country a softness in the air which is enervating, and in such places as
Flushing snow is seldom seen, and does not lie long. But the same thing is
seen in Cornwall. Hence this climatic influence is not a sufficient reason
in itself to account for the undeniable and general 'slowness' of the
Dutchman. It is to be found rather in the history of the country, which
has taught the Netherlander to attempt to prove by other people's
experience the value of new ideas, and only when he has done so will he
adopt them. This saps all initiative.

There is a great lack of faith in everything, in secular as well as
religious matters, the Dutchman will risk nothing, for four cents' outlay
he must be quite certain of six cents in return. As long as he is in this
mood the country will 'mark time,' but not advance much. The Dutchman
believes so thoroughly in being comfortable, and, given a modest income
which he has inherited or gained, he will not only not go a penny beyond
it in his expenditure, but often he will live very much below it. He would
never think of 'living up to' his income; his idea is to leave his
children something very tangible in the shape of guldens. A small income
and little or no work is a far more agreeable prospect than a really busy
life allied to a large income. All the cautiousness of the Scotchman the
Dutchman has, but not the enterprise and industry. With his
cosmopolitanism, which he has gained by having to learn and converse in so
many languages, in order to transact the large transfer business of such a
country as the Netherlands, he has acquired all the various views of life
which cosmopolitanism opens to a man's mind. The Dutchman can talk upon
politics extremely well, but his interest is largely academic and not
personal; he is as a man who looks on and loves _desipere in loco_.

The Dutchman is therefore a philosopher and a delightful _raconteur_, but
at present he is not doing any very great things in the international