News of the Unified Netherlands

[Tanthalas]

New Horizons for Post Unification Industry
Bringing the light of Civilization and Christianity to Darkest Africa

Co Monarchs of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands King Albert I of Belgium and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands in a joint statement released today announced the formation of the Netherlands Benevolent African Association.  This privately funded enterprise is intended as a continuation of King Leopold the Seconds efforts in the Congo region of Africa before his life was so tragically cut short by an assassin's bullet.  It is intended to bring Modern Medicine, Schools, and the Light of Christianity to the poor unfortunate souls forced by circumstance of birth and poverty to live in this region.

[Tanthalas]

Folowing Snips example here, since I realy liked the idea.
Events from the Public Record (most OTL some randomly created) Jan 1st - Mar 31.

Jan 1st - Compulsory education in Netherlands and Belgium goes into effect
Jan 18th - Jan Blockx's "Tÿl Uilenspiegel" premieres in Brussels
Feb 18th - Ajax soccer team forms in Amsterdam
Mar 13th - The length of the workday for women and children is limited to 11 hours by law.
Mar 30th - Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts Compulsory education law

[Tanthalas]

This post is based loosely on a Letter from King Leopold II of Belgium to Colonial Missionaries, 1883 found here.  I have made a few minor edits to the original, but I felt it was a fairly accurate reflection of attitudes for our period.  Ofcourse, this isnt how it will generaly be played in the Dutch press but I felt it was appropriate to go ahead and post (if I was wrong please let me know so I can replace it with somthing not quite so contriversial)

A Letter to Colonial Missionaries in the Congo 1900 (H1 sometime)

"Reverends, Fathers and Dear Compatriots: The task that is given to fulfill is very delicate
and requires much tact. You will go certainly to evangelize, but your evangelization must inspire
above all Belgium interests. Your principal objective in our mission in the Congo is never to teach
the niggers to know God, this they know already. They speak and submit to a Mungu, one Nzambi,
one Nzakomba, and what else I don't know. They know that to kill, to sleep with someone else's
wife, to lie and to insult is bad. Have courage to admit it; you are not going to teach them what they
know already. Your essential role is to facilitate the task of administrators and industrials, which
means you will go to interpret the gospel in the way it will be the best to protect your interests in
that part of the world. For these things, you have to keep watch on disinteresting our savages from
the richness that is plenty [in their underground. To avoid that, they get interested in it, and make
you murderous] competition and dream one day to overthrow you.
Your knowledge of the gospel will allow you to find texts ordering, and encouraging your
followers to love poverty, like "Happier are the poor because they will inherit the heaven" and, "It's
very difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God." You have to detach from them and make
them disrespect everything which gives courage to affront us. I make reference to their Mystic
System and their war fetish – warfare protection – which they pretend not to want to abandon, and
you must do everything in your power to make it disappear.
Your action will be directed essentially to the younger ones, for they won't revolt when the
recommendation of the priest is contradictory to their parent's teachings. The children have to learn
to obey what the missionary recommends, who is the father of their soul. You must singularly insist
on their total submission and obedience, avoid developing the spirit in the schools, teach students to
read and not to reason. There, dear patriots, are some of the principles that you must apply. You will
find many other books, which will be given to you at the end of this conference. Evangelize the
negros so that they stay forever in submission to the white colonialists, so they never revolt against
the restraints they are undergoing. Recite every day – "Happy are those who are weeping because
the kingdom of God is for them."

[Tanthalas]

1901 events, if anyone has an issue with any of these please send me a pm it is mostly things that happend OTL (although some are slightly modified)

1900-12-09 - State President Paul Kruger of South Africa & Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands have a triumphant procession
1901-02-03 - Dutch troops under Gen Van Heutsz Establish Fort Wilhelmina in Congo
1901-02-12 - Dutch Penitentiary children's law proclaimed
1901-03-17 - Free thinking-Democratic Union forms in Netherlands
1901-04-28 - 1st soccer game between Belgium (8 ) & Netherlands (0)
1901-07-31 - Abraham Kuyper becomes Prime Minister of the Unified Netherlands
1901-10-18 - Belgium's Louise of den Plas begins activities towards women rights

[The Rock Doctor]

Whereabouts is Fort Wilhelmina?

[Tanthalas]

Whereabouts is Fort Wilhelmina?

Roughly where Boma stands today or roughly 100 km upstream from where the Congo meets the Atlantic Ocean.

[The Rock Doctor]

Thanks for that.

[Tanthalas]

1902-08-19 - 1st beauty contest (Spa, Belgium), 18 yr old West Indian wins
1902-05-12 - Dutch Society for Women Suffrage gets royal charter
1902-05-29 - Dutch State Mine law forms
1902-08-01 - Building begins on Dutch public housing
1902-08-19 - 1st auto (Benz) to arrive in Netherlands
1902-09-03 - Dutch Automobile Club forms (KNAC)