The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-16
1653-NEW YoRK's 25oth ANNIVERSARY 1908

ship, to call the attention Of their congre-
cations to the event, and to invoke the
divine blessing on the municipality. Every
day of the celebration lectures will be
delivered in the public schools and other
buildings upon the history and growth
Of the city, and at these lectures hum
dreds of old prints, illustrating the New
Amsterdam and New York of the past,
will be reproduced as stereopticon slides.
The same slides will be used, in connec-'
ton with. magic lanterns, for street dis
plays in as many public squares Of this
city as may be practicable, and public
concerts will be given.
WaIIoons Came First s
New York has a history well worth the
telling, and 1t has a religious side of eX-
emplary interest. The first settlers. Of the
island Of Manhattan were Walloons, who
had taken refuge in Holland from the re-
lentless persecution to which they were:
subjected by the Spaniards, on account
Of their Professionalism. When they landed,
on a beautiful May morning In 1923, they
gave thanks to God for their safety, and
implored the divine blessing on their fu-.
ture home. "A church, with a double roof.
was among the earliest buildings erected,
and 1.-THE tapping Of beer" was forbidden
during the hours Of divine service. A
fine was imposed for taking the name Of
God in vain. All seryile labor was for
hidden on the Lords day, and while re-
ligious observance was not as strict as
| in the New England colonies, the gospel
was deep-rooted among the em1grants Of
| New Amsterdam. Protested Christians OF
to-day, who think 1t a hard matter to 10
a short distance to church. may perhaps
take a lesson from the Huguenot settlers
of New Rochelle, who, before they had
a church Of their own, walked to New
York every Saturday and Sunday to att
| tend divine worship. They started on
Saturday morning. going all that day, ana
| resting for the night In the suburb called
"Stuyvesant Village near where the BIZ
BILE House now stands. On Sunday morn-
! ing they started again and walked down
to the French church on Pine street,
| reaching there in time for the service.
| Under English Rule.
| When New Amsterdam was chartered
| as a city, 1t was already fated to pass
under English rule, and q few years later
a large part Of the Dutch settlements on
| Long Island were brought within English
Jurisdiction. In 1864, New Amsterdam
received city government. somewhat
like that Of to-day, with q mayor, alder
men and sheriff. With this latter date
real civic government began.
/ In 1854 the population Of New Amster-
dam was about 1,500--it was certainly
i
granted-probably not over 1000, includ-
ing negroes. To-day New York city has
a population approaching four millions.
In that early period, the Dutch West
India company complained that the whole
colony of New Netherland including, OF
course, New Amsterdam, yielded the COM
pany not more than $4,000 guilders a year.
4 To-day there are many single buildings
in New York yielding several times that
amount in rents. The schoolmaster OF
1858 appears also to have been bell-ringer.
4 grave-dfgger, court-messenger, chorister
and general factotum to the magistrates.
4 The New York of to-day has q public
school system unsurpassed in excellence
i by any other city of the world. The
Idouble-roofed church in the New Amster-
dam fort is succeeded by hundreds of
tchurches and chapels accommodating
vast muItitudes of worshipers, and prov
i ing that the faith in Christ of the exiles
of $50 years ago is potent in the city Of
/ to-day.