Evening star., 1899-04-15
IN A HOLLAND MARKET
One Of the Interesting Sights of an Attrac-
tive Country.
Dairy Products and Garden Truck
That Cannot BE ExceIled-some ,
Quaint Old Costumes.
From Harper's Bazar.

In the very heart of the province-perhaps
the most fertile of all the eleven in the
NetherlandsAs famed for many things,
but the market is not the least of Middel-
burg's glories. The pretty city hall-or
state house. as we Americans, borrow
ing and slightly altering the Dutch stad-
huis. say-the wonderful museum, which
shows among other things De Ruyter's
rope wheel, and that Middelburger in
vented the telescope, the wonderful old abb
bey, and last, but not least, the jolly ker-
mis- are all here
The typical Iceland woman is not fat or
heavy, but of fair average build, with rosy
cheeks under her snow white cap and pro-
Jections of linen or lace with outriggers of
golden ball. mirror or corkscrew Her bare
arms, sensitive to the sun, are as red as a
lobster boiled. Her substantial woolen
gown and voluminous skirts give her
imposing appearance, and she requires
much room for walking. Her short sleeves
are tipped with black velvet. Over the
bust when on dress parade, as in church,
or at the kermis, or in company, she neat
ly folds some warm-looking stuff of wool,
which has in it touches of bright color.
But on ordinary days, over her shoulders
and well down over her bosom is broad
mass of white, that reminds one of a gen.
tleman In full dress with his expanse of
laundered linen. Very often there is around
the neck a black velvet band or, among the
well-to-do. a wide chain or band of coral.
In some of the provinces it is easy to
distinguish the married from the unmarried
women. Not only in Friesland, but in some
parts of iceland according as the feather
or strap of gold is worn on the left or the
right temple, Is the woman marked as viz
gin or wife. The Dutch proverb for wo-
man over thirty and without an engagement
ring in view Is She has come to sit in the
klomp market" These typical Dutch shoes,
made of timber, and able to serve, as occa-
sion requires for foot-gear, for instruments
of domestic castigation. for the collection
of toll, for the reception of Santa Claus
gifts. for fowerpots, soap holders, frewood
even for drir king cups, are much used
in the country.
Nearly every market has its specially,
and often it's peculiarity. Yet even fash
ions in the market change, and not few
markets of Deventer. Antwerp. Bommel.
Hasselt and other places can no longer be
explained by those who them, even
though the laugh follows the use of the
spreckwoord. He has been all through
the market" means that 'he knows it all.
Gossip and chat especially associated
with the women who sell eggs, for it seems
to be the invariabie rule, as l have noticed
in Dutch markets, for the egg sellers to
stand in line. Indeed, as long as business
is not lively they are often arm in arm,
the baskets being uniformly of one size
and shape, showing the fresh-laid eggs. The
butter sellers, however, usually sit, their
golden treasures being arranged in baskets
set on boards or on the stone tables Wnicn
stTtp HSltItS III many VI tiie
ket places. These women come in from the
country early in the morning, and Haret
day in the small towns is one of hustle and
iveliness. On these red-ietter days for the
business of the town the public room is usu-
ally crowded to full capacity. The peas
ants who cannot afford the dinner. which
on market days is especially sumptuous,
have broodjes or sandwiches, with meat,
cheese of sausage, often supplemented with
egg herring or shrimp salad.
1t is doubtful whether any country in the
world grows garden vegetables OF a more
delicate flavor than the Netherlands, anu
Dutch lettuce is especially crisp and tender
iceland, or literally sea land, being net
work of islands surrounded by waters en-
all sides, has not only the most fertile soil,
but waters of all depths In these are the
great oyster-breedng grounds, in which
one can see hundreds of women, both care
less and happy and others often literally
"cappy and hairless who wear during
their working hours trousers like men.
They wear the snowy cap and temple band
Of linen with gold ornaments. the tight
bodice and bare arms, and strange volu-
minous trousers, with boots coming far
above the knees. Beside the oyster beds
are the great shrimp waters. where these
translucent and hump backed creatures are
caught by the millions to make both deli
cious stews, curries, salads and sauces.
The shrimp girls seem to be very happy
folk, carrying their baskets on neck yokes.
If we may judge from the pictures, as we
often have from observation Trintje and
Grietje and Catalyntje enjoy their meeting
with Claes, Barent and Frans as much as
they do selling their shrimps. While the
women hide all their hair except a smooth
rolled bang over the forehead, the men cut
their thick locks short and high up from
the neck, about on level with the orifice
of the ear. SO that they remind one of an
Egyptian of the age of Nefert.
A final word about the costumes. Alas!
for the artist and tourist who have al
ways believed that We must look to little
countries for the spice of variety in this
hll lr16 6rllyf he mt
every year fading away before the march
of modern clothes. Nevertheless, of the
six score or more varieties. many yet re-
main in the eleven provinces, especially in
the rural parts. When Queen Wilhelrnina,
two years ago, visited certain town in
iceland, there came from all parts of the
province women with pretty faces and
wearing no fewer than forty characteristic
local costumes. In Goes | noticed that the
Catholic and Protestant girls wore the stiff
lace fronting, their caps square or round
according to their faith We might mar
rate the pretty tradition that links the
origin of the Netherlandish female head
dresses with the Introduction of Chris
tianity and the emergence of the Neither
landers from paganism. Despite its vast
variations the Dutch peasants head-dress
is conventionalized crown of thorns but
this" as Kipling says, is another story"