ainst
the only intolerant party in the country, the orthodox Calvinists.

I did not make the acquaintance of any Calvinists, and I was sorry on
that account. I never believed all that is recounted of their extreme
rigour; for example, that there are among them certain ladies who hide
the legs of the tables with covers, for fear that they might suggest
to the minds of visitors the legs of the mistress of the house. But
there is no doubt that they live with extreme austerity. Many of them
never enter a theatre, a ball-room, or a concert-hall. There are
families who on the Sabbath content themselves with eating a little
cold meat, so that the cook may rest on that day. Every morning in
many houses the master reads from the Bible in the presence of the
family and servants, and they all pray together. But, nevertheless,
this sect of orthodox Calvinists, whose followers are almost all
amongst the aristocracy and the peasantry, does not exert a great
influence in the country. This is proved by the fact that in
Parliament the Calvinists are inferior in numbers to the Catholic
party and can do nothing without them.

I have mentioned the theatre. At the Hague, as in the other large
Dutch cities, there are no large theatres nor great performances. They
generally produce German operas sung by foreign singers, and French
comedies and operettas. Concerts are the great attraction. In this
Holland is faithful to its traditions, for, as is well known, Dutch
musicians were sought after in all the Christian courts as early as
the sixteenth century. It has also been said that the Dutch have great
ability in singing in chorus. In fact, the pleasure of singing
together must be great if it is in proportion to the aversion they
have to singing alone, for I do not ever remember hearing any one sing
a tune at any hour or in any part of a Dutch town, excepting street
urchins, who were singing in derision at drunken men, and drunkards
are seldom seen excepting on public holidays.

I have spoken of the French operettas and comedies. At the Hague not only
the plays are French, but public life as well. Rotterdam has an English
imprint, Amsterdam is German, and the Hague Parisian. So it may truthfully
be said that the citizens of the large Dutch towns unite and temper the
good qualities and the defects of the three great neighboring nations. At
the Hague in many families of the best society they speak French
altogether; in others they affect French