Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-01-19

MY Trip to Europe.

My Trip 10 EUROPE.
AMSTERDAM, July 10. Yesterday morn
ing We took long walk in the streets Of the
Hague. 1t was market day. All kinds Of
seasonahlc fruit and vegetables were display
ed for sale and also many species of mer-
chandisc. There was crockery, glass and
china ware in large quantities in the open
street, some of it on tables. and some on the
bare pavement. Women were the principal
vendors. In fact, women as well rs men 60
most kinds of out door work here. The Dutch
are busy, industrious people. They work
themselves. and make animals work. Men
push or pull heavily loaded hand-carts for
trucking purposes, whilst women and boys
use lighter ones. Some light carts are
drawn nv goats harnesscd to them. Some
times one, and occasionally two dogs are hat.
messed, and walking under the cart assist IN
drawing it. This spectacle was quite con.
mon at the Hague. We had seen women at
work with the men in the potato and turnp
fields in Scotland: but here the women work
with the men in the city streets,
ONWARD.
omitted to mention that on our road from
Rotterdam to the Hague. We passed through
Schicdam. "a place of some 10000 inhabitants
and which has 80 distillcries, manufacturing
gin enough probably to float all the citizens
if used for that purpose. and enough to ruin
countless multitudes who drink it. This is
what is called "Schicdam Schnaps." We
passed through Delft also. a place formcrl,
famous for its pottery or deltt ware, but now
a dull and rundown place.
We left the Hague by rail about II o'clock
in the forenoon. The Dutch cars are much
like the British: but there is not the same
care about people crossing the railway tracks.
The road to Amsterdam took us through Ley.
den. where John Robinson preached to the
puritans in 1920. and where the plan of emi.
grating To ''thc wild New England shore
was first formed Two hundred years ago
Levien had about 100000 inhabitants, but
the number is now reduced to about io,oo'
1t. however, has still famous university
| with about 800 students.
our first stop was at
HARLEM.
This is place of about 10000 population.
1t has the largest church in Holland, called
the Grootc kerk, or great church. and in i
is one of the largest organs ever built having
no |, 81 than 5000 pipes. Here is also Il c
statue of Lawrence Roster, claimed by Iiaai-
lem to have been the inventor of the art of
printing II seems that he was a sacrstan or
tised cutting on blocks of wood the initials If
her name and his own. BY accident one dy
these blocks being wrapped in white paper
made an impression. by means OF the sap in
the wood. He then, procuring some color
| ing substance, printed these initials on paper.
Some of these impressions were seen by John
Gutenberg, and from this originated the art
of printing. We stopped at Ilasrlem, not to
investigate the origin Of printing, but to hear
an organ concert on this great organ by
master musician. The music was, think,
the finest ever listened to. The organist,
with wonderful skill, initiated a tempest and
successive claps of rattling and resOuDding
thunder. the wild noise of the wind blowing
in fury, and then subsiding by gradual de-
grees, as we have heard it in a natural storm.
Yet the same skillful hand elected from the
same instrument the soft melody Of sweet
and tender evening song. as well as other va
rieties Of rich music. The interior Of the
church is of great height finished in the roof
with oaken pannels. The floor is Of. stone,
and the ceiling is sustained by immense mar
Bile pillars.
About one o'clock, we again took the cars,
and soon reached
AMSTERDAM.
The origin of the name is from the dam or
dyke of the Amstel, river which flows
through it. Amsterdam has nearly 300,OW
inhabitants. Its numerous canals cut it up
into about 100 small islands; and there are
nearly 800 bridges crossing these canals.
The parliament house is here, and also a
magnificent
| PALACE Or THE KIN.
of Holland, in which he spends (wOnderful to
telI) about eight Gays in the year for govern
mcnt purposes. It il built Of marble, beauti-
fully carved. 1t was erected originally for u
town hall, but was afterwards presented to
the king. 1t is much more costly than that at
the Hague, where he resides in the winter,
and also much larger. 1t is in the most ex-
pensive style of architecture and finish. In
the second story, besides reception rooms.
te-rooms. bed-chambers, &c, il an I'M
mense banqueting hall, and also a inagnif-
cent ball room, I20 feet long, 30 feet wide
and loo feet high. finished with marble to the
ceiling 1t is said to be one Of the grandest
and finest rooms in Europe. This immense
marble palace stands on piles, Of which the
attendant said there were 1869. About 10
old tattered battle flags hung over this ball
room, all taken by the Dutch in their grand
struggle for their Protestant faith against the
Spanish under the Duke Of AIvs, the bloody
Duke who strove to force the Catholic relig-
ion upon the people of Holland in the early
DAYS. There is not single pillar in this
room to support the ceiling. The heating ap-
paratus in this palace consists Of eery large
: porcelain stoves with marble tops. The fur
niture here, however, will not compare with
that in the winter palace at the Hague for beau
2 ty ard elegance. But there was in this
palace malachite table presented to the
king by the emperor Of Russia: also several
ornamental statues, the gifts Of Louis Napo-
leon, and large number Of unique and beau
tiful specimens of lacquer work donated by
A the emperor Of Japan.
: The New CnURcH.
p VIC next visited the church called the ssnew
9 Church. although it is not now very new.
!. It contains, amongst other curiosities, q large
!, pulpit Of carved oak, which occupied one man
with hard German name forty years in ex-
ecuting. 1t is the most elaborate and exquis-
I ite carving in wood ever saw, and the woE-
der is, that he could accomplish it in forty
years. The figures are partly human, and
>. partly fanciful, and are all well proportioned.
1t is certainly one Of the miracles Of art.
= Over this pulpit. and not much above the
G. preachers head, is structure intended as a