for his want of taste. Added to this was the Hollander's respect for the private rights of all classes ; his devotion to art and learn- ing; his love of fair dealing in personal and in public matters ; his industry, frugality; and, finally, his universal toleration. No one could deny the Dutchmen's courage, for they were among the boldest soldiers and sailors that the world has ever seen ; but they were not gentlemen from the aris- tocratic point of view. Sir William Temple, one 202 — « H > o M^ THE PEOPLE of the most elegant and accomplished gentlemen at the court of Charles II, being sent as ambassador to The Hague, related some of his experiences, among others the following, which illustrates the authority of woman in Holland : Dining one day with the chief burgomaster of Amsterdam and having a severe cold, he noticed that every time he spat on the floor while at table a tight, handsome wench stood in a corner holding a cloth, got down on her knees and wiped it up. Seeing this, he turned to his host and apologized for the trouble which he gave, receiving the jocular response: "It is well for you that my wife is not at home, for she would have turned you out of the house for soiling her floor, although you are the English ambassador" ("The Puritan in Holland, England, and America," by Douglas Campbell). For art, for science, and deep scholarship no other country could be compared with Holland in her palmy days. But Holland owed pre- eminence in these departments not to an aris- tocracy, nor even to a monied class whose inherited wealth led them to abstain from business. The men who sustained her painters and musicians, who fostered science and broad learning, were the plain burghers, merchants, and manufacturers in the cities, men whom Queen Elizabeth called "base mechanics," who worked themselves, and by ex- 203 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY ample or by precept taught that labor alone is honorable. James Geddes, in his "John De Witt," relates an incident which will show how mathematics were cultivated in the Netherlands. In 1617, a young French soldier, serving in the Dutch army, was passing through the streets of Breda. A crowd was gathered on the corner, and he pushed forward to learn the cause of the excitement. Its mem- bers were all studying a paper, posted on the wall, and talking about its contents. Not understanding the language, he asked a bystander to translate it into French or Latin. The paper contained an abstruse mathematical problem, which in this way had been submitted to the public for solution. The soldier obtained his translation, went to his quar- ters, and in a few days after sent in the correct an- swer, signed "Descartes." This was the introduc- tion to the world of the greatest philosopher and mathematician of the age, whose transcendant ability was at once recognized in Holland. The Hollander has ever been incorruptible. Never in war or peace, though Spain was lavish of promises and a master of corruption, was native Hollander bought with gold. When, in 1608, the Spanish ambassadors were on their way to nego- tiate a treaty at The Hague, they saw eight or ten persons land from a little boat, and, sitting down on the grass, make a meal of bread, cheese, and 204 H Cu o ' r- Crt "oo rt rt ^ P I? ■D 3 .: -3^ C/ THE PEOPLE beer. "Who are these travelers?" said the Span- iards to the peasant. "They are the deputies from the State," he answered, "our sovereign lords and masters." "Then we must make peace," they cried ; "these are not men to be conquered." It was Holland, also, which carefully and wise- ly encouraged and maintained the freedom of trade, as may be seen from an incident which oc- curred so far back as the reign of Edward I of England. That monarch, in a letter addressed to Robert, Earl of Flanders, states that he has learned of an active intercourse carried on between the Scotch and the Flemings; and as the former had taken part with Robert Bruce, who was in rebellion against him and excommunicated by the Pope, he begged that the Earl would put a stop to this inter- course and exclude the Scotch from his dominion. The Earl's answer was full of respect for the English King, whom he desired to please, but he said frankly, as to the main question: "We must not conceal it from your majesty that our country of Flanders is open to all the world, where every person finds a free admission. Nor can we take away this privilege from persons concerned in com- merce without bringing ruin and destruction upon our country. If the Scotch go to our ports and our subjects go to theirs, it is neither the intention of ourselves or our subjects to encourage them in their error, but only to carry on our traffic without 205 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY taking any -part with them." This was always the policy of the Netherland States and the Dutch Republic.^ In an article on Leyden University by Prof. W. T. Hewett in Harper's Magazine for March, 1881, Prof. Hewett, himself a student at this famous uni- versity, in common with every intelligent observer who has lived in Holland, was much struck with the similarity between the Dutch and the American modes of thought. He says : "The Dutch mind is more like the American in its method of thought than is that of any other nation of the continent. There is the same intensity of feeling on all re- ligious questions, the same keen practical genius. The purpose of the Hollander is direct. The Hol- lander understands American and republican in- stitutions and their true foundations in the intelli- gence and self-control of the people. I have always felt sure of being understood when speaking with an educated Hollander, whether discussing church and state or our political questions. He could rightly estimate the real and unreal dangers which attend democratic governments, as our English cousins are not always in the habit of doing." 206 Jjatcfi &'iL' vez 'T is a curious but interesting fact that the revival of the silversmith's art in the Neth- erlands should largely have been brought about by the demands of American col- lectors, and all within the last twenty-five years. And now, I am credibly informed, there are cer- tain factories operated in New Jersey which can turn you out fairly made reproductions of the antique specimens of the Leeuwarden silversmiths, and which are doubtless often sold to the unwary as genuine. One of the dealers grinned when I taxed him with the imposition, and with a shrug rejoined, "Well — the rest do it, why shouldn't I?" It is difficult to specify the "ear-marks" of fraud- ulent antique Dutch silver, for it is said these un- scrupulous traders can furnish one with anything for which there is sufficient demand — and it is safe to say that more than half of the so-called "antique" spoons owned in America are spurious. There are, of course, honorable merchants in the 207 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY business whose word may be unhesitatingly accept- ed, but even in Amsterdam there are factories turn- ing out these "antiques" to order, all bearing the "authentic" marks and stamps, and there is no law apparently to stop them. Leeuwarden in Fries- land seems to have been the headquarters for the silver workers of the XV and XVI and XVII centuries, and from this locality came the best of the magnificent ships at present in the museums of Europe. The picture herewith shows a notable one of four masts, and full rigged with square sails and yards, the decks thronged with sailors who are working the six guns, while between the main and mizzen masts rises a castellated structure of five stages, from which the admiral directed the battle. On the sides are repousse scenes showing amphitrites charioted, drawn by conventional sea-horses. This specimen is evidently intended for a wine bottle- holder, is mounted on wheels, and is nearly twenty- five inches in height. It bears upon the sails the coat-of-arms of some royal personage, and was evi- dently made as a presentation-piece. The foresail appears to be modern, for it bears a nondescript de- vice differing from the rest, and is most unheraldic. This is a very fair sample of the silversmiths' art of Leeuwarden in the XVII century, although there are many in existence, notably in the vast col- lection of the Emperor of Germany, which are 208 (u -a c j- oj o 2 S c d o S ■S " _ ^ ^g ^ C rt c ■ >< Crt « O > "C OJ CO &H DUTCH SILVER marks or stamps, to enumerate only a few, are : A lion and a key, with a large Gothic A in a square ; L.o. and a lion rampant; a crowned tulip, octagon stamp; A stork; A mermaid; A fish; Two small figures standing hand in hand. The Hall mark, so-called — or state guarantee, is a Netherland lion rampant, so I am informed by an authority. All these marks are placed generally on the back of the pieces, but it must be re- marked that these devices will mean litttle to the collector, for they are and will be imi- tated as long as there is a demand for the articles. The quantity of articles and objects made by the silversmiths in this period is simply astounding, and the artistic variety and invention displayed must always be a matter of wonderment. Happily the museums are replete with the objects, so that there is little need for new invention. The guilds and their restrictions have long since passed away, and now we find the factories in Amsterdam and the larger cities reproducing these designs with considerable fidelity, and supplying the bric-a-brac shops with reproductions, which certainly should be sold as such. Unhappily this is not the case. But the astute collector is on his guard, so that it is generally only the innocent "nouveaux" who are deceived. One article I find offered for sale in most of the shops is the figure of a woman standing, her dress forming, when inverted, a drinking cup. Her 211 HOLLAND OF TO-DAY arms are usually held above her head and clasp, sometimes a crown, sometimes a sort of candelabra. This is not Dutch, but Niirnberg work. The Dutch inverted cup, it should be noted, has either a wind- mill or a ship surmounting it. The cream jug in the form of a cow is frequently met with. The form with the tail curled up over the back as a handle is said to be the earlier exam- ple — ^while the stork as a perfume bottle, the head hinged, belongs to the same period. Of spoons and forks the variety is unlimited apparently, the most usual designs being the stork, windmill, and the ship of one sail. The ones surmounted by the fig- ure of a milkmaid with yoke and pendant pails is, I think, quite modern. Apostle spoons are quite common in the shops, but they too, almost invari- ably, are modern, and generally of German origin. Strangely enough, in those spoons surmounted with a crown, the latter is generally of Russian form, and not Dutch, although cresting the Lion of the Netherlands. Sometimes the shield will bear sim- ply three XXX arrangedvertically, and this is sup- posed to represent the arms conventional of wind- mills on the shield of Amsterdam. I am con- vinced that this is a very modern design. Of the small cabinet objects, there is a bewildering variety of sleighs, with and without figures; cabinets, bu- reaus, chairs, settees, clocks, carriages, tables, cheese carriers, horsemen, soldiers, and a thousand 212 Model of Warship in Silver Repousse, showing Fighting Castle amidships and four Masts (rare). Some of the Sails have been restored. The small figures of the Seamen are full of character. Note the Gun mounted on the Bow. DUTCH SILVER other objects, all tiny and exquisitely and quaintly wrought. I saw once a complete set of the Kermis in min- iature — with the tents, showmen, merry-go-rounds and peasants all complete. Models of the churches are sometimes found, as well as miniature farms complete to the smallest details of the dog chained to his kennel, and there are also the weigh-houses, and city gates, such as shown in the picture. The Zeeland belt clasps of repousse work are, as a rule, genuine, there being small demand for them except among the peasantry. They are usual- ly Biblical in design — representing ■ Adam and Eve, Rebecca at the well, or some such char- acter. They may be had at Middleburg in Wal- heren, and cost fifteen or twenty dollars on market days. The would-be collector would better beware of the lozenge boxes, for these have been in great demand, and have been reproduced in enormous quantities, stamped from dies. The same may be urged as to the tea-caddy. Of course, this warning is only for the would-be collector. For the house- holder, who cares not for authenticity, these objects of substitution and commerce are pretty, and gene- rally of better design than those of the frankly mod- ern silversmith. I am indebted to the courtesy of Mr. H. Koop- man for the photographs of Dutch silver in illus- tration of this chapter. 213 '' Qot Weezdiend [nd now the authot mudt take leave of hid Seloved aXDoLland, and of kid teadet like-wide, Sf by w/iat he kad tead ke-cein tke lattet id induced to didcovet tke ibetket- landd foz himdelf S widk him all tke plead - ute and ptofit wkick S know awaitd kim tkete, and if ke be able, ad tke poet putd it, " '^0 dedczy abundant woztk In ttivial commonplace, a. double pleadwce will be kid, ^^ketket ke ckooded, with &&azlitt, to ttavel alone, or. ptefetd, like &tezne, "to have a companion, wete it but to tema'ck kow tke dhadoxvd len^tken ad tke dun de- clined," id fot kiindelf to decide, but in any event no one can appreciate tke dtetUny 214 cfooUand of '^o-day 215 cfia'cactei of the &GoUanclet, kid hi^h ideaid and hid attainmentd, until he had deen the wondetfuL countzij which he had cheated and made to pzodpet in the face of almodt in- duzmountable difficultied, uhe dupezficial obdetvet -will pethapd not dee ad much of the expected oizazze, ot the amphibioud element at which many wtitetd have waxed witty, ad he had been led to expect, uGe will pethapd find that the people move mote dlowly and deliberately than hid dtandatd demandd ; that thete ate not enough of the quaint codtumed, of which he had zead do m.uch, to be deen in the latgz centezd, to datidfy hid dende of the pictuzedcjue ; but foz him whode eyed ate open to the glozy of attainment and the gzeatnedd of att, whode m,ind id attuned to effectd of envitonment upon the development of chazactet, who can appreciate the bzave and ducceddful attemptd of a people gzown out of the vezy doil to ameliozate dozzow, povezty and duffezing 216 aSoLLand of ^o-day and who have ducceeded in dpite of advetde conditiond and climate in edtabUakina an almodt ideal fozm of civilization and govetn- ment, S day no land had do muck to off ex, ad little uiDolland, Qsd the poet dayd "^Vpkat land id tkid that deems to be Co mingUng of the Land and Aea ? ^hia land of dluiced, dyked, and dunea ? ^hid watez-net that teddelated ^ke landdcape f '^kid unending maze 6f gatdend, tkzougk wkode latticed gated ^ke im.pzidoned pinkd and tulipd gaze ; 'vPkeze in long dum.m,ez aftetnoona ^ke dutldhine, doftened by tke haze, (Somed dtzeamlng down ad tkzougk a dczeenj *VPkeze ovez fieldd and padtuzed gzeen &ke painted akipd float higk in ait, uDnd ovez all and evezywkeze ^ke daild of wtndmilld dink and doaz, £ike wingd of dea-gulld on tke dkozef" St id all wondezful, and S take leave ■with m,uch tendetnedd of the flowet-decked plaind of ahaaxlem, the dplendid yolden helmetd of cftiedland, the dad- colored duned oQoLland of '^o-day 217 with the waving ^fieenidh-cftau gtadd, the olue-olouaed doiltazy dheep-hetdet of the ^J^enthe, the dhied above piled high with mighty cumutoud cloudd teadtf to dpilL ovei theit diLvex. dhowetd at any moment, and the waving atmd of the budy milld dotting the watetwayd, c/TBy mind dwelld upon the great paintezd UXDobbema, the Van cJahyna, de Uvjooch, th» cJouyddaeid, cUbetdu. and a\Dald ; the great dcholatd, yrotiud and Stadmud; great yyiUiam of the houde of Orange and hid valiant S^dmiral Oromp; and lovely, graceful Yvilhelmina, the well- beloved young ^M(ueen; and do, '^^ot ^eerdiend! " Hhew yozk, STBarch, iqo^ '^he (S^uthoz 3.1 DATE DUE mfi ^ ,-. R' m ji //] 1 CA-ILORD PRINTED IN U.S A. - f-''h