The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-01-12
VOL. XXIV.-NO. 10.

its inhabitants. This fine stronghold in
the hands of diminutive kingdom constl-
tutes display of resources above the power
of much larger nations to equal. The East
and West Indies colonial trade in coffee,
spices, fine liqueurs, such as Curacao, &c;
tobacco is highly lucrative, the brands OF
Java coffee and Sumatra tobacco having
the best of vogues in all markets. Java
coffee is considered the second best grade
in Europe, Mocha standing first and being
drunk by the crowned heads, where it Is
most generally used, mixed with other
grades, in families and in those innumer-
able and useful establishments yclept
'cafes, or coffee houses proper, which sup
ply one-half of the coffee drank in Euro
pean cities, the citizens foeking to them
night and day principally to drink coffee in
common socialness, and these "cafes" are,
by the way, much more numerous in
European towns than bars and saloons are
in America; and from this it may be judg-
ed, therefore. that they are not few and far
between. As well as being valuable
furnishers of priced agricultural produc-
tions, the East is a profitable market for
the home goods turned out by the Dutch
manufacturers.
THE NATIONAL DEFENDERS.
At home the army musters $4,000 men,
and in the East Indies colonial provinces
80 900, composed half of Dutch and half
of natives, all, however, oficered by Dutch
and equipped on their style and system.
Both of these armies are kept in good fight
ing trim, as Holland is dead in earnest in
holding on to its colonies, and keeps vigi-
liant watch against any muttering or out
break of local trouble. The navy is small
but adequate for the conveyance of troops
and supplies in order TO keep the colonies,
aud consists of few iron clads that are
now old fashioned, as they were built so
long as fifteen and twenty years back, and
this lapse is equal in modern naval archi-
lecture to what a century was in the past
slow era of inventions The Dutch have
no money TO waste on new material, guns
and systems, and so they do not even pre-
tend to keep up With the prevalent extrav-
agauce in navies. Their feet of war yes
sels could sail the seas aud carry loads of
troops. but it could never pitch into sea
fight in a style at all worthy Of the famous
old captains of bygoue centuries, who went
at il hammer and tongs with full wind, be-
cause the vessels composing 1t are, when
considered from the present naval stand
point. as rounded -bottomed and fiat-bottom-
ed tubs as their glorious foreruuners under
the same flag proyerbially were.
LACK OF EDUCATION.
Education is being extended in the RI
raj districts Of Holland, but the facilities
for supplying it are far from being equal to
the demand for il, as there Is prodigious
amount Of illIterateness TO be overcome
This backwardness in elementary schooling
has been Of great detriment to the Dutch
working folks, thus compelled to work in
many old. clumsy STYLES and ways, so many
stumbling blocks, now obsolete in favored
communities. for although work of even 4
crude, clumsy kind may in itself be good
thing, working intelligenily Is a much better,
and the thing, especially now when increas-
ing the income of yield from the greater
output or least loss of energy, has become
an Indispensable factor Of success, owing to
close competition on all sides, when what
one fails 10 do another can and viii do.
An a, b, ignorance among portions OF the
[, Duteh rus,ics dwelling on ground so eonse-
Grated TO liberty aud free thought Is only
similar TO what obtains in Italy. Spain and
elsewhere, but appears stranger because the
Dutch were pioneers through their famous
universities. not Of course now 50 prominent
in spreading the light Of learning and ele-
mentary instruction. The quality of expe-
rienee they then possessed, however, was Of
higher kind than that which exclusive
provinclllism has now in measure narrow
I ed them down to; it was an experience OF
the most varied and practical kind, obtained
in contact with the world; one that knew
the needs and workings Of the human ma
chinery from visual observation and actual
handling. Present isolation and lack OF
competitive contact with the worked, and
cost, too, have influenced them wrongly
/ in dealing with their problem Of illiterate-
ness. Their thrift has followed saving