The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-05-23
HOUSEHOLDS IN HOLLAND.
THE DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENT rs
OF THE DUTCH PEOPLE.
A Peasant Woman's Implements TO
Keep out the Dust-The Laun.
dry, Servants and Food.

A Peasant Woman's Implements TO
Keep out the Dust-The Laun.
dry, Servants and Food.
Cloths and chamois, brooms and |
brushes, scrubbinE brushes for the floors, |
hair brushes for the wainscots, feather |
brushes for the walls, tooth brushes for /
the corner, geese wings for the stoves,
hen feathers for cleaning out the key
holes, small sticks Of wood for poking
out any unhappy article Of dust which
may have got into the cracks of the
floor, white paste for the windows, red
paste for the hcarthstones, emery for the
steel and several other pastes and pol
ishes as the occasion may requlre-these
are the implements a Dutch peasant
woman uses to clean out her cottage
home. Dust is her natural enemy, she
is born into the world to fight it, it is
her mission, and she does no more than
her mother and foremothcrs have done
before her. No wonder that such
home training turns out an exceedingly
high class of domestic servants; and yet,
the Dutch mistress grumbles. Such is
life.
Laundry arrangements are most pecul.
ldL III llOlldhhs hlb-l nav All-5 bNNlA oVlAlN
weeks in the country, not liking to
trouble my hostess, | decided to inter
view the housemaid on the subject of my
washing. This was Tather a difficult
matter as neither of us comprehended a
word of the others language; however |
managed to make myself understood by
pointing to my linen and rubbing and
wringing my hands as if in the act of
washing. She laughingly shouldered
my bundled and in few days it was re.
turned to me. The payment was made
by my holding out my hand with several
guldens in it, from VIII ch she took two,
| little less than dollar for about three
| dozen garments, but what was my con
s.ernatlon on opening the bundle to find
my clothes all rough dried. A washer
woman in Holland, means literally a
washer woman, and an ironcr is quite a
! different person. made no complaint !;
| but for the rest of my visit to that house,
! handkerchief folded carefully between
the leaves of a book and placed under my
pillow was nightly practice and for
the rest, wore them rough dried. Later
on | ascertained that in many Dutch
houses the washing is done out, and the
ironing by the household servants. The
ironing room is generally at the top of
the house, far away from all fumes of
cooking, and kitchen dust, a plan worthy
of imitation. Washing is not done
weekly as in America, but allowed to
accumulate for weeks, sometimes even
longer, an unhealthy lstom; but in
this as well as in many other respects
the Dutch can hardly be called clean
nation, from a hygienic point of view.
With them it is dust, dust, and again
dust.
Often the underservants, such as soul
lery maid, nurse maid, etc, do not s!eep
in the house. This gives more space
and room for the family. These girls
come in by the day, sleeping at their own
homes at night. All servants in Holland
dress extremely neat, generally 10 lilac
print dresses, white muslin caps, and
large white aprons.
The same dress is worn in the street
as in the house. If the weather is cold
a shawl is thrown over the shoulders.
They do a good deal of the household
shopping. 1t must be indeed delightful
for the Dutch mistress to have Betsey
Jane all ready dressed to run her little
eTands, instead of having to wait an
hour or more while Betsey Jane curls bel
"bang' and bedecks herself with che ,p
finery. This is good arrangement fol
maid as well as mistress, tor with tho
former it breaks the monotony of tho
daily round gives her little blow oI
fresh air, bes s,des the opportunity Of q
slight Irritation with the butchers boy
or the green grocer's assistant.
4 strange hgu ehold customln Holland
is the custody of the guest money by
the mistress. Each guest is, a. in Eng
land, expected to fee the house seryan s.
In Holland this money is at once handed
by the recipient to the lady of the house,
who at certain seasons of the year. such
as Chr r'stmas and Easter, divides il
equally amongst ali her slaT. Not bad
plan when ore thinks it over, but start
ling at first to the guest.
And now for Dutch food. All food is
good in Holland, all cooking excellent
beef and mutton even better than il
England, vegetables in abundance. But
ter is very good and plentiful and is uscC
without stint, everything is spoil
by being served cold. Rich dishes
which would be most aFpetizng wcr
they eaten piping hot, become Icpulsiye
indigcstable ma scs of grease when servcC
from Il COlu ulSn on stone COlu plutc
During the whole of my stay in Ilollan,
l never once saw a dish covered or
plate heated.
; Cakes are a speciality with the Dutch
Each town has one or more of its own
and it was interesting to trace the ances
try of many of our American ones
p Watlles met me at a Kermcs at In
= Hague. The Koek c which is to b
found all over Holland and is in fact tn
Dutch word for little cake is actuall
and etymologically the ancestor of IN
New England cookie Eoughnuts me
everywhere, though | cannot imagir
from where they got their ugly name q
@ "dough nut" In Holland they are cale,
Sprltsen and in French Canada, whcr
I they are sort Of national cake, they ar
p known by the name of Gro uignoles aul
r sometimes Bcignet, which latter name
e simply the French for fritter. imagin
, that in one way and another we owe
, good deal Of our cooking to Holland -