It is entirely fitting to give here to Mr. Vander Ploeg's St. Nicholas dinner-address, the best answer it is possible to give. A storm of protest went up among our Dutch people, when Mr. Vander Ploeg, gave vent to his feelings in such a rude way, about the Hollanders and their schools. Despite this the Dutch public until now, has not given him a fitting answer.

True, there were men who acted as interpretors for us in Onzetoekomst, but upon those interpretations much can be improved. We Dutchmen must answer for ourselves. We must do this in large numbers. But our answer must be Christian, and to the point. God's business has always been resisted, is always being resisted and will always be resisted. Yet this resistance is beneficial to the Christian, we must have something we can fight for. The life of a Christian is a wear of faith. In this war we do not call each other names. but we pray and work. Works of faith and salvation. Let us then not be angry with Mr. Vander Ploeg, but let us pray for the man, who denounced Christian education so bitterly and untruthfully.

All things work for the good of the Christian, also the resistance of the enemise of the Lord. Let our answer then be in that faith. Our schools give better education and better bringing up of our children than the public school, but our school buildings are far behind the public school buildings.

The public schools have money in abundance, while our schools are poor, thus the most decisive answer to Mr. Vander Ploeg, is to dig down in our pockets and to see that our schools are remodeled and that our teachers be paid more and regular. We must not be a Christian and Hollander by word of mouth, but also with our hearts. When Christian education is a matter of our heart, then our pockets open automatically. We do not progress by rejecting some one elses principle, but by placing our own principle foremost and then live accordingly.

Therefore let our principle,(our faith in the upbringing of our children), be seen, spiritually, as well as materially, in the building of schools which should be equal to the public school-buildings.

Let us as Dutch Christians revive the old adage, of not being Christians in name only, but in deed as well. Let us hold Christian education in the highest esteem as much as that is possible, and let us build schools, so that our adversaries will be ashamed and see that we are Christians and that we Dutch are men and women with principle.

Signed: A Reader.

P. S. I signed my name A. Reader, because this not an answer to Mr. Vander Ploeg, but an urge to others to answer him appropriately.