The Henson Journals

[4]

Saturday, August 10th, 1901.

There are, as far as I can discover, no English or Americans in this hotel, which with its great restaurant seems to be a rendezvous of the Dutch. These are a tall well–built vigorous race, curiously like the English in carriage & aspect. The Dutch women are heavily built with broad shoulders, large hips, and big limbs – the obvious models of the shipping which navigates the canals. Even the young girls present this rather gross type, & it inspires the fleshy art of the great Dutch painters.

There are but slight traces of the S. African war. Such caricatures as appear in the windows are not flattering to the English, and at the Hague we saw the relics of a fête, announced in rather florid language, on behalf of the Dutch women. That is all so far. It is curious to note that the national enemy in the 17th Century, the golden age of the Dutch greatness, was England. The series of great admirals, whose portraits & monuments greet one everywhere, all won their laurels against the English: and English standards flew with Spanish & French in their public halls as trophies of national victory.

We spent the morning in looking at the collections in the Ryks Museum. The pictures are splendid, & splendidly shown. I never realized the greatness of Rembrandt before seeing him in Holland. His "Night Watch" is superb & there is another anatomical picture, which, in spite of its nauseous subject, is powerful.

In the afternoon we first visited the "Nieuwe Kerk", wh. is a large open church, originally built in the 15th century, but burnt down twice over, &, as it stands, largely a 17th Century fabric. It is desolation itself in all its appointments. De Ruyter's great monument occupies the site of the high altar. The painted windows are almost entirely gone. There is a fine carved pulpit, & some monuments to Dutch heroes. This church seems to serve the purpose of our own Westminster Abbey in the Dutch state – but what a strange contrast! The normal irreverence of these Calvinists was in this poor shell aggravated by the fact that preparations were making for the morrow's services. Several maids & young men were shouting, laughing & generally sporting together in frank & insolent contempt for the place. When reverence expired, will faith continue in their temples? I do not believe it.

Next we went by steam boat to Zaandau, & saw the hut of Peter the Great. The scene on the banks of the canal, & in the town was pleasing, & thoroughly Dutch. I was astonished to see a party of peasants beating out corn with flails. One hardly expected to see that ancient agricultural method still in use so close to a thriving & progressive modern capital. The striking similarity of the Dutch to the English in aspect, carriage, & habitat impresses me much. The boys are as alert & roguish as our own, quite unlike the petrified Germans & superannuated French. After dinner we went about the city on the tram, & were more struck than ever by its dignity & commodiousness. I wrote to Carissima & Podge, addressing my letters to Westminster in default of any other address.

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