The sun., 1907-03-31

ently-and as they hasten onward there Is
O rhythmical clump-clump OF the wooden
shoes and a swish-swish Of the besoms
that is positively inspiriting.
Last Of all comes the commander OF the
brigade He marches well within the arms
OF the V, unprovided with beeom, clap
ping his hands TO establish the rhythm Of
the sweeping, and enhancing the hand
claps with stentorian shouts OF command
that surely could be heard a mile away.
Thus he drives the wedge forward, keep
ing the brigade up to its work. never letting
IL get so far behind the water wagon that the
flood will have lost its force to carry oil the
refuse. For there is no following scavenger
wagon. The dirt, coming TO the cutters
while the food is at its height. is carried
away and lost somewhere in a canal.
This is only one of several similar bTigades
that work all through the night until every
scrubbed, and when morning comes the
highways and byways ere cleaner than a
pebble strewn beach at low tide.
This incessant cleaning in Holland gets
on the nerves and becomes a nuisance.
Think of walking appreciatively along
one of those spick and span sidewalks
and suddenly having to hold up your skirts
and wade through running waterfall be-
cause a man or a woman has begun TO
deluge the front OF house from hose at
tached to a hydrant.
Once past the food, you may be startled
until you get used to it bv an extraordinary
biped, headless and armless, emerging
backward from an open door. 1t wears
a skirt from which legs protrude ending
in wooden shoes, and it sways in portentous
rhythm as 1t advances or, II may 80 put 1t,
recedes toward you.
II you have the courage and curiosity
TO watch this strange creature IL resolves
itself presently into a woman. She bends
over, feet wide apart, until her hands touch
the floor. She is provided with a bowl
of ammoniated water and piece OF chamois
skin.
Having started at the further end OF
the entry or hall. she is proceeding back
ward. pulling her bowl after her and
scrubbing the floor. Arrived at the door
she scrubs the threshold and continues
TO recede across the sidewalk, scrubbing
step on her cleaned section she never
rises, but waits patiently till he has gone
and then faithfully scrubs out the faint
mark OF his feet, And when at last the
sidewalk is as clean as a breadboard she
removes her wooden shoes and returns
TO the house in her stockinged feet.
IL adds TO the picturesqueness the first
time you encounter It to see the bank
Of a canal lined with servant girls shaking
and beating rugs and carpets and curtains
OF all descriptions, but when you have
stayed long enough in city TO recognize the
patterns OF the various articles and realize
that at least once every week every such
thing is taken up or taken down and carried
England housewife does only In the spring
and fall you come TO feel a vicarious fatigue
and wonder IL it's all worth the trouble.
am aware that | ought not TO speak OF IL
in this way. Rather should l lay stress
on the comfort Of knowing that the wash
bowls in your hotel are cleaned with hot
water and thoroughly wiped every morn
ing.
The servants lie in wait to see us go forth
for a walk that they may get into our rooms
and put them in perfect order. One old
man attached TO the hotel apparently has
nothing to do but fetch water for the in
terminable cleaning from the city pump in
the middle OF the Vryburg.
There is no canal adjacent to any side
OF this square. and 50 the weekly house
cleaning takes place in the great open space
which becomes alive with energetic serv-
ants and, waving fabrics from an antima-
caesar 10 an eight yard square OF Brlnseels,
And every minute Of the day the pump IL in
requlsition. people often standing IN kns