The Portland daily press., 1893-09-30
NOTHING But DUTCH.
A City Surrounded by a Wall Of
Foreign Customs.

In a Thoroughly American Locality, but
Welded to Foreign ways-A Devout and
Peaceful People - Quaint Attire and
Wooden shoes-No Respect For Women.
Especial Correspondence
ORANGE CRY, Ia, Sept. 2S.-Less than
a 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 side-an ocean without salt
Then came a,syndicate of Hollanders.
They bought 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 differso broadly from
our own.
And the immigrants came at the call
came 600 strong. They built this viii
lage, and they named it in honor Of the
Prince Of Orange 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 in 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-
ple were these Hollanders, but clannirl
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 Dutch village" they will TT
you, t'and we propose to keep it Dutcl."
The result is that other nationalities
are represented here by less than 90 peo-
pie, three-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 official,
for this is the county seat of Siol $
county; but. strange to say, the lawyers
are all citizens of American birth. Bust
ness is conducted principally in the
Dutch tongue. In fine, Orange City is
virtually a Dutch village transferred
from Holland to the United States.
The names of the people here are YER
liable jawcrackers, as rule, but if they
are hard to pronounce they are harder
still TO spell unless you know how. For
instance, met a man named IA, but the
spelling in this name, as In many others
here, is wholly unlike the pronunciation.
The dress of the ordinary citizen Of
Orange City would create sensation in
any American community. He wears
peaked cloth cap; he swathes his neck in
winter with knit wooden scarf that is
wrapped in fold upon fold round and
round his throat till he looks as if he
would suffocate; his coat is a curiosity
that defes description; his pantaloons
are inches too short; then come the
coarse homemade socks-you can always
see his socks-followe finally by the in
eyitab1e wooden shoes.
Clamp clamp - clamp, he tramps
along, hands in pockets, and in nine cases
out of ten smoking short blacklist pipe.
About 10 o'clock every morning you
WILL 6t6 b&l6 0GtCA ClUlACus WlUnOQU 4O-
spect to his social status, hurrying home
ward for his coffee, which he quaffs
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.
The average Dutch citizen is very de-
vout. On Sunday morning as soon as
the churchbeu begins to ring you will
see nearly the whole population moving
reverently toward the Lutheran church.
By the time the second bell has rung
the streets are empty and the church is
full. Sometimes it happens, however,
that man, woman or child is little
late, and they will run frantically in or
der to reach the church before the serv-
ices begin. They remain there nearly all
day, having brought lunch with which
to stay the appetite throughout the in
ter1ninable talk Of the pastor.
e The Dutch havea most detestable view
OF woman. They look upon 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
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 a figure
hereaway. Sometimes the Dutch vote
for one party and sometimes for another.
It all depends upon the order of their
leader, who, by the way, is the weathiest
man in the community. AS goes Orange
City, SO goes the county, and for this
reason the county is always making des4
perate efforts to break the power of
Orange City. There is nothing in COL
mon between the two, the county being
American, while the people
OF Orange City retein all the customs,
habits and prejudices that they brought