Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-14
QUAINT DELFSHAVEN
Where the Pilgrims Made
Their Start for America.
IN A DUTCH CHURCH
RELIGIOUS AND EDUCATIONAL
METHODS OF HOLLAND.
Rotterdam One of the Best Business
Towns of Europe-Curious Costumes
"A Difficult Language.

Copyright 1902, by Frank G.. Carpcnter)
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
ROTTERDAM.
Do you want to pray with the ghosts OF
your Pilgrim fathers?
You can do so if you go to DelfshaVen, a
village on the Mas two miles from Rotter-
dam There is a church there where Elder
Brewster Miles Standish. John Alden. Pris-
ella and the rest of the saints worshiped
before they left on the Speedwell for South
ampton, where they got the Mayfower,
which landed them at Plymouth and on It's
famous rock They had been driven from
England to Holland, where they settled at
Leyden and lived for twelve years. The
Dutch treated them well. but they wanted a
land of their own. They bought vessel at
Delfshaven. and upon it made their first
start fo- America They remained at Delfs-
haven some time before they sailed and
during that time worshiped in the old
church which still stands.
1 went there today on the top of a car
paying cents for the round trip. We rode
out through one of the fine residence sec
lions of Rotterdam, past a beautiful park,
and on through tenement streets which
swarmed with Dutch babies and older chill
dren as clean as new pins. We passed many
wind mills on the farms outside the city,
and in about half an hour found ourselves
in one of the sleepiest towns of this sleepy
Dutch country. 1t was DelfShaven, the
Fort of the city of Delft. which a few CEN
turtles ago was one of the important cities
OF Holland. but Is now almost forgotten
except for its blue porcelain dishes and
tiles
Delfshaven has now but few hundred
people. 1t is composed of two and three
story Dutch houses. old and black and
quaint in the extreme. The roofs are steep
and ridge-shaped with little dormer win
dows poking their heads out here and
there. The houses are flush with the side
walks, and the chief street has a canal
running through it filled with barges and
fishing boats. upon which the boat families
were cooking their suppers at the time of
my visit.
The Old Church.
The old church stands facing the canal
Just below the drawbridge which crosses
It. There are old houses on each
side of it. and the street looks as
though it We're a slice taken out of
the Middle Ages and dropped down into
the present. The church is made of we'll
burnt brown bricks with doors and WIN
dow frames painted white. The windows
are arched and they have many panes.
The church has a clock tower and cupalo.
and In it's day it must have been one of
the best of its kind.
The sexton lives in a little house next
door. She is kind old Dutch lady. who
would be good looking if it were not that
she has lost her front teeth. She has the
whitest of caps. the rosiest of cheeks and a
most pleasant smile. She took me through
the church and showed me its curious fea-
lures including the pulpit Bible, which
dates back to 1928. or to eight years after
the Pilgrims left Holland. She pointed out
a stone in the wall which was sent to the
church by some of the people of Chicago
and said that the Chicagoans had also
taken away stone from the floor She
said that two of the gravestones had been
taken by the Philadelphia man for the
New England Society of Pennsylvania, and
that this society also had the old aims box
This old church has been used since the
Pilgrims left and it is in use today 1t has
seats for about two hundred people-quaint
oak benches with reading desks in front