New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-06-06


opera, with court and garden, covered PLATFORM
portcoes and colonnades, aud to represent tne nAS
scene at the back dainty bit of . house dauDed IN
green and yellow. ,...
The Island of Schouwen is rich Nader Us grown own
and soda made there For centuries past 4es and
for centuries past they have had preference IN o
markets because of their excellent qlauty. tne
soil is fertile, easily w9TReu anu and indus
trious In addition TO Zlerikzee. when may Oe re-
eaded its capital the Sap bcS Is ssated on
the north side, and good many Vlllages-hOu9e-
kerke, Kerkwerve, Renesse, etc-eonslisLtng ora Oh q
number of pretty little houses, inhabited Dy mus
trious peasants. One would think that an expedl-
ton into the island ought to furnish maIter Ior =
number of curious remarks ana luIeIess'ns aa t
Characteristic observations. This, however, IS not
the case Foreigners, unaccustomed 10 Ihe haolIs
and customs of the Dutch people, would ma goou
deal to surprise them in SchOuwen, especially us
scrnpnlous cleanliness The Hetheid, as the fashion
for washing, brushing and polishing ID StIeu IN
this country, would certainly delIgno ,a iO f
the whole extent OF this great tongue OF
land a dusty tile lllkept room wouid DC iooKeu
for equally in vain. This Is however, the only spe-
cialty of the country. Schouwen: OF al inc Hoa-
land Islands, most resembles the Dutch PROVINCES
With the exception Of the peasants CARTS Wnicn are
strange, unaccOuDtabe and marvellous opleC.s, II
saw nothing there that differed essentially from
what we had already remarked in other parls OF the
Netherlands. Nor has the language anything Iypl-
cal in IT, The manners ana customs 4 t Ge f1 If
the Mas. The costume OF the men Is not rensTh-
able. The head-dress Of the women Is ike thoSe
large wells which we deserted in the enVlTohs OF
PuttershOek. We need not, therefore, make any
DELAY in these villages. The country round though
fertile is very tame its picturesque aspect uOcs nOI
gain by its excessive richness.
On arriving at Thalen q little dot of an island,
tho aesthetic sailors were attracted by its artistic
exterior and determined to land. They found the
signs Of large village rather than of a once power
full city, The houses were detached. and the extent
seemed far too great for its opuation But on first
sight the spectacle was very charming:-
No great cultivated park, no prize farm, no viii
Iape paradse, ever presented u more pleasing as
pect. On all sides rIch crops, golden 1iGids OF
grassy meadows, intersected by broad alleys OF
great trees, curvng gracefully away into the ds-
lance. On all sides is abundance, wealth; even
profuson. The harvest is near, and the tull ears
bend their long golden stems toward the earth
this IS the boosted wheat of Zealand, tho fairest
and the sweetest that can be SEEM" the grain that
was famous in the Middle Ages, celebrated even IN
Italy, and which aStOnished GuicclaIdn. How
right was Hoffer the maker of Latin verses, when
he Landed the fertility of this exceptionally geneF-
GUS SOIL which refuses nothing TO those VINO DestOW
their care upon 1T - .,,.,,
| A dozen young girls are working IN the fields In
front of us. Their arms arc bare, their pettIcoats
are short, the straw hats shading their eyes are
trimmed with blue ribbons crossed over the back.
| One of these girls, standing on the ridge o! the
dixie, aud quite surprised to ind us Ill that place
| saluteS us with her voice, and waves her hand.
| Good morning gentlemen. -" Good-day, fair
| ladles."-" Whence come you, then r. From
very distant country, which none Of Won have ever
| seen. Which is tue road to Iholen r" MANY
others have found it who came from as far rs you
! -" will you show 1T to US r" What! Do the
| girls in your country lead the men = ana then
burst of clear and silvery laughter runs from lip TO
lip among the whole group, like fire along train OF
POWDER" Goodbye, you Saucy grl at ieast zen
| 90 and ask 1t of ber"-" Well, theh where Is your
mother G'-" Where ought TO be
| beside her husband" ThereupOn the laugh
| ter is renewed; We take our share IN
| it, and wave hands to the girls, who return
the salute with interest. A little further on the
wOrkmen engaged on the dixie give Us the lnioria-
ton which the merry girl whose mother knew ter
| name so well had refused. They point out shady
road, which after few windiugs aud half an hours
walking, leads the wide old m0atlla formerly
encircled the Tamparts OF IhOlen Never was more
delighted with the entrance 10 any city ~ mo-
ment seemed to be transported To OF the great
English parks, beautiful suburban domain III
the vicinity of London. The old city, shaded by i'm
memorial trees and surrounded by rich plantations.
seems TO nestle uxurOusly amidst all this verure.
Limpid waters lave its sides. les antique bastOns,
converted into gardens are reflected in the tranquil
| flow while o great mill, painted white and streaked
with the brightest hues, strikes lively note IN this
conc ert OfharmoniOus cOlOring. Every object adds
to the singular aspect OF the scene, even the IRON
railing which replaces the OudelandschepoOrt or
! ancient gate OF the city"
| One of the next landings made by the rowing
artists was at the little village of Wormedingen,
to which they were attracted by a remarkable
specimen of engineering in the form OF huge stone
dam or dams, as well as the quaint beauty of the
locality These constructions, which would seem
gigantic in any country, are truly marvellous in
this, considering the porous and uncertain charac-
ter Of the Zealand soil. and the immense weight of
granite in solid blocks which is made to rest upon
its surface.
Wormeldingen is a curious village. Its trees and
houses closely resemble big box of Nuremberg
toys just unpacked. Imagine double row OF
dwellings, all squat all pretty all spOtessly Clean
all painted vivid colors, all built exactly in the
same way, with the same materials, placed III two
long lines, Numerically intersected by straw-co-
| ored woodwork. Before these two lines OF houses
plant two rows of little old trees, with thick trunks
and sparse foliage, all clipped shaped and pointed
all of the same size, and forming KIND OF screen
no thicker or higher at end than at the other
| nor in the middle than at the two extfcmities
Then in the street-dusted, cleaned scraped unre-
mittingIy; where the houses are washed and waxed
| until you could not find spot upon them, nor so
much as a straw lying about; where the trees have
combed and brushed look, and not leaf is ont OF
| its place-picture population OF honest tolk an
/ dressed after the same fashion-the son like the
! father, and the father like the grandfather the
| Little girl like the grOwn-up girl and the mamma
| like the old grandmothcr-and you have WOrmel-
dingen as nearly as l can give you an idea OF the
| place. Be careful to remember that each
| little house. taken separately, is a pretty bon
bon box and that the costumes, taken separately
are charming These peasans' great and ana small mall
their knee-breeches their coarse stockings, their
| shoes with silver buckles, their high walstcoats
with double rows of buttons IN figree silver, their
coats cut INTO their waists, their belts with silver
clasps and their gold buttons at the neck, look
markably well. Complete tins costume by grace
| fully shaped felt hat, the brim raised behind and
sloping in front that it forms sort OF visor and
you will have notion of the dress which IS worn IN
| Zud- Beveland. This costume looks pretty on the
children elegant the men and picturesque on the
old people and it is always and everywhere most
original and characteristic. The uniform OF the
women-for / really must call it sO--Is equally
curious and equally tasteful. From their most ten
der youth TO the pitiless age at which the body,
bent by years, is bowed down toward the
earth soon to be its last resting place, the
| form and arrangement of the women's attire
| tomb, all these stout peasants have bare
| arms, the bust confined by a very tight bodice,
| over which lies, in graceful folds, bandker-
chief, fastened by coral brooch The face Is framed
| in Golf with wide borders which resembles veil
| rather than cap. fiat piece OF gold hangs down