The Dickinson press., 1905-09-16
THE DUTCHWOMAN's CAP.
It IL Not Only Pretty, but It Denotes
.,ra the Wearer's Wealth..

ll.i I0Gi carers W O0x10sS
The caps Of the women Of Holland
are not only beautiful, they are full Of
Significance and eloquent through their
decoration and jeweling Of the worldly
estate and condition of their wearers.
The wealthy burghers wife in Amster-
dam or The Hague or in D%ordrecht,
who lives perhaps in one Of the ,numer-
Gus fine old sixteenth century houses,
who is Of ancient and respectable lin
cage, who has a retinue OF, buxom
landmarks to do her will and, to keep
her home in order, tells of her good for
tune when she walks abroad to take
the air, for she e beneath a mod
ern bonnet her Nuts, the lace Of which
is old, rare and costly and was per-
haps made in ,Bruges or Brussels or
some famous Flemish convent. Be-
meath its delicate gossamer CLEANS the
heavy gold Krullen, and from its horns
or Spiegels depend hanging ornaments
Of rich gold set with great cleaning
pearls.
The jeweled Krullen is often of great
age, having been handed down from
mother toSdaught2r FOR a succession of
generations-and it Is on that account
an object Of great value to it's wearer.
But If n is impressed by the beau
ty Of the h~eaddresses in the large and
important towns of Holland, tits only
when visiting the smaller towns and
the villages that the full significance
of the cap makes itself felt. Especial
~ is this the case in the provinces of
Zealand and Beveland. though in the
north and by the shores Of the Zuyder
Zee there are many fascinating caps in
evidence. Thanks to the work of mod
ern artists, the little village Of Volen-
dam has been immortalfzed, and the
world is we'll acquainted with the cos
tune Of its women and its sturdy men.
Cleanliness is the keynote in the har-
mony which Volendam stands for. It
is strikingly apparent in the spotless
cap, as in every detail Of the costume,
down to the white or black polished
Klompers which are universally worn
Her home, the pride Of every Volen-
dam woman, is a pattern Of cleanli-
ness BETTING its mistress. Her snowy
cap and broidered kerchief are mir
rored in q hundred sparkling Masses
or polished plates Of china or delft, and
there is not a Granny or corn which
does not bear testimony to the thor
oughness with which she h~assswielded
broom or buster.
Wherever travels in Holland one
finds the cap telling it's story. In the
southern provinces in the island Of
Bevel n may gather from it's length
whether the wearer follows the teach
ings of Luther or is q member of the
Roman Catholic church. Is the child
an orphan? Then by her cap her con-
dition shall be made known. Has
some one member of the family gone
to join the great majority The plain
soft white h~eaddresses Of the women
folk shall tell the pathetic story
through the depth Of their linen Dor.
ders and their lack Of lace.
At the kermis, at the weddings, at
the jolly country dances where men
and maids gather to make merry, the
young manageable women tell OF
their single state, for on their fore
heads they . an ornament of gold
called the naald. This piece Of jewel.
~ is fastened to the Krullen; it covers
the left temple and 5broadens out tx
its end on the forehead between the
eyes. Thus q glance at the young
women's caps Is all that is needed K
acquaint the interested SWANS as K
whether tho fair charmers are in thu
marriage market, which simplihei
matters Observation-Disclosures.