d.i.s. magazine
a quarterly publication of the Dutch International Society
Volume 48, NO. 4 March 2017
d.i.s. magazine
VOLUME 48, NO. 4 March 2017
Editor’s Note .................................................................................. 4 Los en Vast ................................................................................... 5
How Transnational Are You? .......................................................... 7
Methods of Pannenkoeken Cooking : a Voter’s Guide, Explained ..... 9 Windmill Gardens 2017 .................................................................. 13 Sint Eustatius, Statia, The Golden Rock, and American Independence ........................................................................................................ 15
Women’s Emancipation in the Netherlands ..................................... 18 News in Brief ................................................................................. 21
Upcoming Events ............................................................................ 23
DIS Board Members
Lucas De Vries, Hendrika Rosema, Doug Vander Velde, Fred Vedders
Neem een kijkje op onze website! www.dutchinternationalsociety.org www.facebook.com/dutchinternationalsociety Membership Form
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Published quarterly by The Dutch International Society 2340 Woodcliff Ave SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546 Tel. (616) 949-7872 Office Email: ldevries@calvin.edu ALL CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING THE D.I.S. Magazine: For action by the Editor: Dr. Arend Vander Pols 1742 Cambridge DR SE Grand Rapids, MI 49506-4424 Email: editor@dutchinternationalsociety.org For information on advertising & for membership dues and information: Dutch International Society 2340 Woodcliff Ave SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546 Periodical postage paid at Grand Rapids, Michigan (USPS #103690) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: D.I.S. Magazine c/o 2340 Woodcliff Ave SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546 Dues for the Dutch International Society are $10.00 per year. This includes the $5.00 annual subscription price of the D.I.S. Magazine. © The Dutch International Society 2016. Opinions expressed in the articles appearing in the magazine are not to be construed as an endorsement by the Board of the D.I.S. Printed in the United States of America.
Our Cover
Windmill Islands De Zwaan Photo 2014 by Sara Simmons
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Editor’s Note This March I am thrilled to be able to publish an article by our very own Dr. Martin Bakker. Dr. Bakker was a regular contributor to dis magazine for many years and author of the popular “Beter Nederlands” column. Many of you have been asking about his health and so I contacted him. He reported that he was doing very well and regaining his strength. He mentioned that he hoped someday to once again be able to write a little something for our members. Imagine my surprise when the next day a piece from him arrived in my inbox! I wanted to get it out to you as soon as possible, so I moved a few things around this issue to make room. If that means the magazine hits your mailbox a little later than normal, I apologize. But Dr. Bakker, WELCOME BACK! The piece is mostly in Dutch, so you members will have to practice your language skills. I’ve done a quick translation of the first paragraph to get you started. Loose and Tight We used to say that at school “Teacher, how do you write bike plus path, loose or tight? Is bike path one word or two? Words that you write together? Is it bike path or bikepath?” And then came the explanation, because we also wanted to know why “do you write two words as one word – tight together?” The teacher would say, “Don’t compare it with English, because English has very different rules than Dutch for “joining words”.
*** If you haven’t seen the hilarious YouTube video “America First, The Netherlands Second” being
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passed around everywhere, get one of your grandkids to show it to you. It was first aired on the Dutch channel NPO3 show “Zondag met Lubach” and has since spawned over a dozen videos from other countries vying to be second to America. There was even a petition on the White House website to ‘make Netherlands second because they requested it’ in a nice way. The petition has been shut down but not before it got over 67,000 signatures. The Netherlands has its own general election coming up this month. I report on one way of understanding the many parties participating in “Methods of Pannekoeken Cooking : a Voter’s Guide, Explained” on page 9 of this issue, and in further exploring Dutch politics, regular contributor Dr. Gerlof Homan writes about the history of women’s sufferage in the Netherlands.
It’s not all politics in this issue, however. We’ve got a call to transnationalism from Dr. Henk Aay, a history lesson from Bob Yonker, and a report on the goings on at Windmill Island from Matt Helmus. If you have a story to tell or an article in the works, do your part to help the next generation get transnational and send it in!
Look for your dis membership renewal card next month. Thank you in advance for your support and consider encouraging others to help us keep the work going! Alvast bedankt allemaal!
-- Arend Vander Pols
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Los en Vast door Dr. Martinus Bakker Dat zeiden we vroeger op school: “Juf, hoe schrijf je fiets plus pad, los of vast? Is fietspad een woord of zijn het er twee? Worden ze aan elkaar geschreven? Is het fiets pad of fietspad?” En dan volgt de uitleg, want je wil ook weten waarom; “Wanneer schrijf je twee woorden als een woord - vast dus?” Juff(vrouw): “Ga niet met het Engels vergelijken want Engels heeft heel andere regels dan Nederlands voor “Joining words.” Het gaat als volgt in het Nederlands: 1. Zelfstandig naamwoord (znw) plus znw.(noun plus noun) In het Nederlands zijn de regels, volgens mij, eenvoudiger dan in het Engels.
Fiets is een zelfstandig naamwoord (noun) en pad (path) is ook een zelfstandig naamwoord. En vast geschreven, geschreven als een woord, krijgen we een derde znw., namelijk fietspad. So noun plus noun is a third, a different noun. Fiets plus pad is fietspad. Dergelijke woorden worden in het Nederlands altijd als een woord, dus vast geschreven.
Een auto is een heel ander ding dan een deur. Hebben we het echter over de deur van een auto, dan krijgen we autodeur. Nog een paar voorbeelden zijn: Foto + album = fotoalbum (photo album)
Camera + lens = cameralens (camera lense) Postzegel + verzameling = postzegelverzameling (stamp collection) Huis + dier = huisdier (pet)
Hottentotten + tenten + tentoonstelling = hottentottententententoonstelling (Hottentots tent show). Dit woord bestaat niet in de praktijk, maar het is een leuk spelletje dit soort woorden te creëren.
Zo bestaan er honderden samengestelde zelfstandige naamwoorden (compound nouns) in het Nederlands. ‘Huis’ en ‘plant’ zijn twee totaal verschillende dingen en twee verschillende woorden. Gecombineerd (vast geschreven) krijgen we ‘huisplant,’ een derde, totaal verschillend woord, een verschillend object. En dat is de bedoeling. En daarom spreekt het in zekere zin vanzelf dat huis + plant vast geschreven moet worden: huisplant.
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2. Zelfstandig Naamwoord + Werkwoord (Noun + Verb)
Bad is een zelfstandig naamwoord en zwemmen is een werkwoord (ww). Een bad dat gemaakt is om in te zwemmen, heet een zwembad, een nieuw, een derde zelfstandig naamwoord en dus aan elkaar, vast geschreven. Rusten is een werkwoord. Bank is een zelfstandig naamwoord. Gecombineerd krijgen we rustbank, een nieuw, een derde object en woord, dus vast geschreven: rustbank.
Ook van dit soort woorden bestaan er honderden. Bekend zijn bijvoorbeeld loopplank, vliegtuig en vaartuig, slaapkamer en eetkamer. Hier volgen er nog een paar: Rusten + plaats = rustplaats
Werken + plaats = werkplaats Zuigen + stof = stofzuiger
Lezen + boek = leesboek
Schelden + naam = scheldnaam, enz. (en zo voort)
III. Preposition plus noun or verb.
Een kamer die binnen is, is een binnenkamer. Een gebouw dat buiten is, is een buitengebouw.
Als je naar de andere kant van de rivier wil, moet je iemand met een boot zoeken die je wil overzetten. Een deur tussen twee kamers, kun je een tussendeur noemen. De vinger in het midden van je hand is je middelvinger.
Als je een late avond gehad hebt, wil je waarschijnlijk de volgende morgen graag uitslapen.
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De vorige avond had je het zo druk dat je pas laat ingeslapen bent. Het feest moest natuurlijk wel een keer aflopen.
Als je van Haarlem naar Rotterdam reist, moet je in Amsterdam overstappen.
Al deze woorden zijn bovendien scheidbaar. In een zin kun je beide delen scheiden, bijvoorbeeld: Hoe laat liep het feest af? Stap je altijd in Amsterdam over? Ik sliep pas om twaalf uur in. IV. Los of vast
Er zijn ook veel woorden die je los of vast kunt schrijven, als een of als twee woorden, afhangend van de betekenis. Een goed voorbeeld is een klein kind of een kleinkind. Ik heb een kleinkind dat geen klein kind is: hij is meer dan zes voet, maar hij blijft mijn kleinkind. Mijn grootmoeder is niet groot.
Speelgoed is wat anders dan “Speel goed� (goed spelen/ play well). Probeer het eens met de volgende woordparen. Het verschil in betekenis moet blijken door het gebruik in twee zinnen: Overslaan en over slaan. Invallen en in vallen.
Uitvaren en uit varen.
Heengaan en heen gaan.
Aantrekken en aan trekken.
Dr. Martinus Bakker is Professor Emeritus of Dutch at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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How Transnational Are You?
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by HenkAay
everal times a week I stream the Dutch National News (NOS Nieuwsuur) to stay upto-date. The New York Times automatically sends me links to its stories about the Netherlands. I buy Dutch films from bol.com and stream Dutch cinema from Netflix; most come with English subtitles. My heart glowed with some extra pride when Professor Feringa from the University of Groningen, together with two scientists from other countries recently received the 2016 Nobel prize for chemistry. It has never been easier to be engaged, in one way or another, with events, culture, friends, relatives, and colleagues in the Netherlands. Social media, Skype and streaming content over the internet have created limitless possibilities to remain informed about and in
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touch with the country for any area of interest. Can my rather exceptional level of transnational activities be explained by my having been born in the Netherlands, by my research interests in Dutch American relations, and by my frequent visits to the country? Is this kind of transnational interest only typical for first generation immigrants?
In a paper presented at the Association for the Advancement of Dutch-American Studies / New Netherlands Institute Conference 2015 in Albany and now ready for publication, Hans Krabbendam shows that, among national ethnic groupings in North America, Dutch Americans and Dutch Canadians have not been very transnational. Dutch immigrants and their descendants have not been very interested in Dutch current affairs. Nor has the Dutch diplomatic corps in North America shown much interest in marshalling support from Dutch Americans for particular Dutch causes. More than most other national immigrants, the Dutch came to stay; return migration was quite low. Dutch immigrants were generally very well accepted in the US and Canada; unlike the Chinese and Japanese, they did not suffer from structural discrimination. Such rebuffs led some immigrants to long for and think more positively about their homeland. Moreover, as the Netherlands developed towards a social democracy and became a staunch ally of
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the US and Canada in the 20th century, Dutch immigrants and Dutch Americans did not carry a lot of grievances about their home country. Such concerns might also have focused more of their attention on the country. So it appears that there are compelling factors why, in general, North Americans of Dutch ancestry know no more about the Netherlands than about most other countries. While this may explain a low level of transnationalism, I would like to argue that some engagement with the Netherlands strengthens Dutch American identity. If your interest is in family history and genealogy, learning about the lives and communities of your ancestors in the Netherlands and, perhaps even visiting such places, ties you to a larger personal transnational history. If Reformed Christianity is central to your identity, understanding the Dutch roots and transplanting of this branch of Christianity to North America, places you in a transnational religious movement. If you are aware of the affinity of the Dutch and muck soils in North America, then learning about and visiting Dutch polders will dramatically bring home the international spread of Dutch know-how about water management and
drainage. I want to argue that knowledge about the history and culture of Dutch North America is incomplete without its antecedents and contributions as well as its departures from Dutch ways of life. So, let’s get transnational!
Dr. Henk Aay is President of the Association for the Advancement of Dutch-American Studies. To further promote transnationalism, I invite you to explore Dutch Culture USA [DutchCultureUSA.com]. The website includes links to architecture, books, music, fashion, film, heritage, lectures, literature, performing arts, visual arts, and many other subjects. It’s a great way to find out about events near you, or to explore the many aspects of contemporary transnationalism. The Facebook page for Dutch Culture USA [facebook.com/DutchCultureUSA/] is meant to announce upcoming Dutch art and cultural events and projects in the United States. It also provides links to relevant coverage by American news outlets about Dutch talent in those fields. - HA [This piece originally appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of AADAS news - Editor] Other Resources
• dutchnews.nl brings daily news from the Netherlands in English • dutchreview.com is a Dutch magazine written in English for anyone interested in all things Dutchiness, current topics, lifestyles, politics, arts
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Methods of Pannekoeken Cooking : a Voter’s Guide, Explained by Arend Vander Pols
he craziness of the presidential election season in the US is finally over (?) and we can now turn our attention to what is happening in the Netherlands. The general election there takes place on March 15 of this year. While the States suffer with the mostly two and sometimes three or four party system, the Netherlands labors under a multiparty government that can be difficult to comprehend. Luckily a Dutch journalist and jokester, Bas Belleman, has come up with a way to keep all the parties straight through a delicious pannekoek question. As a joke he composed a Facebook post in about twenty seconds one evening after work. The post, seen on page 10, has ‘gone viral’ and been shared tens of thousands of times. The post is a typically Dutch dry wit way of making fun of “stem wijzers” or voter’s guides that help voters align their vote for a party with the way they feel about certain issues. http://stemwijzer.nl is one such site.
Here is a guide for understanding the Facebook post. As far as understanding politics - Dutch or American - I’ll leave that between you and your God. The Parties
• VVD: Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie / Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy • PvdA: Partij van de Arbeid / Labour Party • CDA: Christen-Democratisch Appèl / Christian Democratic Appeal • PVV: Partij voor de Vrijheid / Party for Freedom • D66: Politieke Partij Democraten 66 / Democrats 66 • SP: De Socialistische Partij / Socialist Party
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• • • • • • • • • • •
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GroenLinks / GreenLeft PvdD: Partij voor de Dieren / Party for the Animals 50Plus / 50Plus SGP: Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij / Reformed Political Party ChristenUnie / Christian Union DENK or Group Kuzu/Öztürk / Think Artikel 1 / Article 1 Piratenpartij / Pirate Party GeenPeil / No Level Nieuwe Wegen / New Roads Niet Stemmers / Non-voters
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The Facebook Post
How do you cook pannekoeken? • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy : Figure that out for yourself Labour Party: Cooking pannekoeken is something you do together Christian Democratic Appeal: Like you did in the old days Party for Freedom: Go back to your own country if you don’t know that Democrats 66: Everyone can learn to make pannekoeken Socialist Party: With a revolution GreenLeft: With wind energy Party for the Animals: With soy milk 50Plus: With a home help aid Reformed Political Party: With God’s help Christian Union: Also with God’s help Think: Pannekoeken are racist Article 1: Pannekoeken are colonialistic Pirate Party: No one knows how you cook them No Level: That, we are going to vote on New Roads: We cook them very differently Non-voters ...
In this post from February, Mr. Belleman laments, “For years I work like crazy on my poems, translations of Shakespeare, on new versions of
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classic folktales, all for a few hundred readers and a handful of reviews. And what takes off? A joke about politics and pannekoeken!”
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Iedereen beroemd, right Mr. Belleman? With politics and fame, je moet maar lachen. But we at least all agree pannekoeken are delicious, right? Right? To learn more about the Dutch general election and the participating parties, check out https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_general_election,_2017 Here is an excerpt:
General elections are planned to be held in the Netherlands on Wednesday, 15 March 2017 to elect all 150 members of the House of Representatives.[1]
Since 2002, every cabinet has resigned before completing their full four-year term and five elections were held between 2002 and 2012. The 2012 elections saw the Labour Party (PvdA) and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) go headto-head for the position of prime minister, gathering enough seats in the process to form an absolute majority. The VVD's Mark Rutte formed a coalition government with the PvdA, ousting the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) from government, while the Party for Freedom (PVV) went back to full opposition.
A list of Dutch political parties including information about their ideology, political position, affiliations and leaders can be found at https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ List_of_political_parties_in_the_Netherlands
party has little chance of gaining power alone, and parties often work with each other to form coalition governments.
The lower house of the legislature, the House of Representatives, is elected by a national party-list system of proportional representation. There is no threshold for getting a seat, making it possible for a party to get a seat with only two-thirds percent of the vote—roughly one seat for every 60,000 votes. Since this system was implemented in 1918, no party has even approached the seats needed for an outright majority. However, there is a broad consensus on the basic principles of the political system, and all parties must adjust their goals to some extent in order to have a realistic chance at being part of the government.
An excerpt:
The Netherlands has a multiparty system with numerous political parties, in which any one
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Windmill Gardens 2017 by Matt Helmus
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indmill Island Gardens was thrilled to welcome over 100,000 visitors in 2016! Guests enjoyed touring America’s only authentic, working Dutch windmill, viewing beautiful gardens, and attending an array of weddings and special events. A small slice of Holland in West Michigan, the park continues to enhance its grounds and attractions to provide an authentic Dutch experience for visitors of all ages.
One highlight of 2016 was a new community garden - ‘de Gezellige Tuin’. In the tradition of Dutch volkstuinen 21 plots were offered for community members to plant vegetables, learn from bi-weekly classes, and get to know their neighbors. This year, the garden will double in size. It is apparent that there is significant demand for garden plots with wonderful soil and a beautiful view of the windmill!
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There is also a fresh face on one of the area’s Dutch treasures - the historic ‘Four Columns’ street organ. Originally a gift from the City of Amsterdam to the City of Holland in 1947, the instrument has delighted thousands of guests over the decades. This off-season the instrument is receiving an entirely renovated façade that mimics colors and motif of an early 20th century draaiorgel. Visitors can enjoy the new façade while hearing Dutch favorites such as ‘Rosamunde’ and ‘Aan de Amsterdamse grachten’ for years to come! Another historic structure receiving a makeover is the century-old Lord & Burnham conservatory. The owners of the Marigold Lodge built the greenhouse on the shores of Lake Macatawa in 1915 to allow year-round cultivation of strawberries. On the Island, the structure highlights the significant story of Dutch
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horticulture and floriculture. Staff has curated the plant collection to open up the space for year-round events and exhibits in a lush, intimate setting.
Of course the main attraction hasn’t been forgotten. De Zwaan windmill will feature a new molenwinkel on the main floor for visitors to enjoy. This area will offer mill-ground products (wheat flour, bran, cornmeal, etc.) and a selection of windmill-related items for sale. Typical of Dutch mills, the molenwinkel reinforces the concept that de Zwaan is a historic working mill that continues to produce food for the local community.
In addition to these physical changes, Windmill Island Gardens will celebrate the theme ‘The Artful Garden’ in 2017. Horticulture staff designed 20+ garden beds to mimic famous paintings and painters in including van Gogh, Mondrian, and Matisse. The display will evolve throughout the summer as annuals bloom post-Tulip Time. There will also be a variety of art-themed events throughout the season to encourage artists and visitors to enjoy the beauty of the Island.
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For more information on these events, please connect via the Island’s website (windmillisland.org), Facebook page, or send an email (windmill@cityofholland.com). What better way to enjoy the region’s Dutch heritage than a visit to Windmill Island Gardens! Events for Windmill Island Garden in 2017 include: • March 18: Dutch & Irish Koffie Kletz • April 15: Opening Day & Run of the Mill 5K Fundraiser • April 29 & 30: More Than Tulips garden tours • May 6-14: Tulip Time • May 6 & 7: Historic Dutch Trade Fair • June 17: Serenity Spaces exhibition • July 23-29: Peak Bloom Week • August 1: Taste the Roses edible plants event • August 10: Art Tea in the Gardens • September 9: Hope College Community Day • September 16: Pedal the Provinces bike tour
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Sint Eustatius, Statia, The Golden Rock, and American Independence
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by Bob Yonker
he military aid given by France to the thirteen United States in the American War of Independence is well known to students of American History, but almost unknown by many Americans is the major role played by the Netherlands through its Caribbean colony, Sint (Saint) Eustatius, in the realization of American independence. This small (11.8 square miles) island, affectionately called “Statia” by its residents, is credited with supplying half of the arms and munitions needed by the newly declared independent country. St. Eustatius, as a free port, had long been a transfer point for goods and material from and between Europe, Africa and the Americas. For example, during 13 months of 1778-1779, 3182 vessels visited its harbor, Port Oranje (Orange), engaging in commercial trading. Its success in commerce gave it such wealth that the island was nicknamed the “Golden Rock”.
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Coming into Port Oranje on November 16, 1776, Capt. Isaiah Robinson with the Continental Navy Brig Andrew Doria, flying a flag with thirteen stripes of the United States, and carrying a copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, fired a 13-gun salute, one for each of the new states. As was the custom of the era, the Dutch governor of Sint Eustatius, Johannes de Graaf, ordered a return 1l-gun salute from the guns of Fort Oranje. In 1939, in an age when U.S. Presidents did not travel abroad, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was of Dutch descent, arrived at the harbor of Sint Eustatius aboard the U.S.S. Houston. He presented a plaque to the Dutch island colony in recognition of and to honor the first salute to an American flag by a foreign power.
The Andrew Doria had two missions. One was to deliver copies of the Declaration of Independence so that they could get to European countries, making them aware of The United States
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separation from Great Britain and the war for Independence.
With European countries knowledge of the rebellion, the United States hoped to obtain financial and military aid from them. Statia was the safest place for conducting the transfer of correspondence from the United States to other countries as the letters could travel on ships of many countries and/or could evade British blockading war ships. Almost all American correspondence to Europe during the Revolutionary War went through St. Eustatius, keeping American diplomats and agents abroad aware of the needs of their homeland and finding help from sympathetic countries. Benjamin Franklin trusted and used St. Eustatius for all of his mail to and from Europe.
The second and possibly the more important mission was to purchase the arms and ammunition, and other supplies desperately needed by George Washington’s Army. Because the newly founded United States did not have the capability to manufacture the materials of warfare, and because St. Eustatius would sell to anyone who would pay, it was a mutual satisfactory solution. Also, as British Colonies, the Americans had established a flourishing trade with St. Eustatius, therefore it was only natural to seek the needed military goods from the island’s merchants once independence was declared. The Andrew Doria was the first of many American ships to run the British blockade with cargos of military goods destined for the Continental Army.
First official salute to the American flag on board an American warship in a foreign port, 16 November 1776. Painting by Phillips Melville.
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In recognition of the importance of St. Eustatius to the American cause, a second plaque was placed on the walls of Fort Oranje by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) on 11/16/2001, celebrating not only the 22Sth anniversary of the Andrew Doria’s visit, but also St. Eustatius’ role as the major supplier of military goods to the United States.
One of the strongest acknowledgments of the importance of St. Eustatius to the American cause was a statement in 1778 by Lord Stormont, speaking in the British Parliament, when he stated “if St. Eustatius had sunk into the sea 3 years before, the United Kingdom would already have dealt with George Washington” . In May of 1780, British Admiral George Bridges Rodney wrote to his wife said “This rock, of only six miles in length and three in breadth, has done England more harm than all the arms of her most potent enemies, and alone supported the infamous American rebellion.” The anger of the British government with the Netherlands and her Caribbean colony’s acknowledgment of American sovereignty as evidenced by the “First Salute” and her aid in the supplying of war material brought a British Declaration of War resulting in the 4th Anglo-Dutch War (1780-1784).
also sent ten Royal Navy ships as a convoy protection escort for the merchant ships carrying the confiscated treasure.
By 1781 the United States was no longer dependent on St. Eustatius for war material. Because Rodney’s departure from the island was delayed and because he had sent part of his naval fleet back to England, rather than to the U.S.A., the smaller remaining fleet did not get to Chesapeake Bay in time to stop the French fleet from aiding the Americans in their victory at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. If you go on a Caribbean cruise and your ship passes Statia, give her a salute. She deserves it!
Bob Yonker is a long time member of the DIS and a history buff. He was a history major at Calvin College and has given talks on the influence of the Dutch on American history, politics and culture.
In February of 1781 during this war, the British sent Admiral Rodney to St. Eustatius with overwhelming naval and land forces to punish the Netherlands and St. Eustatius. His forces plundered the huge warehouses and stores of the island and arrested the merchants, took their personal possessions, imprisoned them and deported them.
The wealth and amount of the goods of St. Eustatius taken by Admiral Rodney was so great that it took Rodney’s men about four months to inventory the loot and load it on ships bound for England. He
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by Gerlof D. Homan
Women’s Emancipation in the Netherlands by Gerlof Homan
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he latter part of the nineteenth century saw the beginning of the women’s emancipation movement in various parts of Europe and the United States. In the Netherlands it became later known as the first feminist wave. The second wave would occur in the post-World War II period.
For many centuries women occupied a subordinate role and place in society. They had no political, economic and judicial power. For instance, a married woman could not make decisions regarding her own property without her husband’s permission, and was not permitted to vote or hold public office. Naturally, there was much opposition to the idea of women’s emancipation. It was alleged women were too emotional to preoccupy themselves
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with political matters and would neglect their family duties if they engaged in activities outside their homes. Quite often much of the opposition was based on traditional Christian theology. Woman’s emancipation in the Netherlands was influenced by events abroad especially in Great Britain and the United States. Some of their leaders had lived and worked in the United States. They were also influenced by the work by the well- known English philosopher John Stuart Mill’s, The Subjection of Women (1869). In the Netherlands the ethical feminist and socialist Helen Mercier (1839-1910) had much influence with her articles and her book Verbonden schakels [Connected links]. She was also a strong advocate of female education. Two feminist novels also did much to advance and popularize female equality. They were : Majoor Frans (1875) written by the well-known author Anna L.G. Bosboom-Toussaint and Hilda Van Suylenburg (1898) by Cecile van Beek en Donk.
Initially, many women sought an outlet for their energies and aspirations by doing all sorts of charitable work. Later they sought marriage, political and judicial equality. Initially, many women in the emancipation movement came from the so-called “gegoede burgerij, “ the upper middle class. They were often referred to as dames, ladies. Most lower class women did not have the time and energy to become involved in political reform movements. They were more interested in improving social and working conditions. Often there was not much contact between dames and working class women. There were many very courageous and very able women leading the female emancipation movement who often faced fierce opposition and terrible ridicule. Alas, only a few can be mentioned here.
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Wilhelmina Drucker Among them was Wilhelmina Drucker (1847-1925) one of the most important women in the emancipation movement. She was one of the most radical and aggressive feminists of her time. She was sometimes ridiculed as the “schreeuwster,” “yeller,” and accused of waging guerrilla warfare. She was the founder of the “Free Women’s Society” and the “Society for Women’s Right to Vote” and the publications De Vrouw [The Woman] and Evolutie [Evolution] She was often compared with the American feminist Elizabeth Stanton. In the 1970s her followers were called Dolle Mina’s, Mad Mina’s. Two expositions also contributed to women’s emancipation. In the year 1898 The Hague saw an exposition on women‘ s work. In 1913, on the occasion of the one hundredth anniversary of the
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Kingdom of the Netherlands there was an exposition in Amsterdam on the woman. Also the Women’s Peace Congress in The Hague of 1915 had considerable impact. This congress was in many ways the brainchild of Aletta Henrietta Jacobs (1854-1929). As some of our readers may recall the March 2015 issue of our magazine had an article on Aletta Jacobs who became the most important figure in the woman’s emancipation movement in the Netherlands at that time. She was born in Sappemeer , Groningen, the daughter of Jewish parents. Her farther was a medical doctor. Already at an early age Aletta aspired to become a medical doctor. With special permission of the well-known Dutch Prime minister Johan Rudolph Thorbecke she was admitted to the University of Groningen and received her medical degree in 1879. She was the first female medical doctor in the Netherlands. She started her medical practice in Amsterdam where she did much for working women and birth control. However, she was also much interested in female suffrage. For many year she was president of the Society of Female Suffrage . The goal of the women’s movement, she asserted, was to make it possible for a woman to develop herself fully as a human being. Female suffrage would enable women to reach that goal and to remove many forms of discrimination.
In 1919 the Netherlands passed the law granting all adults the right to vote. It came at about the same time as female voting in other countries such as the United States. In the same year Suzanne Groeneweg became the first woman to be elected to parliament as a member of the Tweede Kamer, lower house But it was not until 1956 that the first woman, Marga Klompé , became a cabinet member.
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Joke Smit (1973) For many years following the women’s emancipation movement pressed for equal rights in marriage, etc. But, the movement did not become very active again until the 1960s and 1970s. It was especially the essay by feminist and author Johanna (Joke ) Smith with her essay “Het onbehagen bij de vrouw” “Discontent among Women” (1967) that reenergized this phase of the movement soon called. De Tweede feministische golf, [The second feminist wave]. This phase could be compared with the women’s liberation movement in the United States. This time the demands concerned equal compensation in pay, the appointment of women in the public and the private sectors, the establishment of day care centers, abortion rights, access to birth control information, etc. Many of the demands were realized but often only after loud public protests and demonstrations. As a result the status of women was greatly improved but alas still leaves much to be desired in many parts of the world. Dr. Gerlof D. Homan is a regular contributor to dis magazine.
d.i.s. Magazine
News In Brief Verkiezingen in Nederland Zoals bekend worden er in Nederland op 15 maart nieuwe Tweede Kamer verkiezingen gehouden. Aanvankelijk leek het er op dat maar liefst 81 partijen zich voor die verkiezingen zouden willen laten inschrijven om deel te gaan nemen als nieuwe partij voor in die Tweede Kamer. Afvallers Maar van hen vielen er al meer dan 50 weer snel af omdat ze niet voldeden aan de voorwaarden om te mogen deelnemen, maar de overblijvende 28 partijen nemen zoveel plaats in op de verkiezingsborden dat het een probleem dreigt te gaan worden, namelijk de affiches vergroten of de borden!
Boer zoekt Vrouw In dit televisie “format” zoeken een aantal aangemelde dames naar een bepaalde Nederlandse Boer waar ze wel wat in zien. Dit televisie programma is in Nederland al jaren zeer succesvol en werd zelfs vaak uitgeroepen tot het populairste televisie programma van het jaar. Internationaal Een variant hierop is “Boer zoekt Vrouw Internationaal”, waarbij de deelnemende Boeren uit andere landen, vaak emigrantenlanden, komen, zoals bijvoorbeeld dit keer uit de USA (Texas) en Canada en uit het Afrikaanse Zambia. Veel reacties Ruim 1.200 Nederlandse vrouwen hebben in brieven naar die Boeren laten weten hun leven wel met één van die geëmigreerde vrijgezellen Boeren te willen delen. We zullen het spoedig weten hoe het verder met hen zal gaan.
March 2017
Elections in the Netherlands It is well known that elections for a new Second Cabinet will be held in the Netherlands on March 15. At first it looked like there would be at least 81 parties signing up to participate in the elections. Dropouts Fifty of the parties soon dropped out because they did not meet the conditions to participate, but the remaining 28 parties take up so much room on the election signs that election posters are going to have to be enlarged. Farmer Seeks Wife In this television show a number of women search for a Dutch farmer they feel attracted to. The program has been a success in the Netherlands for years and has been called the most successful television program of the year.
International A variation of the program is “Farmer Seeks Wife International”, where the Dutch farmers live in other countries. For example this season, the farmers are from Texas in the United States, Canada, and Zambia. Many Reactions Over 1,200 Dutch women have written letters to the farmers letting them know how eager they are to share their lives with them. We’ll soon know how things turn out for them.
[News In Brief Dutch is excerpted from Jan van der lucht’s Lugtpost email list and loosely translated by Arend Vander Pols. Send an email to Jan at janvanderlugt@ziggo.nl to join the list.]
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Spring Concert
Religious and Patriotic Music by Peter Wildeman and Joost van Belzen Internationally known organists from the Netherlands Pipe Organ & Electric Organ with Brass Ensemble Wednesday, March 15th, 2017 7:00 pm 2nd Congregational Church 525 Cheshire N.E. Grand Rapids MI 49505
TIMOTHY L. ZYLSTRA, CPCU President
DAVE ZYLSTRA AGENCY, INC.
P.O. Box 141517 4201 Richmond, N.W., Grand Rapids, MI 49514-1517
If it’s worth insuring we insure it! Call (616) 791-4200
A freewill offering will be taken for the Trinitarian Bible Society
AADAS Conference, Fulton, Illinois June 15 - 17, 2017
The theme of the conference is “Dutch (North) Americans, Agriculture and Rural Life, Past and Present.”
Following the oldest immigrant settlements in Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois, daughter and entirely new settlements were established in subsequent years. Fulton, Illinois was one of those new centers peoples, beginning around 1860, by both Dutch immigrants and by Dutch settlers from elsewhere in the Midwest. At the conference we will learn about the history of Fulton and Whiteside County as the Dutch settlement area. Check the website at www.dutch-americans.org for more information.
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ZAAGMAN MEMORIAL CHAPEL, INC. ZAAGMAN MEMORIAL CHAPEL Since 1890 James E. Koops-Manager 2800 Burton St. SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546 Phone: (616) 940-3022 Email: office@zaagman.com Web site: www.zaagman.com
Established 1890
d.i.s. Magazine
DIS EVENTS
Upcoming Events
ORGAN RECITAL Arjan Breukhoven from Berkel en Rodenrijs (ZH) the Netherlands Tuesday May 9, 2017 Calvin College Chapel 7:30 PM This concert is co-sponsored by the DIS, the Calvin College Frederik Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture, Witte Travel & Tours, Woodlawn Chr. Ref Church, and CALL (Calvin Academy for Lifelong Learning) Free will offering. ANNUAL DUTCH FEST – LANDDAG SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER, 9, 2017 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM HUDSONVILLE FAIR GROUNDS 5235 Park Street – Hudsonville Michigan 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. Grand Rapids Accordion Ensemble The Michigan Interscholastic High School Association will be holding their Equestrian meets at the outdoor horse arena and can be watched all day. MOVIE: LIFE, ANIMATED NEW DATE: FRIDAY OCTOBER 13, 2017 – 7:30 PM WOODLAWN CRC MINISTRY CENTER 3190 BURTON ST SE – GRAND RAPIDS MI (Across from the Calvin College entrance OVERFLOW PARKING at Calvin’s parking lot across the street). Coffee and cookies will be served.
March 2017
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