NETHERLANDS 



4122 



NETHERLANDS 



The principal kinds employed tor fishing are 

 'nc, the drift and trawl, the kittle or 

 weir, and the trammel nets. The 8fK i< very 

 long in proportion to its width, and has a line 

 of corks along one of its long ends and a line 

 of leaden weights on the other, so that it be- 

 comes a perpendicular sheet when thrown into 

 the water. It -is used near the shore. The 

 drift net has the same proportions of length 

 and breadth, but is not loaded with lead, and 



floats in the water. The trawl is a huge pocket, 

 and is dragged along the bottom by the motion 

 of the boat. Kettle or weir nets, structures 

 fixed on stakes, are placed along the coast be- 

 tween high and low water. Trammel or set 

 nets are also fixed between stakes, but act like 

 drift nets. Nets were originally woven by 

 hand, but are now made on looms. According 

 to Norse mythology, fishing nets were invented 

 by Loki. See ANGLINC. 



ETHERLANDS, THE, or HOLLAND, 

 one of the most important small countries in 

 the world. Though its area of 12,648 square 

 miles is smaller than that of any European na- 

 tion except Belgium or Montenegro, and its 

 population of 6,212,700 in 1913 is only a frac- 

 tion of that in many other countries, it has a 

 foreign trade exceeded in all the world by. only 

 Great Britain, Germany and the United States, 

 and rules an empire of nearly 40,000,000 peo- 

 ple, the third largest on earth. The country 

 is about the size of Maryland, and not half 

 that of New Brunswick. 



People. The inhabitants of this little nation 

 rail themselves Nederlanders, for the word 

 Dutch, by which we know them, is merely a 

 corruption of Deutsch, meaning German. 

 Though they have had their distinctive charac-, 

 t eristics for centuries, most of them are rather 

 like Germans, but the people of Limburg, the 

 province which juts out to the south near the 

 Belgian city of Liege, are akin to their neigh- 

 bors of Belgium. Dutch folk are known the 

 world over for the quaintness of their costumes, 

 the wooden shoes of the farmers, their baggy 

 trousers or breeches, and the neat little caps 

 worn by the women of some provinces. Dutch 

 housewives, too, are noted for their fondness 

 for scrubbing. The whole nation is thrifty, 

 and, except the Limburgers, inclined to serious- 

 ness. There are half a million bicycles in the 

 country, but fewer motorcycles and automo- 

 biles than in any large city of America. Foot- 

 ball, gymnastics and skating and of course 

 moving pictures are popular, and there are 



municipally owned theaters. Though close bar- 

 gainers and very cautious in business, the Neth- 

 erlanders are renowned for their good faith, 

 honesty, modesty and frankness. 



Before 1815 Holland was purely a Protestant 

 state, but the provinces of Limburg and Bra- 

 bant, and part of Guelderland, all added to 

 the kingdom in that year, are solidly Roman 

 Catholic. The Protestants still constitute 

 nearly two-thirds of the people, and over half 

 of them are members of the Dutch Reformed 

 Church. There are over 100,000 Jews, who 

 have been permitted freedom of worship only 

 since 1847. 



Education. Going to school in Holland is a 

 serious business. Even in the universities there 

 are few of the games and sports which brighten 

 school days in America. About three-fifths of 

 the boys and girls go to the public schools ; the 

 rest, most of whom are in Roman Catholic 

 provinces, attend private schools. These, too, 

 are under the supervision of the government; 

 all the teachers must pass government examina- 

 tions, and twice a year, at unexpected times, 

 inspectors appear to examine the pupils in all 

 their studies and discover if the teachers are 

 doing good work. Children between the ages 

 of seven and fourteen are obliged by law to 

 attend school. After finishing the primary 

 grades they have their choice of several courses. 

 There are industrial schools, of which all the 

 carpenters and blacksmiths are graduates. Then 

 there are the professional schools, the burgher 

 schools and the gymnasia, all somewhat like 

 American high schools. Of the five universities, 



