Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-10
Che family Circle.
A Home on a Canal.

full of canals, which divide the city into
nearly hundred islands, and over which
there are some two hundred and sixty
bridges, with draws in the center to let
the boats through A large class of the
inhabitants live altogether on boats, in
which they keep ducks, and chickens, pigs
and cattle, as well as their families, and 20
from one town to another. When they
have not the money to buy horses, the men
and their wives, and even the children drag
the boats through the canals by a rope
fastened to the bow. The boys and girls,
even when they are only ten or twelve
years old, pull at the tow-line, like little
oxen, and when their father Is lucky
enough to own horse, they all climb on
its back at once. The result is, they fire.
QuentIy fall off, but they are such stout,
round fat creatures, they seldom hurt
themselves. Occasionally they tumble
into the canals, but being too tleshy to
sink. they are soon fshed out, and enjoy
their bath very much. 1t Is amusing to
see a Hollander going on board one Of
these boats with his wife, seven or eight
children, two or three dozen Of geese, a
lot of pigs, and a number Of cows, which
reminds you, though on a larger scale,
Of the toy Noah's arks with their green
red. white, blue, and yellow men, women
and animals They share the boat together
the family occupying one part, the fowl
another, the pigs third, and the cattle a
fourth. 4 well-grown boy is usually en-
ployed to drive the horses along the tow
path and so the miscellaneous family Of
crying babies, kissing geese, quacSing
ducks, Growing rOOsters, gruntlng pigs,
and lowing cattle start off a. a speed of
about four miles an hour. Sometimes the
boy falls asleep, and the horses stop. This
is likely to awaken the owner Of the boat,
who gets up, jumps ashore halt-dressed.
rushes to the driver, pulls his ears until
he is aroused, and the team continues the
monotonous journey. Many children are
born on these cannal-boats, and grow up
without ever sleeping In a house.
The poor people wear wooden shoes, and
the clatter they make IN the streets Of
Amsterdam is heard above the rubbing
sound of the sledges. | have often Won
dered how the boys and girls kept on their
shoes, which are large enough for their
parents, and which are shaped very much
ike the canal boats Of the country The
children recognize this fact, and have
habit Of sailing their shoes in the canals.
This Is fine sport for them, except when
they load the small craft with too many
stones, causing the disaster Of sinking and
insuring punishment from their parents,
who are obliged to spend a long while IN
bringing the lost treasure to the surface.
Children have very few plaything- in
Holland. and when received they are highly
priced was told Of a small lad, who.
going out one morning to sail his wo0dea
shoe, put into it his knife, a small brass
cannon, a top. and some marbles that had
been given him by his relatives on the
previous Christmas. His tiny vessel,
which had paper sail, ran eZc.lently
until an old chap came down to the canal
to dip up d cup Of water. This made such
frightful waves that the heavily laden shoe
was overwhelmed, and sunk suddenly be-
fore the knife, or cannon, or marbles could
be rescued. The boy, who had been the
envy Of all the neighborhood, wa COM
pletely ruined, and his father predicts that
he will die in the poor-house. If some Of
the great bankers Of Amsterdam had lost
a million Of dollars. they would not have
felt half as badly as that child did over
the total wreck Of his adventurous shoe.
Ia winter, all the canals are frozen
over, and then every body in the city goes
skating. The boys and girls learn TO
skate there almost as soon as they can
walk and it is pleasant TO see the little
things with the steel runners curled above
their toes, whirling over the ice, making
circles and cutting figures which won g
do credit to q man. They not only skate
from one part Of the town to another to
see their relatives and friends, but often
20 miles into the country to make visits.
4 large amount Of the travel during the
cold weather Is done on the ice; ~Icds
being much used as well as chairs on run
ners, which are pushed forward by skater
from behind. The women skate very
frequently carrying large load,
on their heads long distances, and some
times bearing their babies, well wrapped up.
for many miles in their arms-Jua6lS
Henri Brolcne, ~ W0rk and PLAY.