Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-24
THE PALACE OF PEACE
SCENE OF CONFERENCE - CON-
vICT WEEDS JAnER's DAUGHTER.
Special Cablegram to The Star.

Special Cablegram to The Star.
THE HAGUE, June 24.-The eyes Of the
civilized world have for some time been
fixed on The Hague. the scene Of The
Hague peace conference. Hence the place
OF the assembly is Of unusual interest just
at the present time.
The new palace Of peace in which the
representatives Of the worlds powers are to
conduct their deliberations in the future
has not yet been built. The old meeting
place Of the last conference. the Huis ten
Bosch near The Hague, was not found
entirely convenient for so large a gather
ing. There was hardly enough room for
all the representatives in the great hall
and the various committee rooms in which
the multifarious details of the work Of the
conference had to be discussed were located
in the Binnenhof a mile and half away,
on the south bank of the vyver in The
Hague This naturally involved some loss
of time and for the conference Of this sum-
mer more commodious and suitable quar-
ters were found on the east side of the
courtyard of the Binnenhof itself. where
the old committee rooms are once more at
the service of the delegates.
The building is perhaps the most interest
ing in all Holland In more ways than one.
The gable at the west end. with its rose
window like that of a cathedral. rises be-
tween two cylindrical fortress towers on
WHICH, LILO udt tidCcIy VI Tie IHolH ldCduo
Is repeated and their pointed currents pierce
into the air above the topmost carving Of
the central roof Between them and be-
meath the rose window Is flight of stone
steps with a small Gothic porch supported
upon pillars. which give the relief Of their
white coloring against the russell Of the
brickwork OF the main structure. The high
pitched roof with the dormer windows on
the northern side has all Of the appearance
familiar in such structures as the market
hall Of Bruges or the great town hall of
Flanders. - But this Is, however more
severely Gothic In its character. Its strong,
square buttresses end In rounded pinnacles
at the line Of the machicolations which de-
Tended the fortress palace Of Count Floris
and the larger windows beneath them are
inset beneath round arches in the thickness
of the masonry
Within the feeling Of solidity and
strength, of absolute fitness for its varied
purposes of splendor or defense. of pompous
ceremonial or of proud security, becomes
yet more accumulated. The western porch
opens straight into the Knights Hall, and
this Is the vast and nobly proportioned
apartment which entertains the conference.
The span of its vault is sthe largest known
to exist and the great roof of oaken ham,
merbeams swings clear across from one
wall to the other without any central lines
of pillars to support 1t. The thrust Is re-
ceived by massive columns of fossil mar
BILE set straight and close against the sides
on bases of hewn granite. and the lower
part of the walls is covered in oakpanel-
ing, enriched with Gothic carvings In
such a setting the scheme of decoration is
on a large and dignified scale and mag
nihcently has it been carried out by the
local authorities responsible in this in
stance The coloring is rich but substan-
tial and Is chiefly obtained by the lavish
use of gorgeous eastern tapestries and
rugs upon the floor and walls in Somber
but magnificent tints of crimsons. blues
and colds; and the enormous floor space
available has enabled the architect to ar
range with convenience and even beauty,
70 seating hundred and fftY
representatives from nearly fifty nations.