River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1872-10-18
Letter From Holland.
From the New York Observer.

I'll Letter From Holland.
From the New York Observer.
Iwonder how many American children
would like to live in this curious country
Surely, none who know much about the
eauty of our New England hills in sum-
mer, or have enjoyed coasting in winter
could be satisfied here; for it is the fat.
test of all fat lands Even those who are
little proud Of their Dutch grandfathers
would be verv glad they had emigrated
As you steam calmly and slowly up the
Mouse, river but little wider than good
sized canal, the highest and most conspic-
uous objects in sight are the
~ wINDMILLs.
Turnwhere you will, in every direction
stand armies of them, beating the air.
With their sails, some one hundred feet
long and eight feet wide, whirling rapidly
you can easily fancy that in the dim twi-
light they would seem more like active
hcbgoblins than the useful, Woodworking
creatures they really are; for they grind
the grain of the country, beside doing con.
slant duty in keeping the land, what there
is of it, dry, and the water in all The bitches
db IuO cdlliC lCNCl. AZ uIot, dSlOuiSlltu ut
the sight, you attempt to count them but
they come in view SO suddenly and rapidly
that you cease in utter dispair and gaze
bewildered at the multitude, and are only
comforted for your failure by remembering
that the guide-book qives Holland 10000
of them.
The steamboat, or "stoomboot," as it is
called here, goes slowly along, stopping at
queer old towns, with houses turned gable
ends toward the street, among them bort,
where the famous Synou settled the arti.
Giles of faith of the Reformed Church
passing heavy, ungraceful ships, with
broad, queerly shaped bows; and at Rot
terdam we take an equally slow railroad
train for
THE HAGUE.
Once the, hunting seat of the Counts OF
Holland, it was called "La Haye,' from
the hedge which surrounded their lodge
and so the city has since held the name
always so puzzling TO young students Of
! geography. tT&
Here are the royal palaces and fine
. picture gallery, which holds some remark.
able paintings. One of them is of young
bull, withwhite and brown spots standing
In field quite like an American field, with
two Or thre sheep, a cow, and an old
man near by. 1t is natural scene
enough, but so very natural that it would
scarcely astonish you to see the animals
move, while you involuntarily wonder if
the BULBS eye can have caught sight of
your scarlet necklie and if it will rouse his
fury,as scarlet always does rouse well-edu.
Gated bulls; and SO you forget that it is
only a bull done in oils by Paul Potter, a
Holland painter, who died 2l8 years ago.
Yet you do not wonder that Napoleon
! Bonaparte who after he had conquered a
country, always carried its most valued
possessions in art away to adorn Paris,
after the manner of the old Romans, who
always held their trlumphal professions
OF captiyes laden with spoils, refused the
$IO',OOO which the Dutch Government
offered him to allow it to remain ut the
Hague. IL is considered Potters's finest
work and valued at $4,000. There is
another, by Rembrandt, where the pro-
lessor in Anatomy is showing the muscles
ofa dead mans arm TO his pupils-a re-
markabie, bat not an attractive PICTURE
avn "hich VIC TURN WIFI pleasure I'D II
nome scene, by Gerard Douw. A pretty,
ght.haired elder sister watches the rosy
checked baby in its cradle, while her
mother is engaged in some household
work, showing that good daughters helped
Eher mothers in Holland even 200 years
ago.
Its broad streets, light.colored houses,
md pleasant drives, make the Hague an
lttrac'iye city and not unlike ether Con-
tlnental towns. But
s&sl $40 ~ AMSTERDAM.
s very queer. Almost every street has u
canal through the centre, which divide
he city into 90 islands and are crossed by
Yearly 300 bridges Of wood and stone.
he whole city is built upon piles driven
INTO the ground, but it has stood longer
md seems quit as fra as many built on
olld land. The bouses face each other
Eith gable ends, and in the narrow streets
eln forward as if the upper stories would
ouch each other. Here is one of tho finest
PALACES 10 Europe. II stands in large,
pen squtfe, which these Hollmders Gull