Introduction

Johannes Henricus van der Palm (1763-1840) dedicated his entire life to the promotion of the cultural-national identity. For more than forty years he influenced the public with his numerous orations, both inside and outside Leiden University. His demonstrations of practical rhetoric, with respect to content and form, were directive for the moral and cultural education of his public. It earned him the sobriquet ‘Moralist of the Nation’.

It is remarkable, if not paradoxical, that the speeches of van der Palm were unanimously considered examples of typical Dutch rhetoric, even though the text and models of his speeches originate from the Classics, the Bible and sometimes the Koran, in accordance with his academic field. The explanation for this apparent contradiction is that van der Palm's perception of Classical cultural values coincides with his aspiration to define the nation in terms of historical identity. He demonstrated (to his public) the connection between the Classical and national virtue of simplicity.

Biography

After completing his theological studies at Leiden University, van der Palm took holy orders in Maartensdijk in 1785. Two years later, during the Prussian invasion, he fled as a member of the Patriotic party to Monster in (what is currently) South Holland, and got a private job as personal secretary, librarian and private clergyman. After the French invasion, he was appointed professor of Eastern Literature at Leiden University, whereupon he took a seat in the government as the Agent van Nationale Opvoeding (‘Minister of Education’).