The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-02-11

are in rectangular blocks, cut out by little canals, which now and then join the larger canals, or are pumped into them by little wind mills only eight or ten feet in height. The low mills raise the water only a few feet from one canal to another; the. big ones are for heavy pumping and often for grinding corn, wheat or some other grain.
 Here is a canal flowing up.~ an embankment. high above the rcst of the country. Our train runs on such embankment. The roofs of the houses in the fields at the sides of the track or below the canals often do not reach to our level. If these canal entertainments should break, the whole land would be flooded.
 4 Land of Sunken Gardens
 The wide canals which run across Holland, with their sloping green walls that drop down into these vast sunken gardens, are wonderfully beautiful. Long streams of silver flowing upon raised beds of emer- aids. they enclose a net work of smaller canals, each necklace Of diamonds surrounding it's green or golden jewel of agricultural pas tural richness. They form scenes that can be found nowhere else, ex- cept in the well warered lowlands of China or here and there in parts of Japan and Java.
 The chief difference is in the live stock The cattle are everywhere but there are also fat horses feed ing on the rich green, and fleecy white sheep grazing in the meadows There are huge white sows, each with ten or more tiny, cunning, rosy skinned pigs running about through the grass, and now and then great flocks of ducks, and of geese that raise their heads and hiss as we pass. Along the Zuider-Zee there are villages which make a speciality of duck rearing. and the ducks fairly pepper the canals of that region.
 Some of the most interesting of the sunken gardens are in and aboul Haarlem. Here, in the season are great beds of hyacinths and tulips in blossom. There are also patches of vegetables surrounded by hedges and orchards loaded with fruit. In motor ride yesterday I went by field after field of bright yellow carrots just pulled their green tops pointing one way and the yellow tubers another There were patches of potatoes just dug and of great turnips that looked like so many white billiard balls on the brown chocolate soil.~
 Seen in the Cities
 In our ride across country we pass through cities at every few miles. All of the Dutch towns are well built we'll paved and well kept Every ntreet is as clean as a pin; the win dows crystal and the brass knobs are shining like gold. The streets are al most all paved with bricks which is true also of the roadways throughout the country. Just now new buildings are going up in all of the cities. Am sterdam has some large quarters built by the municipality for the laboring classes, and I see new apart ment houses of two and three stories and new factories in all of the cen ters. Dwelling houses face the street with steps that come out on the side walk.
 Rotterdam has the highest house in the country. It is known as the American skyscraper. and is actually seven stories high. It is built of DOT celain tiles and stands upon piles Amsterdam has the Queens palace the foundation of which is 13,60C piles. and there are so many other buildings there supported that way
 
 trunks.
 A most interesting feature to me are the Judas Glasses or mirrors about as big as a sheet of note paper hung to the wall just outside the windows. so that one can sit withir and see all who pass up and dowr the street. These mirrors are usually at such an angle that they show tho front door, and unwelcome caller: can therefore be spotted and the ser want told to say that the hostess 1, not at home. These Judas Mirrors ar, common in Belgium, and also in Ger many and France. They are some. times called Judas Eyes"
 The Dutch People
 The pictures of the people of Hol- land sent Ito America give many wrong ideas to the nan on the street He has the impression that it take. a whole bolt of cloth to make a pail of Dutch trousers. and that all tn, men wear short jackets and theil l footgear Is clogs The truth Is tha the Dutch of the cities, men and wom en, dress just as We do. and they ar | so like us that an Amsterdam O. Hague crowd dropped down in Nev York would not be out of place. Th, people are. I should say, almost
 
 1 French. The men are big boned ant husky, and the women especlall, large and fine looking, many of then being handsome rather than pretty The people look capable and are yer, intelligent.
 The Dutch universities have alway been famous and there are now nor than one million pupils in the publi schools. The children arc manly, an the boys ahi 6lris run q sethe land. seem to enj oy one an1 Youn, men and young women 'A n lbones'' of going along 5r ! nrr through the streets an nmmo sight sis' beau en f with lovinss band eh of hi sweetheart. who lothe wheel hE hev aide. iudG, is menlGnf 2 6n1aiuW hsre ths,A in tn