110 TlMEHRI. 
the typical Dutch houses in our midst ; and may they 
stay with us till they can stand no longer ; and among 
these buildings, particularly the Colonial Bank, with its 
English money history, — and to us double Dutch inter- 
est ! may it rest in peace. 
However, if we praise not the ancient Dutch for 
their want of art-development, we can well afford 
to thank them for many a quaint and picturesque 
building in our town ; and moreover can and should 
give them full credit for the solid substantialness of 
their constructions, of civil or engineering worth ; for 
they indulged in no art flimsiness or ginger bread 
falseness, judging, alone or only from what they have 
left behind them ; though, after all, in looking at the old 
Dutch buildings, or in fact at any old time worn structures, 
here and elsewhere, we should remember that it is not fair 
or just, to form a fixed judgment from what has been left 
behind, or what we now see, as to what did once exist, and 
has long since passed away ; or in other words it is not 
right to conclude, that because the present Dutch build- 
ings are of a solid and substantial character, and built of 
good timber and the best of seasoned stuff, that there- 
fore all Dutch-works or buildings rejoiced in the same 
good qualities ; for if it were so, why have the most of 
Dutch buildings disappeared, leaving the few, as a mere 
remnant to deceive the multitude, and make them cry out 
in utter ignorance and say " see how solidly the Dutch- 
man built/' how solid all his works ; such expressions 
as these remind us of the stupidity of common-brick- 
layers in our own distant country, who when engaged 
in pulling down modern and ancient brick work, give 
always against all modern work and are loud in favour of 
