We Left The Hague, And Taking The Railway, In A Little More Than Two Hours
Were At Amsterdam, A Great Commercial City In Decay, Where Nearly Half Of
The Inhabitants Live On The Charity Of The Rest.
The next morning was
Sunday, and taking advantage of an interval of fair weather, for it still
continued to
Rain every day, I went to the Oudekerk, or Old Church, as the
ancient Cathedral is called, which might have been an impressive building
in its original construction, but is now spoiled by cross-beams, paint,
galleries, partitions, pews, and every sort of architectural enormity. But
there is a noble organ, with a massive and lofty front of white marble
richly sculptured, occupying the west end of the chancel. I listened to a
sermon in Dutch, the delivery of which, owing partly to the disagreeable
voice of the speaker and partly no doubt to my ignorance of the language,
seemed to me a kind of barking. The men all wore their hats during the
service, but half the women were without bonnets. When the sermon and
prayer were over, the rich tones of the organ broke forth and flooded the
place with melody.
Every body visits Broek, near Amsterdam, the pride of Dutch villages, and
to Broek I went accordingly. It stands like the rest, among dykes and
canals, but consists altogether of the habitations of persons in
comfortable circumstances, and is remarkable, as you know, for its
scrupulous cleanliness. The common streets and footways, are kept in the
same order as the private garden-walks.
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