Other editions of book The Awakening of Europe: Illustrated by M. B. Synge

Margaret Bertha Synge (1861-1939) was a British author of books for children at the end of the nineteenthand beginning of the twentieth-century. Her works include: Cook's Voyages (1892), The Story of Scotland (1896), A Child of the Mews (1897), A Book of Scottish Poetry (edited) (1897), Brave Men and Brave Deeds (1898), A Helping Hand (1898), Life of Gladstone (1899), The Queen's Namesake (1899), Life of General Charles Gordon (1900), The Story of the World for the Children of the British Empire (5 vols., 1903), The Struggle for Sea Power (1903), The Awakening of Europe (1903), The World's Childhood: Stories of the Fairies Simply Told (2 vols., 1905), A Short History of Social Life in England (1906), Molly (1907), Martha Wren: A Story of Faithful Service (1908), The Great Victorian Age for Children (1908), Great Englishwomen (1911), A Book of Discovery (1912), Simple Garments for Children (1913), Simple Garments for Infants (1914), The Reign of Queen Victoria (1916) and The Story of the World at War (1926).

The Awakening of Europe Story of the Netherlands "God made the sea, but the Hollander made the land." —Old Dutch Proverb. Far away, in the north-west corner of Europe, lie the Netherlands, the lands which are now to play a large part in the world's history. The Low Countries they were called by the men of old time; and with good reason too, for many parts were actually below the level of the sea. Spongy and marshy, bleak and cold, was this corner of the European continent in the olden days. Winds and waves had wrought sad havoc with the coast. The rough North Sea was ever encroaching on the low-lying land, breaking over the shores with its never-ceasing roar and tumble, and flooding the country below its level whenever the wild west wind blew it home. Not only had the people of this country to contend with wind and wave, but from the other side many great rivers rolled through the land, to empty their waters into the North Sea, overflowing their low banks and flooding the surrounding neighbourhood. The largest of these was the Rhine. Rising amid the snowy Alps, leaping joyously over the famous falls of Schaffhausen, flowing in majesty right through Germany, the Rhine at last reached the Netherlands. The mouth of this famous river gave some trouble to the Hollanders. They made colossal pumps and locks, by which they lifted the water and lowered it into the sea. There was no rest for a lazy river in these parts. The stream must be kept moving, it must do its share of work in the country. "As long as grass grows and water runs." This was their idea of For ever. "I struggle but I emerge." This was the motto of Zeeland, with the crest of a lion riding out of the waves, and it sums up the story of the people of the Netherlands. For hundreds of years they fought the angry waters with a stubborn determination, a patien