Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1902-04-17

. Iowa. Member OF the Legislature.
acted in Dutch. Everything is Eng
lish in this country. All legal papers
are made out in English. We are
Americans. Why should we keep up
our Dutch at the public eXpenseg'
And why. to be sure? Yet we should
think it was worth while for man
to keep UP his mother tongue so as
to be able to read and talk it, to say
the least.
Most Of the children are taught
Dutch, but are taught at home Their
church services are in Dutch at the
Dutch Reformed Churches And they
do we'll to keep the young people talk
ing the mother tongue as perfectly
as they do. Take it in almost any
Iowa town on the Fourth Of July Gel
ebration when a lot Of young folks are
together, you cannot tell whether they
are of foreign descent at all or not.
There may be Germans and Bohe-
mans and Frenchmen and Swedes
and half dozen others. but they all
talk English. In Pella they all talk
Dutch. It may be because the Dutch
are so Overwhelmingly in the major
ity.
do not know of any other town
that is so thoroughly predomlnated by
any one class OF nationality as Pella.
en-eights Of the population is
Dutch. The merchants are nearly all
Dutch. The town officers are natur-
ally the same, but the postmaster is
an American, DR.. Peables. He hap
pened to be Republican, and the
Dutch as rule are on the wrong side
CT the political fence to hold any post
offices these years.
: But the young men and all have
lots Of strictly American customs as
well learned as if to the manor born.
Indeed, most Of them are American
born. One Hollander was running a
lemonade booth, and he could yell so
he could be heard in the next county,
He had voice like a steamboat whis-
tile, and when he shouted lice cold
the snake eater and the brass band
were both clearly outclassed and hau
to suspend till he got through.
1t was strictly an American Fourth
OF July. The Hollanders came to
America to enjoy religious freedom,
but not to prevent others from doing
the same. AS soon as they came
they became naturalized, and have
been intensely loyal to this day. The
small boys We're shooting frecrackers
and the older ones were drinking fire
water if they got the chance, but they
had to get it by some hook or crook,
for they observe the law conscientious
ly. Not drop of liquor was sold by
the saloons, although there are several
in town. 1t was an unusually quiet
and orderly town.
Bigger boys were beauing their girls
just as they do in other towns. One
fellow we observed got the ''mitten''
from a girl he asked to go to the dance
with him. that evening. And he looked
like thirty cents. just the same as any
other boy would. I trust they will
make it all up some day, and so they
WILL IL AO lSIASAdpOlS LudL d1uL
heart never won fair lady, The band
boys were very popular, as they al
ways are with their smart uniforms
on. The girls had smiles for them,
and knew they were envied by their
less fortunate sisters who did not get
to walk with a band boy during the
afternoon.
The special policeman was just as
important and just as superhuous as
he is at any country town celebration
in the middle West. He wore his
star so conspicuously that one won
dered if he wore it as badge of office
or as a breast plate. He was always
alert, walking among the people where
there was likely to be nothing to &C.
cur. But he clearly felt the import
ance Of his office, and like Uncle
Jerry Rusk, if ''He seen his duty he
done it"
Not many foreigners come to PeI1a
any more, though formerly a great
many came every year. I fell in with
enc. His name was James Meyer. He
has been here since last January aud
already talks enough English to make
himself understood. From that fact |
CLEAN that they must be fairly web
educated in their own country or they