Holland had some notable early printers, among them the Elzevirs, who stand in the first rank. She had two world-leaders in philosophy, Spinoza and Descartes, the latter belonging also to France. Erasmus was the most distinguished of modern classical scholars, and Grotius founded the science of International Law. Jakob Cats is Holland's best-known poet, and Maarten Maartens is the great novelist.
The Dutch have stood foremost in science, especially medicine. They produced the first fine optical instruments, and they have been pioneers in navigation and floriculture.
In painting, Holland occupies a place of high distinction. Among the names of the great painters are those of Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Gerard Douw, Teniers, Ruysdael, Jan Steen, Hobbema, and Cuyp; and in our own time, Ary Scheffer, Alma-Tadema, Israels, Mesdag, and Mauve.
Clubs would do well to take a year of study on the last general topic alone. The history of the men of science and philosophy and the analysis of the work of the painters are enough to fill easily many programs. Add to this the study of Holland as a country; its picturesque buildings in the cities; its canals, bridges, and boats; its windmills; its fishing towns and their quays and smacks; the great picture-galleries and museums; the market-places; the peasants there and in the villages, and their quaint costumes; the life of the court; the curious out-of-the-world places on the islands and in what are called the "dead cities."
Illustrate programs on these subjects with pictures of all kinds, such as may be found in De Amicis' book, already suggested. See also G. H. Boughton's Sketching Rambles and Stevenson's An Inland Voyage. A clever little story of a trip on Holland's canals is The Chaperon, by C. N. and A. M. Williamson.
CHAPTER XII
The Homelike House
This very practical subject for club study is here arranged under ten topics, but they may be divided into as many more. Numbers one, seven, and ten may be used separately—a year's work made out of each one.
Good books for general reference are: The Family House, by C. F. Osborne; The House, Its Plan, Decoration, and Care, by Isabel Bevier; and The House Beautiful, by W. C. Gannett. The American School of Economics of Chicago has some very useful books on its list on the building and furnishing of homes, and there are hundreds of magazine articles on these and kindred subjects.