The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-02-23
Pleasing Picture Of Dutch Life Il
Drawn by Mrs. Florence Craig
AIbrecht for National Geo
graphical Society.
DRESS IMPLICATIONS
Little Girls Apparel Like Their Mo
thers' and Little Boys Follow the
Style Of Their Fathers or
Are out Of Fashion.

pleasing picture OF Dutch life Is
drawn by Mrs. Florence Craig AL
brecht in a paper prepared for the
National Geographical society, in
which she describes the tidy house
wife, shows how the little girls exactly
duplicate their mothers in dress and
the little boys must be apparelled ex.
actly like their fathers or be hopeless
ly out of fashion.
The writer shows how formerly ev-
cry one OF Hollands many islands
and most OF her towns had their own
particular and distinctive dress, and
how, even to this day, in little coun-
try less than fourth as big as New
York, one may still recognize the
places from which many people come
by their costumes She draws pic
ture OF the Walcheren DANES who
drive to the butter market at Middle
burg, descend from their wagons and
chaises with much shaking OF vol
luminous skirts and aprons, much pat
ting of their comely Dutch caps, and
much smoothing OF wrinkied laces.
When the farmers wife comes to
town she replaces her workaday apron
with one of black sateen,' says Mrs.
Albrecht. almost as long and full as
her skirts; It is close shirred at the
waist in many fine, even rows. Her
bodice is black likewise; but shield
shaped tucker Is frequently Of gay
colors, and the sleeve is but an
apology, ending far above the elbow
in broad and very tight black vel
vet band"
With all their occurrences OF dress
and bearing, the Dutch girls are fond
Of banter and fun. Ask one her name
and she is likely to answer that her
mother can tell 1t better than she
can, as Mother knew it first
The tiny baby pats and smooths
and settles its many wide skirts. ad-
justs its beads. and feels its gold
spirals, to be quite sure they are all
as they ought to be, with AZ much
care as Its mother. It must be con-
fessed that this anxiety of dress is
much more developed in baby girls
than in boys. Perhaps It is only an
other example Of masculine conceit,
this seeming Indifference. The little
boer, as the country boys are called,
may think that he cannot fail to look
we'll under any circumstances, and his
principal purpose seems to be to have
his hat tilted over his eye at just
fathers angle. But the little. girl
simply must know that her cap is
straight and her skirt even and un-
wrinkled before she can be happy.
According to Mrs. Albrecht. many
of the women and men Of Holland pro-
claim their adherence to Catholicism
or professionalism by their dress. The
lace cap coming down smooth and
straight, and ending squarely across
the shoulders denotes Catholic wom-
an: the cap that Is gathered or plait-
ed to flare widely denotes the protest
ant woman. The protestant gentle
man wears his beaver hat with brim
rolled up all around; the Catholic
gentleman turns his down in front to
form q visor.
The Zealand farmer takes kindly
to progress" says the author, "in spite
OF his conservatism In the matter of
costume. American farm machinery
stands in many farm yard; and he
has quickly adopted the American
bicycle, the American alarm clock,
the American street car, and the
American telephone"