The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-21
THE LEADER
HOWELLs IN HOLLAND.
The Novelist Draws Comparisons Be-
tween Its Institutions and Ours.
To-

EarperS weekly.
But in Europe everything is permanent
and in America everything is provisional
This is the great distinction which, If al
ways kept in mind, will save great deal
of idle establishment. 1t is in nothing more
apparent than in the preparation here at
Scheveningen for centuries of summer Wis
itors, while at our Long island hotel there
them. When it seemed likely that it might
be a winning bet the sand was planked
there in. front of the hotel to the sea with
spruce boards. 1t was very handsomely
planked, but 1t was never afterwards
touched, apparently, for any manner OF re-
which the hotel stands is shored up with.
massive masonry, and bricked for carriages,
and tiled for foot passengers; and 1t is all
kept as clean as if wheel or foot had never
passed over it. am sure that there is not
a broken brick or broken tile in the whole
length OF, breadth of it, But the hotel here
is not a bet; it is a business. 1t has come
to stay, and on Long island it had come
to see how it would like it.
Beyond the walk and drive, however, the
dunes are left to the winds, and to the
vegetation with which the Dutch planting
clothes them against the winds. First
coarse grass or rush IS soWn; then a inner
heritage comes; then tough brushwood,
with flowers and blackberry vines; so that
while the seaward slopes of the dunes are
somewhat patched and tattered, the land
ward side and all the pleasant hollows be-.
tween are fairly held against such gales as
on Long island blow the lower dunes hither
and yon. The sheep Craze in the valleys at
some points, out IN many q uJIle pocket OF
the dunes, I found potato patch of about
The bigness of a city lot, and on week days
1 saw wooden-shod men slowly, slowly
gathering in the crop. On Sundays 1 saw
the pleasant hooks and corners of these
sandy hillocks devoted, as the dunes of
,, Long island were, to whispering lovers, who
are here as freely and fearlessly affection
ate as at home. Rocking there is not, and
cannot be- in the nature Of things, as there
used to be at Mount Desert but what is
called Twoing at Yorke Harbor is perfectly
practicable.
1t is practicable not only in the hooks and
corners of the dunes, but on dscreeter
terms in those hooded willow chairs, SO
CHARACTERISTIC Of the Dutch seaside. These
II raced in pairs towards each other must be
as favorable 10 the exchange Of VOWS as of
opinions, and if the crowd is ever very
great, perhaps one chair could be made to
hold two persons. 1t was distinctly a. pang
the other day to see men carrying them
up from the beach, and putting them away
to hibernate in the basement of the hotel.
though l dare say that on fine days
throughout October they will go trooping
back to the sands on the heads of the same
men, like procession of monstrouS two
Legged crabs. Such day was last Sunday,
and then the beach offered a lively image
or It's summer gayety. 1t was dotted with
hundreds of hooded chairs which forgath-
cred in gossiping groups or confidential
couples; and as the sun shone quite warm
the flaps Of the little tents next the dunes
were let down against it. and ladies in
sunstroke in their shelter. The wooden
booths for the sale of candies and mineral
waters, and beer and sandwiches, flushed
with sudden prosperity, so that when
went to buy my pound Of grapes from the
good woman who understands my Dutch,
dreaded an indifference in her which by no
warmly as If had been her sole customer
and did not put up the price on me; per-
haps because 1t was already so very high
that her imagination could not rise above