Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-06-06
A PEEP AT HOLLAND.
MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND CHAR
aCTERIsrTCs OF THE PEOPLE.
THE DERIVATION OF THE NAME OF THE
Low LYING couSFRy--A uNIvER-
SAL ANTAGONIST TO DIRT
AND FILTH.


'erhat which more than anything else
arrests the attention Of foreigner Wis
fling Holland for the first time" says
traveller who has recently returned
/ from a tour of Europe and who records
his impressions OF Holland and It's To-
habltants in New York paper, sis the
fact that large portion Of the country
is from. eight to twenty feet below the
high water mark at Amsterdam. In
deed its name. Holland or Hollow
land is derived from It's peculiar topo-
graphical contiguration. But for the
expenditure OF vast sums of money and
unceasing watchfulness and tireless
industry in maintaining the barriers
against the Entertainments Of the sea
much of the country would be sub
merged. Nearly $10.000.o00 has been
expended in constructing the l.Goo
miles of defensive bikes. which seem to
say 10 the waves. as did King Canute.
Thus far shalt thou come. but no far
ther.'
THE Dutch people are generally be-
low the middle stature. inclined to cor
pulency and remarkable for a heavy,
awkward mien. The women have ey-
cecdingiy beautiful compilations. Their
skins are of pure white. but generally
they fail in expression and resemble
fine waxwork. 1t Is not little re-
markable that they retain their ex-
quisite compilations even beyond three
score and ten. And yet you would not
cali the Dutch women beautiful-theIr
persons are too short and robust. Your
admiration OF them would be much the
same as suggested by the representa-
tons at Nine. Tussaud's or the Eden
Musee.
The fashionable ladies' Of Holland
dress like those OF England and Amer.
lea, but fashion has little to do In the
rural districts OF Holland. The peasant
women wear caps OF immaculate
whiteness. resembling somewhat the
white portion of the headdress OF our
Sisters OF Charity. fitting closely to the
head and surmounted by an outer hood
OF wool or silk--this when visiting or
travelling. When at home their head
dress Is an immense hat of straw near
iy as large as an umbrella, adorned
with representations of stars. birds,
beasts. etc. Their waists are OF extray-
agant lengths, and the other portions OF
their dress are stuffed and padded to
degree that mocks proportion and sym
metry. This distinctive and never
changing fashion is handed down from
mother to daughter and Is substantially
just as 1t was in the days OF the Duke
of Aiva.
The most striking feature OF the
Dutch character is antagonism TO dirt
and filth. the extrayagant efforts to
insure cleanliness In some instances
amounting almost to insanity. Ii Is
scrub. scrub, scrub. even when the for.
eign eye falls to detect anything obiec-
tionable. The Dutch housewife sets
apart certain day for the cleansing
Of the bedroom. and upon that day the
bedroom must be cleaned. Even IL no
dirt be discernible, sufficient time has
elapsed for its accumulation. she rea-
sons. 1t is the bedrooms day, and II
must pass the ordeal
The lower parts of many of the
north Holland houses are lined with
white Dutch tiles, and some of the
rooms are paved with small square
tiles, put together without cement.
The kitchen furniture--in copper, tin.
pewter and iron-affortis striking
proof OF the mistress regard for neat
ness In arrangement and cleanliness In
appearance. The beds and tables are
covered with the finest linen, and the
rooms are adorned with pictures aud
the yards and gardens with flowers
The houses In almost every portion OF
the province OF north Holland present
gay appearance. The windows and
doors are generally painted green. and
the most lavish use of water is indulg-
ed in, not only the windows, but the
entire fronts of the houses. being wash.
ed two or three times each week. The
same care is extended to the streets in
which the more opulent Inhabitants re.
side.
The traveller is impressed with the
fact that Holland is emphatically a
country of large towns. The larger
towns are surrounded by market gar
dens, many of which are small, every
Inch of land being cultivated to the
highest possibility Of productiyeness.
These small gardeners do not keep
horses as beasts OF burden. since their
maintenance would involve a too con-
siderable expense. They employ dogs,
which are as much members of the
family as the sons or daughters. These
dogs are powerful brutes. capable OF
drawing loads out OF all proportion to
their size.
THE custom OF smoking is so preva.
lent in Holland that genuine Dutch
boor, instead of describing distances
between places by miles or hours. will
say town or house is so many pipes
away. Thus a man may reach Delft
from Rotterdam in four pipes, but IL