The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-04-07
LIFE IN HOLLAND.
Picturesque Scenes in the Quaint
Old Dutch Cities.
The Hague, City Built on
Nearly a Hundred Islands.

Is no less interesting in Amsterdam. its
commercial centre. thIn in the Uapua
its political and social capital. This
quaint old city is built on nearly hun
dred islands, the larger canals between
which being crowded with ships and
boats OF every description. How nav
igation is managed in these narrow
highways. and with so large craft. is n
marvel which never ceases to pcrplcx
the visitor.
Take trekschuyt some waning day
And traverse Zeeland's watery way
SAYS the poet; but alas. What i,a trek
schuyt! ard where is one to take it? The
unimaGinable steamboat, or .sstoorm.
yaart," is the only mole of CONVEYANCE
Offered the traveller o. to- lay. No mat
ter how poetical one feels, or how desir
Gus Of gliding from D,lft into The Hague
upon a mystical and mysteriou, craft of
the trekschuyt order, one is forced into
the conventional locomotion of a steam
tug. The row-boat comes II as dernier
resort, enabling one to creep slowly up
the canal of some rural village or quaint
Dutch town. taking note of the odd
signs and queer nomenclature, of thi,
impossible jargon, where every vowel
seems to be doubled aad every word has
j thrust into the middle of its crowd
OF letters. What, for instance is to be
made of such a compilation as this:
'.RockdrorAerij,". or "Ojzerenledikan.
tenT Or tho announ cement "nict
rooken," for no smoking! Even Paris
they contrive to write, "Parrij, and
Italy they spell Ijtaly.
The stoonyaart, however, il not to be
'despised. Back of the central depot in
Amsterdam, little steamers make their
way in and out amidst whole armada
OF every sort of floating aad sailing
machine under the sun. They mako |
excursions to land from many charming
rural environs. Their; is no trip more
pleasing, and no place more fascinating
than Zaandam, with its 400 wiad-mills.
which make the town as you approach it
up the broad canal, look like a rcvoIy-
ing paa Drama, or universal applica-
tion OF The battle-ground patent. On
landing, the wind-mills. which are CA
the outskirts of the town. seem to haye
vanished from the picture aad You
stroll u? one or two narrow streets
with canals between, as in
dream. The oddity of the crampcd
little houses, crooked. clean. painted
In every shade of green. div. and sage:
the trim perfection of tiny gardens SO
small that even Philadelphia would
desplse them for back yards; the sturdy.
hone!y people and sober chubby chill
dfea Gathering about on wooden sabo.s:
the toy-like shops, and above all the
narrow. grcca-bordere canals that fol-
low each lane or silc street. all combine to
make picture ore can never forget.
fhen come the details of the scene: the
comicai gait of the men; the picturesnu,
nead-dTeSsci 0: the women, with :hcir .
MILK cans balanced from n wooden yoke
across the shoulders; the hard WORKING 6
plod OF the dogs; all the old world
of real thrift that is un-
spelled by knowledge of modern lux
uFy AMI American waste-thcsc Civ. a
Unitarian touch to the picture. There
are handsome houses. too, in Zaan lam, 6
facing the long streets. with back gar.
lcns, narrow as city lot, yet so per- 5
'ectiy tended dowa to the canal, that h
u rowing upon that never dusty, silent 6
highway, they present succession of
AIRY bowers to the delighted behold L
e-s
No' Is the wide. flat cxpanse of the =
Netherlands. with its humid atmosphere.
rs rich greens, and its luminous, though
Loudly SKY, devoid of interest. A moro
'efiect system of drainage and cultiva- :,
'oa could not be found anywhere than =,
visible In whole districts of Holland. :,
.ieic alter field of furnishing grain or 9,
'cnes' grass, garden after garden of =,
uAuriaht vegetation, with here and ;.
"e'e great numbers of cattle grazing :.
inc ireshly-cut pasture lands and !.
u'nSinng from the narrow line of water :.
'"ich separates every field into even r
make upper Holland mar g.
{. Oh making much out of little. =: