New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-17

the end bv the policies Of the last OF the
direct descendants Of William the Silent
II is here. perhaps more than at any
preceding period, that the political MS
tory of the country was of greatest and
most direct influence upon the history,
the further progress Of its people.
Professor Blocks treatment of this pc
r;od is all that the foreign reader could
require. 1t Is full, circumstantiai allke
| in its political and in It's economic, social
and cultural aspects. TO be sure, the
modern scientific method has led the
author TO dim somewhat the lustre OF
the fame Of William the Silent. inc
headong enthusiasm of Motley is not
his. Oldenbarneveld Is the hero or MS
choosing. the bold builder OF the proud
republic on the uncertain foundations
left hv the first Orange In accordance
with the modern scientific method, Pro-
lessor Biloxi has also rubbed some OF 'he
tarnish from the regulations OF fhilip
and Alva. He rehabitates rather eiaoo-
ratelv what he can Of their III repute.
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plains. were the usual ones of his period
and the number Of his victims has been
greatly exaggerated in the course OF the
centuries No doubt he is right sun,
one would like to ask him what led the
German princes to protest against
Alva.s persecu,ions IL they were only
the usual, familiar methods Of his period
and theirs?
The NTH and last volume Of the work.
now before us. opens with the death oil
William III and the re-establlsnment "I
n state OF affairs in the Netherlands that
closely resembled that Of his own child
hood His distant cousin and heir. John
William Friso. died shortly after him.
leaving the Stadtholdership once more
I'm Allowance during the long minority Of
his posthumous son But De witt was
lacking.
The history OF eighteenth century HoI-
land is saddening record OF dwindiins
prestige abroad. OF corruption ana IN
competence at home. The great powers
Ionlv gradually discovered tho military.
naval and financial weakness OF the ma
ton. which was as II parayzed by the
aftcr-efects Of rs superhuman enor's
Of the Golden Age. Public office became
a private snap and even family
auap. Of the patricians. Commerce and
Industry declined. England improving
every opportunity 10 grasp the sea borne
trade OF her old rival. only finance
flourished, thanks to the accumulated
wealth Of the fathers, but even here the
general unrest In Europe. the alarum5
OF wars. brought many disasters. The
last two Stockholders were weak, vacil.
lating men, though II Is doubtful II even
an able and masterful one could nave
Influenced for the better the course OF
affairs The French spirit OF modern
liberty only led to increased internal
strife. 10 a shortlived Batavan repub-
lie. really governed from Paris, TO an
eouallv shortlived kingdom under Louis
Ronaparte, and then 10 annexation 10
the empire. The national spirit OF the
Holanders revived with the overthrow
of Napoleon.
The history OF the Netherlands in the
nineteenth century follows in general
way that Of all Northern Europe. IL Is
n history Of reviving prosperity still.
more one OF the struggle for the politl-
cal rights of the common people. The
only great figure of all this period is thar
Of Thorbecke, tho champion OF dcmoc-
racy. the Trainer OF the countrys mod
ern constitution who, valiantly hghting
vested interests, was handicapped also
by the enmity of William III, n king
with a high opinion OF his royal rreroga-
tives.
This volume becomes decidedly hard
reading once It's author reaches the his
tory of our own times in the Neither
lands In how far. If at all. his trans
lator Is responsible for the extreme con-
densation OF this chronicle OF very COM
. plicated party politics II Is impossible
to say without reference TO the Dutch
original. Certain it is that one stumbles
constantly upon portmantcau sentences
packed with far more Information than
they can conveniently hold and convey
II almost appears as II Professor Biloxi
writing first Of all for his own country
men had relied upon their general IA
miliarity with his subject matter, with
> out thought Of his less we'll Informed for
eign readers. a striking feature OF these
constant menpuvres between the "ins"
and the outs" between progressivcs
and reactionaries, Is the great role that
religion continues to play in Dutch poll
tics. in the shape OF constantly formed
and dissolved alliances between the
ultra orthodox Calvinists and the Roman
Catholics. To the old parties. under diff
ferent names. there has been added
since the SOS one OF the socialistic work.
ingmen. The woman movement" be-
gan early about 1870.
Professor Biloxi faces the future Of the
Netherlands confidently. The dream OF
greater Netherland in South Africa,
he holds. has been disspated by tho
English conquest of the Boer republics.
but he looks hopefully to the Dutch East
Indies. where, under a liberal admin
istration, the natives are clamorng for
the Hollander's education, and for self
government One doubts his optimism In
this regard. OF the international posi-
ton of the kingdom at the present day
he offers no opinion. 1t has remained.
: in a sense. the old historic one between
England and France with the new Ger
many in a far more disauieting place
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