The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-30

| wv" py every stronR Wind- But tnRenuitl
and patience overcome every obstacle in thi
world. and the result Of the widest observation
and experience is that everything in the Who'll,
universe OF matter and mind can be conquered
By man. There Is no force In nature that can
not be vanuuished by the disciplined and In
structed human intellect
The sea dixie is begun at low water mari
By driving piles 20. 80, 40 feet into the sand
at distances OF fve or six feet apart leavin q
the heads OF tho piles projecting six feet above
the surface. These pile heads are secured
| to one another by cross-beams bolted In
squares. The space between the piles on the
sand Is filled with square blocks OF stone in
| cubes OF about fifteen inches In dim ensio n 8
This makes a solid level pavement or nearly
level The section thus constructed extends
along the beach. carrying width Of from fifty
| to hundred feet. 1t 10 work OF great
| strength and i'm mense cost, tho stones being
brought from Norway. l have often thought
| II Goliath had been born In Holland he would
have died In his bed. for no David would ever
| have found o stone In the whole kingdom big
| enough to slay him.
| These large paving blocks, steadied by piles,
thus form the first section or belt of the dixie.
Joined to this Is another belt formed OF the
| twiEs before mentioned. called fascines or
fagots. These are laid in bundles OF foot in
| diameter. with their ends to the sea. and se-
! cured by stakes driven through the bundles
into the sand. the tops OF the stakes being
secured to each other by interlaclng with
smaller twigs This work forms another bolt
or strip Of fifty or more feet In width. sloping
gradually upward. Next to this comes an
other still more curious method. This is q
belt OF straw mating ono hundred feet in
width. made OF common straw and laid as
| level as carpet on tho smooth sand,
still inclinlng upward to tho land and
secured by invisible stakes. This third belt ia
followed by another OF coarse grass. OF equal
width. planted and cultivated with immense
pains. A 18th belt lies still further upward
| and inward, and Is q broad and commodlous
roadway. and com pletes the inner boundary OF
the whole structure. This lies nearly forty feet
above the level Of low water mark, and at a
distance from it Of nearly 400 feet. Over this
broad and comparatively level surface the
fercest gales spend their force. rolling the
surf inward. almost without obstruction. till 1t
breaks In Centlest foam and spray over the
strand upon the grass and roadway beyond.
The sea is caught as In an artificial lap, and
from 1t slipped back into the doep-if that can
be called n deep which all along the coast Of
Europe. from the Baltic to the southern bor-
ders Of the Bay Of Biscay. is a shallow basin.
without ono good natural harbor OF easy ac-
cess. on the Continental side, from tho north
OF Holland to the south OF France.
This dixie. though but o mile In length Is a
vast piece Of work. and is constantly watched
by sentinels and always kept In perfect order.
There are always to be seen great piles OF straw
and stacks Of faRots. twigs. stakes. and heaps
OF stone standing along tho line OF the dixie
ready for instant use. and police always
present on duty. 1t is said that tho cost OF
keeping this single mile OF dixie in repair
is not less than $4,000 year. and
hat kha x-h; o1, hac -
would cover 1t with silver. For a long dis
tanoe beyond the diking. at either end. are
stone windows projecting into the sea at
right angles from the shore. at distance
OF one eighth Of a mile apart. These
operate to collect the sand as 1t drifts
like snow along the beach and prevent
Outlying by the sea. and SO keep the dunes
from being preached. This system of
windrowing the coast is very general. and Is
earriedout by the simplest means som etimes
by merely thrustinR TUFTS Of straw into the
sand. oftener by little fences OF straw or reeds.
Of which great use Is made In Holland for q
variety OF purposes. Any form Of obstruction
which creates a lee or eddy for the drifting
sands Of which the coast is composed is valued
as q contribution to the national safety.
These minute agencies OF self preservation
are nowhere. and Mt no time. neglected by
this patient. steady peopls-agencies which
we the self-sufficient occupants OF q rock
bound continent may not even stop to contem-
plate without a feeling OF lofty impotence.
The consideration OF tho third topic to which
I have alluded. namely. the debt Of Holland
at this point will be excused In discourse
which, from the nature Of the case. cannot
pretend to a symmetrical development OF
the subject treated. but which I may hope,
nevertheless. will preserve a unity suffl-
Client to present not incongruous pic
ture to the reader. Measured by tho
population Of Holland. its debt is large. Meas
ured by its resources, It is small. The inhabi-
tants number about 3.500.00 and tho debt is
not far now from 100000. 900. bearing an an
nual interest Of not more than $11. 100000 or
$l2.0O0.000. or fraction under 3 per cent
Thus the indebtedness is not far from STA a
head on the whole population. But the annual
charge Of the debt tho interest being low. is
but little over So head. while the annual
charge per person on our national debt. taking
the population at 30.O00.000 and tho debt at
three thousand million. and drawing 6 per
cent. 10 SO head. or twice as great as that OF
Holland. The annual charge OF the English
debt upon the people OF the United Kingdom
is S120. 100000. on 100000 Inhabitants. or
81 head. SO that. compared with either the
Dutch Is no such heavily taxed nation as Is
generally assumed by writer's on finance even |
from this superficial and wholly erroneous
point OF view. But in point Of fact the Dutch
are not taxed at all by their national debt. The
specific revenue paid directly into their treas
ury from their East India colonies Is almost |
enough 10 defray the sum total of the whole |
annual interest on this debt This revenue has |
been for series OF years just about ten |
million dollars per annum. while. as have be-
fore said, the interest thereon is only eleven
or twelve million dollars. 1t is thus that taxa
ton in Holland. instead Of being oppressive. is
r ealy m oderate; even upon real estate and lux
uries. where II almost exclusively falls.
This brings m o to q very Interesting chanter
Of modern Dutch history, and one which dis
closes the pi vot on which the whole existing
politics Of the kingdom turns.
When Holland found herself In lSl5-l0 OK.
common with all Europe had been plunged
By the wars OF the greatest butcher OF tho
days OF Jenghis Khan and Tamerlape. our
modern Attia. Napoleon Bonaparte; she had
colonial pOssessions. the valuable island Of |