Page:Things Seen In Holland (1912).djvu/131

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The Queen and Her People

Volendam, hold entirely different views in this respect. They parade a broad, ugly, yellow fringe of hair and a couple of long and thick krullen (curls), which give them an untidy appearance. These curls are the subject of cruel remarks on the part of the shy maidens of Volendam.

As a kermis is the occasion for a gathering of the local clan, a few words about this orgy will not be amiss. On a kermis day the Dutch throw off their placid character to such an extent that the better class fly from it, and many Hollanders do not hesitate to style the festival a national disgrace. The kermis is dying out, and it is to be hoped that a gay carnival will supplant it. The Rembrandt tercentenary showed what the Dutch can do in the matter of a pageant. Hanicotte, the French painter, whose “Leur Mer” adorns the Luxemburg, following in the steps of

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