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No, 13

YALE UNIVERSITT^
SEP 20 1906
LIBRARY.

Distinctive Traits of a Dutchman

"STEADFAST FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

AN ADDRESS BY
COL. JOHN W. VROOMAN
Ex-President Holland Society.
DELIVERED BEFORE
THE NEW YORK SOCIETY
OF THE
ORDER OF THE FOUNDERS AND
PATRIOTS OF AMERICA
AT THE HOTEL MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

FEBRUARY 23, 1906

"STEADFAST FOR GOD AND COUNTRY"

AN ADDRESS. BY
COL. JOHN W. "VROOMAN
Ex-President Holland Society.
DELIVERED BEFORE
THE NEW YORK SOCIETY
OF THE
ORDER OF THE FOUNDERS AND
PATRIOTS OF AMERICA
AT THE HOTEL MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

FEBRUARY 23, 1906

THE NEW YORK SOCIETY
OF THE
Order of the Founders and Patriots of America

OFFICERS
FOR THE YEAR ENDING APRIL I9, I906
Governor
THEODORE FITCH
Deputy Governor
WALTER SETH LOGAN
Chaplain
Rev. EDWARD PAYSON JOHNSON, D.D.
Secretary
HOLLISTER LOGAN
Treasurer
GEORGE CLINTON BATCHELLER
State Attorney
HENRY WICKES GOODRICH
Registrar
WINCHESTER FITCH
Genealogist
CLARENCE ETTIENNE LEONARD
Historian
HENRY LINCOLN MORRIS
Councillors
Hon. WILLIAM WINTON GOODRICH
CoL. RALPH E. PRIME
WILLIAM ALLEN MARBLE
THEODORE GILMAN
HOWARD SUMNER ROBBINS
JAMES LE BARON WILLARD
Col. HENRY W. SACKETT
EDWARD HAGAMAN HALL
COLGATE HOYT

DISTINCTIVE TRAITS OF A
DUTCHMAN
By Col. John W. Vrooman
This month has the honor of celebrating the birthdays of two
persons, to whom doubtless more than to any others we owe our
country's freedom. The one established it ; the other preserved
it. With the sacrifice of a Valley Forge, and the success of a
Yorktown, the great heart of this Republic needs no inspiring
sentiment, or block of marble, to enshrine as immortal the name
of George Washington ! With our Government preserved, our
country united, man liberated, and God honored, this imperial
nation needs no eulogy of statesmen, or name carved in
stone, to proclaim its undying gratitude to Abraham Lincoln.
(Applause.) The tribute Lincoln once paid to the memory of Washington,
in a public address, may well be pronounced upon himself. He
said : " It is equally impossible to add to the brightness of the
sun or glory to the name of Washington. Let none attempt it.
Pronounce that name in solemn awe, and leave it in deathless
splendor to shine on forever! " (Applause.)
Mr, Governor, Ladies and Gentlemen :
"God prospers the good man's resolve" — a Dutch proverb, of
which my friend. Governor Fitch, is a living illustration.
He resolved, for some reason unknown to me, and for reasons
I fear sorrowful to yourselves, to secure my presence to read a
paper before this Society, and here I am, a plain business man,
possessing no special qualifications as a student in historic
research, such as many in your Society possess in full measure ;
and yet I do possess one qualification which is a distinctive trait
of the Dutch blood which flows in my veins — a heart full of loy
alty to my country and full of love for my friends.
I pause a moment to congratulate the Founders and Patriots
upon having a Society to perpetuate its history, to honor our

heroes and to educate the young to appreciate the sacrifices o
those who lived and labored in other days to establish our polit
ical, educational and religious institutions. Inquiry is some
times made concerning the practical purpose of this and kindred
societies, and the permanent good accomplished by them. A
mistaken idea frequently prevails that they are too general in
purpose and too limited in usefulness to warrant continued in
terest of the member and permanent value of the organization.
I am a firm believer, however, in the abiding good to individual
and community of any society that gratefully remembers the
labors and sacrifices of our ancestors; that reviews with pride
the struggles and successes of a community ; that keeps in ten
der recollection father, mother and homeland; that cultivates
affectionate feeling for friend and fireside; that draws inspira
tion for the present from contemplation of what has made a
glorious past, (Applause.)
The New York Society of the Order of the Founders and
Patriots of America was born to further such purposes, and
lives to cultivate such principles. Believing in them myself, I
offer this contribution to the broad and unselfish work in which
you are engaged.
The motto, "Oranje Boven" — "Up with Orange " — liberally
translated, means that it is a distinctive trait of a Dutchman to
try to be on top. The orange colors stand for courage and
friendship. Wearing them has ever been proof of loyalty and
integrity, of unity and power.
In 1623 a Dutch ship brought thirty Dutch families to Man
hattan Island, where they found a new home and founded New
Amsterdam, now New York. At the same time eighteen Dutch
families from the same ship found a new home and founded
Fort Orange, now Albany, Following this, other Dutch settle
ments along the Hudson and Mohawk rivers were begun in the
old Holland way. There were common lands where the cattle
were put out daily to pasture, and a common point of assembling
for defense, as illustrated along the upper Hudson and Mohawk
valleys. This is brought to notice from the fact that almost
every farm in the Mohawk Valley had a narrow frontage on the
river, extending some distance back on the hillside, thereby
affording the early settlers opportunity for locating their houses
near each other on the flats, for mutual protection. Referring

to common lands, we mention that in Albany in olden time the
Dutch settler owned his home and took pride in the garden and
the little green surrounding his house. The family also owned
a cow, which was fed in a common pasture at the far end of the
town. In the evening the cows returned by a path known to
each one, and it is stated that these cow- paths afterward formed
the streets in the city of Albany, famous for the regular irregu
larity in which they are laid out.
The Dutch names of New Amsterdam and Fort Orange
should never have been changed to English New York and
Albany. It is not my purpose to praise the Dutch at the
expense of the English, but I am bound to state as a matter of
history that it was an English ar.d not a Dutch Governor of
the Colony of New York who became so unruly at its Capitol
that the Assembly granted him a salary for only a limited space
of time, without promise of renewal, that they might be able to
hold a club over him for political purposes. It was one of these
English Governors who said, regarding the colony and the
people: "This is the finest air to live upon in the universe, and
if our trees and birds could speak, and our Assemblymen be
silent, the finest conversation also." He further said: " Accord
ing to the reports of the country the Sachems are the poorest of
the people." (Laughter.)
The early Dutch settlers of this country came, bringing the
orange colors in one hand, the Bible in the other, representing
their characteristics of pluck and prayer, and these traits are re
flected in the New York Dutch of to-day. Some of these set
tlers had requested authority from England to plant a colony in
Virginia, but the King refused, as they asked him to couple with
the Charter a clause guaranteeing religious liberty. Knowing
that in a Dutch Colony their rights would be protected in that
regard, they concluded negotiations with Holland with the
result that they settled in New Amsterdam, in Fort Orange and
in the Mohawk Valley, as well as other places. Let it be noted,
in passing, that the Dutch did not obtain their lands here by
conquest, but by purchase from the Indians, It was an Albany
Dutchman whose influence commanded the respect and con
fidence of the Five, afterwards the Six Nations, to such a marked
degree that for more than a hundred years Albany was protected
by a treaty with the Mohawks that was never broken, and when

attempt was made to win the Indians from the Dutchman it
failed, because he always "dealt fairly with them." Someone
has well said that there is no more glorious page in the history
of this country, no grander exhibition of the quality of our Dutch
ancestors, than was manifested by the influence of the sturdy
Outch people in the valleys of the Hudson and Mohawk. When
sthey came to this colony they honorably secured land from the
rindians, and in this way Van Corlear pushed out from Albany
land founded Schenectady. With other Dutchmen they main
tained their rights throughout the Mohawk Valley by treating
the Indians justly, and in appreciation of this the Indians for a
long time called the Governor of New York by the general name
of " Corlear," and many of their descendants living in Canada
still call the reigning sovereign of England by the name of
Corlear. One of the most interesting facts in history is the influence for
good that for centuries Holland sent forth throughout the
world. If you study the lives of the majority of the foremost
men who came to this country in its earliest days you will find
that somehow, some way, somewhere, they received a Dutch
training. For example, the name of William Penn will go down
through the ages as one of our best and broadest of men. His
Dutch mother made this possible.
In the town halls in Dutch cities liberty bells were hung, and
from the "Liberty Bell," placed in Philadelphia by Penn
sylvania Dutchmen, on July 4th, 1776, freedom was proclaimed
"throughout all the land and to all the inhabitants thereof."
(Applause.) In those early days many Palatines went to Rotterdam and
other places in Holland to find refuge and a home, and from
thence a large number came to this country, bringing Holland
influences. These Palatine Dutchmen gave us some of our
bravest men in the war of the American Revolution, notably the
hero of Oriskany,' Nicholas Herkimer, and it is with reverent
gratitude for such a forefather that I remember I may claim
kinship in the " Founders and Patriots," because the blood of a
Herkimer flows through my veins.
The Battle of Oriskany was, perhaps, the bloodiest of the
Revolution. General Washington in a message stated that
" Herkimer first reversed the gloomy scene of the Northern

Campaign." It was Herkimer who prevented the junction of
the columns commanded by Burgoyne and St, Leger which, if it
had been successful, would have resulted in the devastation of
the Valley of the Hudson, and doubtless the overthrow for a
long time of the cause of American Independence. In no battle
of the Revolution was success of the Continental troops more
necessary than at Oriskany. If there had been no Oriskany,
with its matchless heroism, there would have been no Saratoga,
no Trenton, no Yorktown. (Applause.) At Oriskany five British
standards were captured, and upon returning to Fort Stanwix
they were hoisted, and above thera an uncouth flag intended to
represent the American Stars and Stripes. This rude banner,
hastily extemporized out of a white shirt, an old blue coat and
some strips of red flannel, was the first American flag with stars
and stripes ever hoisted in victory. It was flung to the breeze on
the memorable day of Oriskany, August 6, 1777, The flag with the
stars and stripes was adopted by Congress June 14, 1777, and
this information was received by Herkimer's heroes only a few
days before the memorable engagement.
If I had the time and you had the patience, mention could be
readily made of a number of our old Dutch families whose good
influences have helped to make this part of the country dis
tinguished for many of its grand characteristics. I do, however,
want to note that one of the first of the Livingston family went
from England to Rotterdam, where he obtained his education.
He later came to this country, settled in Albany, and married a
sister of Peter Schuyler, a Dutchman. She was the widow of
Dominie Van Rensselaer, a Dutchman of high repute. The first
Mayor of New York, Van Courtlandt, a Dutchman, also married
a Schuyler. The brief time at my disposal this evening will permit only a
hasty sketch of a few Dutch traits which have largely contribu
ted to give us the Constitution of the United States, to instill a
love of liberty in our citizens, to preserve their homes, to upbuild
their schools and establish their religion. (Applause.)
Some illustrations may serve to present distinctive Dutch
traits inherited from our ancestors.
Love of liberty. Our forefathers who came from Holland
brought with them two things of supreme importance, their free
dom and their religion, and these beneficent influences have

done much to make every citizen of this Republic a sovereign
As an evidence of their love of liberty, recall the long and bloody
war with the Spaniards and the challenge that went forth from
the brave Hollanders in the midst of their suffering. They were
then, as now, true to themselves and their country. Listen to
their words of defiance to the Spaniards — they will go down the
ages — "As long as there is a living man left in the country we
will contend for our liberty and our religion." (Applause.) When
they formed the heroic resolution to break down the dykes to
destroy the enemy, which would destroy their homes also, and a
protest was made, the reply quickly came : " Better a drowned
land than a lost land." (Applause.)
We proudly speak of our naval heroes — Dewey at Manila
(applause), Sampson and Schley at Santiago (applause) — but
consider the courage of Dutch Admiral Peter Heyn, who, two
hundred and seventy-five years ago in a great naval battle with
the Spaniards, destroyed twenty-six of their warships, and in a
later engagement captured the balance of the Spanish fleet of
nineteen vessels, with millions of dollars of treasure. (Ap
plause.) The descendants of such liberty-loving, God-fearing men
settled on the banks of the Hudson and the Mohawk. They
possessed the Dutch traits of pluck, not luck ; of action, not acci
dent ; they labored to create, rather than to criticise. Do you
wonder that such devotion and bravery gave birth on the hills
and in the valleys of New York to homes, school houses and
churches ?
May we of the present preserve and perfect these institutions
bequeathed us by our loyal ancestors because they stand for
liberty, the bulwark of our national life ; for love of humanity,
which educates us to better fellowship and closer friendship ; for
the old-fashioned religion of our fathers, represented by the old-
fashioned family Bible, (Applause.)
Mr. Governor, we recall with pride that it was the distinctive
trait of love of liberty that caused the Dutchmen across the sea
to give the first foreign salute to the flag of the new Nation — the
first foreign greeting to the Stars and Stripes of America (ap
plause) — and forthis mark of their sympathy with a liberty-loving
people the British Government declared war against Holland.

In this connection I am pleased to submit for your inspection
fac-similes of three medals, the originals of which were furnished
by the Netherlands Government through our American Minister
at The Hague for the Holland Society of New York City. The
first medal of the series was designed to commemorate the recog
nition of American Independence by the Province of Friesland
on the 2'6th day of February, 1782. The second medal was struck
off by order of the States-General in commemoration of its recog-
tion of the independence of the United States. The third medal
was made to commemorate the Treaty of Commerce and Navi
gation entered into between the United States and the Nether
lands on the 7th day of October, 1782.
Our fathers from the aforetime fought for their country with
untiring energy, protected their homes with unceasing fidelity,
and worshipped God with simplicity and sincerity, and it is a
distinctive trait of their sons of to-day, under the folds of Old
Glory, to try to do even the same.
We are glad that this Society, and all kindred societies, abide
by the teachings of those Dutchmen across the sea, that our flag
meant something to them when they gave it a first salute, and
to us of to-day it means vastly more.
Yes, Old Glory did mean something, not only to this country
but to the whole world, when it was blown up from the Battle
ship "Maine," for, thank God, it came down without the loss of
a single star! (Applause.)
While that explosion brought to the attempted destroyer the
loss of her Colonies, it brought to us, through smoke and death,
a North and South cemented forever. (Applause.) That startling
event made new heroes and new history ; it filled the heart of
every schoolboy with greater pride of country and purer patriot
ism ; it brought larger liberty to Cuba ; it brought better Gov
ernment to Porto Rico; it brought new light and will bring
better civilization to the Philippines, and, in God's good time, it
will bring to other lands brighter prospects, grander opportuni
ties, broader civilization, (Applause.)
Another illustration, — love of home. Not only the Dutch
people of other days, but the American people of to-day believe
in preservation of the home in all its happiness and purity. To
perpetuate such a home we must chiefly depend upon woman's
tact, woman's sacrifice, woman's love. A good home is the

world's hope, and to preserve and beautify and dignify a Chris
tian home is life's greatest mission ; and who but a pure and
noble woman can faithfully and successfully fulfil that mission ?
(Applause.) Well was it said that the teachings of the mothers of France
made the soldiers under Napoleon the heroes of the hour. It
was Washington who said in his later life, " All I am I owe to
my mother," It was told of John Randolph that he would have
been an infidel if it had not been for his mother teaching him to
to say " Our Father which art in Heaven," and Abraham Lincoln
many times said that his stepmother was the first person to
cause him to feel like a human being.
It is love for the mothers and wives of America that makes
up the chief attributes of American manhood, that provides the
essentials in the achievements of American patriotism : for the
keystone of our nation is the American home. In this connec
tion we mark the great difference between the house and the
home. He who sits by his own fireside with wife and children
will defend his home, and homes make patriots. Some one has
well said that few men haveeverexhibited sufficient patriotism to
shoulder a gun and fight to defend a boarding house. (Laughter.)
Ladies, in the home-loving heart of every true Dutchman there
is ever the admiration, the allegiance and the affection which, in
the Old World, go out to the fair young Queen of Holland, but in
the New World go out to the rulers of our hearts and homes,
the fair Queens of America, for well we understand that
" A house is built of bricks and stones,
Of sills and posts and piers ;
But a home is built of loving deeds.
That stands a thousand years.
" The men of earth build houses,
Halls and chambers, roofs and domes;
But the women of earth, God bless them,
The women build the homes," (Applause.)
Coupled with a Dutchman's love of home is his characteristic
welcome and hospitality, and so it was that the Dutch introduced
into this country holiday customs and especially New Year's calls

13
and celebrations. May we never depart from that old-fashioned
Dutch hospitality which always brought good cheer and filled
one's life with sunshine, I think a Dutchman must have inspired
the author to write this sentiment :
"The under side of every cloud
Is bright and shining,
And so I turn my clouds about.
And always wear them inside out.
To show the lining."
It was Dutch cheer and sunshine that induced William Brew
ster, a bright and brave young Englishman, to spend a dozen
years in Holland. He was so pleased with the Dutch homes
and their hospitality that he influenced many of the Pilgrim
Fathers to seek a home in Holland, and these homes made pos
sible a Plymouth Rock, made certain a Declaration of Indepen
dence. Not only did the Dutch believe in a home, but they believed
in owning that home, and hence it is characteristic of the Dutch
people to be the very best colonizers for a new country, taking
from the old home to the new the school-house and the church.
Did you ever stop to think that no foreign missionaries were
ever called to convert a Dutch colony ? Do you ask the reason ?
The Dutch dominie and schoolmaster always accompany Dutch
merchants in the onward march of civilization. They are all
missionaries. In Holland it was an exception to find a person who could not
read and write. It is an historic fact that the first English trans
lation of the Bible was published in Antwerp in 1535, and in those
early days nowhere in the world was the Bible so generally read
as by the Hollanders and the English people who settled there.
To-day, as well as in former days, love of the Bible is a distinc
tive Dutch trait.
The Dutch who settled in this country, while never forgetting
their forefathers nor the land of their birth, became loyal Ameri
cans and faithful in the last degree to our beloved land. While
we rejoice that many of our citizens of various nationalities have
renounced allegiance to foreign governments, no true Dutchman
could ever sympathize with that mistaken sentiment occasionally

14
found in this day, whereby some adopted citizens for public
notoriety not only renounce but denounce a foreign government
and frequently swear fealty to our Republic in boisterous words
rarely followed by honorable deeds. Those who love this land,
descendants of any and every nationality, remember that vocif
erously crying the word " American " does not always make an
American ; that the denouncement of other governments is not
evidence of loyalty to our own government ; that the best evi
dence of true citizenship is found not in empty words but in
worthy deeds.
True manhood of any nationality, without distinction of class,
without aristocracy save that of merit, is the measure of Ameri
canism, while good behavior is the development of such man
hood, (Applause.)
Let, us continue to stand for these rights and opportunities,
with a determination to crush any attempt to prejudice the
so-called masses against the classes, for here we have no such
real distinction. (Applause.) Here your ancestors and mine
labored to educate and elevate the plain people; and you remem
ber Abraham Lincoln once said: "God must love the plain
people, because he made so many of them." Here we have no
royal road to fame or fortune ; here equal chance is given to
every honest man, regardless of birth, position or estate, if he
only possesses a capital of push and pluck and can display a
coat-of-arms of grit and grace. This rich legacy has been be
queathed to us by our Revolutionary fathers, and defended
throughout the years by their loyal descendants.
Class distinction was once tried by the Dutch in New Amster
dam 250 years ago. It has never been tried since. They then
attempted to divide into two societies, called great burghers and
small burghers. This plan to create an aristocracy was abolished
after a trial of about ten years, the Dutch women doing their
full share in bringing about the change; and from that time on to
the present the only Dutch class distinction is one of merit
founded upon good behavior That the Dutch people did not
depend upon class distinction is further witnessed by the fact
that shortly after the classes of the great and the small burgher
were disposed of, a Governor of New York, in writing to a
friend in his home-land, complimented the Dutch residing here
upon their refinement, and among other things he said : " I find

IS
some of these people have the breeding of courts, and I cannot
conceive how such is acquired." This Governor did not appre
ciate the fact that the foundation of Dutch character in the
mother-land was good behavior, and upon such a foundation only
can refinement be builded.
May we always extend to true manhood the same inviting
welcome to this country that was extended by the Dutch court
of Leyden more than two centuries ago. It was then as now
the best invitation any country has ever given to the oppressed
or the ambitious. History tells us that a proclamation was issued
by the Burgomasters and the Court of Leyden, " Refusing no
honest person free ingress to come for residence in that city,
provided that such persons behave themselves."
All hail to dear old Holland, where the only price of citizen
ship was good behavior ! (Applause.) Do you wonder that
our Pilgrim Fathers received their best teachings of love and
libertj', of education and religion, from Holland ? Do you won
der that with such broad proclamation and brotherly sentiment
the first street of old Plymouth Town, Massachusetts, was named
Leyden Street ? Do you wonder that the immortal principles of
freedom, equality and liberality were placed in the Declaration
of Independence largely as a result of Dutch influence ? In con
tributing to the elevation of manhood and the encouragement of
enterprise, in battling for civil and religious liberty, in triumph
ing over despotism and difficulty, and in upbuilding practical
religion of love to man and love to God, the little country of
Holland has ever stood front and foremost among the nations of
the earth. (Applause.)
Thrift and honesty are also distinctive Dutch traits. I want
to ask a question and invite your Society to make inquiry pre
paratory to an answer. How many Dutch people can be counted
as inmates of the poorhouses here or elsewhere? How many
can be counted as inmates of prisons here or elsewhere ?
There are still other traits — patience and perseverance. For
centuries the Dutch patiently fought the ocean to secure their
country ; then for eighty years they persistently fought the
Spaniards for their liberty; and, as some one has said, both
patiently and persistently they always fought the devil for iheir
religion. (Laughter.)

i6
That the early Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam possessed
human as well as spiritual characteristics may be noted by the
fact that one of the first buildings erected in New Amsterdam
was, to quote the language of the Dutch official who made the
first subscription, " a respectable church," which he said was
needed. A few days after the starting of this subscription, a
daughter of Dominie Bogardus was married, and at the wedding
repast, after the wine had been freely passed around, the church
subscription paper was circulated with such generous results
that the building was shortly after erected. Dominies then
as now tried to preach practical sermons. It is said that Bogar
dus had a bit of trouble with the Dutch Governor and after
some angry words had passed between them the Dominie stated
that he would preach the Governor such a sermon the next Sun
day that it would make him " shake in his shoes." No harm
however resulted from the sermon, as the anger of both men sub
sided. Those were fraternal days between the churches ; the
Church of England and the Dutch Reformed Church worked
together in brotherly love, holding services in the same meeting
house, one in the morning, the other in the evening.
The Dutch possess in a large degree ambition and enterprise.
I make bold the statement that their traits are and always have
been largely misunderstood in this regard, even by those who
ought to be familiar with them. Stubborn facts, as shown by
history, teach us that, man for man, no country of the same size
and population ever produced better leaders of thought, braver
pioneers of commerce, more conservative statesmen, more enter
prising persons in all that goes to make up the best ail-around
men. (Applause.) When the Dutch first came to America they
were undoubtedly the foremost commercial people in the world
and introduced many successful elements in our business life as
well as in our educational affairs, that have always been of
supreme importance.
Pausing a moment to speak of educational matters, we note
that to-day more than fifteen millions of pupils and teachers are
at work in our common schools. The common school system is
a product of Holland. The first free school in this country was
opened by Dutchmen on Manhattan Island, and of all the early
settlers here the Dutch alone believed in the free public school,
offering education not as a charity but as a right. They had
it at home; they established it here, (Applause.)

I?
Listen to a statement made by John of Nassau, brother of
that typical Dutchman, William of Orange: "Soldiers and
patriots educated in free schools are better than all the armies,
arsenals, munitions, alliances, and treaties that can be had or
imagined in the world."
In the industrial world, in fine arts, in high scholarship, in
invention, in various other great undertakings, no nation has
ever produced better results or has ever been more ambitious or
more enterprising. More ambitions? Where will you find a
nobler specimen than in the person of the great Admiral Van
Tromp ? Read the inscription on his monument : " He ceased to
triumph only when he ceased to live." More enterprising?
Where will you find a better local illustration than in the person
of Patroon Van Rensselaer, as may be witnessed by the fact
that he erected upon an island in the upper Hudson a fortified
custom house and proceeded to compel every incoming or out
going vessel to pay a duty for passing by, or then and there
unload its cargo and sell to the customers of the place, which
usually resulted to his pleasure and profit. Talk about Dutch
enterprise — it looked then as it looks now, that Dutchmen, ancient
or modern, want their full share of what is passing by, either
of ships in the night time or men in the day time. (Laughter.)
Another illustration of Dutch character — toleration in all
things. The Dutch believe in the doctrine of "live and let live "
and they apply this in matters of business, government and
religion. In other words, a Dutchman does not demand the
whole thing ; he is willing to give a portion to the other fellow.
In business a Dutchman does not hold to the one talent of doing
nothing nor to the five talents of doing only the big things, but
he belongs to the large class of modest, substantial people who
possess the two talents. He is the average man, who makes up
the real bone and sinew of the land.
While simplicity is a Dutch trait, nevertheless I am bound to
state that our early ancestors desired to dress well, and the
women were no exception to the rule. It is recorded that they
wore much finery and expended much money for expensive
articles in the home.
In government, little Holland successfully controls her great
colonies. Although her country is about one-third^the size of
New York, containing about two-thirds as much population, yet

i8
she satisfactorily directs the government of her colonies, which
contain an area fifty times greater than her own, and a population
six times larger. Her Queen, theonly sceptered one in the world,
is not afraid of assassination or revolution, neither of which is a
Dutch trait. On her wedding day, a few years ago, in an open
carriage, without protection, without fear, she proudly passed
through the lines of many thousands of her subjects, who re
ceived her with hearty cheers and honest expressions of
affection. It would be out of place for me to make comparison with the
wedding of another royal personage which occurred about the
same time but under entirely different circumstances ; in the
01)6 country the people have always been governed by toleration
in all things, in the other by fear. Confirming this I may state
that Holland was the first Protestant country that allowed the
private exercise of Roman Catholic religion and the one first
pernjitting the open celebration of its ritual. For a long time it
was the only country where the Jews were allowed full liberty of
religion. It may also be of interest to note that the Dutch not only
founded the first day school, but also the first Protestant Church
in the United States.
Desiring to give my political friends who honor me with their
presence this evening a bit of ancient Dutch advice, good how
ever for the present day, I want to say that we have a Dutch
precedent for the promotion of trusts or corporations, for the
existence of the political boss, for an excise law, a tariff law, and
a good dinner at public expense. (Laughter.)
One of the first great corporations or trusts vvas founded by a
Dutchman, and its shares were dealt in like our modern stock
exchange. We are told that the Dutch East India Company was
the first great joint stock company whose shares were bought and
sold from hand to hand. Afterward another great company, the
Dutch West India Company, was organized. This differed from
some modern trusts in that the original subscription books were
open to everybody, Dutchman and foreigner alike, who desired
to become a stockholder.
Speaking of the political boss, our old Dutch Governor, Peter
Stuyvesant, instituted a boss system 250 years ago that would put
to blush even the bosses of New York, Pennsylvania or Ohio.

19
(Laughter.) When the people of that day desired to elect a
council of nine men to aid in providing for the general good of
the community, Stuyvesant consented, but he so directed affairs
that the council would be permitted to assist in the government
only when he (Stuyvesant) "called upon them," It is needless
to say that Stuyvesant's calls were as few and far between as the
calls of any modern boss, (Laughter,) We might add by way
of a foot-note that bribery was not entirely unknown in that day.
A Dutch Governor once attempted to obtain the influence of the
English Governor of a neighboring colony, by sending him two
Holland cheeses and a box of sugar as an inducement for him to
stop trading with the Indians.
Our high-tariff friends can quote a precedent from our Dutch
ancestors, who levied the first tariff in this country by what was
then known as "staple right," which required all vessels to pay
a duty for passing the Port of New Amsterdam, An English
ship once attempted to evade this tariff law, escaped the customs
officers and proceeded to Fort Orange, where a large cargo of
beaver skins was obtained. The New Amsterdam Dutchmen
sent a couple of ships up to Fort Orange to escort the English
ship to Sandy Hook and thence on her way home. She pro
ceeded, however, without any cargo, because the Dutchmen
confiscated the whole thing. The most expert custom officials of
today could not do more or better. (Laughter.)
It is probable that the first excise law was promulgated in
New Amsterdam by putting a tax on wine and beer,and penalties
were especially placed upon excessive drinking, A tavern keeper
who sold liquor to a drunkard or permitted quarrels upon his
premises was liable not only to a fine but to the loss of his
property as well. We are also told that a large number of
drinking houses were located on Manhattan Island, and for the
purpose of reducing the drink habit to a minimum, when a
drunken man was found, if the authorities failed to be sure of
finding the real seller, they would impose a specific fine upon
every drinking house located on the entire street.
I mentioned a dinner at public expense. In this respect our
ancient, like our modern, friends in New York and elsewhere,
possess about the same midriffs, including the same tastes. So
far as I am able to learn, both the Dutch and English of two
centuries ago and their descendants of to-day expend about the

20
same proportion of money to secure the same proportionate good
thing. In proof of this statement, I quote from an official
account of the expenditure for a banquet given by New Amster
dam officials to an English Lord more than 200 years ago. Here
are the principal items : £ s. d.
Beef and Cabbage  7 6
Pork and Turnips   _  7 3
Mince Pies  '   -. i 4
Fruit, Cheese and Bread.-   7 6
31 Bottles of Wine  3 2
Beer and Cider   12
To show that the New Amsterdam case is not an exceptional
one, I cite another from New Jersey, Here is an authentic copy
of a bill over a century and a quarter old, the original of which
may be found in the library of Princeton University, formerly
known as the College of New Jersey :
" The Trustees of New Jersey College, Dr., To Wm. Hick.
1771, Sept. 27. £ s. d.
To 27 dinners  4 12 6
To 23 Bottles of Wine at 5s  5 15
To 8 Bottles of Porter   16
To 6 Bottles of Beer  9
To 3 double bowls Punch  9
To 3 double bowls Toddy  6
To Tea for 13 Gentlemen  13
13 o 6 "
To prove the authenticity as well as the correctness of the
bill, the reverend president of the college, John Witherspoon,
appends to the bill over his own signature the following state
ment :
"The above amount I believe to be just." Whether the
"just" part of it refers to " dinners for 37 " or "tea for 13 " or
whether it refers to the other liquid refreshments is not stated.
(Laughter.) I will not weary you with other distinctive traits that have
conspired to place little Holland in the front rank of the proces
sion of progressive nations, Benjamin Franklin once said:

21
" Holland has been our great example in love of liberty, and
bravery in defending it, "
What a world of thought is contained in one of Holland's
mottoes: "By concord little things become great."
We have borrowed from this our own motto: " In union there
is strength," and Union College, which is a product of a Dutch
church, follows this thought with its motto: "In things neces
sary, unity; in things doubtful, liberty; in all things, charity."
(Applause.) In the hasty preparation of this paper I have endeavored to
prove from the record of the past that although Holland is small
in territory and population, yet, measured by manhood, no race
ever developed grander characters; measured by bravery, no
nation ever produced more courageous protectors; measured by
discovery, no land ever gave birth to men more progressive or
more desirous of civilizing every habitable part of the earth;
measured by success in commerce and finance, no business cen
tre of the globe ever achieved better reputation or accomplished
better results; measured by love of country and love of God, no
people since the days of Holy Writ have ever been better, broader,
truer, nobler! (Applause.)
In this electric age we hear much about the new times, new
methods and new countries. We hear little about the old times,
old methods, old countries. These are wellnigh forgotten. But,
thank God, this Society and kindred societies still keep sacred
and will forever keep sacred the old times out of which were
born the new. Even an electric age will honor any society living
to perpetuate the memory that lingers around the old countries
whose liberty-loving sons obtained for us this new and glorious
heritage; around the old home, the old father, the old mother,
whose prayers have ever given inspiration to new manhood and
new devotion to duty, and whose old-fashioned religion is repre
sented by the old-time family Bible. (Applause.)
Appreciating our duty and responsibility born of love of coun
try and home, of loyalty to ancestor and society, let us here and
now pledge to both the old and the new, never forgetting the one
in the favoring of the other. May we forever unite them in
fraternity between the aristocracy of blood and the aristocracy of
merit; in fellowship, where we may meet as equals, but always
with the equality that elevates; and in friendship, binding heart
to heart with love to man and love to God. (Prolonged applause.)

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