The San Francisco call., 1904-07-03
. OLKS suffering from Jingoism.
II spread-eagleism. chauvinism-ell
such like isns, TO whatever coun-

" OLKS suffering from Jingoisn.
II spread-eagleism. chauvinism-ali
such like isms. 10 whatever coun-
i try they belong-would be well
advised 10 take tour OF Holland. It
is the idea Of the moment that size
spells happiness. The bigger the coun-
try, the better one Is for living there.
The happiest Frenchnan cannot posi-
bly, be as happy as the most wretched
Englishman, for the reason that Eng
land possesses many more thousands Of
square miles than France possesses.
The Swiss peasant compared with the
Russian serf must, when he looks at
the map Of Europe and Asia, feel him
self 10 be a miserable creature. The
reason that everybody in America is
happy and good is 10 be explained by
the fact that America has an area
equal 10 that OF the entire moon. The
American citizen who has backed the
wrong horse, missed his train and lost
his bag remembers this and feels
bucked up again. According TO this ar
gument fishes should be the happiest
of mortals. the sea consistng-at least
so says my atlas. I have not measured
II myself-of IA. 600 600 of square miles
But. maybe the sea is also divided in
WAYS We wot not OF. Possibly the sar-
dine who lives near the Brittany coast is
sad and disconnected because the Nor
zveCian sardine is the proud inhabitant
Of a larger sea Perhaps that is why
he has left the Brittany coast. Ashamed
Of being a Brittany sardine he has emil
grated 10 NOrway, has become a natur-
allied Norwegian sardine and is him.
self again. The happy Lonooner on
foEgE DAYS can warm himself with the
reflection that the sun never sets on the
British empire. He does not often see
the sun. but that is a mere detail. He
regards himself as the owner Of the
sun-the sun begins his little day in the
British empire. ends his little day in
the British empire; for all practical
purposes the sun is part OF the British
empire. Foolish people in other coun-
tries sit beneath IL and feel warm, but
that is only their ignorance; they do
not know il is a British possession; if
they did they would feel cold.
Ny views on this subject are, l
know. heretfcal. / cannot get it into
my UnpatriOuc head that size is the
only thing worth worrying about In
England. when I venture TO express
my out OF date opinions, 1. am called
a Little Englander- II fretted me at
first. ] was becoming a mere shadow.
But by now / have got used TO it It
would be the same, I feel. wherever
i went In New York I should be
Little American: in COnstantinople a
Little Turk. But I wanted TO talk
= bout Holland. A holiday in Holland
serves as a corrective TO exaggerated
imperialistic notions. There are no
poor in Holland. They may be an un-
happy people, knowing what a little
country IL is they live in; but II so,
they hide the fact. To all seeming.
the Dutch peasant, smoking his great
pipe, is as much a man as the White
chapel hawker or the moocher. of the
Paris boulevard. I saw a beggar once
IN HOlland-on the townlet of Enk-
huisen. Crowds were hurrying up
from the side streets TO have a look at
him; the idea at first seemed to be
that he was doing it for bet. He
turned out TO be a Portuguese. They
offered him work on the docks-until
he could get something better 20 do
at wages equal in English money to
about 10 shillings a day. I inquired
about him on my way back through
the town next day and was told he
had borrowed a couple of forms from
the foreman and had left by the even
ing train. II is not the country for
the loafer. In Holland work is easily
found; this takes away the charm Of
looking for it. A farm laborer in
Holland lives in a brick built house Of
six rooms, which generally belongs TO
him, with an acre or so Of ground:
and only eats meat once a day. The
rest Of his time he fills up on eggs and
chicken and cheese and beer. But you
rarely hear him grumble. His wife
and daughter may be seen on Sundays
wearing gold and silver jewelry worth
from ESQ 10 800. and there is gener-
ally enough old delft and pewter in