The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-08
FIVE WEEKS ABROAD.

AT AInSleTQan1 there are many I'M
po-tant museums. We spent but an
hour or two in ole of them, the largest,
known as the National, or Ryks
Museum The building covers several
acres and is of three stories. The curl
osities and works of art and interest
include guns and equipment for SOL
diers and sailors, models of ships. delft
and porcelain wares, silver and glass
ware, jewelry and orna ments of various
kinds, worn by generations passed,
casts and sculpture and paintings of
Rubens. Franz Halls, Van Dyck and
other artists, mainly those native to
Holland.
Two of the noted pictures here are
Rembrandt's might Watch" and Van
der HeIst's Banquet Scene The pic
ture of greatest interest to US was one
by Joseph Israelss known as alone in
the World We knew this to be in
this gallery. but found it with difficulty
as it was in a room off from the main
series. reached by a side corridor, lined
with busts and pieces of statuary.
When found it seemed like an old
friend, as we had seen it ten years ago
at the Worlds fair, in Chicago. where
the picture attracted great attention
| and was perhaps oftener pointed out
as great work than any other at the
Columbian Exposition.
The scene it will be remembered,
represents the widower at the death
bed of his wife. On either side of this
painting were two excellent portraits
by the same artist.
! Our train, which was to take US to the
Rhine, was marked to leave at 1920.
but none of the carriages which backed
up to the platform in the large station
was marked Cologne" our objective
point. We were at a loss into which
compartment to go. but thinking surely
the train must be ours. said geo
logne," ''Cologne.D several times, louder
and louder, to the station man IN uni
form: though not deaf he could NOT
comprehend what was meant and was
as much distracted because he could not
understand us as we were in not know
ing what to do. Finally, during the
proceedings of a dialogue, which was
coming to nothing, bright young Hot
| land girl, who knew some English. said
that our train was not there, but was
backing up from the yards on the same
track She explained to the agent in
uniform that we wanted to go to
'.Koln,'' pronouncing the 20" something
like short "u.'
We had supposed that Cologne was
Cologne whether perfumery. or the
name of a town. After the young Eady>s
explanation. there was no trouble in
finding the accommodations.
The railway ride through Holland
takes one by scenes extremely novel TO
those from the prairies. The country.
of course is quite fiat, the windmill
! Nv rich IL hi ale
landmark Canals and bitches divide
the fields into parallelograms. Some of
the canals were not larger than bitches,
although with sufficient water to pre-
NIT the floating of small boats and
skifs and affording means of commune
cation from farm to farm like country
( roadways for other craft in Kan
sas- Other bitches were still narrower
and filed the province OF line fences.
AT a small station on the frontier ev-
erYbody left the cars to look after the
inspection of luggage. With no trunks
our permission to leave Holland and en-
ter Germany was very simple per-
Torrance. One of the inspectors said
something in Dutch, or German. as we
opened our grips, merely looking into
them. I said Yes" but knew 1 was
taking some chances, not really know
ing whether he said You have no
thing dutiable?" Or, Have you any
thing dutiable?'
Having nothing of that sort OF course
we were safe, but I will never know
whether I SHOULD have said Eyes or
I no but it is altogether likely that the
inspector did not understand my an
swer, any more than I did his quas-
ton.
At any rate. he placed upon the grips
chalk marks which looked something
like the sign for the extraction of cube
root and we got back into our compart-
ment.
A fine looking gentleman Joined US.
We carried on a slow conversation by
pointing to various sentences in a book
which gave phrases in English and cor
responding ones in other languages. La
ter college bred young man, who could
talk the American language like ma
tive, entered the carriage and gave US
all kinds of information, helping to
decision as to the hotel which should
receive our patronage, having a choice
of several.
The time card showed that we would
arrive at Cologne at 1920 at night. AS
the train pulled into large station. it
was twenty minutes past nine by my
watch, and 1 remarked that we had
only another hours ride There was
much scurrYing around and nearly
everybody left the train Our German
friend had stepped off to the platform.
but seeing that we were not following,
came back to explain that this was
Cologne where we were going. Here
followed a wild scramble for hats.
wraps, umbrellas and a general picking
UP. We got off before the train pulled
out Between Amsterdam and Cologne
the time had changed one hour
Our stopping place for the night was
the Frote1 du Nord, a beautiful hos
telry facing the river and but a short