Barton County democrat., 1911-08-18
THE DUTcHESSES.
Editorial Correspondence.
Hutchinson News.)

Rotterdam, July q.
The secret of the success of the
Dutch is no secret at all. EVERYBODY
works, not excepting father, grand
father and grand mother | suppose
This habit began with the unceaSing
fight against the sea, the building of
the dikes, the pumping out of the
water and the construction of a soil.
1t has continued unit. there is no
ouher people more persistently indus
trlous. They rise early and get busy.
The women cook and scrub and work
on the canal boats, in the shops and
IN the fields. The children 90 TO
school eleven months in the year.
The men are stout, quick and work
from early to late. Even the dogs
work in Holland. At first 1t seemed
rather hard to see the dogs hitched
TO the little carts and pulling heavy
loads, sometimes a man ring on the
cart. This is a serious country for
The canine and must be the place
where the phrase worked like a dog
got its start. In most places the dog
is the companion and pet of man but
in Holland he has to do his part in
making a living and he soon learns
to draw the load, pulling hard and
coscientiously on the traces. He has
little time to fight and frolic but he
has the great pleasure of the rest
that comes from hard labor. However,
if were dog and werepicking out
a country for location | would stay
far away from Holland. 1t is no un-
common sight to see a woman with a
strap over her shoulders dragging a
canal boat or pulling a little wagon.
In fact the women of the Netherland
have rights which they are not even
asking in the United States and no
one disputes their prerogatives of hard
work. There are no "Suffragettes in
Holland but woman can do nearly
anything she wants to unless 1t is
to vote, which she APPARENTLY does not
care for. There are many rich Hol-
landers, in fact there are a few that
are poor. But they do not constitute
a leisure class. The wealthy Dutch
gent merely works the harder and the
wealthy Dutch "vrouw' scrubs and
manages the household or runs the
store just as she did in the earlier
years Of struggle.
Speaking. of the Dutch women, |
think they are good looking. They
are almost invariably strong and well
in appearance with good compilations,
clever eyes and capable expression.
They may weigh little strong for
some but that is a matter of taste.
The old Dutch peasant costumes are
still worn in places but as a rule thei,
clothes come from the same models
that do those for the American wo-
men. The Duchess has been raised
to work, to manage and to advise
with her man. She is intelligent in
appearance and quick in action. She
is educated and companiQnable. What
if her waist line disappears? What
if she has no ankles, only feet and
legs? Perhaps it will be thought
that | am going to far in my investi-
CATION, but the Dutch ladies ride BIZ
cycles so generally that even a man
from America can see few things.
no matter how hard he tries to look
the other way and comes near get
ting run over.
The queen of Holland is a woman.
That is not a startling statement for
so far as | know a man has never
been "a queen in this country. But
there is no king. Queen Wilhelmina'
husband, Prince Henry, is not king.
If there is any ruling to do in Hol-
land it is done by Wilhelmina. Henry
can't even appoint a notary public.
No one pays any attention to him and
l understand Wilhelmina has given 1t
out that what Henry says does not go
with her. / am trying to investigate
the status Of affairs in the royal fam
lily because had entertained the idea
that Wilhelmina was an unfortunate
young queen with a bad husband.
That may have been so a few years
ago but now | understand she bats
poor Henry around scandously, pays
no heed to his wishes, and pointedly
calls his attention about three times
a day to the fact that he Is nothing
but one+horse prince while she is
the boss of the family and The king
dom. This pleases the Dutch in
mensely, for Henry is a German and
the Dutch don't like the Germans.
They think the Germans are conceit-
ed and arrogant and that Emperor
William is planning to eventually an
mex the Netherland to Germany. SO
every time Wilhelmina turns down the
German prince all the Dutch think II
is fine and her popularity is immense.
Henry gets a good salary but his job
would be a hard one for a sef-respect
ing American. l understand he is
much dissatisfied but you see he was
not raised to a trade and II WilheE-
nina should stop his pay he would go
hungry and thirsty, two conditions
which would make life intolerable for
a German prince.
Wilhelmina has a daughter, two
years old, named Juliana. suppose
Henry is related to Juliana but he
gets no additional glory. Everywhere
you go you see pictures Of Wilhelmin
and Juliana but not Of Henry. A prin-
cess is really what the Dutch want,
for the monarch has actually no pow
er, and the government Is entirely
managed by the representatives Of tn
people. But a prince would likely be
a-A-