The dikes of Holland serve not only to shut out the water, but in many places form the 

 favorite strolling places of the people. The costumes seen in this picture and the situation 

 of the houses behind the dike are characteristic of nearly all of the fishing towns of Holland. 



Photos by W. L. Gifford 



LIVING BE;lOW SEA-LEVElj IN HOLLAND: SCENES AT VOLLENDAM 



The level of much of the land in Holland is shown by the houses in this picture. Dikes 

 which keep the water from overflowing the country were built at vast expense and cost about 

 $3,000,000 a year for maintenance. They have to be maintained along the rivers as well as 

 across the breaks made by erosion in the sand-dunes that fringe the sea. 



