New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-25
UNCHANGING HOLLAND.
Picturesque Characteristics Of Quaint
People.


alike in one respect. They do not readily depart
from their ancient customs. While, unlike the
Chinese, the Dutch have advanced along the
path OF civilization in the with their neigh
bors they have retained their antique stamp
more clearly perhaps than any of the neighbor-
ing Northern races.
The Dutch remind visitors of the Chinese IN
another respect. In China pagoda stamps
the landscape a part of the Celestial King
dom. Hollands fiat country is distinguished
by the sweeping arms of innumerable Windmiils
challenging any vagrant Don Quixote to combat.
AS in China, for some reason, new pagodas
are being built SO In Holland the supply of
windmills is not being Increased. The Dutch,
being progressive in the discovery of opportuni
ties to economic. are substituting steam and
other forms of power for the capricious wind.
1t is said that there are twelve thousand wind
mills in Holland. so those who have not visited
the quaint little country need have no alarm
over the fact that they have not yet seen this
characteristic feature of the Dutch landscape.
The number is said, however. to be less than it
was fifty years ago.
Any one who has been down on the eastern
end of Long Island has doubtless observed the
old windmills there and the tiny windmill
perched up the top opposite the great arms
and suggesting a pug dogs curled tail Perhaps
the observer has not gone far into the mech
anism Of the windmill to discover that the
little windmill is the Yankees method of auto
matcany keeping the sails on the great arms al
ways in the wind. AS as the wind changes it
sets the small wheel in notion and this quickly
rolls the top of the tower and the big wheel
around until it again faces the wind, and then,
being itself out of the wind stops. Whenever
the wind changes in Holland hundreds of mill
keepers come forth and laboriously turn the
aboJt NV baO On see
and straining on the galleries surrounding the
towers midway between the ground and the top
or Juggling at the spokes of a wheel the
ground.
Zaanland Is especially the home of the wind
mill. 1t lies to the north and west of Amster-
dam and every place in it begins ends in
"zaan."
Zaandijk, one traveller who passing
through the place said, reminded him of thu
old query: DO you anything green?" Every
thing seemed to be green. Bridges, fences doors,
windows walls were green, ranging from the
green of peas to that of apples, olives grass,
malachite, beryl, old bottles and verdigrs. At
Zaandam nearby village known to the world
as the place where Peter the Great of Russia
learned the art of shipbuilding, is a little
museum Of curious things illustrating Dutch life.
In this little museum are models of windmilIs.
Here is the model of the first windmill erected
in Zaandam. 1t stood in the water and when il
was desired to turn the sails toward the wind
the miller got into his boat, and, taking a line.
towed the whole structure around until it was
in a working position again. Later on the mill
set upon a post and the whole turned about
this axis, in the manner that one
revolves bookshelVeS about Then some one
devised another method The whole edifce was
turned about from the bottom like monitors
turret. Finally the comparatively modern in
venton adopted of a cap holding the axle
and sails with a cogWheel and spindle inside and
easily moved from below by a handwheeI or
windlass to secure the proper frontage at will
With the disappearance of the windmill one
will never hear again of such a suit the one
between the Lord of Woerst and the over Ijssel
Monastery to who owned the wind and had
a right to 1t. The old feudal master as
serted that Boreas and all the fruit of the puff
inSs Of his checks which frisked over the coun-
try, as well as Neptune and all his pudd!es were
his. The Bishop of Utrecht to whom the suit
was referred, decided, perhaps as knowing on |
which side his bread was buttered, that the
lord was right in his contention.
Down the tri9 ngle of one of the villages on |
the eastern end of Long Island stands a wind |
mill, gray with its hundred years but as fit"
apparently, as in its husky youth It's sails are |
furled for its services are not called for A |
New-Yorker one day observed that the mill was |
idle, and asked native why it performed no |