The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-10


wish 70 hear the kOySl explained they
uufst have given IT, them What shey Ssnte"t,
because only w chaA way would they be
attracted. Tor' lsely for tho Netherlands
the men In pogs- took . diderGnt vLny
Of sdUcRtion and gave particular attention
TO The pTogresH oE natural science. n
1880 the universities. and especially Leydc;l,
which sarly In tho century had been noted
Tor the hourishlnR state Of classical and
theological studies, had not lost their re-
nown, although tho number Of students
no longer Presented such proportions
as had besn reached twenty years before.
h shrAnkAgO was seemingly The Ous-
come OF the disappsarance 81 the philO-
logical ~gsniuSes who had constituted Icy
dsn's glory in the irst half Of the century.
The death OF 9almatius had been a great
loss to classical literature. Famous scholars
and ju~risconsults still survived. however,
but not one Of them attained such "A Euro
pean fame ~ the ingenious Christian
Huygsns. the great mathematician d
physicist. The Netherlands, indeed. NJ
the time swarmed with men who. under
the influence Of Cartesian ideas. devoted
themselves to the natural sciences, but
Huygens looms up over them all.
The great interest In scientific study
shiloh showed itself more and more in the
Dutch Provinces had a favorable influence
upon book selling and the publishers busi-
ness. In the sixteenth century Frankfort
had boon the great market for books, bIt
the Thirty Years War had robbed that
city of the largest part Of its business,
and Leyden, the new seat OF learning, where
thousands OF students gathered every year.
appeared for a while destined TO enter upon
the inheritance. Its booksellers and pub
lishsrs travelled all OVER Europe to buy
old books and 10 sell new ones. while its
book auctions obtained great rcnOwn. as
had those of Frankfort formerly. The
Peace OF Minister and the decreasing num-
Der of foreign students at Leyden injured
this flourishing traffic, but the El0evirs
succeeded in maintaining their old fame.
Leyden and Amsterdam were long known
as the foremost seats Of printing, whore.
under the protection Of Dutch liberty. many
works were published THAI elsewhere we're
prohibited by the arbitrary decisions OF
Governments or the influence OF the clergy.
In the same chapter our author recalls that
il the Dutch Republic might be termed the
promised land Of inventors, publishers n
bOOk lovers. no less was IL the haven OF
printers and engravers. The aristocrat
I AAu lut uINAUNJl llan tllhes ~ OWoAhcA IA
cities and the peasant. vers accustomed
20 decorate their houses with works OF
art OF more or less importance. A con-
siderable portion Of a Dutchman's capital
would be invested in paintings; these formed
. considerable item in inventories n
inher1tances. Every family Of consequence
had its portrait gallery. Every notable
event In the life OF the republic OF in that
Of an individual family would be m
Grated by a painting. a print or a medal.
Every city OF any extent in the Seven United
Provinces could show It's nrt amateurs and
collectors OF paintings. From no period
Of Dutch history are 30 many masters Of
art 10 be named; from none have 30 many
masterpieces come down 10 us as from
the middle OF the seventeenth century.
when an abundance Of money allowed
people 10 indulge in art collecting.
Other branches OF the fine arts may look
back 20 the middle Of the seventeenth cen-
tury IA a flourishinG epoch. Especially 10
this true If engraving and etching. Among
the Dutch ~sCulptOrs 81 the time stands in
the foreground Verhulst. the creator Of the
monuments 20 Tromp. De Ruyter. the
Evertsons and other Dutch naval heroes.
Many architectural works were called
forth for the purpose Of extending and
beautifying the Dutch cities. Gates, pub
lie buildings. houses Of private individuals
In the now quarters OF the town, ar iDcreas-
ing number Of these excelling in style and
ldornment. gave the urban architects ar
opportunity to display taste and talent.
We pass 20 the last chapter Of this volume.
which depicts the condition OF the Neither
lands at the end Of the seventeenth century
The period OF William Ill, who. az re have
recalled. died in 1902. is generally regarded
ar one OF internal decline for the Dutch
Republic. though out vardly the splendor
of De Wits time seems preserved or even
surpassed. Our historian comedies that
in some respects a falling OF was to be
noticed, and he attributes this to the disap-
pearance of the generations steeled by
danger. which had fought in the War OF
Independence or had witnessed that war
In youth. All thought Of danger to ma
tional independents had now vanished.
For a long time there was nothing to DO
feared by the Netherlands from closely
allied England. unless it was the sharp bus
peaceful rivalry Of commerce, while France
was exhausted by the continuous wars Of
Louis XIV. and could he held IN check
by united Europe. Sweden. like Denmark.
was powerless. in consequence Of domestic
conditions, and the Emperor had more need
Of the Dutch Republic than it had Of him.
When thenceforth the Dutch Republic had
10 wage war il no longer struggled for
existence or even 10 keep what IL had. but
only against relatively remote perils Of a
political or economic nature. The citizen
of the Netherlands could usually rest at
ease and peacefully enjoy his own. without
troubling himself much about increasing
OF repaying them. What people. our author
asks, could avoid yielding TO such q tempta-
ton or yield TO II with impunity2
Foreigners were still impressed by the
peculiar traits Of the Dutch people. but tho
slow decline of the national virtues and rus
toms did Aot escape them. The decline Was
especially noticeable in the higher classes.
but was observable also among the pros
porous bourgeois. French fashions, French
dress. French n and the French
language we're invading tho country. Sim
plicity in dress and dwelling. which once
had symbolized the nations strength in the
eyes Of travellers. had gradually been lost:
men demanded more Of bfe and sought to
satisfy the demands.
With the augmentation OF the national
fortune and the increase in the number OF
rich men who lived on the capital accuuu-
lated by themselves or their ancestors, the
k--l--~- a. $1,000. n. Mg.s-.A ..,nl -