Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/451

* NETHERLANDS. 399 NETHERLANDS. 1 [UT cent, (in ISSIS, 1.41 H-r cent.; 1899, 1.28; ill I'JOO, 1.47). Th« iiieitasi' is clue aliiiust wholly to the e.xeess of births over deaths. The peojile nuiiihereil hy tile eeiisiis of 1899 5.103,979. Uf the total poimlation in 1900 2,500,239 were males and 2.(18.807 were females. There were in 1899 52,025 persons of foreign birth livinj; in the Netherlands, of whom 31,805 were (Jermans, 14,- 903 liel^rians, 1307 Englisli. and 4550 of other nationalities. The emigration is very small, aiiiounliiif,' in 1900 to 1S!)9 persons, nearly all of wliom went to the United States. The table of provinces, with areas and poimla- tioiis, is as follows: PROVINCES .rea sq. miles Population Dee. 31, 1899 Noi'th Urabant 1,980 1,965 I.IGG 1,070 690 634 1,^82 1,291 790 1,030 850 653.842 566.549 Sniitli Ho Inlirt _ _.. 1,144.448 Ncirtli UullaiKi - 96S.131 Zi-i-laiid... 216,295 rti'.''-ht . 251,034 340,262 3:)3,338 Gri.uiiigen 290.602 148„544 JLimburg 281,934 Total 12,648 5,103,979 EorciTlox, Attendance at school is not com- pulsory, and many of the people are illiterate, 14 per cent, of the adults in North Holland being uhable to read. No religious instruction is given in the public schools, and a very large number of the youth attend denominational pri- vate schools. In 1900 there were 3108 public elementary schools, with 1(5.039 teachers and ,508.270 pu))ils, and 1401 private elementary •schools, with 7083 teachers and 231,534 pupils; 1140 public infant schools, with 20,448 pupils, and The ]Jolyteclinic school (Delft) had 32 teachers and 714 pupils; 75 middle class schools, 1024 eachers and 10,299 pupils; 11 navigation schools, ri teachers and 1504 pupils; 137 day and even- ing schools for working people, 1225 teachers and 18.478 jiupils ; 29 classical schools, 426 teachers and 2500 |>upils. The four public universities at Leyden, Utreclit (qq.v. ), Groningen. and Amster- 'd!im have 107 teachers and about 3000 pupils. The Free University of Amsterdam charges no tuition. A number of art schools, museums, and military, music, normal, deaf mute, and technical schools are supported by the Government. Since 1889 ]iublic instruction has been diminishing and a larger number of school children have entered the private scliools, which are now supported to a great extent by the State. The cost of public primary instruction is borne jointly by the State and the Coninnmes. Religion. There are numerous creeds and sects, and complete religious freedom. !Most of the Protestants belong to the Dutch Reformed Church, and many other sects are represented. The Synod is the source of authority in most of the Protestant churches. The Roman Catholic Church is under an archbishop in Utrecht with the bishojirics of Breda, Haarlem, Bois-lc-Duc. anil Roermond ; and the Old Catholics or .Tanscn- ists under an arcliliishop in Utrecht, and two bishops in Devcnter and Haarlem. The .Tews f.-ill into two religious societies, the Dutch Israelites and the Portuguese Israelites. The adherents of the dill'erent churches in 1899 numbered; Dutch Kcfornied, 2,471,021; other Protestant, 598,111; Roman Catholic, 1,790,101; .Jausenists, 8754; Jews, 103,988; other creeds, 132,102. The larger part of the Catholics live south of the Rhine, and most of the .Jews in North and South Hol- land. Cll.liiT.[iLK Lx.STlTlTlo.N.s. About live per cent, of the pi>pnlation are wholly or in part pro- vided for by charities — about half by Church in- stitutions, and most of the remainder by munici- pal organizations. Ktii.nology. Of the early peoples of the Nether- lands little is known, except that portions of the country were inhabited successively by tribes of the Stone, Bronze, and Iron ages. In the time of Ctesar the tribes of the swampy lowlands of the south were of Celtic stock, as the Nervii and Menapii. In the north were the Frisians and in tle central portion were the Batavians and C'a- ninefates, of Teutonic stock, speaking Low Dutch. The Batavians belonged to the Chatti, who had moved in from the east, pushing the Celts into the outskirts. During the Roman occupation the Celts of the south were crushed, the Frisians were compelled to pay tribute, and the Batavians were conciliated and later supplied the best of soldiers for the Roman armies. In the fifth cen- tury tlie Roman power was broken by the Ger- mans, and in this period of the swarming of na- tions those westward-moving tribes overflowed the Netherlands. The Saxons amid these changes occupied the country and crossed over to Eng- land. The ethnical components have remained constant in the centuries that have intervened. The home of the Frisians, who in the early part of the Middle Ages dwelt along the coast as far south as the Scheldt, has been contracted to a small area. The anthropological survey of the country shows a preponderance of the long- headed, blond, tall, Teutonic type in the north and east, with cephalic index of from 79 to 80. In North and South Holland there is a large ele- ment having Alpine affinity, with cephalic index from 83 to 84. In Zeeland the pure Alpine or Celtic head-form is found with measures of from 85 to 88, dark hair and skin and medium stature, which is 1.055 meters, while that of the Teutonic element, as in Overyssel, is 1.701 meters. Government. The basis of the present Consti- tution of the Netherlands is the fundamental law of 1815, as successively revised in 1840, 1848, and 1887, According to this Constitution the State is an hereditary monarchy, having the sys- tem of parliamentary or responsible government. The law of succession is lineal primogenial, with preference for males. In default of all legal heirs, the successor is determined by a .joint meet- ing of the two chambers of Parliament (each con- taining twice the usual numl)er of members). The sovereign attains his or her majority at the age of eighteen. The legislative power of the Netherlands is vested conjointly in the sovereign and Parliament, or States -General. The Parliament consists of two chambers with considerable inequality of powers in legislation. The Upper Chamber is composed of 50 members elected by the legisla- tures (provincial councils) of the several prov- inces into which the kingdom is divided, and from among the hishest taxpayers and cer- tain high officials designated bv law. Their term is nine years, one-third retiring every three
 * 910 jirivate infant schools, with 91,033 pupils.