OLD ZEALAND.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2622, 2 October 1909, Page 3 (Supplement)

OLD ZEALAND.

A LOOK THROUGH HOLLAND. (By the Rev. F. Stubbs, in the Canterbury “Times.”) AMSTERDAM, May 24. I have headed this letter Old Zealand, but the Dutch Zeeland (sea-land), after which New Zealand i s called, constitutes but a single province of the Netherlands. From Zeeland, a hundred years before Captain Cook was born, the Dutch navigator, Tasman, had sailed to explore the Southern Ocean, and, finding Maoriland lying across his path, patriotically dubbed it New Zeeland, the name it has borne ever since. But our connection with Holland is by no means exhausted by the name the Dominion bears. We are .related to the Dutch both racially and historically. Away from English books of reference, I cannot state precisely what that relationship is, but I know that it exists, and the two languages bear witness of this. One is constantly coming across words which, are almost exactly the same in both Dutch and English, though the spelling and pronunciation are slightly different—a fact very helpful to the English traveller. There are also other resemblances. In both races are to- be found the same love of order and liberty; the same determination to withstand the encroachments ■of arbitrary power; the same serious conception of life. Both races have shown themselves to be born seafarers, merchants and colonisers. In the middle of the seventeenth century, the Dutch commerce was the most widely extended in the world. A community of interests repeatedly united them in great crises of European history. For a long period they were the twin champions of Protestantism in Europe, and together caused the downfall of Spain, which at that time ruled orer two-thirds of the known world. Later on they unfortunately came into conflict with each other, and the victory was not always on the same side, though, judging from the Dutch picture galleries, one might think it was. In 1688 England chose a Dutch King, and an excellent ruler he.proved. But I have already said enough, I think, to bespeak the interest of the New .’‘Zealand reader in the country from I write. HOLLAND AND GERMANY.

W I had the good fortune to arrive in : f ; Rotterdam on the day upon which the || birth of the Princess Juliana was celebrated. The whole city was given up || to carnival. Shops and offices were jelosed; streets, wharves and vessels if profusely decorated; and tens of thou- !|- sand s of gaily-dressed people paraded I the streets, singing, dancing, and throwing confetti at one another. At night, city, wharves and vessels were brilliantly illuminated. It would be difficult do give the reader any adequate idea of the joyous excitement that prevailed. A day or two later I saw the same thing repeated on a smaller scale SI rat Haarlem. The explanation of lhese H' great national rejoicings _ that took place all over the country is this: For b .eight years Queen Wilhelmina had neon married, but had borne no children. || This was the cause- of deep anxiety to the Dutch, for, in the event of her leav:l ing no issue, the throne would pass to if a foreign prince, brought up in ocher traditions, unable to sympathise with \ the Dutch character and aspirations, If and with leanings towards Germany. \ The latter country ha s made no secret p of her desire for the control of some jf of the Dutch ports. In the event, therefore, of a German Prince ascend- || ing the throne, the fulfilment of Geri| man ambitions would be made more easy. And so the Dutch, in fear and I dislike of ■ their big neighbor, rejoice in the birth of the young princess, more than most people would rejoice in a I round dozen of young princes and princesses. THE VENICE OF THE NORTH. The Venn "(of the North, as Amsterdam is some imes called, well deserves its name. Everywhere it is intersected by canals, giving one the impression that there is as much water as there is land, which, indeed, i s not far fiem the truth. The reader will get some idea of the extent of these canals when he learns that there are 300 bridges in the city, the view from one of which is both picturesque and animated. Here are to be seen vessels of every description ; bn the larger canals, ships of thousands of tons burden; on the smaller, innumerable brightly-painted barges, carrying almost every species of merchandise. You can get almost anywhere in Holland by means of the canal . There are over .2000 miles within an area not one-third as large as the North Island of New Zealand. There are. 3000 miles of navigable river channels, and over 1600 miles of dykes. The whole country is dissected by channels and water-courses. Imagine the prodigious labor expended in the creation and keeping-up of these. It is a heavy burden upon the people, but there is no help lor it, for half the country is below the level of the sea, and but tor these dykes, and canals, and innumerable windmills pumping water, the sea would soon overflow it, ag thousands of acres have already been stolen by the devouring ocean. In the case of invasion by the Germans, the people say they would simply cut the dykes and drown them out. But think what it is for these millions of people to know that there is only an artificial erection dependent upon human vigilance and Tbor i'or its up-keep, between them and destination. Talk of New Zealand earthluakes! they are nothing compare/, with this constant peril. The city tofAmsterdam, with its 550,000 inhabitants, is actually built on piles. In almost every street one may see houses falling out of the perpendicular, 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 be seen on every band. Up-to-date electric trams are running everywhere along fine but usually narrow streets, with tall houses on either side. There are splendid shops, mansions, churches, institutions. The Rvks Museum in this city ol Amsterdam is a truly magnificent building, housing a priceless collection of pictures and other works of art. And here as in every city I have visited, are ’to be found beautiful parks and gardens, hotels, and restaurants, etc. The Hague, where the Queen usually resides is even more beautiful than Amsterdam, though not as large; indeed, I consider it we of the most 111 4. 4

beautiful cities to be seen anywhere. Then there- is Haarlem, where I saw scores of acres of tulips and narcissi, forming a huge carpet of richest coloring. Some of the bulbs are of great value, and it is said that one little selection was sold some years ago for £BOOO. They were purchased lor an Eastern potentate, and* somehow got into the hand s of the cook, who, thinking they were onions, cooked and served them up at a diplomatic banquet! Nor must one forget Leyden, celebrated for its ferocious siege, the Spaniards beinv beaten off at last by the opening of tfie dykes; Arnheim, with its beautiful villas and gardens; Utrecht, famed for its velvet. Amongst other things, I saw at The Hague the old torture chamber, truly a chamber of horrors, full of thumb-screws and toescrews; of racks and pinchers,, behead-ing-stools, and I know not what other instruments of fiendish ingenuity.

RURAL HOLLAND. But it is time that I gave some description of the rural districts and people. Most of the country is, of course, very flat, and, as I have already stated intersected by innumerable canals and water-courses. This makes transport easy and cheap. One may travel for miles on a canal boat for a few pence, and very restful and interesting such journeys are. On either side one sees richly-pastured, w r e!l-stocked farms, with their quaint high-roofed homesteads. Sometimes the house appears nearly all roof, and I am told that the roofs are made high in order to store hay for winter use —for, in the winter, the land is covered with iee and snow', and all cattle have to be stabled and hand fed. The Hollanders do not dread the winter, however, as much as might be expected, for then, when every canal and even the Zuycler Zee itself is frozen, there are various winter sports and magnificent skating. A young fellow told me that an ice ship, rigged" with sails, will sometimes travel seventy miles an hour. Another result of the abundance of water is the remarkable fertility of the soil. There is little agriculture, but the meadows are splendid. By means of water-wheels the farmers can turn water on to or off the land, just as they please, and so keep the pasture in the pink of condition. As might be supposed, there are few sheep in Holland, but the land carries a prodigious number of cattle, and, what to me appears extraordinary, they are all of the same color, black and white. Whether color has anything to do with the production of milk I do not know, but the Dutch appear to think 60.

QUAINT DRESS AND CUSTOMS. One very interesting excursion I had wa s to the island of Markem, returning via Volundam and Edam (the famous cheese market). It is in the Old World district that one sees the broadbeamed trousers, wooden sabots, thick blue home-knitted stockings so familiar in pictures. Here, the people have almost exactly the same dress and habits that they had centuries ago. Another peculiar custom is that up to the age of six or seven both boys and girls are dressed exactly alike, and it is really impossible for a stranger to tell the difference. My fellow-travellers and myself had a sort of guessing competition, and we were quite as often wrong as right. It was almost enough to make one ask whether sex might not be mainly a matter of dress after all. In the little town of Volundam there are 3000 people and 2,000,000 ducks. I was sorry I could not stay for dinner. All kind s of dairy produce in Holland are excellent. .Another thing that struck me in this district was that nearly all the men wore brooches, some of wiiich are of great antiquity and handed down from father to son. The women wear not only brooches, but large gold and silver bands, coming round from tlie back of the head and terminating in. two large spring-like protuberances on either side of the face. The people of both sexes are tall, strong, and inclined to be stout, but the women often appear to be stouter than they really are, as in some districts a woman’s wealth is indicated by the number of thick woollen petticoats she wears. I have seen some women nearly as broad as they are long, and whereas in New Zealand a ladyV ambition {at least .so I am informed) is to appear slim of figure, in Holland it is just the reverse. Of course, it is simply a matter of taste, and, where ladies differ, what mere male would venture to decide? Nevertheless, I pity the wealthy Dutch woman during this hot weather. Holland is a fine country for the smoker. He can buy an excellent cigar for a penny, and a tolerable one for half that sum. lam told that tourists sometimes object to these cheap cigars, and »then the tobacconist takes a similar cigar from another box and charges fiveperice for it —thus satisfying both his customer and himself. It seems strange to see a navvy going to hi s work with a cigar in his mouth. The otheif day I actually saw a man soliciting alms (the only one I have seen), and puffing away at a huge cigar all the time! He would have to keep his cigar till the close of the day’s business in New Zealand.

But it is time I brought these mis-* cellaneous jottings to a close. I like tin’s quaint country, xvitli its quaint, homely, industrious people, much, and hope s»me day to take a trip along its endless waterxvays again.