Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-12-22
WONDERFUL BROCK

| A Nentness ara 3 Bri7Iinncy That
| Are Absolutely Painful Pervnde the
| WheIe place-Itu1cs which the In
hasitants Must Observe.
Far up in northern Holland among
| the bikes and canals Of the little king
dom lies Brock, the original Spotless
Town. The palings of the fences of
Brock are sky blue. The streets are
paved with shining bricks of many col
ors. The houses are rose colored,
black, gray, purple, light blue or pale
green. Tie doors are painted and gid
ed. For hours you may not see a soul
In the streets or at the windows. The
streets and houses, bridges, windows
and barns show a neatness and bril-
liancy that are absolutely painful. At
every step new effect is disclosed, a
new scene is beheld, as il painted upon
the drop curtain Of stage. Every
thing is minute, compact, painted,
spotless and clean. In the houses of
Brock for cleaning purposes you will
find big brooms, little brooms, tooth
brushes. aqua forts, whiting for the
window panes, rouge for the forks and
spoons, coal dust for the copper, emery
for the iron utensils, brick powder for
the floors and even small splinters Of
wood with which to pick out the tiny
bits of straw in the cracks between the
bricks. Here are some Of the rules OF
this wonderful town:
Citizens must leave their shoes at the
door when entering a house.
Before or after sunset no one Is allowed
to smoke excepting with pipe having
cover, so that the ashes will not be scat
tered upon the street
Any one crossing the village on horse
back must get out of the saddle and lead
the horse.
a cuspidor shall be kept by the front
door OF each house where 1t may be ac-
cessibe from the window.
1t is forbidden to cross the village in a
carriage or to drive animals through the
streets.
In addition to these established rules
1t is the custom for every citizen who
sees leaf or bit of straw blown be-
fore his house by the wind to pick 1T
up and throw it into the canal. The
people go 500 PAGES out Of the village
to dust their shoes. Dozens Of boys
are paid to blow the dust from be-
tween the bricks in the streets four
times an hour. In certain fuses the
guests are carried over the threshold
SO as not to soil the payements. At
one time the mania for cleaning in
Brock reached such a point that the
housewives Of the village neglected
even their religious duties for scrub
bling and washing. The village pastor.
after trying every sort Of persuasion,
preached a long sermon. in which he
declared that every Dutchwoman who
had faithfully fulfilled her duties to-
ward God in this world would find in
the next q house packed full of furni-
ture and stored with the most various
and precious articles Of use and orna-
ment, which, not being distracted by
other occupations, she would be able
to brush, wash and polish for all eter-
nifty. The promise Of this sublime
recompense and the thought Of this
extreme happiness filed the women
with such fervor and piety that for
months thereafter the pastor had no
cause for complaint.
Around every house in Brock are
buckets, benches, rakes, hoes and
stakes, all colored red, blue, white or
yellow. The brilliancy and variety OF
colors and the cleanliness, brightness
and miniature pomp of the place are
wonderful. At the windows there are
embroidered curtains, with rose col
ored ribbons. The blades bands and
nails Of the gayly painted windmills
shine like silver. The houses are
brightly vanished and surrounded
with red and white ratings and fences.
The panes of glass in the windows are
bordered by many lines of different
hues. The trunks of all the trees are
painted gray from root to branch.
Across the streams are many little
wooden bridges, each painted as white
as snow. The cutters are ornamented
with sort of wooden festoon, per-
forated like lace. The pointed ia
cades are surmounted with small
weathercock, a little lance or some
thing resembling bunch of flowers.
Nearly every house has two doors,
one in front and one behind, the last
for everyday entrance and exit and
the former opened only on great occa-
sions, such as births, deaths and mar
riages.
The gardens are as peculiar as the
houses The paths are hardly wide
enough to walk in. One could put
his arm around the f1owerbeds The
dainty arbors would barely hold two
persons sitting close together. The lit
tie myrtle hedges would scarcely reach
to the knees of four-year-old child.
Between the arbors and the flower
beds run little canals which seem made
to float paper boats. They are crossed
by miniature wooden bridges, with
colored pillars and parapets. There
are ponds the size of bath, which
are almost concealed by lilliputian
boats tied with red cords to blue
stakes, tiny staircases and miniature
kitchen gardens. Everything could be
measured with the hand, crossed at a
leap, demolished by blow. More
over, there are trees cut in the shape
of fans, plumes and disks, with their
trunks celored white and blue. At
every step one discovers new effect,
a fresh combination of hues, novel
caprice. some new absurdity