The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-10-03
Especial Correspondence

q quarter of century ago the site of
this quaint Dutch village was dead
level sweep of prairie, unbroken by a
solitary house or tree or shrub. An ocean
of grass spread off to the sky line on
every slde-an ocean without sail!
Then came syndicate of Hollanders.
They bought a few sections of land in
the heart of that wild waste Of grass;
they laid out streets and lots; they offered
inducements for immigrants to come
hither from The Hague, from the country
of dykes and windmills. where the Gus
toms of the people differ so broadly from
our own.
Ard the immigrants came at the call
came 600 strong. They built this vii
lage, and they named it in honor of the
Prince of Orange-a man hated by the
Irish as only the Irish can hate. They
planted trees by the hundred till now
their homes and public houses are
stepped i'll outrageous foliage. They
titled the surrounding country till vast
harvests were their reward, and right
merrily their lives went on in this freer
land they had come to call their own.
A brave, aggressive, self respecting peo-
pie We're these Hollantlers, but clannish
to the last degree. If man isn't Dutch,
they have no use for him. A person not
of their nationality cannot buy foot Of
soil within the limits of this village.
"This is Il Dutch village" they will tell
you, land we propose to keep it Dutch"
Tho result is that other nationalities
are represented here by less than 90 peo-
pie, thrce-fourths of whom are Ameri-
cans.
The tradesmen are all Dutch, and the
same can be said of the physicians. news
papers and most of the county Off, ials,
for this is the county seat of Sioux
county; but, strange to say, the lawyers
are all citizens of American birth. Bust
ness is conducted principally in the
Datch tongue. In fine, Orange City is
virtually Dutch village transferred
from Holland to the United States.
The names of the people here are YER
liable Jawcrackers, as a rule, but if they
are hard to pronounce they are harder
still TO spell unless you know how. For
instance, met man named IA, but the
spelling i'll this name, as in many others
here, is wholly unlike the pronunciation.
The dress of the ordinary citizen of
Orange City would create a sensation in
peaked cloth cap; he swathes his neck in
winter with Il knit wooden scarf that is
wrapped in fold upon fold round and
round his throat till he looks as if he
would sutfocate; his coat is a curiosity
that defies description; his pantaloons
are inches too short; then come the
coarse homemade socks-you can always
see his socks-followed finally by the in
evitable wooden Shoes
Clamp clamp = clamp, he tramps
along, hands in pockets, and in nine cases
out of ten smoking short blackish pipe.
About 10 o'clock every morning you
will sec the Dutch citizen, without re-
spect to his social status, hur1ying home
ward for his coffee, which he uuaffs
without cream or sugar and then hurries
back to business. He may live a mile or
more from his shop or office; it may be
raining cats and dogs; it may be cold
enough to freeze the ears off marble
image, but that 10 o'clock tramp after
his coffee your Hollander is bound to
take.
Tho average Dutch citizen is very de-
vout On Sunday morning as soon as
the churchbell begins TO ring you will
see nearly the whole population moving
.reverently toward the Lutheran church.
BY the time the secoud bell has rung
the streets are empty and the church is
full. Sometimes it happens, however,
that man, woman or child is a little
late, and they will run frantically in or
der to reach the church before the sery-
ices begin They remain there nearly all
day, having brought lunch with which
to stay the appetite throughout the in
terninablo talk of the pastor
The Dutch have a most detestable view
of woman. They look upon a wife as
the property of her husband and think
there is no harm in ordering her around
like dog. Of course this idea is never
carried into effect as far as the better
classes are concerned, but it prevails
with all the citizens here with whom I
have conversed. 1t is an old world heresy
that cannot survive long in the light OF
our new world civilization.
Politics doesn't cut much of figure
hereaway. Sometimes the Dutch vote
for one party and sometimes for another.
1t all depends upon the order of their
leader, who, by the way, is the weathiest
man i'll the community. AS goes Orange
City, so goes the county, ard for this
reason the county is always making des-
perate efforts to break the power Of
Orange City. There is nothing in COM
mon between the two, the county being
thoroughly American, while the people
of Orange City retain all the customs.
habits and prejudices that they brought
from beyond the seas
Whether time will batter down the
Chinese wall with which the Dutch of