Louisville messenger. (Louisville, Miss.) 1842-1843, 1842-07-30
Ji}AL1lI Og rnE puliTANs


pada iis criminal liW so fdinano mel
Not ofcady New l3noland. A crowd
" offences Wus, ltt one sweep, brush.
M lfoin theciuloruo Of mpiinlcrimc
lilo idea was never received dat
The forfeiture VI life may be- ttidaud
ed Tor the protection Ut property the
punishment for tlien, for bnrglatyj
.oid highway robbery, was inr moro
mild thar tho penalties imposed even
by modorn American legislation.
Of divorce, J have found no exam.
pie yet clause IN bhe of the sfdtlites,
recognizes thc possibility ~ such Nh
event Divorce from bed and board,
theseparate maintenance without The
dissolution Of the marriage contract
an anomaly in Protestant Legislation
that Furnishes tie mndcchtmote than
the guiltyAwas dttbtIy abhoTent
from thor principles. The care Tor
posterity was every where visible,
Since the sanctity Of the marriage
bed is the safeguard Of families, and
can alone interest the father in the
welfare aud instruction of his OH
spring, Its purity was protected by
the penalty Of death; a penalty which
was inexorably enforced against the
guilty'wite and her paramount. ~
Lin this respect, the laws We're
more severe, in another they were
more lenient than modern manners
approve. The girl whom youth and
affection betrayed into weakness, was
censured, pitied and forgiven; the
law compelled the seducer of limo
cence to marry the person who had
imposed every obligation by the con-
cession Of every right. The law inn
plies an extremely pure community;
in noother would it find "a place in
the statute book; i'll no other would
public opinion tolerate the rule. I1s.a
The beneVoience of the early Puri-
tans appears from other examples.
Their thoughts were always fixed on
poSterity, Domestic discipline was
highly valued; but if the law was
severe against the umdutiful child, it
was severe against a faithlessiparent.
The slave trade was forbidden under
penalty Of death. The earliest laws,
Till 1854, did not permit any mans
person to be kept in prison for debt,
except when there was. an appear
ance of some estate whiclthe debtor
would not produce. Even the brute,
creation We're not forgotten; and cruz
city towards animals wass a, aIIl
offence. 30 ab rs.s "a IN
Tie first years Of the residence of
the Puritans in America, were years
Of great hardship and dfiliction. It's
an error to suppose that this short
season of distress was not promptly
followed by abundance and hapm-
ness. The people were full of aiiec-
ton, and the objects of love were
around them. They struck root in
the soil Immediately. They enjoyed
religion. They Were, from the first,
industrious, enterprising and frugal;
and afluence followed of course.
When persecution ceased IN New
England, there were already there
thousands who would not change
their places forany other IN the, word;
and they were tempted, in vain, with
invitations to the Bahama Isles, to ia
maica, to Trlnadad. bi safa4>
The purity of morals completes the
picture of colonial felicitys "As Ire
land will not brook venomous beasts,
SO win not thai land vile livers. !" =
One might dwell there, from year to
year, and not see. a drunkard, or hear
an oath, or meet begg9r. The con
sequence was, uai0erSdl heatth-
one Of the chief elepae,4ts cfpubt5c
hdppiness. The average duration OF
life in New England, compared with
Etrope, was doubled: andshe human
race was so vigorous, that of'all who
were born into the world, more than
two in ten-fllp four in nineteen
attained the age Of seventy! Ofthose
who lived beyond ninety, the pro-
portion, as compared with European
tables Of longevity, was still more
remarkable. ai ~ e .c0iT get Il,
mn have dwelt the longer on the
character Of the early bPuritans Of
New England. for they arethe pa
rents ozone third of the whole white
population Of the United States.
Within the FIRST fifteen years-and
there was never afterwards any CON
p II 4