Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-07
AMSTERDAM MUCH
LIKE MANHATTAN
Dutch City Becoming More
and More Like Its Former
NameSake.

ana military capital OF one Oh Eu
ropes smallest countries.
''Audacious though it may seem tC
compare Amsterdam to New York
when it is considered that the latter
was once q nameSake Of the Dutch
city. nearly every experience in the
hustling, busting Amsterdam of to-
day is reminiscent to Americans OF
the metropolis Of the New World.
says a bulletin from the Washing
ton headquarters of the National
Geographic Society. "Herldlty is
here apparently back tracking, for the
father is every day becoming more
like the son, and less like its pic
turesque Dutch neighbors.
Much i'm Common.
New York and Amsterdam have
much in common. Each is the larg-
est and most populous city in its re-
Spective country. Neither is the po-
litical capital of the country, but each
is the undisputed commercial die
tator and the key-point of military
defense. Each is a seaport, although
here the analogy does not follow as
closely. Rotterdam's commerce eX-
ceeds that of Amsterdam. Amster-
dam, however, has the headquarters
of all the large shipping companies,
just as has New York. Like New
York, Amsterdam is also an impor-
Jant industrial center, with ship
building plants, retineries. machine
shops, many small factories, diamond
polishing mills, etc.
GEOGRAPHY prevents carrying the
parallel much further. While New
York towers above sea level on a
foundation of solid rock, Amsterdam
is a city perched on wooden piles. No
permanent structures can be erected
on the upper stratum of loan and
loose sand, hence the necessity for
driving supports Is to so feet below
the level of the ground, and hence,
probably, the jest of Erasmus of Rot
terdam, who said the natives of
Amsterdam live on the tops of trees.
Threat of Water.
disastrous effects of heavy rains
In nearby regions emphasize the con-
slant battle that the city and the
country must wage against the eternal
enemy--Water. Both to the sea and
the sky Holland must ever present
a strong arm. Amsterdam, itself, is
shut off from tidal fluctuations by
bikes and locks, but the water in its
many canals is constantly changed
by infiowS from rivers and a canal
connecting it direct from the North
Sea. The water in its huge harbor
and street canals is kept at what is
known as the Amsterdam level
which may be considered a mean Of
high and low tide.
THE City of Amsterdam lies in the
southwest corner Of the great inland
body of water known as the Zuyder
Zee. at the influx of the Amstel and
Y rive~S. Like Venice it is built on
a number of islands. but with much
more regularity than the Queen of
the Adriatic. Roughly, the city plan
looks like the profile of a half wheel,
with numerous water SpokeS and In
ncr rims in regular succession. These
rims or successive encircling canals
Indicate zones Of expansion in the
past, and, fianked with avenues of
elms and tall, narrow brick houses
with the gables turned toward the
street, give a handsome and pictur-
esque effect to the residential sections.
Not a Windmill i'm Sight.
Americans who start their tour of
Holland i'll Amsterdam are likely to
be disillusioned. Not a windmill can
be seen in the downtown section, and
the hurrying throngS who joStle one
on the streets are dressed very much
like other Europeans. Steam engines
are replacing the characteristic wav-
ing arms of the Dutch windmill
throughout the kingdom. Only in the
remote rural sections, and at tourist
attractions, such as the Isle of
Marken. can one find the boomers,
lace caps and wooden shoes of the
old geography book pictures. Alnster-
dams shops resemble Americas finest,
both in quality and in price, while
the Bank of the Netherlands is one
of the leading financial establishments
of Europe.
Amsterdam might be said to be
the first setting of nearly every dia-
mond It's diamond polishing and cut
ting mills have been famous since the
sixteenth century. when the art was
introduced by Portuguese Jews after
the sack of Antwerp. At the present
time there are nearly 100 mills, en-
ploying several thousand persons.
Most of the raw diamonds come from
South Africa, although Brazil and
the Far East are other sources of
supply.
THE Dutch are great lovers of
notices. signs and inscriptions. On
some of the houses of Amsterdam can
still be found printed legends, such
as: This is my pleasure and my life,
The place for song etc. Public
buildings are special targets through
out the country for the Inscription
painter. The Scriptures are so freely
drawn upon, one writer claims, that
We're the Bible otherwise lost to man
IL could be replaced almost intact from
the inscriptions on Dutch town gates
and municipal halls. A sign which
draws the most attention from Amer
81
for a baggage label. is that which
swings outside the door of IA modest
little hosiery near the station-'The
Dam Hotel Dam in Dutch, how
ever, means city
Hollands Dead Cities"
Near Amsterdam are the dead
cities of Holland. The term is mis-.
leading, for most of the cities still
exist. Through the sitting up of the
ZuYder Zee in the last two centuries
many former prosperous seaports
have lost their shipping. Houses have
fallen into disrepair. harbors have
been abandoned. trade has withered
and disappeared. They are not ex-
actly dead, they have just ceased TO
live.
"Monnikendam, Hoorn. f,dam. Sta.
voren, kampen and others are ex-
ampleS of once powerful and pros
porous cities. with fleets of vessels
which brought to their wharves the
silks and spices of China and the
Indies, which today are nothing more
1han quiet little rural Centers. Pro
sale aheeses have supplanted more
aXotic cargoes from the Orient Peace
iui. pipe.smoking burghers today swing
their feet from molding wharves,
whose
heavy tread Of more adventurous an
cestors; bold seafarerS whose fleet
vessels worried even the mighty ar.
madas of SPAIN