The Holland Society of New York - Yearbook (New York, NY)

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IIO Q in. , V.- I criil f :i 5.1-ilu ul zirlj- teachers and scholars, thC INLLLLU i i' . dt the 1 i Jer 1.1lumwl1if'li1.lu-ffrlifmrff cles to be contribute 'O ' e l il ' ' .1 V I. ji In I ' , -- ' ' ,' 'ffifil fl VJ VJ'-fl b their teaclieis to wil f I 1, I are to be asked Y e merits the teachers are to be the lfllllffcffi mild 'iff Wl'g'il'. l 1 paper proposes to distribute certillll l'T1Zlfi 'l I ll T E ' Nllmf' test against any scheme by which our piililic.-.st ima .5 .-,tem should be used to advertise any of our iiewspzipfeiza.,ibut, 'I protest especially against this proposed act lieeause it evi- dently would be the means of disseiininating error in the guise of history among the scholars of 'our schools. You give, in advance of seeing the articles which are so especially commended to our- schools, your endorsement of them as historically correct, and your endorsement will naturally lead the young people in the schools to accept them as in every way worthy of credence. The author of these articles is not known as an historian. He is known as a magazine writer, a novelist, and a sensational journalist, as is evi- denced by his style. The only way we can judge of his qualifications as the historian of the early days of New Amsterdam is by the series of articles he has published in one of our magazines for the last three months on The Dutch Founding of New York. As an abusive assault on the founders of the city and the ancestors of multitudes of the best people in it, it has no equal, even in the volumes with which New England Writers formerly delighted to occupy themselves in vilifying New Yorkers. I shall cull from these articles a few statements, and ask you in all seriousness if you think their author indicates that he possesses the qualities of an historian, and especially of a work to be submitted to the immature minds of children with the indorsement of the Superintendent of Schools? He refers to the dealings of the Dutch with the Indians, and says that they did not give value for value, but got a shipload of furs for a few hatchets and beads, and con- tinues: It is but just to the Netherlanders to add that they have lost nothing in the passing of the centuries of their acuteness in such matters, as is evidenced by their Zsggtisto fgili and to keep the weather-gage of the unlucky Hbergte Ztten? iecngo Protectorate to-day. . Here is a de- b l P 0 prejudice his readers against the Dutch, Y makmg them believe that the Belgians, whose alleged

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109 their dealers. Cn May 20th the Mayor's ap- Pf0Va10f the plan was quoted, mentioning Janvier as an eminent authority on all matters pertaining to the city's history, and an approving 131313631- from H. A. Rogers, President of the Board of Edu- cation, was printed in the same issue. On May 2 3d a similar letter from Charles R. Skinner, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, was printed, The celebration proclaimed by the Mayor was held in the City Hall on May 26th, and an address WELS dG1iVG1'ed by the Mayor, followed by an orap tion by Gen. James Grant Wilson, combined with a reception to distinguished guests. A Fireworks were displayed in the evening at many places in the city. 1 I The articles by Mr. janvier appeared in the seven issues of The Tirnes as proposed, the issue of May 3 ISt containing the first six as well as the lasts Commenting upon the selection of Mr. janvier, the President of the Holland Society, Mr. Theodore M. Banta, wrote the following protest, which was printed in the Brooklyn Ddily Standard Union of May 22, 1903, and here follows in full: THE HOLLAND Soc1E1-Y OF NEW YORK, - THEODORE M. BANTA, President. NEWEYORK, May 19, 1903. WILLIAM H. MAXWELL, LL.D., City Superintendent of Schools: SIR,-I protest against the public schools of this city being made use of to advertise one of the newspapers of the city. One of our journals contains a letter purporting to be signed by you, which states that you should be pleased to see the principals of all grammar schools and high schools comply with the request of fthe paper in questionl to bring this matter to the attention of both

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I I I atrocities in the Congo Valley have aroused indignation, are of the same people as those- who settled New Amsterdam. He gives an account of the granting of the charter of the Dutch West India Company for of the New Netherland Company, for he is rather hazy about it,j in which no in- considerable part is taken from the work of Mr. Asher, without acknowledging his indebtedness to him and omit- ting quotation points, and then states that though the Assembly did not usually act precipitately, the charter was railroaded through in a week, as the result, we reasonably may assume, of very lively lobbying on the part of a delegation sent to The Hague from Amsterdam. He admits there are no records upon which he can draw for proofs of this statement, but goes on to say that it is not too much to assert that the precedent then was established of sending lobby delegations from New York to Albany, and I see no reason for doubting that The Hague lobby was run then very much as the Albany lobby is run now. Still later he gives aneaccount of the granting of the charter of the West India Company, and says: Very interesting would be the record-if it existed and if we could get at it-2 of what happened that day at The Hague after the morning session stood adjourned. Having no record-to go by, we can only make guesses, being guided a little in our guessing by knowledge of what has happened at Albany, .between two sessions of another Assembly, in later times. This is not the spirit of an historian, but that of a sensational scribe who allows his imagination to drive the romancer's pen. Having no facts, he assumes and guesses, and always against the honor and integrity of the people whose history he professes to be writing. Further on he mentions that Broadhead states that the name New Netherland was used for the first time in 16 14, and that he had declared that the name continued for half a century, until in the fu1111eSS of time right gave way to power, andthe Dutch colony of New Netherland became the English province of New York. Then our author continues: The question of title that Mr. Broadhead has raised in this loose statement of fact is too large a question to be dealt with here. But it is only fair to add that his hot contention that the Dutch had a just title to their North American holdings is denied