The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-06-19
DUTCH AMSTERDAM.
INTERETING LETTER FROM HON. W.
ABOUT wILHELMINA
THEINFANT QUEEN OF THE DUTCH,
AND THE GREAT FUSS MADE IN HER
HONOR.

HONOR.
AMSTERDAM, MAY 81 don't know
: what it is all about or the exact where
fore, but I'm sure this has been "grea
: DAY among the Dutch's in their chic
{ city up here on the banks of the Zui
l derzee. For several days preparation
! have been in progress for great doing
OF some kind. Banners and flags foa
I from almost every house; and every
thing and everybody bears an impress
sign or ear mark of a spring gala day
wagons and street cars, the ships IL
the harbor and boats on the canals
carriages and carts, horses and dogs
men and women, old and young, rich
and poor, all wear flag or flower, ruffle
or ribbon, boquet or furbelo to indicate
the happiness of the day. With the
command of but one word Of their Ian.
guage and that negative, I'm not able
to make out from hand bill or nevspa.
per, nor even from the official program
Tor which | paid a Dutch quarter, just
what was intended, nor will the reports
in the morning papers help me out in
the matter. l believe it is the laying
OF corner stone for a public hospital
oy the little queen. At all events a
royal procession has been part of the
doings. And this is one Of the things
that we poor Americans have to come
to Europe or go to Hayti or the Sand
witch Islands to see. | tried to give
you some idea of one saw last winter
| in England, where the old and much
loved queen of the British Isles and
empress of the Indias. officiated at the
launching of a couple of war ships
There was nothing on that occasion
however suggestive of peace on earth
and good will to man." The booming
OF cannon, the paraphernalia of war,
the grasp OF power were the character
istics there. This day is a mere pleas
ing occasion and suggestive of happier
thoughts. The dear little queen pulled
a string. touched a knob and asked a
benediction not to put in motion fur
Their and stronger Implements of war
and of carnage but in The good work of
nursing the sick and caring
pretty thing for any little girl to do,
and know OF no one who could have
done it any more handsomely and hap
PLY than little Wilhelmina, the queen
OF Holland. She is only IL years old,
you know, and she looked so sweet in
her little short white dress with flow
ers fastened on in some way, and straw
hat and black stockings and pointed
tOed Dutch shoes. She rode in a fine
carriage with her mother, the queen
regent, and bowed with sweetest courte-
sizes and lovely smiles to the people on
every hand, and looked so sweet and
rosy and happy that l really wanted to
help her out of the carriage myself and
kiss the sweet little girl. She re-
minded me of little May, though some
years older, the English girl whom it
was my pleasure, and not a task, to
bring from Fort Scott and restore to a
dead mothers sister in Liverpool. And
l never told you what pet little May
was on the ship, showing how nicely
she had been cared for after her moth |
ers death in your city, by Miss Glunz,
whose name l have no authority to use
in this way, but which is engraved in
the list of those who have done it |
unto the least of one of these"
But little Wilhelmina is a real queen.
though she don't seem to know vet lust
what that means. When she saw all |
the fuss that was made over her and
how she had to return the bows of so
many men in brass buttons and cooked
hats, and saw so many people staring
at her and some of them with opera
glasses, and how she had to sit in a
great arm chair as big as her mothers.
and altogether different from other
chairs, and when she saw how other
little girls ran and swang their hats
aud climbed over benches and made
trouble for the gold laced ushers, [
fancy, though l never was a
little girl myself, that she wished
her brother hadn't died and
then she wouldn't have to be queen.
But, of course. she can't help it now.
She was born that way, and her father
having died some months ago, and her
nalf-brother by her papa's first wife
having died, too, there was no other
way for a good, obedient little girl to
10. And her mother has been a law
abiding woman and means well, and sol
she has consented to be queen regent
until Wilhelmina grows up and they
ind some fellow whose royal parents
are willing for him to marry WI
and thus become king regent.
My sympathies were strongly aroused
IN yesterday for the little child: for |
saw perfect stream Of carriages roll
NC up 10 the palace here, and people
With all sorts of fine clothes, with cooked
hats and gold laced coats; high boots |
md haggy blue trowsers: silk gowns !
md horse hair wigs: big sabres and lit ,
lie swords, ALI passing in at one big door .
md presently coming out on the other
tide of the great building, and l sur
missed that the queen mother and the
'eal queen We're holding reception
Of course this was very dry, hard work ,
or little girl. But she had left her
lice home and her pretty dolls ,
md playthings at the Hague, I
where the kings and queens
If Holland have resided, when
here were any on. for some six hun
lred years. 1t being the right time of
'ear for such things. though the wealth
II is very bad for other, or outdoor
business. royalty had come to the real {
'apital and principal city OF the empire 6
o give the generals and commodities I
md dukes and judges, ETC., etc, an OPP I
'ortunlty of being presented, and the '
leople an opportunity of not forgetting g
hey have a monarchy and a queen. I
oossibly when the little girl grows out i
II short dresses, and gets more used to
III this adulation and sycophancy, she
nay come 10 really enjoy it, and thank
/ kind Providence for calling upon her
o sit as figure head Of this country,
whose record as the great Dutch repub- t
ic Is amongst the highest and grandest c
. human annals. It must be a good I
Zeal harder for a bright, active child to
'lay queen than sedate growR-up wo- I
nan. Perhaps the latter is more sus- r