The Washington herald., 1922-02-05

"hS AN agency through which the
~ friendship between two nations may
happily function" Or. J. c. A. Everwijn,
new Minister from tie Netherlands to the
United States. told me- "therC T.. ~crpntly
sprung up what We call the Netherlands
American Foundation. which | confidently
believe may demonstrate itself as the most
convenient such agency in existence.
The Netherlands American Foundation
IL an organization created by the friends Of
the two nations living in. the United States
and in Holland; friends who are, in most
eases, bound together by ties Of blood rela-
tionshiD. This organization proposes to es-
tablish in America headquarters through
which Information about the relations OF
the two countries may be broadcast and
through which friendly relations may b.
encouraged to grow more friendly. 1t .1-
poets to establish in Holland a similar
headquarters through which the United
States may speak to Holland and, sine.
Holland Is the gateway to Europe, may
speak to that entire continent.
The Netherlands American Fonda t,o,
n an agency which EXISTS entirely apart fro,
of5cia Holland or Official United States. II
merely grows out Of the good feeling and
relationship that exist between the two
countries and promises to flourish becaus,
OF It's ability to render service. Under tn.
presidency Of Edward Box, gentleman OF
Dutch birth, than whom there is no NOR.
typical American, It looks confidently to
the future.
tThere are quite unusual reasons Why tn.
relations Of the United States and tn.
Netberlands should Be happy and mutually
beneficial. 1t has always seemed to me that
there are no other two countries In the world
with peoples whose ideals md whose methods
sf Life % nearly approximate each other.
RsnstowlJ, for example, the Dutch, like
the Americans, are roughly one-third
Catholie md otherwtse made up Of Protes-
tant Christians OF such denomination a.
ths Dutch Reformed Church. The religious
eomposdtion Of the United States Is quite
simlar, and here, a In Holland, there 10
tresdom to worship % one pleases just As
there stwsys has bean since the day when
ths Pilgrim Fathers took refuge, first In
Holland, and thence set sail to the United
States.
''In industrial and in commercial ambi-
lions there u great similarity between these
nations, bat It has always impressed me that
they we've most alike In that fundamental
upoa which the nature Of . people L. built
The family ln-than are any sthsr two
latioas.
<0TIHE family life Of me American and Of
i the Hollander Is similarly informal.
There Is q difference between the family life
Of either Of these nations and the British, for
example, in that there II Q considerable ele-
nent Of stiffness and formality in British
home life Holland follows very closely In
the footsteps Of America in the great free
dom Of action accredited to the different
members Of the family. We probably DO
mot 70 quite 20 far as do the Americans to-
ward allowing the children a voice in tn,
MANAGEMENT of home Affairs, but I think
there is probably no nation other than tn.
United States which goes % far as we do.
The youngsters in Holland, I believe, do,
however, defer q bit more to their elders
than do the youngsters in the United
States."
went to see the Netherlands Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipoten-
dary In the new legation building which his