St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-10-24


bath house, and the usual accommoda-
tions for the beer-drinkers are not
lacking.
HARLEM.
On our way from The Hague to Am
sterdam we passed through Leyden and
Haarlem, and we halted in the latter
city several hours to attend an organ
concert at the Groote Kerk. This
church was erected at the close of the
fifteenth century, and has a lofty in
terror and an antiquated appearance
outside. AS we approached, the tinkling
chimes were ringing out merry song
for bridal party already within the
church, and we were glad to await the
conclusion of the marriage ceremony in
order that the pleasant scene might be
added to our other enjoyments. The
organ is one of the most celebrated in
Europe, and long held the distinction
of being the largest. Now the great
Royal Albert Hall organ of London en-
joys this latter honor, while half a
dozen or more instruments, including
the Boston Music Hall organ, are of
greater size. There are few instruments
equalling it in sweetness and purity of
tone, however, and no Organ-front in
the world is so handsomely adorned.
There are elaborate carvings in marble
and wood, one marble group represent
ing ecclesiastical poetry and music ex-
pressing their gratitude to Haarlem for
the erection of the organ. The concert
was given by the organist of the church,
Mr. John Sebastians, who proved him
self an excellent musician. Both Mo-
zart and Handel have played upon this
instrument, Mozart having visited Haar-
lem when he was only ten years old.
AMSTERDAM.
Holland has done something else than
fight against the encrOachments of the
North Sea and the Spanish invaders.
1t has for centuries carried on vast
commercial trade with all the world.
Its ships have penetrated to every nook
and corner of the globe, and its ware
houses are crowded with the products
of every cline. The Dutch colonies
embrace 100000 square miles, while
the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in
Guiding the Province of Limburg, covers
only $4,000 square miles. Amsterdam
is busy city and its marts of trade
and chief thoroughfares present pic
turesque as well as a lively aspect.
Canals intersect the streets everywhere
and the merchant can ferry his goods
to the door of his house if he wishes.
Many of the fine residences, even, have
projecting beams, or cranes, with which
to hoist goods to the upper lofJs. The
houses are tall and narrow, and in some
streets they all tip forward as if the act
of formally saluting their equally polite
neighbors on the other side of the way.
The timid visitor expects all the time
to see some of these slanting walls top
pie over. The signs upon the shop
fronts are a study. Dutch words are
something alarming to spell and almost
as bad to pronounce. 1t is astonishing
to see what a wealth of consonants it is
possible to throw around the simplest
word in the language, and yet how
deftly the native "gets away" with all
the jangle.
Dutch money quite as much as Dutch
spelling bothers the stranger at first fol
the value of the chief coin, the guilder,
or form, having an entirely different
value than the German mark and Eng
lish shilling, the French franc, or even
the guilder of Austria which is worth
fourth more. 1t is worth about forty
cents in American money, but Dutch
cent is only one hundredth part of a
guilder. The TouIjee excursionists had
some trouble in fathoming this question
of values at the outset, and l caught
some of the walters at the Hotel Ron
deel settling it in way greatly to theil
own enrichment but rather to the dis
advantage of the ladies who sought
their advice. The hotel keepers both
here and at The Hague, by the way
have complained greatly of the Ameri,
can excursionists for the reason that
they drank very little wine.
The Rijks museum is the finest pic.
ture gallery in Holland, and it is filled
with splendid examples of the old and
later Netherland schools of art. The
Banquet of the Arquebusiers, by Bar.
tholOmew van der Helst, containing
twenty-five life-size figures, is celebra.
ted. There are also famous works by
Rembrandt, Ruisdael, Steen, Honde
koeter, Douw, Van de Velde, Wouver
man and other masters. The collection
was founded by King Louis Napoleon
when he resided in Holland. The roya
palace, now occupied only short time
each year when the Kings official pres
ence Is in Amsterdam, is a spacious
editice with more internal than externa
beauty. 1t was built as early as I64S
and was formerly town hall, but wa
presented by the city to King Loui
Napoleon when he came to rule owe
the Netherlands in 1908. 1t rests OF
piles, like everything else in this strang'
city, and there are said to be no les
than 1869 of these. The saloons ar,
flushed for the most part in white mar
ble, and one Of them is one hundred
feet high, one hundred and sixty fee