Evening star., 1942-02-23
Nazis Challenged
By Dutch Preacher
In Daring Speech
Clergyman Disregords
Terrorism to Recoll
His Lands History

Special Dispatch to The Star and North
American Newspaper Alliance.
NEW YORK, Feb. 23.-One Of the
most fearless challenges ever thrown
into the faces of the Na1 overlords
by their victims in occupied Europe
has just come to light. 1t is con-
tained in a sermon delivered in
Leyden by a Dutch clergyman on
the occasion of the 367th anniver-
sary of the raising Of the siege Of
Leyden in the war against the
Spanish.
With supreme disregard OF the
German terrorism, the Dutch
preacher told his audience that now
Is the time to remember that God
will have none of the arrogant pride
of the tyrants who mold all to
their will and that he did not
desire a people living in servility in
these Low Countries but that his
wish was that a free people should
live here"
Eulogizes Queen.
Flaunting every decree of the
German authorities, he openly eulo-
gized Queen Wilhelmina, ending his
address with prayer in which he
begged the Lord that in this great
distress Thou wilt give her and her
government the wisdom to do what
there is to do and to endure what
there Is to endure, all to the real
good of our people"
Tho y>rao o1or III. foIIou,
countrymen to carry on the struggle
by taking inspiration from the fight
their ancestors waged against the
Spanish tyranny three and half
centuries ago. He told of the hand
full of traitors who then, like now,
tried to lure the patriots to sur
render, and of the stubborn refusal
Of these patriots to walk into the
trap once their eyes were opened
to "the true nature of this tyranny"
Ostensibly describing the Dutch
struggle for freedom $50 years ago,
he actually paints a clear picture
OF the hardships, dangers, and temp
tations of the present situation.
Assails "Sneaks."
No0l4 ~ 11Oo OC OCICCl, 1lc dSkS,
to give up at last this arduous fight?
Would it not be far better to sur
render, or at least to negotiate with
the enemy, who indeed reigned
supremely? That was the tempta-
tion into which so many tried to lure
the town. There were, for that mat
ter, the sneaks. They represented
only a very small group of the popu-
lation; only, it was a group that was
responsible for an immense up
roarious tumult; handful of mean
spirited traitors, who, on the boun-
Diary line of two worlds, did not
know their place and who willingly
made themselves the ready tools of
the enemy. Frequently the sneaks
addressed the citizens with gran
diloQuent words, with cunningly de-
vised letters and writings, just to
blind them with their very lies. Well,
then, so they wrote, Is it not true
that this prince of orange brought
about only hunger and misery in
this town, continuing, as he is, his |
resistance? Indeed, they wrote, these
very Spaniards only came to Iberate |
and to rescue"
Thinking Of the Present.
Still talking of the past but think
ing of the present, he continued:
80 cunningly the Spanish tyranny
fattered and lied that it took years
to open the eyes of the people to
recognize the true nature of this
tyranny. And yet, for a long time
there were even some who did not
want to see what could clearly be
seen by everybody. But once the
eyes of our people were opened, they
knew: the fight against this has
been decreed by God, the fight
against this is worthy OF every
sacrifice and will never be allowed
to be given up"
AS if he had not yet made him
self clear, he reminded his hearers
that everything he had said about
the past applied equally to the
present: "If ever we should CRATE
fully remember this, then it is now
the time to do so. For, once more
our people is a people in distress.
Again we live in the midst of over
whelming and terrible dangers.
Once more our people finds itself
involved in a decisive crisis of its
history, as it seldom encountered
before"