towns boast of, and in which the produce of the land is offered for sale
in abundance and appetizing freshness. All this tends to teach a
servant-girl how to use alike her eyes, hands, and brain, and to educate
her into a thrifty, industrious, and tidy workman's wife, who will know
how to make both ends meet, however short her resources may be. This is
one of the reasons why so many Dutch workmen's homes, notwithstanding the
low wages, have an appearance of snug prosperity--the women there have
learned how to make a little go a long way.

And how about their future husbands? Have they, too, learned their trade?
Perhaps; if they are particularly strong, shrewd, industrious, and
persevering, though technical education ('ambachtsonderwys') is much a
thing of the future in Holland.

In the general course of life a boy goes to a trade which offers him the
highest wages. If he can begin by earning eightpence a week, he will not
go elsewhere to earn sixpence if the wear and tear of shoes and clothes is
the same in both cases, although the sixpenny occupation may perhaps be
better suited to his tastes, ability, and general aptitude. To his mother
the extra two pence are a consideration; they may cover some weekly
contribution to a necessary fund. Running errands is his first work, until
accidentally some workman or some apprentice leaves the shop, in which
case he is moved up, and a new boy has the errands to do. But now he must
look out for himself; his master is not over-anxious to let him learn all
the ins and outs of the work, for as soon as his competitors hear that he
has a very clever boy in his shop, he is sure to lose that boy, who is
tempted away by the offer of better pay. Nor are the workmen greatly
inclined to impart their little secrets, to explain this thing and that,
and so help the young fellow on. Why should they? Nobody did it for them;
they got their qualifications by their own unaided exertions--let the boy