Roman Catholic, Mennonite, Lutheran, and Reformed, took oath and made invocation to the Deity in his own way. Brief, impressive, thrilling, was this inauguration of a constitutional ruler over a free people. In spirit and in form the ceremony of September 6 was the renewal of the ancient covenant of affection and loyalty between the house of Orange and the Dutch people, in mutual obedience to that fundamental law of the land which governs both ruler and ruled. Never, till the hand of death closes the doors of hearing and memory, will the thrill imparted by that clear, strong, sweet voice be forgotten, as she spoke : "I count myself happy to rule the Dutch people, small in number, but great in courage, great in nature and in character. The words of my ever-to-be-remembered father I make wholly my own: The house of Orange can never, no never, do enough for the Netherlands."" Thus is the spirit of William the Silent, lover of the peop`e, maintainer of right and law, servant of servants, incarnated in this fair maiden of eighteen, strong in will, gracious in manner, lovely in person. Let my readers pardon apparent presumption of knowledge, but from one of the playmates of the Queen. from another lady closely intimate with the Queen-mother and the maids of honor at court, and from a province-gov. ernor, and from one of the ministers of the Royal Cabinet, I have learned most of the personal facts I state. Among others is this, that Wilhelmina's proclamation to her people and the inaugural address in the church were her own compositions, scarcely touched by her mother and gladly approved in both Chambers of the States-General; and the same wonderful voice that filled and thrilled all understanding hearers in the church, surprised and touched by its marvelous sweetness and power the guests at the S ate banquet in the palace. In the south transept of the "New Church," built before America was discovered, one may now see the splendid window, just unveiled, of stained glass and colossal proportions, the gift of the people to the Queen, which shows, by historic figures and in allegory, the union of the House of Orange and the Netherlands With richest colors, sheathed in light, it pictures William, Maurice, Frederick Henry, and the other four Williams, all stadholders of the Repuulic, with their illustrious consorts, Louise de Coligny, Amalia van Solms, Marie Stuart; and (after "the Dutch took Holland" from their French "delivere's" in 1813) the three kings, Willian I., II., III., and Queen Emma-the tender, wise, beloved mother of Netherlands' happy Queen. Beneath this double row of worthies, republican and regal, are two allegorical pictures that begin and bring to date the nation's modern history. In one, William of Orange makes a covenant of love and service with the seven States federated by the Union of Utrecht in 1579. In the other, Wilhelmina, holding the Bible, receives as a heavenly gift the Grondwet (constitution), and thus the ancient covenant of a family rich in nature's noblemen with a free nation is sealed again. Grand and appropriate is this picture wrought in material through which heaven's light may ever stream; for, from palace to hut in the Low Countries, from Axel to Finsterwolde, and from Koeworden to the Hoek of Holland, the Bible is read, loved, and honored as from God-the foundation of home and State. Yet, here, in this land rescued from the very ocean, on which the Dutch "found bread and a sword," ever since William (Catholic and Lutheran by birth and education and Calvinist by conviction) protected the Anabaptists-rue spiritual ancestors of a majority of English-speaking Christians-conscience has been free. Pe:fect liberty was not, is not, found anywhere on earth, but it has been ever strong and deep and wide in Holland. On the day of the inauguration the clouds broke with impressive timeliness, and the jeweled maiden in white, majestic in person and glorious in all her enviro ment. yet also most winsome in character, stood radiant in the sun's tem pered light, the charm of all eyes. This was the central event in 'hat honeymoon of festivities which began on Wihelmina's birthday, August 31, and ends-unless even the young Queen's abundant energies flag-on September 17, by which time she will need a long nap at Soestdijk. Nineteen years ago, a pretty, rosy, plump bride, herself descended from William the Silent and the princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Emma, wedded "the old King" William III. The baby born the next year redeemed the monarch's waning popularity and gave joy to the nation. This year, on the eve of her daughter's majority, in a tender address to the people, she resigned her station as Queen-regent. Wilhelmina's strong and beautiful proclama and æsthetic ways of the inauguration, as well as those which pleased the eye and the palate. This is woman's century, and perhaps the next will even more be hers. In the Hague the national exhibition of woman's work in all lines of endeavor was a most suggestive and impressive display, showing, in light and shadow, astonishing needs, but great progress. But, a.though every town and village proves how good a helpmeet for the man the Dutch woman is, there is no Wellesley or Vassar College here yet. In the Congress of Diplomatic History one could see how often the Dutch Kepublic had served as neutral ground for the meeting of the peace envoys of many nations. In Amsterdam the imposing collections of Rembrandt's portraits and pictures showed, with fresh emphasis, the power of this king of shadows, master of light that reveals not its source, matchless portrayer of JAN STEEN, CUYP, AND OTHER PAINTERS. THE FLOAT FOLLOWING REPRESENTS STEEN'S the human face, painter of Puritanism, tumes. At the House of the Press on Saturday evening, where the representative of The Outlook found one hundred ladies and gentlemen from many lands, and at the mansion of the Burgomaster, where jewels flashed and orders and decorations gleamed, we had our first taste of Amsterdam's hospitality. The happy season had been ushered in by a royal shower of decorations as rich as that which fell in the lap of Danae of mythology. I recognized the names of several Dutch friends, men of letters, thus adorned. On Monday of the Kronings Feest, sev enty thousand trained children sang in the public schools of Amsterdam, and received as many silvered commemorative medals. Soon after sunrise people began to mass in the thoroughfares leading to the Dam. Most Dutch cities began on a terp or artificial mound to which the prehistoric amphibious folk rushed for refuge when floods rolled in. By and by the terp became the dorp, or village, when the ground had been faced with timber and a dam built to hold the land fast. Gradually, by dams and canals, which helped to drain the spongy land, the cellarless houses were built, and the streets, named usually after the trades and occupations, the churches, the cloisters, the saints, or the heroes, were laid out. So grew up the dam on the Amstel, or Amsterdam, which the herrings first made rich, and over which Gijsbert, the feudal lord, ruled. In the fifteenth century the Great Church was built-its most interesting corner being at Moses-and-Aaron S:reet and Dam-strange combination to English ears. Not until Spanish tyranny was forever quelled for Dutchmen, in 1648. after eighty years' struggle, was the superb City Hall, now the Palace, reared. "Called the eighth wonder of the world," it stands on over 13,000 piles. The Hague is the residence of the Queen, but Amsterdam is the city where sovereign and people exchange vows of mutual loyalty. After hours spent in seeing the guard drill and in studying the crowd while waiting on our tribune, or platform, directly opposite the veranda on which Wilhelmina was to stand, the joyful boom of the cannon announced her coming. The military, sailors, infantry, and cavalry first moved in and filled the square. Then, in a carriage drawn by eight horses with postiliors, appeared two ladies; one young and fair, in white; the other substantial in years and figure, dressed in silk of a heliotrope shade. Bowing right and left, waving her little pocket-hand kerchief, Wilhelmina seemed not only overflowing with happiness herself, but she put the clouds of spectators on the houses and the people below into a state of unmeasured delight. She rode around the square, disappeared for a few moments in the one doorway made different from the others the gues's from many countries gathered in the Nieuwe Kerk. My own seat was directly over the middle aisle and in front of the throne chair on the great platform. Embroidered coats, orders, and decorations on the breasts of men of achievement, all the pomp and splendor of the heroes of army and navy, all the gorgeousness of richly gowned and jeweled ladies, were there. The purple and black of the Roman Catholic Bishops, the Lutheran and Reformed pas:ors in caps and robes, the Jewish rabbis, the consuls, the gold-collared members of the States-General, nade enough variety in color; but the Chinese envoys, the diplomatic corps, the vas:al princes of East India, were dazzling in bullion, color, fea hers, s=ords, or medals. It must not be forgotten that Queen Wilhelmina rules, besides her six million Du'ch subjects, about thirtyfive millions of the Malay race in the East Indian archipelago. Holland is the greatest colonizing nation after Great Britain. The Sultan of Siak-I should need two lines to wri.e his full name and titles-and the deputed envoys of other Malay sultans, and the large delegation from the Far East, with their odd head-gear and golden garments, have made a striking feature in all the spectacles of this week. By leven o'clock the redcovered platform was filled with grandees, and the Queen-mother, who rode from the Palace, was in her seat next on the left to the chair soon to be filled. Wilhelmina, with her usual democratic determination, had willed to walk from the Palace to the chair occupied before her by her father and grandfather. So, after a storm of popular cheering heard outside, we saw the lovely maiden in white and diamonds, wearing over her breast an orange scarf with a glittering star, and the velvet and ermine THE QN R only by a velvet canopy-for the Palace has no one imposing entrance-and then reappeared on the veranda. Then all banners dipped, swords gleamed, and muskets were held to a "present." Yet this was not all, for the Queen herself had arranged to meet her own people at even closer range. So the military were dismissed, and then, with order and deliberation, the longheld-back masses in the streets leading to the Dam moved into the space, and eighty thousand throats uttered welcome to the sweet lady in white who appeared on the balcony. Leve de Koningin!" was the cry. On Tuesday the elect of Netherlands and robe of royalty sweeping from her shoulders. |
