OLD ZEALAND.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 601, 1 September 1909, Page 8

OLD ZEALAND.

A TOUR THROUGH HOLLAND^

(Bt Rev.F. Stubbs.)

' .. Amsterdany May',24 I have headed this letter Old; Zealand, mit tho Dutch Zeelahd (soa-land)/after which Now is called, constitutes: but a single' province of tho Netherlands. From ; Zealand, a'. hundred years : before"- Captain Cook was born, the Dutch navigator, Tasman,;; had sailed_ to. explore the Southern Oooan, and,, finding Maorilarid lying "across his path, patriotically dubbed it.New Zeelaud, the name it ha's;borne!ever sirico. : But our , connection with ". Holland is.;.' by:, no : means exhausted -by the name the Dominion bears. Wo are related 'to the Dutch both racially and historically. 'Away from* English' books of reference, .1 cannot state precisely; what the relationship is, but I'; know that it oxistsj and' the.two languages bear witness: of ..this. One. is constantly 'coming across words which are almosfr exactly tho :samo in both Dutch .and English,- though tho spelling and'pronunciation \are '; slightly Vory. helpful" to the-English traveller. There,are also other.rcsemblances In both- races are to. be found .the samo love of order and liberty; .the same determination to' withstand „ the encroachments of arbitrary power: the same',earnest, serious' conception of; lifei. Both, races : have shown themselves to. be, born seafarers, merchants, and colonisers. In .the middle of the 17th century, the/Dutch commerce 'was the niost widely extended in.the.world., ;A community of interests repeatedly, -united them in great crises, of. European, history.':": For ■; a lone period, they were, the twin ■champions'. -of ■lrotestantism. Mi,-.. Europe,. .and ■, together caused the, downfall of.Spain, which, at that ,i "t . two-thirds of the known world: Later on,, they unfortunately came into conflict .with one another, and the victory was not always, on..the same . Bide; though, judging from : the. Duteh .picture galleries; one might think it was. In 1688 Mgland chose a Dutch King, and. ah excellentruler he .proved. ;-, But Ihave already said enough, I-think, to bespeak the:'interest, of the-New Zealand reader in the country from,which. I. write. -..If : . -"

Holland and Cermany. ; . ; ■ r'had; the good fortune to arrive in.Rotterdam on upon which-the birth; of the irincess Juhana was' celebrated. "-The whole city .was-given np:-to carnival. Shops and ..olhces .were .closed:' streets, wharves, ant|_ vessels; profusely decorated; and tens of thousands of'gaily-dressed people 'paraded tlio_ streets, singing, dancing, arid- throwing confetti, at ono another. .At .night,: city, , whai-v.es,-, and. vessels''-were, brilliantly illuminated.' : It'- would b'e difficult to give the reader any adequate■ idea .of, the joyous-.'ex-citement A' day 'or two' later. I saw,the. sarne thing repeated on : a smaller, scale at Haarlem. The: oxplana, .tion.of'these, great,national: rejoicings that' took placoall over the country is this: For eight years Queen Wilhelmina had been .married, but had :borne nb',children; :, ;-"-This was the causo of• deep'anxiety to .the Dutch.'.for, in',the event-, of;.her "leaving no .issue, the ■throne,would pass to a foreign prince, brought:up. in -other -traditions, unable to sympathiso .with -the ': Dutch': character 'arid aspirations,' and with leanings- towards Germany. ,: The latter .country ■ .has made : no' seorotorher;desire for,the control;of some of .the, Dutch ports.-In .-the ovbntj:: therefore,; of a .German Prince , ascondirig . the throne, the fulfilment of, German; ambitions would'be madeririore-easy. And, so the Dytchi in fearand dialike;of their big heighi hour, rejoice-in' the birth of-the ; young princess,- toprb-than.imost peoples,"would rejoice. ,in a round dozen of young,pribces'-'and princesses./", , ; : "..':"■;■"-''.' ,' ,'"": - '■'/"■ :':■'■'. Thb Voniqe of the: Northi - ! ; -; ■^■■ : ''U':'

as: Amsterdam is sometimes called, 'wbll deserves its rname.''-.Everywhdre:-it. is-inter-sected by canals/ giving .'one the impression .that : there -is' 'aS;much;,water" ! 'b;s :: therei. is land, :',whlch,a'indeod,''' 1 is!?hot l l, far' , ':from the" truth: - 'The get,,some jdea of .the exterit pfi.theso'j'can'als i.wHe'n: he';,learns!,that' there.are;. 300 bridgbsj'ih; the. "city,',;the-view from, any'lbne .of 'which"4s: both inicturesque : and animated.;-',Here,.aro.,to.bo.seen-'vessels of:every descriptioni: on. the, larger canals, ships, of 'thousands.- of tons burden:) on the smaller, innumerable' brightly-paintoc! barges, carrying 'almost every species- of merchandise. .' -You can ; get . almost: 1 ' ariywlicrb - in' Holland by moans of,the; canals; 'There'.arb over 2000 miles within .an area not onethird as largo : as 'the North Island' of New Zealand. There, are 3000 miles of navigable river channels, and over 1600 miles of dykes. The whola country, is by channels aiid water-courses. Imagine ,tte prodigious labour expended in the creation and koepihgupof theso.- It is a heavy burden upbn .the people, but'there is no help for it; tor half the 'country' is' below ,the level:of 'the' sea. and but for, these dykes,' and canals, and innumerable windmills, pumping water, the soa would'.soon overflow it, as: thousands of acres have .already been stolen.by .tho.do'vourihg: ocean.. In. the caso',of. invasion by the :G<ffmans,;.the'.pebplo"say -..they;.,,would simply- but the■ dykes and drown .uiem '■ out. But't think; what it, is-for theso millions of people, to. know.,.that: there is-only, aiiartificial:•• erection; -dependent -nipori-.. human vigilance and labour for. its :up-keep, between, them and destruction. Talk of- Now' Zealand earthquakes I they: are, nothing: compared with : this, constant: l ' peril. '. .The,' city ;-of Amsterdam, with its-; 550,000 inhabitant,' is actually, b'ui|t on 'piles! ; The' .Royal Palace alone stands-.0n"13,659..• And;bf.tin's pi-od.i-gibus -amount of timber,■;.most had: to "lio imported, for thero is,little,timber in Holland itself. In almost\every street,one may, see houses' falling out; of the ," porpeiidicular owing to-some of the piles giving way. ' ■■• I ; am surprised at the size and beauty of these Dutch cities;"and ,the evidences 'of' wealth ',and comfort'.'to ,ho ; seen on' every hand.. Up-to-date electric trams nro running everywhere along,.fine but usually narrow stree,ts, ; , with ,ta 11' .bouses on. :eiUior' .side.' There arb splendid shops, ma'ns.ions; cliurclios, institutions.;: The;Byks MuseUm in this city of Amsterdam is/.a truly' magnificent building, ' housing a priceless collection. of picture's and,other Works of-art.. And here,.,as, in every, city I' have: visited, are: to ho found beautiful" parks; and,;-gardens,'. ■ hotels;- -aiid restaurants, btc.,;"Thb : Hague,:,, where ..the' Queen usually is oven more bbautifiil than .Amsterdam,,- though not. as : large:; i'ri-. 1 : consider it one" of thb most beautiful, cities to ?be seen-anywhere. Then there' iB Haarlem,. vwhere'T saw .'-scores bf'apres .of. tulips and narcissi,; forming a huge carpet of riphest colourihg.'.lSome.'of 'the- bulbs.,nrn. of great,value, and'it is said-that one little selection was; sold -.'.some ;,, years ■ ago :' for £8000'. .;/■' They ;•; were ,- purchased '' for. an Eastern pptentato,, and somehow got .into, tlie hands of the cook' who, thinking 'they .were onions,- cooked, arid .served them . up' ■ at; - a diplomatio banquet), Nor.mTistJone ■forget Loy'den,. celebrated, for. its..'ferocious" siege, the Spaniards' being beaten' off at last by.the opening of the'dykes; Arnheim, with its beautiful villas and gardens; Utrecht, fanied for its'velvet.. Amongst other things; I saw atThe Hague the old torturo ohamtier, .truly a chamber; of .horrors; full, of; thumb-screws and' toe-screws; of racks and pincers,' \be-heading-stoo]s,-. and-I, know : not-what othei--instrumetils of: fiendish .ingenuity.

Rural Holland; '• •.':; But it. is time that I gave some description of tho rural .districts', and people. Most of; the country is, of .course', - .very flat,''and, as:..l:havb- already stated, .intersected by. innumerable canals and■■' water-courses. This makes, transport eaßy and ohcap, Oho may travol,for miles on a canal boat for a few pence, and,very.restful and'interesting such jounioye,. are.'. On either side,one'sees:richlypastured, well-stocked ::farmS, lv wiih ; !:thoir quaint ;high-roofcd i homesteads. -Sometimes thpvhouso appears'nearly all rpof, and I am told that the roofs are, made high in order to store hay for/winteruse--for,' m tho' winter.tho; land is covered with ice and snow, and all.cattle.have to ,be stabled and, hand fed. The Hollanders do not dread tlur winter, however, . as much as might be expected, forthen, when overy, canal and oven' the' Zuydcr Zee itself is frozen, tliero aro various winter sports and magnificent skating; A young fellow told me that an ice-ship, rigged with sails, will sometimos travel 70 miles an hour. Another result Of tho abundance of water is the fertility of the soil. There is little agriculture; biit the meadows aro splendid. By, meanß of water-wheels the farmer,) .can turn water on to Or off the laud.

jußt as they please,-and so keep the pasture in the pink of condition; As might bo supposed, there are few sheep in Holland, but the land oarries a prodigious number; of cat-. tlo, and, what to mo appears extraordinary, they.are all. of. the' same colour, black and white. Whether, colour has anything to do with the production of milk'l do.iibt know,' but the Dutch appear to, think'bo.i' ; ."'■';•.■.-•;■,.' Quaint Dress and Customs. '! .'../•' . One very interesting excursion I <■ had waa .•■' to.the island of ..Markom, returning -via. Volundam and Edam (the famous cheese market).. It is in this Old-World district that one sees the broad-beamed trouserß, wooden sabots, thick blue home-knitted.stockings bo''.- • familiar in' pictures. ' ; Uere, tW p'eoploliave almost .exactly the samb.dress: and habits , that they: had'centuries agoV 'Anothei\'pecu- ' 'liar- custom'is that up'to the ago. of 'six or '■■'. seven,'both boys'and .girls Bre.-dressed l ox- ';' actly: alike, 1 and. it is,really.impossible for V stranger to tell tho. difference. My fellow'traycF.crs.and.myself.kad'a".Bort of guessing competition, and wo, were quite ; as often wrong as right. : It was. almost enough to , make one ask whcthor.sex might hot be',) mainly, a matter, of, dross after all.- In, the ' littlo. town of Volundam there aro 3000 pecplo and 2,ooo,ooo.ducksl I was sorry, I could : not stay for dinner.' • All kinds of \ dairy pro- , duce in ; Holland are excellent: thing thatstruck' me in this district that nearly all the men wore brooches',' 'some/of which are of great; antiquity and handed down. '.'■ from father to son. The women, wear not ' only 'brooches, but .large gold aiid.j silvoi..; bands, corning round from tho back of. tha , head and terminating in. two large. Bpririg-. like protuberances .on cither side:of.the face':':. The peoplo of both sexes are tall.* strong; and ". inclined to bo stout, but the; Women often appear.to-be stouter than th'ji really are,",'•'' as in some districiis-a -womaKa wealth it • indicated by! tho number of,itoickwoollor" Ipetticoatß ' she "wears. '*.' Iv.have;'seen'som*' ■' women nearlyias broad,'als-.'tljiy' are long, arid, whereas in New.Zealand,a lady's,ambition-, '(at least.; so'.l- am ihforihed): is,,'to- appear slim of figure; in Holland.it is jiist'tlio r», verse. ; Op course,: itis simply a, matter oi . taste, and, where' ladies differ, whatV mere! male would venturp,to deoido? - I pity the: wealthy Dutch woman daring -this r not weather, s ■'.'..•■".■■■■...'■.'.':•',-,-' ,: ;:.;■- ■'; : >, -,-'

Holland is:a fins country, for the- smoker.' : He can buy an excellent cigar, for-a' penny," and a tolerable bn'e.'fbr, half that.smn. lam '. told that tourists.'.'sometimes object to; these.; cheap cigars, and then the tobacconist'takes," a similar uigar. frtm another box and charges .fiveponce.'for it^-thus* satisfying.'both■" lis / customer and himself.; It seems strange to ,see a;,navvy- going to: his ;work-with a oigar>. -V in his mouth. The other day I actnally'savr;. a,man soliciting alm3 (the"only one I have: seen), and puffing away at a"hugo cigar all 1 the time! He would have to keep his cigarv till the close of the day's business in Netr Zealand.,- -.",•:>■- ■:-. .■•"'"''••••.•j> :'.:;':.:.: v"'' '' ':'■;: But it is time T brought' thftM raiseollanft. ous. jottings, to a;'closo.' I like this' quaint - country, with its q'uamtjjidniclvj industrious : people; much,; and hbpo some, day,; to '..takea;' trip along,its-endless waterways, again.'! '..,;..