The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-06-01
HONORs FOR AWOMAN.
Two Orders, One from Gar, Bestow-
ed on Miss Kuyper, of Holland.


of No, Is Cambridge Place, Miss
Kuyper's father is DR.. Abraham Kuy-
per, who was Prime Minister of Hoi-
land for four years immediately fol-
lowing the Inauguration Of Queen VII
helmfna, and Miss Kuyper is person.
ally acquainted with the Queen. Miss
fKuyper wear two orders. Thato f 81.
AndTeas was bestowed upon her By
the Car of Russia for her services at
an international child life exhibit
held two years ago in st. Petersburg
This exposition displayed everything
connected with the play, education and
upbringing Of children. Miss Kuyper
acted as secretary to the commission
ers from Holland, Baroness Won HARM
semba She Slooten. Among her duties
was that of making a collection OF
Dutch dolls, which are said to be the
quaintest of their kind. The order is
a gold medal with the Emperor's head
in relief, suspended from a ribbon Of
red and blue. The other order is the
extremely ancient one of Meluslite,
'establisher in 1886 by the kings of
Jerusalem. A descendant OF these
ancient Armenian morlarchs. now liv-
ing in Paris, presented it to her in re-
o0gnitiOn of some services rendered to
Armenians in Amsterdam.
TITLED WOMEN AS NURSES.
The women Of the aristocracy IN Hol-
land, it seems, engage in activities
which one does not commonly asso-
ciates with aristocracy. Numbers OF
titled Ome there have gone through
schools of trained musings and become
heads of hospitals and other large in
situations in which they line and to
which they give up their lives. Miss
Kuyper's sister took such a training
and became head nurse of a mission
airy hospital in one of the native
states of Java. There was a sort of
missionary revival in Holland about
ten years ago, since when interest in
missionary matters has been active.
The society of which Miss Kuyper is
president, for example, raises all the
money for the support of this hospi-
tai and does all the sewing necessary
for it, All sorts of charitable work.
particularly day nurseries and other
institutions for children, occupy the
attention Of the conservative women
of Holland, but suffrage and every
thing connected with the feminist
movement they leave to the women
whom they rub "socialistic." There
are several. women doctors in Holland
and n wOman lawyer, but while they
do lot exactly lose caste they are not
thoroughly approved of by the cOnser-
vative element. Miss Kuyper seems
slightly bewildered by her attempts
TO mark, note and inwardly digest the
whole OF America during her visit.
"The American woman is the most
remargable type in the world she x
claimed, with an accent of profound
conviction. II will tell you why. In
Holland you meet women who are de-
voted to dress and society. They Gull
tivate the art of dressing. You meet
others who are highly trained INTEL
ectually and are interested in INTEL
ectual or artistic pursuits alone. Such
women rarely pay n attention to
dress. You meet others who are sim
ply excellent hausfraus, and devote
their entire time and attention to their
houses and children; or, if a woman
is religious, she devotes all her spare
tine to church matters, to the exclu-
sion of other interests. A woman Of
one of these types is usually obllv-
o u to h interests of the others. But
here in America all the women seem
to dress we'll. I have not met any
who did not. And they are all INTEL
dgent, not highly trained mentally,
perhaps, but all intelligent and up on
the question of the day. A general
respect for religion seems to prevail
among them without excluding other
interests, and they are all good house
keepers. 1t is the all aroundness OF
the American which must m
press any Dutch woman.
CLASS DIFFERENCES.
Another difference Is very marked
IN Holland you can tell a middle class
woman the instant you lay you eyes
on her before she opens her mouth
and much more after. The middle
class women and the OF the
a~ristOcracy are like two different races.
Their figures are different, their dress,
voices. manners, accent, almost their
houses differently, they write a differ
ent sort of letter. 1t is impossible ever
TO mistake a middle class woman for
an . class M But here it
is impossible often TO tell the differ
emce There is no dividing line. In
Holland a name is like wine The per-
son who knows lasts wine n says II
is a rare vintage, or that is common
stuff. So the person who knows hears
a family name and knows whether 1t
is Il high class. or low class. Here
the woman of low family, if h is ed
uCated, attractive and we'll TO no, mix
as with those of old family on terms OF
equality. AND the MANNER OF the up
per classes ar e very different mere.
With us persons of the a~ristocraey vii!
speak to those of a lower class as II
they were interiors. Here, / observe,
that is never done.
Then the dress is so different. The
women Of the middle class in Holland
dress in STYLES of their own, always
very plain and simple, and always m
dark colors. generally blue, brown or
black. No good family servant, Tor