The sun., 1888-10-21

LONDON, Oct. 9.-Sarah Bernhardt is at
The Hague with her company, and the Burgo-
master has prohibited the performance Of La
Tosca" on account Of the love scene enacted in
church In the first act. All the striking con-
tradictions OF the Low Countries arc eplto-
mi2ed In this little incident. Holland at once
welcomes progress and remains intensely
faithful to old customs and traditions and in
both OF these manifestations she Is genuine.
Electric light and telephones were early intro
duced in her cities, some portions of which
have hardly altered since the middle ages. The
Dutch travel. study, accept. and adopt improve
ments, while they retain intact their preiu-
dices. their Puritan PRINCIPLES, their OK
elusive respect for the past, their stanch
national conservatism. This is why the
foreigner is constantly surprised. some-
times charmed. sometimes repeled Each
nation finds in Holland some link which
connects that country with his country's past
Spaniards, French. Germans and Americans
have all left strong roots In that cosmopolitan
and yet strongly Individual soil. and are star
tied to recognize landmarks which are also
their own In the midst Of much which is utterly
dissimiar and strange. The further the
traveller strays from the beaten tracks. tho
more he penetrates into the heart OF the land,
the more he becomes aware how thoroughly
different the Low Countries are from any other
in Europe. and indeed in tho whole world,
even those where the Dutch have been the
first to Settle In no spot. perhaps. is this dif-
ference more evident than in the Island Of
Walcheren.
nv ty Tho
inhabitants look like the flsures in old ensrav-
ings or on ancient pottery, with their quaint
nd mi iyt nf mi
tIas ,rinlo,S and rihhons Will. re, ,aining IN
their bearing fanciful likeness to the encom-
p ps ,1a 1a,a,d a;dnn .hon ero - n,ano,,I ,me ~
mer from the sky above The struggling inland
villages have discolored. red-,ied roofs as
rusty as weather-beaten sail. and the arms
of tie windmills on the same dresses are not
uhnke masts ana r'gs'nG me oio-iasnloheo
Eargoyles are carved into the semblance OF
va. hnvas iebt hs ,arsn for ths hn,s 81 shirs ~,
uSe nos rhila 10 ~ nan,o, 1aours;O W ahn," "s
anehor Tne tne b
1t sea.
- Every flf1een minutes the slow cadence falls
burg and Flushing. accenting the mournful
the merchants of Lombardy. Venice and Spain
woods, and placed their goods in tho large ware
house houses erected by the citizens Of Bruges:
the ships from Rouen and St. Mandt put into
ne 6 se land and ye Tive % Wssb a5d o oa Ta
lence, as attested by the portraits OF their more
noteworthy members still hanging in the
elled chains over their point lace collars.
The fame OF Middelburg and Flushing OK
IN qf Ra it esd eSssfh Ss hey
OF the Dutch seas" The Emperor Charles V.
visited the city and spent some %nn days in the
dlcation before sailing from Flushing to Spain
G hsTs Is sdsuse s essse for
the pdeeadence Which has overtaken this once
honrIshing place. The inundation of ls0S
first stories. did not destroy It: its harbor has
not been choked with sand like SO many har-
It's p1t9n Is s Il bss TS wn in
port, constructed dykes and railway by which
It is In direct communieation with the heart Of
out stopping. either entering the Scheldt to
reach Antwerp or sailing on to Rotterdam In
the empty es he seG1 s ensys 'bs
the shining panes OF. closed windows; the
houses are 90 clean and prim that they seem
Of be e stove ea
family, glmmerng. tells Of lie within. ,,-
ing for the faint shadow Of animation impaired
by the coming and going OF the fishermen OF
Arnemuyden with their hauls OF soles and
shrimps is entirely missing. The city seems
atropliied lying on the banks OF its long canal.
md dies proud. silent death at the leet OF its
magnificent Hotel de Vile and under the
shadow OF the lofty tower OF St. John. But
msro ioresaken. more melancholy still is the
tbtd town oil the island. Veere. once the pi-
talof marquisute. boasting a. princely palace.
n bdllant little court, whose Lord, Wolfert v.
might have married the daughter OF James l..
kim Of Scotland. He had obtained for his port
the privilege OF being landing depot Tor Scotch
woolI, and a memory of this commercial con-
nection Is still extant in the Scotch House,"
which bears testimony to the architec-
tural splendors indulGed In by the rich
merchant princes OF the period. The
Iioie do Hille OF Veere Is a deicately
wrought monument Of tho Renaissance style:
its belfry seems TO gaze with sight!ess eyes on
The mourniui desoation OF the crumbling town.
1t was to lis mark cts that sugar was brought for
the first time in 1903 from the Canary Islands.
Philip of burgundy converted it into military
post, and built a commanding fortress there.
Then it borame the residence OF Admlras ana
high naval Officers. At present not II single yes-
sci touches where ninety large ships used 10
arrive. Alone like stranded wreck; ruined
church, half hidden under greens and moses.
rises above the deserted beach. A few houses