The Arvada enterprise., 1915-09-23
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OLLAND in its quaint way is land
of romance but OF burgherish
solid sort, the very antipodes Of
IL ! the romance of the sunny East
VI .UR \ Dutch romance is the child of in.
- IN dustry, enterprise logged courage



seventeenth century. Then ships
OF Holland sailed all the seven seas and brought
home wealth and tales of adventure Then its
sailors hammered at the arctic ice-pack and
pushed their trade among tropical spice islands
Ihen 1t was that De Ruyter sailed up the Thames
with a broom at his masthead; then. too that
Rembrandt painted and Vondel rhyned That
also Tor Holland was great building age. when
prosperity caused cities to grow canals to be
dug, ports to be built and the multiplex activity
OF Dutchmen to manifest itself in all kinds OF
markings and shapings upon the surface of their
amphibious land-haf earth, half water Thus
1t Ia the Holland of Rembrandts day and there
ABOUT that remains most interesting to the trav
eler. and it is the buildings then erected that
most worthy of study and presentation within
her towns.
Amsterdam, when Rembrandt went settle
there about 1881, was passing INTELLECTUALLY
through a period of transition The small core
or the city. where everything a small
scale, still retained many remnants OF the
nleVal age. The canals in It narrow the
accommodation for ships exguous. grow
ing population and expanding trade finding
themselves horribly cramped.
Amsterdam grew like an onion. by layers sur.
rounding layers about center. From time to
time new rings of canals added. with radal
connections and then more rings outside them
ot course fortified walls were erected round the
whole at different dates but they lasted for
long and had to be replaced by circuits as
the city expanded. The moat of each new circuit
became canal within the next. Those who were
responsible for the important changes made at
the beginning of the seventeenth century had the
good sense not to destroy every memorial OF
medieval days. In particular they spared some
OF the old fertilization towers. applying them to a
new purpose and reftting them accordingly Thus
the tower called Montelbaanstoren which still
stands by the old Schans of the largest
basins OF the earlier canal system was a part OF
the medieval Notifications. They turned 1t into
picturesque bell tower by the addition OF "A
superstructure set up in the year 1906 Though
this was done before Rembrandt's day. he omitted
the steeple in an admirable drawing he made of
II. mus giving one among countless instances
that might be cited. of his attachment rather TO
the past than to the coming taste OF the people
or his day. The only other high tower at Am.
sterdam drawn by him the Westertoren or
tower OF the Westerkerk the Prnsengracht
which unfortunately. cannot produce in this
place. That tower was favorte with the folk
OF Amsterdam. and have more than once found
1t referred to. in narratives of Dutch exploration
as measure OF height, as for instance, when
glacier cliff is said to have stood of the sea
about as high the Wcstertoren. II is IA STORED
tower, composed of four rctreating rectangular
stages, each with columns at the angles not
unlike some OF Wrens towers In the city OF Lon.
don
The Woser,orcn however. carries us down
rather too late. when Paadian ideas were af.
fecting Dutch architects. This a feature OF
the change of taste. which made the art of Rem,
brandt old fashioned and terminated his pros
pcrty The Mint tower OF 1910. and the others
shown in our illustrations. examples OF Am.
stcrdam stceple architecture of Rembrandt's own
generation. II they must be called fantastic they
are certainly picturesque. and admirably suited
to enlivcn canal vista or to poke up out OF a
foreground of crow stepped gables
These are the typicaly Dutch towers. these
buildings OF the grca, days of Dutch romance
Earlier towers We can find in Holland. but they
are Gothic. and rc.ccho the style elaborated in
France" France also set the key of architectural
aylc In the eighteenth century. In tho seven.
toenth century Holland stood on her own feet
and other folk initiated the work Of her artists
The Dutch style affected England. II was imi
tatcd In the remarkable buildings cree, ed in DEN
mark for Christian ". II penetrated to the ends
OF the earth. II went with Dutch adventures to
New York. to Ceylon, to the Cape OF Good Hope
whcr" examples OF II may still be hunted out nv
patient searching
our illustrations include few OF the earlier
towers OF Holland, about which word or two
must he said Here. for instance are the Cattle.
dral and one OF the medieval gates OF Maestro, n,
neither OF them In any sense charactcristiCanv
Dutch. for the Holland that the world admlrcs
was created In the fire OF the Reformation wars
The cathedral church OF St Servatlns at Maos
TRENT Is OF early Christian foundation and Il is
even claimed that portions OF tho existing walls
date back TO the sixth century The building as
We see II. however, Is u great romancguuo
church OF lihcntsh style. with restored eleventh
century towers at tn" angles OF it's apsc and
later Gothic bell tower adjacent TO a side aislo
Utrecht and Delft have bell towers OF n like Kind
the upper story h.ng many sided and many
gablcd Another such tower Is IN Paradise Itself
II We are to believe Huber, Van Eycks picture or
that d"loctable land, tn" famous altarpiocc sim
nj Client. unless tho Germans have carried I, on
Medieval Maastrcht not large place
Tho Cathedral was In the center OF II. no, moro
than five hundred yards away are the rceinns of
tho city walls OF 1890 The oxigoncios of war
make the military architecture OF q given date
everywhere much the same. Thus the tower
banked south gate 81 Maastrcht Is not dIreron,
In design from many another that can be found
In the old cities OF Europe. pu, though II had