The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-07-19
IN A DUTCH CITY.
An Americans First Impressions OF RoA
terdana.

Especial Correspondence.1
ROTTERDAM, July 3.-This city inn
presses me as being bright town, full
Of modern spirit. Vainly looked for
quaintness, dreaminess or hoariness Of
aspect-the qualities so dear to the eye
and heart Of the incoming, romantic
traveller. They were not here.
As came up the river Mas on tht
steamer l thought of the Hudson and this
strange legends concerning the old
Dutch adventures who had sailed
through its waters Ny mind was full
q pictures Of hardy sailors, queer looking
houses, lazy men dressed a Ia Rip Van
Wrinkle; smoking, pedantic schoolmas-
tiers; shrewish housewives; stolid, club
by children, and skittle playing,
schnapps drinking COLLINS. In a vague
way 1 half expected to see the charae-
tiers in Washington Irving's odd tale
standing on the wharf 1 thought I
might sleep and dream in the midst Of
the shadows of the past. as some poet
or another dolly puts it. But, no. The
people were awake Everything was
Epick span new, and s1nacking of the
hurry and rush of America.
Over I went to the hotel, place fit
ted up after the latest and most approvs
ed fashion. By this time 1 had become
reconci1ed to the mOdernness Of the sur
roundings and to the fact that the un-
dreamy, unsleepy Dutch were evidently
up to date-that they knew a thing or
two. OF course it was a hardship of the
severest caiiber to be unable to revel
luxuriously in the romantic fog Of days
older and more moss covered; but, as in
the case of many other hardships,
braced myself stoutly and bore up.
After breakfast I started to see the
town. It struck me as being mixed up
sort Of town, with plenty Of water in
the mixing. Canals, bridges and again
canals were everywhere. They were part
of the means by which the Dutch had
fought their mightiest foe Of all-the
oceun-for centuries.
Soon was sauntering along the VIII
helminakade, a fine boulevard in de-
sign. l was putting a cigar and thank
ing the gods because of the cheapness
Of tobacco in Rotterdam. Here every
body smokes. And no wonder. For 2
cents You may get a cigar the like of
which you would be unable to get in
New York for less than 1 5. The customs
authorities of Holland are lenient toward
the bringers in of the weed SO soothing
and fragrant-naybe out of respect for
the memory of their pipe smoking ances-
tors. But they more than make up for
this leniency in other ways. Sugar,
mustard, salt and other staples are un-
considerably dear.
Walking along the boulevard were
women bright Of face and eyes, who
were dressed after the latest Partisan
fashion. Their complexlons were red
and healthful looking and rather out of
accord with the subtle color toning Of
their French style Of dressing Their
oh 1ear
id and enduring character. In this re-
spact they were quite different from the
svelte Frenchwomen had seen in Paris
few days before, and who often gave
me the impression Of unsubstautialitY
and hyawaylilze airiness. There was
nothing to suggest a flying away here.
The women were on the earth and SEEM
ed to know of it. The only thing 1 met
with in Rotterdam that at all approach
ed oddness or quaintness was a hunden
car, and this struck me as a being outre
and practical rather than quaint. Hun
den car means dog car. 1t is built some
what after the fashion of a London COS
termonger's cart, and when I saw it in
the distance it appeared as if man was
prOpelling it. He was not, however.
He was only guiding or steering it. The
motive power was supplied by a huge,
built dog that was harnessed
beneath it. 1 saw this as the car went
by. Indeed the sight of the dog-it was
a stiff-with its rolling, bloodshot
eyes and lolling tongue, startled me. Tt
painted heavily and seemed as if strug-
Cling to get at and tear up every thing
in sight.
These cars are the costermonger carts |
of Rotterdam. The dogs usurp the place
of the much belabored and patient Lon
don jacl1ass.
The laboring class in Rotterdam wear
the funniest looking wooden shoes, or,
as they call them in the north of Eng
land, clogs, imaginable They call them
klompen. They seem to be made for the
purpose of injuring pavements, and
their name is suggestive of them be-
cause of the fact that you may hear the
'sklomp, klomp, of the Dutchman a
half mile away as he steps gingerly,
lightly and airily upon the flags. They
are huge in size and in shape something /
like a cross between a small Chinese |
junk and the shell of a big land turtle.
They are the ugliest and clumsiest look I
ing things that ever made hideous the
long suffering and much tortured feet
of men. What their utility can possibly
be would require the united wit of all
the wise men of Greece to find out.
Maybe it Is to let you know that the
man of toll is coming, or it may be that
the old Dutch fighters Of the waters
the idea Of building them for
the purpose of skating out over the
ocean when it became obstreperous and
tried to snuff out Holland However. /
they are practical and in evidence rather 1
80 l.