father's wagon to settle in that country. England has no right there," said the speaker. "She did annex the Transvaal in 1877. In 1880 the Boers rebelled against England's domination. In 1881 England acknowledged the independence of the Boers. Now gold has been discovered, and England wants to take possession of the wealth which belongs to this sturdy people. Because of the fact that the Boers refuse to allow adventurers to enjoy their citizenship and protection without becoming citizens, England steps in to enforce that monstrous thing."

Rev. A. P. Van Gieson was called out by Mr. Elsworth to speak on the South African trouble, and the eloquent clergyman made one of his most interesting addresses, glowing with admiration for the seekers for liberty everywhere, and filled with words of praise for the race and the land at the board represented.

Rev. A. P. Van Gieson said: When a bold, bad man sets out to do a bold, bad thing, in a bold, bad way, by force, I have a respect for him. But when a bad man sets out to do what he knows to be a bad thing, and does it under the guise of virtue, I have no respect for him. I have a good respect for England, and for its colonial government, but for England's treatment of the Transvaal I have the utmost contempt."

Dr. Van Gieson read an extract from a speech by the Duke of Devonshire on the subject, which he characterized as great hypocrisy, amid the approval of the gentlemen about him. The speaker told how the Boers, in their search for a place to settle and be free, went until they thought they were forever beyond the reach of England. It was not a good country to live in, not a promising country for prosperity. Dr. Van Gieson called English action unwarranted and unwarrantable. He expressed sincere hope that the Dutch Republic would be spared. He hoped the Boers would not strike the first blow; but there never was a nation on the face of the earth which practiced tyranny that did not suffer for it. "I do not know how the suffering will come. No English subject has suffered in the Transvaal in the least. The whole thing is on the part of England a case of unmitigated grab. I can see but one outcome of the war. In the Transvaal are 100,000 people, or thereabouts, and against them is the whole British empire. It must be the swift triumph of England. I hope the war may yet be averted."

Among the other speakers was Martin Heermance, who was gracefully complimented by the presiding officer, and asked to speak on the taxation in the Transvaal. He referred to the likeness of the situation in the Transvaal to that of our own in the Philippine Islands, England claiming that she is obliged to maintain order there and protect her interests. Mr. Heermance favored international arbitration instead of war in the case.

The President of the Holland Society, Mr. T. G. Bergen, was received with applause. He talked about the Society in an interesting way. Among other things he condemned some of the newspapers for their lack of accuracy, having reference especially to the reports given of the meeting of the Society in New York, October 2d, where resolutions were passed sympathizing with the South African Republic. He said that while we sometimes think we have public government, we really have a government by newspapers. Those who got the story of the Holland Society dinner last night, from the newspapers, lost the gist entirely. "We were all Dutchmen to the core, and practically unanimous for justice." He recalled how the few Dutchmen of the past fought against a world in arms, and it may be that the little band of Dutchmen in South Africa may repeat history. "God may be on their side!" President Bergen was listened to earnestly as he eloquently denounced England for her course against the Boers. "In the history of the small republics of the world," he said, "is the history of the advance of freedom in the world. The history of great countries is the history of tyranny, not always physical, but mental and moral tyranny. The power of the few is the mighty force, when the few have the quality. You have the quality, gentlemen."

Mr. Banta, the Secretary of the Holland Society, was next called upon, and among other things mentioned that so far as he had observed the great majority of the newspapers of this country sympathized with the South African Republic rather than with Great Britain. He stated he had received from a Press Clipping Bureau 165 extracts, giving editorial opinions on the question, and of these 145 were in favor of the Boers, and only 20 took the side of Great Britain.

Mr. Frank Hasbrouck being called upon to represent the Huguenot-Holland controversy at New Paltz, over the naming of the memorial house, denied vigorously that there was any controversy at all, and blamed all the trouble to the newspapers. Mr. Hasbrouck stood by President Bergen in his

condemnation of the newspapers, especially the New York newspapers. He made a telling speech, setting forth England's hypocrisy, saying: "Just as soon as gold was discovered in Venezuela, England raised a row about the boundary line. Just as soon as gold was discovered in Alaska, she raised a row about the boundary line, which is still on. Now she overleaps boundary lines in the Transvaal, where gold has been found, and wants to take the whole thing." Mr. Hasbrouck was applauded when he expressed the hope that the Boers would whip the English, as they had done in 1880.

T

HE Fifteenth Annual Dinner of the Society was given in the ballroom of the WaldorfAstoria on Thursday evening, January 18,

1900. The magnificent hall was decorated with the Society's Banner and with a number of American, Dutch, and old Netherland flags. Besides the President's dais there were a dozen long tables embellished with a profusion of roses, which presented a beautiful appearance when the procession of "four hundred" marched in from the superb Astor Gallery, where the members and their guests had assembled before dining. The souvenirs were little Dutch sabots and miniature reproductions of some of the most famous Dutch paintings.

The President of the Society, Mr. Tunis G. Bergen, presided, and seated with him were invited guests, representatives of sister societies, and former Presidents of the Holland Society, as follows:

Hon. Augustus Van Wyck, Judge Henry A.