The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1848-01-13
y oetrp.
7 He PURITAN.
Read at the Dinner of the New England Society of
New York, Dec. %, 1917.
BY ALLEN C. sPooNBR, OF BOSTON.


The Old Puritan was solemn man,
Sombrc and sad were his features,
lie talked through his and he wore plain clothes
t And seemed the forlornest of creatures.
Did he happen to grin, he believed it sin,
And took it to heart quite severely,
But should Satan provoke him to laugh at joke,
He rcpentcd it very sincerely.
Anusements, he thought, were with mischief full
Songs and dances we're nothing but evil; fraught
While cards, dice and plays, and all Church-hollidays
Were snares set for souls by the Devil.
All ornaments too did he strictly eschcw,
They but filled him with horror and dread;
His own natural hair he would not even spare,
But wore it cropt short round his head.
Deprived of all glmcs, his boys had odd names;
His first might be d" Israel ncreases;"-
His second perchance would be "Buckler and Lance"
And another, "Hcw Agag in pieces"
With powers of the air and ghosts foul and fair,
He had daily to combat and wrcse-- lay,
Yet as mere "pottcrs clay" in the Lords hand he
! So he spoke Of himself as "vcsse."
On Sundays his house was as still as a mouse
Tie highways were almost as quiet Tout,
The church-warden stout caught the boy who was
And gave him the stocks and low diet.
When lads up.in arms insulted their marms,
They were put on par with blasphcmers; bones,
To be pelted with stones till the flesh left their
Was the law for such wicked young scrcamers.
The youth who would wed coy, Puritan maid,
Before the old folks had to court her,
And quite sure was he to find huge flea
In his ear if he failed to support her.
The duty Of life, Them for man and for wife,
Was to labor six days out of seven;
On the seventh in the best of their toggcry drest,
To work hard to get into heaven.
Foul weather or fair they were constant in prayer,
But to thrift all the time kept squiut,
And in matters of trade, when bargain they made,
Their faces were set like flint.
Innovations in faith they opposed unto death;
At the carts tail they dragged the poor Quaker;
With derision and jeers they cropped hcretcs ears
And felt they were serving their Maker.
The Puritan's walk, conversation and talk,
Was the very reverse of ungodly;
And scrptural texts on the slightest pretexts,
Rolled out of his mouth rather oddly.
But loud though he prayed let tocman invade,
All danger you'd find him defyng;
Like tiger he'd fight in defence of his right
And the last thing lie thought Of was flying.
Such an old sort Of man was the old Puritan,
Whom to honor tonight we asse,rpble;
Should one only come here and sit down to cheer
Where's the man who could see and not trcmble
His yisagc severe, his manner austcre,
Would freeze all the cream without trouble;
Conversation would stop, not cork would dare pop
Nor glass of the rosy dare bubble
But yet, after all, since the date of the Fall,
Formoat that is noble in man, Ito discover
Though you search the world over, 'twero hard
The peer of the old Puritan.
No danger could shake, no adversely break
The fnith-founded force of his will;
Expressions stern power, even fIminc's gaunt hour
Could not change him, although they might kill.
In the of the Cross all his wealth was but dross
Freely left was his dear native land;
Mid the oceans fierce wave, on the wild savage shore
He walked calm with his life in his hard.
Midst temors Internal and splendors supernal
Lay his pathway to glory or wrath;
In tile fear of his God straight onward he troi,
With the Bible Il lamp to his path"
Then honored be he, the strong man and free
Whom love Of the truth b0Mi.hed hither;
To immortal rcnoWn be his name handed down,
Wreathed with the laurels that never shall wther
And honorcd for aye be this festival day
Through the land be its influence felt,
Till creation expire, and the last fatal fire,
The old Rock of Plymouth shall melt Courier
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