Thomas County cat., 1886-11-11
At THE HAGUE.
Peculiar Features of Hollands Capital
and Most Aristocratic City.

Peculiar Features of Hollands Capital
and Most Aristocratic City.
The Hague, called by the natives
SGravenhage. can hardly be regarded
as characteristic Dutch city either in
in old or In a recent Sense. It is a city
of aris:ocracy, of the wealthy middle
class, and not Of eminealce. Where Its
architecture is national it lacks some
thing of the national character. and
where it is really modern or cosmopol-
itan it is wanting in elegance. Its
streets are narrow and crooked for the
most part Its oPen places, which are
sometimes set with trees, occasionally
laid out with shrubbery and flower
beds in the Dutch fashion. but oftener
paved with brick set up on edge and
surrounded by old and unattractive
buildings. which partly atone by their
number and spaciousness for their lack
of more pleasing qualities. There is
an air of solemnity about the place
more marked since the shortening of
the days and the first premonitions of
autumn. The grass keeps its intense
greenness, bat the trees begin TO show
an ominous yellowness of leaf. The
skies are often leaden. The sun is
seen rarely. and never in the plentitude
of its splendor. and there is little in the
life of the place to lend an artificial
radiance to the universal gloom.
There are few noisy vehicles to waken
discordant echoes. There are street
cars of the American pattern winding
their sinuous way through the tor:uous
streets, giving little movement and
making distant neighborhOodS more
accessible. There are a few fashion
able shops. The others are small. and
their business is carried on without
noise OF hustle. The cafes are neither
numerous nor handsome, and their
patrons, whether they consume coffee
or beer, seldom indul ge in hilarity.
The colors worn in Holland are gen.
orally black, which BELTS the gravity
of the people and harmonizes with sky
and landscape, and the inhabitants of
The Hague have a stronger prejudice
even than their compatriots of other
amphibious districts against bright
colors. What would be the use of put
ting on summer apparel one day to
take it off and lay it away permanent
ly in the clothes-press the next. They
have. if possible. little more than the
average natural thinness and severity
of feature. and they only smile when
something occurs that is indisputably
amusing. Nevertheless there are at
The Hague some handsome hotels;
there are houses that are called pal
aces, one of which was occupied by Mot
ley while pursuing his historical stud
les, and there is the ''Wood. not over
Ily well kept, which shelters mansion
that has been compared to the Little
TrianOn. There are Frenchmen even
who have not hesitated to mention The
Hague in the same breath with Yer
sailies, that type and standard of
French magnificence. Yet something
of gulf yawns between the two local.
tiles. The city shows its tendency TO
differ from other Holland towns in
many respects. 1t is about two miles
from the shore of the North Sea, with
which it is connected by canals, which
are only permitted to come in on the
scaward side and not to penetrate the
aristocratic quarters. The country
people come in on their simple craft,
sell their produce and depart, and the
fashionable residents are not aware
that they have come and gOnc.-COr.
San francisco Chronicle.