JACQUELINE OF THE CARRIER PIGEONS
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
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MACMILLAN & CO., Limited
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Copyright 1910
By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Set up and electrotyped. Published March, 1910
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY
THE BERWICK & SMITH CO.
TO
MY SEVEREST CRITIC,
MY FATHER,
AND TO
VIRGINIA
WHO WAS ITS INSPIRATION,
I DEDICATE THIS BOOK
INTRODUCTION
FAIR LEYDEN
I am glad that Mrs. Seaman has written this story. Americans cannot knowLeyden too well, for no city in Europe so worthily deserves the name ofAlma Mater. Here, after giving the world an inspiring example ofheroism, modern liberty had her chosen home. The siege, so finelypictured in this story, took place about midway in time between twogreat events—the march of Alva the Spaniard and his terrible army of"Black Beards" into the Netherlands, and the Union of Utrecht, by whichthe seven states formed the Dutch Republic.
This new nation was based on the federal compact of a writtenconstitution, under the red and white striped flag, in which each striperepresented a state. Under that flag, which we borrowed in 1775 andstill keep, though we have added stars, universal common schooleducation of all the children, in public schools sustained by taxation,and freedom of religion for all, was the rule. Leyden won her victoryseven years before the Dutch Declaration of Independence in July, 1581.As our own Benjamin Franklin declared, "In love of liberty and braveryin the defense of it, she (the Dutch Republic) has been our greatexample."
With freedom won, as so graphically portrayed in this story, Leydenenlarged her bounds and welcomed to residence and citizenship threecompanies of people who became pioneers of our American life. Like thecarrier-pigeons, they brought something with them. To our nation, theygave some of the noblest principles of the seven Dutch United States tohelp in making those thirteen of July 4, 1776, and the constitutionalcommonwealth of 1787, formed by "the people of the United States ofAmerica."
First of all, to victorious Leyden, came the Walloons, or refugees fromBelgium, to gather strength before sailing in the good ship NewNetherland, in 1623, to lay the foundations of the Empire State. Thenfollowed the Pilgrim Fathers of New England. Many of the youn