FROM HOLLAND

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 150, 31 December 1928, Page 3

FROM HOLLAND

THREE GRBVT; SPORTS • 6QLF, YACHTS^ SKATING ■ .:;HpllaucV lia's.;'contributed:..thrce .popu-' lar: spbrts.'tp :ciyilisationY says.:a '. bulle> tin Jroin;;thc;Nationai;.\Geographic Society. -'• AH three of the, sporty terms. are direct importatibns from the Dutch language;; golf (comes1 from kqlf'meaning a; clubjVyacht>frqmV : :jacht which originally referred 'to hunting .or the chase; ' skate; from;;;schaat,;' ! meaning skate.' ;V,' ..•;'- V ■::' v;. :■•■''. ■;.;; . ; •'' >:■;■,- ■■, --■.;: "}.'.. "Although; the'.Scotch'-::reeeive!:. credit for shaping ' golf, into;, ; 'the\game.' now played, ;the; Dutch\are;h.eld';;rcsponsible if dr. its origin; ;. : Certain;;etchings'have; been(ferreted;put;-bf;: the-art'ltreasure's' of:the.nation*which-pieturo the ancient: ■lto'lf players--on ;.ths ..','links..";.;; So; ; we know that 'in :;1675 the well-equipped: Dutch golfer went; forth; swathed in a: mantle like a Boman : tpga, that; he carried^ a muff and 'wore, skates, because kolf vwas ''-an; icei gained i. ln/.place",of a; kblfJjag he carried a-sword in a; scabbard. Yet he, is,;not ■entirely an un-; familiar -figure as'lie, stands boldly: in "a" typical yisored .capy the samo baggy, :plua t< fours,''-.'thq.; golf.; ; ;soeks,:- s arid;; cyen; tiie'identical snappyikncc'Jtasscls which iteobvatc1 -..the'/ f astidio,us; ;golf er'"'tq.-day.'-.v"; '.-, Q)io:.s tick ■vwas. enough ;-f or;,; the V- ; old' ''Dutch".-playfer;'-. it :.'wa's'..la'rgiß'i-fand'.-;liko "a; "li o ekoy . stick, i '/ The;', golf ..balls ■ ■ were large too,. and:it. has; bpon-;fbund ■^ that although the Dutch earned^the reputation of makirigithe,;best golf balls,; the; Scotch, even, in those idays,' were'prodticiiig clubs of such; quality: _that; the; N.etherlanders sont'across the North>ea ;fbr them.'; The chief; divergence^be, ■-twe6n'':kolf-dnd-'-go]£-;is\;ttat;in^kolf;-.to^ player'aimed; : .tb. hitAa:isiake;set;'in\the icevinstead;of: trying-;to',sink;a;;putt ■ in;; :a■•■''bup: ■; : Other; /pictures :>,;been 1 found,'however^ which;'Show;thdt, the Dutch:, themselves-rtransf erred; thb, game; tq^land'- and; ;sub.stitutqdf;a Jieup Vf or .>' a ' ::;;The^sport\;of^yachtingy,origmated,, authbrities;cqnsider,;bn^thefZuider.;Zce; 'that^shallow?;-salfr;; arm:! of i^jiie -^ceani; Thb; sppftTwasv^tartedJbyicertaiiijloldi gea;^flpg's: Avhfctried:;'-;^-Jretire jj^arid' couldn't.%-Veteran'icaptains;:grown ;so ridh'-. o n.' the "sea l trade ■ ■ with. the Indies ! and i America:; thai;;; theyi;liyed ■at ;:>ase invAmst'qrdami'■■' cb mproniised with '■[■ the;.] ■caii'i;of''• );he;;'Bea-;by failing :!tq. meet tho , •iiicbming'vmp'rcha'nV;fl?,ot-;\^-:,v.'f-c;:v''.'.'v.;-f--V';! "y^hen^ word came; thatHheVships;were;.| on; tlx;e Texel;roads i the retireel captains would /sail ■ outv tp, meet, 'them. in" small,' luxurious:ships designed.;like miniature ■'galleons/,- \) Sailing:*o :ineet the;:fleet soon races, sb .the (rid ;captains gradually adapted itheir; little galleons to; get greater speed./..One: of^ these jaehts :was- presented by: "Holland ; to.:j Charlesjll; of England/^who racecCVit: on: the. Thames, and: thus the sport;;becairie implanted/in Britain. ;'.'>/,■'"''.■..',;■(' -/.i'-ij : ;:"'\yhiiq it-.^^ is;: true: that no man jean say, who,/started skating, the • ;.Dutch; very. early ■: deyelbpbd. the .art. v-'-Pro.b-^ ably; they were..aniongithe 'first, to''sub-; stitutc ,i'roiv/'for, bone.:skates :.'and;;;:with', ,this innoyation-the::reaVhistory of skat-,-]mg-;)iegms.i: ,yk::y' i :J;'^^y; >.'vv-'-'>'■:::.•'■:■:•;■ .' To .a; Netherlander a-pair .of: skates was, and, in?a>great measure, stillis'as; necessary :; as'/; an ; ;autombbile N/tbian: AniericaiU;^ln'winter the canals freeze, Uhe:Dutchman;;skateSvtb: work';; he;: tours " the : country. % on.; skates, .his sbr,yantsj.go.;, to; marketi on skates,,the' mail.'iii -some places isXdeliyered'fbypostnion ;on "skate's/;;.;-.^;y-^'-.-;A-:'i'^.'-i*-;.^ '.'-.,.;''-;. 11 So 'it/is '■ ;pnly 'natural " that;■skates should,prombte-:the, sport, of skating as -aird.. automobllej:';r«cingvY; | The Dutch;,'sobn ./butstandirig I'formers .;in>figUTe"'^kating« i jV:/.They,:.:be:, canie'■:"famous V'also;; iotfi their■■'■; long-dis-tance journeys ■ iu\'whicli -.they \ sped ; 'bn skatbs from, one end; of Jthe;kingdom, to the^'othe'r'.-: W.^H-;.;:'' 7^'^:' f'-O ::.'/:[;.~;;--;: :'; v ;Tlie^ Holland^ skating/:'fMaraihb^^?. 'arid-big''event'of tho season! is known as "tour of the 11 towns" over a route of 125 miles which must be covered by skaters within twelve hours. No rests arc allowed. ,