The state herald., 1915-09-24
,2S MARTIN CONWAY

%N days fell WITHIN tho nmltH ol 'no
seventeenth century, Then Bh'ps
OF Holland sailed all tho seven and brought
home wealth and tales OF adventure. Then Its
sailors hammered nj the arctic ice-pnch and
pushed thoir trade among tropical spice islnnds
Then Il was that De Ruytor Bned up tho Thames
with broom at hie masthead then. too. that
Rembrandt, painted aud vondcl rhymed. That
nlso for Holland was great building age when
prosperity caused cities to grow, canals to bo
dug, ports 10 bo built, and tho multipoS activity
OF nutchmen 10 manifest itself In all kinds OF
maltinEH and nhapingH upon the surface OF their
nmphibioun lRnd-half earth. half water Thus
II 10 tho Holland OF Rombrandt'a day and there
about that remains most interesting to tho tray
olor. and II is the buildings then erected that
most worthy Of study and presentation within
her towns.
Amsterdam, when Rembrandt went 10 settle
there about 1881, passing architecturally
through a period of transition The small core
OF the city, whore everything on small
scale still retained many remnants OF the mo.
dieNal age. Tho canals In Il narrow, tho
accommodation Tor shps was eSiguous, 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 were added, with radial
connections. and then more rings outside them
ot course fortified walls were erected round tho
NNNi' W ulHPEen' uAtpR nut tnrN never tasted iof
long and had TO bo replaced hy new circuits as
the city expanded Tho moat OF each new circuit
became a canal within tho next Those who were
responsible FOR the important changes made at
tho beginning Of the seventeenth century had tho
Food sense not 60 DESTROY every memorial "
medieval DAYS In particular they spared some
Of the old fortidcation towers. applying them to a
new purpose and rehtting thcm accordingly Thus
tho tower called Montclhaanstorcn. which stul
stands by the old Schane one of the largest
basins OF the earlier canal system, was a part OF
the medieval fortiacstous They turned II into
a picturesque boil tower by tho addition Of a
superstructure set ur in the wear IG06 Though
this Was done before Remhrandt's day he omitted
the stoeple in an admirable drawing he made Of
H. thus giving one among countless instances
that miHht he cited. OF his attachment rather "a
the past than 20 the coming taste Of tho pcople
Of his dav The only other high tower at Am.
ttordsm drawn nv him was the wcstcrtoron or
tower Of the Westcrkerk on tho rrinrengracht
which unfortunately, We cannot produce In this
place. That tower WAS favoritc with the fok
ot Amsterdam, and have moro than once found
II referred to, IN narratives Of Dutch exploration
- measure of height as Tor instance when a
flacicr clid IL said TO have stood out Of the sea
about as hsh as tho wester,orcu Il is sioried
tower composed Of four retroating rectangular
STAGES, each w'th columns At tho angles not
Unlike como Of wrcns towers IN the city Of Ion
don
ihe westcrtSrcn however. carries ms down
rather too late, whom pallsdan ideas were at
tectins Dutch architects This was feature ot
tho change of taste witch made tho art ~ Rem
brandt old fashioned and terminated his nrns
rcrity The Mint tower ot I6tO and the others
shown IN our illustrations, are examples ci Am,
steriSm stccrlo architecture ot RemhrandVs own
rcucrsticn. II they must be called fantastic they
src certainly picturesque. and admirably suited
10 enliVen canal vista cr 10 poke IN ont of a
foreground Of crows,errcd rahlcs
These arc tho uricAlN Dutch towers thos.
building 81 the srest dsys ot Dutch romance
fsrl'er tower~ we nnd IN Holland. hnt thcv
src Gcthic, and re-echo the style elaborated IN
France France also set the key ot architectural
syle IN the eishtecnh century In tho seven,
tcenth century hollsnd stood on her svn fcct
and other tolk initiated tho work ~ her artists
Tho Dutch style affected England. q vas ini
tsted IN tho remarkable huildings erected In nrn
marx TOR Christian " u penetrated 10 tho ends
~ the earth u wont with Dutch Advcnturcrs 10
Nev YORK. 10 ceyion 70 the Cape ot Good Rono
whore examples ot t may stn NJ hunted on, nv
patient sesrchins
our Illustrations include few Of the earlier
tower ~ holland. about Witch = word or two
must be ssid Herr for Instance arc the Cstbe
dral and ono ~ the mcdicvAi entes 81 Nnastr,,Nt
Neither 81 them IN any sense chAAoicHsicany
nuteh Tor the Holland that the world sau,ires
no cathedral chur,h ~ 81 So&Atius M Mas
tFicht 70 81 esri' Christian foundation. and u 10
cvfn claimed thai portions ~ the existing vail,
eAte back 20 the sixth century, The huiidinf a,
~ 80 iL hoNevof h ercAi romsucsoue
church 81 Rhenish style Nth restored eleventh
century towers at tht ANGLES OF 10 anss and
later 0oihis bel tower adjacent 20 = nde aisie
Utrecht and nelu have ben towers ~ iftr lind
ne uprrf ttof NNnf nanv.sded and msnv
ftbled Anoihef snch lower . IN parhdise itself
80 are 20 believe ifuhey Van is,ckt picture a.
thsi delretthle lard. NE famout hftarniees stm
81 ohfnt unless me Germans have carried ID ~
Medieval Maatiueht vhs moi lAres pises
Tht Cathedral vHt ~ ne centeI 81 ". no. more
thtH her hundred fhrds AvHy an ne rfs1Aint sf
the civ salt oi 1890 The esircneIas Oh u.f
make tht muusr' arehneaure OF riveu dst.
ercf'~hfre muct ne sane Tnut the tower.
hsnksd rcntt rate 81 Nssnmohi 10 noi dJrersrt
tt drsifn from many HnoIhef thai can he FOUND
ft he old cities Of Europe Dot thcoet n b,s