The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-10-03
A TOWN WITHOUT WHEELS.
The Only Place in the World Where
They Never Saw a Bicycle.
TWO AMERICAN BLOOMERETTES.
They visit yollendam and Throw the D"tch
People Into Ecstasies of Won
der-Wooden shoes on
Pedals.


VOLLENDAM, HOLLAND, Sept. p
Vollendam IS the only city i'm the woriu
that has never known bicycle, OF @'
least it never had until lately. NoNenuani
is a little fishing village. 1t was founoed
so many hundreds Of years ago that even
Holland literature has no record OF us
first settling. and its citizens are the
most conservative on earth, ana tIlal -
why 1t has never known a blcycle. a.
The people who live there are the oau,,
est, most old-fashioned folks you cou'u
imagine. . .a
The men wear magenta waistcoats anu
remarkable trousers buttOned with h"s0
silver buttons that are heirlooms 81.
In Nollendam man never loses - do
trouser button. but II he happens 70 40
so a search is ordered all through tne
village. and no one rests until the Dul1Oh
has been found and returned. Il,
Vo!lendam is the quaintest viilaBes VS.
tors say, they ever saw. There are funny
little peak-roofed. red-tiled houses, Win
the walls painted bright yellow ana COW
cred with old Delft ware that the ps9pile
will not sell. You can imagine the pIh-
Uancv of the colOring The women wear
aprons Of bright blue with piece al Ihe
top OF the brightest possible pldid; lne
bOdlCes are OF lowered Cmhtz OIL Diisu1
yellow embroidered In Inherent colOIs,
and even the sabots are grass green OF
yellow. 49,, ,.-
The little girls dress exactly Ike their
mothers. and 50 do the little boys III
skirts and all. until they are seven, Mheh
they are put i'm boomers. and the only
way they can be told IS by lttle DISC
the size of a dollar embroidered on the
back OF their tight little baby caps. The
girls caps haven't them, but as they are
az Vari-cOlOred as JOseph's coat II Is nara
To recognize the little disc when you see
them on the boys. 80
These little caps are worn by the chill
a
the grown boys. All Of them, from Dables
10 grandmOthers. nave long cuil from
each side of the face. and bang thdt IS
treated to a dose OF blue or something
To make ID stick out Ike a single. me
rest of the head Is shaved. The Cnlldreh
lOOok like little fairy princes with tneir
golden curls and gay dresses, ana Wnen
YOU are there II seems as though you
Were living 4 little fairy story while you
are among them. When the people OF
VOlendam 60 in bathing they use bath
ing machine. and tourists are also offered
the hospitality OF one A bathing ma
chine is a nice little dressng-rDom on
wheels. II is driven out into the water.
So when you are ready YOU open your
front door and step into the sea-a wise
arrangement, seeing that Dutch bathing
dresses are perfect horrors The little
room remains in the water as long as you
do, and when YOU are safely IN IL again
the horse is hitched to IL and you are
driven mp on the beach and complete
your twilight" at leisure.
The people OF Vollendam never take
up new things. Even the children never
play new pranks on each other. They 30
the same tricks year after year. play the
same games. and hand down from gene
ration 10 generation the same little old
playthings. They are sweet little things
who know nothing OF the ways and wiies
OF the American child.
But a few days ago there was sensa-
ton In Ncllendam. and II was caused by
the arrival Of two American girls. They
~ NaI.4
Paris to see Holland. one OF
them was from Chicago. and the
other from a Southern city They
had heard that there were strange
places in Holland, and they set
out 10 find one OF them. When they lefr
Paris they discarded their skirts and
put on the comfortable bloomer. which
Is very becoming and graceful II II is
made right
when these girls arrived in Vollendam
they went TO the hotel. and there prepar-
ed TO 20 forth, bnt when they came out
the door Asking someone what was the
matter. they received the reply
1T is YOUR bicycles"
Vollendsm never saw a bicycle before.
What. never saw a bicycle?' SAID the
girl from Chicago.
why, even in the conservative South
they have wheels" said the Southern
girl.
Then the Vollenders seeing that the
two Americans were good-natured. gath
cred around them and asked questions,
sesticulating and making the most ex-
pressive motions The Americans knew
n little Dutch and managed to answer
their questions IN a way.
When they learned that Vollendam had
never before seen q wheel. they were as
tOnished After a little persuasion they
kindly consented to give exhibitions OF
riding. and did such marvellous feats as
riding around In a circle. mounting and
dismounting racing with each other, rid
ing with one hand on the handle bars,
and standing up on the pedals.
These small tricks. that are known 10
every American girl who rides a wheel,
filed the Vollenders with wonder, and
one OF them more venturesome than the
rest. asked TO be allowed 20 sit on the
saddle OF course. she had to be held
there. ard this only increased her wonder
of the performances OF the American
girls.
When asked ~ they would like TO have
i<rycles introduced IN NOllendam they
looked wistful. but shook their heads and
glanced furtvely az the men. as much as
TO say They would never allow It,"
One OF the little boys OF Nollendam
cried when the American girls started
away. so the Chicago girl gOod-naturedly
brought back her wheel and put the lit
tie fellow on II. allowing him TO rest his
big wooden shoes on the pedals. This so
delighted him that. he stood mp and lost
his balance and fell over the handle bars.
He pointed 10 his wooden shoes and
laughed as much as to say that they
were the reason why he had not been
able TO ride
The girls. with American enterprise
asked the hotel proprietor why he did
not attach a bicycle agency TO his hotel
but he too, shook his head and said he
was afraid II would not be very popular
Not moro than a dozen visitors year
como to VOlendam. and these usually
Journey by rail and stop only long enough
TO look at the quaint old Dutch town.
But 70 should have a place I'm history.
for II Is the only city IN the world that
has never had a bicycle in its limits
until now.