The Irish standard., 1914-07-11
SOME SIGNIFICANT STATISTICS
OF HOLLAND.

SOME SIGNIFICANT STATISTICS
OF HOLLAND.
Holland is one of those countries
in which religious census is taken.
The first thing we note about that
census is that the total population
registered as Protestant is not much
over one-half. That sounds startling,
but it is perfectly true. The number
of people who write themselves down
Protestants (including children and
dependents, whom they include as
Protestants in their returns) is three
million and a third, out Of total
population of nearly six Million Qn
1909, 6.858,175). The remainder
are made up of Jews, of fraction
that do not give their creed. and Of
a very large body of Catholics.
The next point we note is that this
large body Of Catholics amounts to
far more than one-third of the whole
population of the State, and stands to
the declared Protestant population
almost exactly in the proportion of
60 to a hundred.
But even these general statistics,
striking as they are, give us but an
imperfect idea Of the correspondence
between the two religions.
The upper valley of the Mouse,
which is Hollands bulwark against
military advance from Germany,
which has about it all the important
character of frontier under mod
ern international circumstances, and
which is represented by the Province
of Limburg, is entirely Catholic. OF
it's whole population only 2 per cent.
are not Catholic. The large province
of North Brabant, which is virtually
the lower course of the Mouse, is
Catholic save for some eight per
cent. of it's population. And, in gen
eral, the south of the country is as
Catholic. one may say, as any dis
trict to be found in Europe.
But there is more than this. It
might we'll be that while the south
ern and southeastern districts were
Catholic, there was clean division
between north and south. 1t might
we'll be that while agricultural
Southern Holland was Catholic,
Northern and commercial Holland
would be found entirely Protestant.
It is nothing of the sort. The two
provinces in which the commercial
life of Holland is conferred are North
Holland and South Holland. The
former. with Amsterdam for its chief
town, the latter with Rotterdam and
the capital. While in North Holland
there are nearly thirty Catholics to
every fifty Professionals Ito be accur-
ate 3O.7 to 51.46) in South Holland,
the Catholics are in number more
than third of the total number
of the Protestants.
If we take province highly typi-
cal of the country as a whole, CEN
tCd4 Ill pOS1t1OAS 40AASN0 wv SAA~S AS>
its agricultural produce and for its
commercial activity-Gelderland-
Catholics are to Protestants very
nearly as % to 40.
There is only one small district in
the country, and that remote and of
little economic or political import
ance in the extreme north, which is
strikingly Protestant. The little
corner beyond the Zuyder Zee, repre-
scented by the three small provinces
of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe
the districts which have through
out history been furthese separated
from the influence Of civilization.
One might analyze the national
statistics of Holland in further de-
tail, and show what large and solid
proportion of Dutch life in the pro-
LESSONS, in commerce, and in the
public service is Catholic. But I
think enough has already been pre-
scented to show that the conception of
Holland as a Protestant country
troubled by some small and irritant
Catholic minority is ridiculous. The
Dutch are essentially community
wherein the two religions, though
not equally balanced, divide the life
of the nation between them.-Hilaire
Beloc in the London Tablet.
LEFT ALONE AT EIGHTY
what did you say, dear-'break-
fast?'
Somehow I've slept too late;
You're very kind, dear Effie;
Go tell them not to wait.
I'll dress as quick as ever can,
MY old hands tremble sore,
And Polly, who used to help. dear
heart.