The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-05
A PEEP AT HOLLAND.
MANNERS, CUSTOMS AND CHARAC-
TERISTiCS OF THE PEOPLE.

Eftreme-"Man's Faithful Friendr-A
Novel Way OF Measuring Distance-Love
of Money tho Ruling Passion.
A traveller who has recently returned
from tour Of Europe thus communicates
TO tho New York Times his impressions of
Holland and it's inhabitants:
THAT which moro than anything else
arrests the attention of n foreigner visiting
Holland for the first time is tho fact that
largo portion of the country Is from s to
20 feet below tho high water mark ut Am
sterdam. Indeed it's namc, Holland, or
'Uo.lOwland,' Is derived from its peculiar
topographicai conlguratiun. But for tho
expenditure OF vast sums of money and
unccasing watchfulness and tigclcss indus
try in maintaining the barriers against the
entertainments OF tho sea, much of the
country would be submerged Nearly
$40, 000,0 00 has been expended in con-
struc;ing the 500 miles of defensive dikcs
which seem 10 say TO the waves, aS did
King Cauutc, Thus far shalt thou come,
but no farther
THE Dutch people arc generally below
tho middle stature, inclined TO corpulency
and remarkable for IL heavy, awkward
micn. Tho women have exceedingly beau
tiful complications Their skins are of "a
pure white, but generally they fnil in OK
preston and resemble fine waxwork. 1t is
not littlo rcmarkai,lc that they rstain
their exquisite complications even beyond
threescoro and ten. And yet you would
not call the Dutch women bcautiful-thcir
persons arc too short and robust. Your
admiration of them would DO much tho
samo as suggested by tie representations
at Nine. Tussaud's or the Eden Musee.
The fashionable ladies of Holland dress
like those of England and America, bus
fashion has little to do in tho rural dis
tricts Of Holland. Tho peasant women
wear caps of immaculate Wilderness, re-
sembling somewhat tho white portion of
the headdresi of our sisters OF charity, fit
ting closely to tho head and surmountcd
by an outer hood of wooden or silk; this
when visiting or travelling. When Mt
home, their headdress is an immense hat of
straw nearly rs large rs an umbrella,
adorned with representations of stars,
Dlrds, boasts, etc. Their waists arc OF ex-
travagant lengths, and the other portions
OF their dress are stuffed and padded to u
degree that Knocks proportion and sym
metry. This distinctive and never chang
Ing fashion IS handed down from mother
to daughter and is substantially Just as it
was In the days of tho Duke of Alva.
Iho most striking feature of the Dutch
character Is antagonism to dirt and filth,
their extravaganza efforts to insure cleanli-
ness in some instances amounting almost
toinsanity. 1t is scrub, scrub, scrub, even
when tho foreign eye fails to detect any,
thing objectionable. The Dutch house
wife sots apart certain day for the cleans
ipg of, say, the bedroom, and upon that
Hay the bedroom must be cleaned. Even
u no dirt be discerniblc, sufficient time
has elapsed for its accumulation, she rem
sons; it is tho bedrooms day, and it must
pass the ordeal.
Tho lowcr parts Of many of tho north
Holland houses arc lined with white Dutch
tiles, and some of the rooms are paved
with small. square tiles, put together
without cement. The kitchen furniture
lin copper, tin, pewter and iron-affords
striking proof of the mistress regard for
neatness in arrangement and cleanliness
in appearance. The beds and tables are
covered with tho finest linen and the rooms
arc adorned with pictures and the yards
and gardens with flowers. The houses in
almost every portion Of the province of
North Holland present gay appearance.
Tho windows and doors arc generally
painted green gpd the moss lavish use Of