122
7 Star Streams
Fig. 7.1 The second home in Vries where the Kapteyns lived during summers between
1899 and 1909. Photograph by the author with permission from the current owners
house with a spacious garden around it (see Fig. 7.1), just outside the village
center of Vries to the east. Further to the east (at about 4 km) lies Tynaarlo,
which at that time had a railway station.
David Gill has, as I said, visited Kapteyn a number of times. Henriette
Hertzsprung–Kapteyn, in her biography [1], wrote the following about his
third visit:
In 1900 Gill visited Groningen for the third time. He was greeted there as an
old tried and tested friend. The Boer War, which brought outrage to the Dutch
people, was in its final phase, and the Englishmen were not very popular at the
time. Their greedy, unrighteous policies made them hated by the Dutch, who
enthusiastically took sides with their fellow tribesmen in the faraway land. The
Kapteyn family decided not to bring up this thorny subject, which could become
unpleasant for the Brit, and it was never mentioned. Gill’s visit was as pleasant
and invigorating as ever. His cordial interest and spontaneous, lively spirit were of
great influence on Kapteyn’s work. Piquant and effective was everything he said
and advised, his wisdom a help and comfort in difficult times, his warm friendship
7 Star Streams
Fig. 7.1 The second home in Vries where the Kapteyns lived during summers between
1899 and 1909. Photograph by the author with permission from the current owners
house with a spacious garden around it (see Fig. 7.1), just outside the village
center of Vries to the east. Further to the east (at about 4 km) lies Tynaarlo,
which at that time had a railway station.
David Gill has, as I said, visited Kapteyn a number of times. Henriette
Hertzsprung–Kapteyn, in her biography [1], wrote the following about his
third visit:
In 1900 Gill visited Groningen for the third time. He was greeted there as an
old tried and tested friend. The Boer War, which brought outrage to the Dutch
people, was in its final phase, and the Englishmen were not very popular at the
time. Their greedy, unrighteous policies made them hated by the Dutch, who
enthusiastically took sides with their fellow tribesmen in the faraway land. The
Kapteyn family decided not to bring up this thorny subject, which could become
unpleasant for the Brit, and it was never mentioned. Gill’s visit was as pleasant
and invigorating as ever. His cordial interest and spontaneous, lively spirit were of
great influence on Kapteyn’s work. Piquant and effective was everything he said
and advised, his wisdom a help and comfort in difficult times, his warm friendship