Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-07-11

Copenhagen or other promiscuous kissing games ?
Here they kiss all the afternoon, as innocent as
little billing birds. They kiss in the rain: and
1t rains often.
In speaking of the handsome uuays they call
the Boompjes (more like a park than any ordi-
nary Waterfront, the guidebook says that visitors
may enter and inspect the vessels without OBJ
lection provided they do not get in the way of
the work In hand. We did not enter and inspect.
but l can well believe we might have done so.
We did walk innocently into the garden Of the
most aristocratic club of Rotterdam and mingled
freely with the smart set who were holding tulip
competition, where the heroine was a blonde.
blue-eyed, fourteen-year-old girl who had grown
an apple green variety! We were only made
aware of our position when we drank curacao
and bitters offered by a waiter in blue broad.
cloth and a yellow vest. who refused to take our
money, we not being club members.
Rotterdom is so airy, open, bright, SO shady.
howery and well watered that it's citizens may
sing. Canals are everywhere, and the canals are
beautiful. They give a park-like look to all the
streets, bordered by lawns. garnished by shrubs
and trees and tulips. And the citizens. from out
their kitchen windows or their parlor windows,
when they have company for dinner. hook I'M
fresh fish in profusion. which adds a labor-saving
element to their blithe freedom.
Should a list be made Of continental cities
which have no great sights. no monuments, no
ruins, no collections-in a word, no treadmill
tourist round-the town Of Rotterdam would ia ke
a place Of honor in 1T, although she has a mari
time museum, a picture gallery and q statue of
Erasmus.
In the market you can make a study Of the
bodices and headgear OF the peasants. Catching
the Dutch taste for still life you may muse on
symphonies of color in the produce. Here are the
fish stalls, where all the shades Of white-siIver
white, blue white, white shaded with bronze
green, white with metallic refections-unite in a
clear scale Of harmony. Here all the tints Of
green are heaped together in the vegetables.
melodiously accompanied by the fragrance of the
flowers, which sing together with the fruits in
the most diverse color tones.
Though Rotterdam is a great port and an i'm
portant manufacturing center, my best impress.
slons OF the pleasant city are connected with a
cafe chantant, a park, the markets and the resi-
dental streets. The great manufactures are ship
building. tobacco factories, sugar refneries and
many great distilleries, especially Of gins and
Dutch Equeurs. The more important articles OF
commerce are coffee, sugar. tobacco, rice and
spices. 1t is the seventh port of Europe.
Again and again the vision OF a well-known and
beloved city rises up before the writer's docile
imagination and affects him to the point of tears
the city of Philadelphia, Pa, which, I see. must
be a faithful moving picture today of what New
York was in 1850. 1t is the city of homes mar
excellence, and 1t resembles Rotterdam, and Rot.
terdam resembles 1t. The wearied tourist seek.
Ing for a snug retreat in which to raise a beard
will find Rotterdam a second Philadelphia.
And looking from the watch tower of st. Law.
rence's church, down on the tranquil panorama.
on the river and the suburbs; on the red brick
houses and the streets so straight and self-re-
specting, where the children play jackstones on
the front doorsteps, and their big sisters pIay
bull in the ring and kiss the boys on the side
walk; to look down, I say, on the slow but vel.
low trolleys whose faint Jingle rises as from soma
secure blameless and fruitful sheep field. to ad.
mire the smoke of manufactures, and police wag-
ons taking drunken factory hands to jail. he win
cry. 1T is Observation-Disclosures for the out
side of the platter is so cIeani"