The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-12-28
CELEBRATION, AT PLYMOUTH
OF THE
Landing Of the Pilgrims.


mouth. on Friday. the 2is, instant, under
the auspices Of the Pilgrim Society. The
weather was delightful, though rather cold,
and the day was, as usual, observed as
holiday by all classes Of the citizens. Hun.
dreds Of people fIOcked into town from the
adjoining country, and delegations were also
present from Boston and other cities.
Hon. William II. Seward, Of New York,
delivered the grafton. I, was an able an
eloquent production, occupying nearly three
hours in its delivery. The Boston Atlas Of
Saturday contained full repor, Of ii. We
copy from this report lew extracts touch
ing the character Of the Puriians and their
principles. After abiding 10 the fact that
the church Of England was the result Of n
compromise (which was claimed stood
midway between the Incorporating
church OF Rome, and equally uncomprom-
ising Authoritarian Professionalism, and that
absolute and active conformity with its re-
quiremen,s was demanded, and being in
corporaied into tho constitution with such
,u,;,;,rv ,ol;,;cal ,ove,s !, must necessa.
81. ~ ,-o.,., r. A.. -.
my augment INC 'nhuenee VI '"' 'n.O"0'
and be subversivo equally Of the civil and
religious liberties Of the people.
A conservative power. new conscrya-
tive power, was necessary 10 prevent that
fatal consummaiion. Tha, power appeared
in the form Of body Of obscure religious
sectaries, men Of monasiical devouiness,
ye, retaining the habits Of domestic and
social life; simple, but not unlearned un-
ambitious; neither rich enough 10 forget
their God. nor yet poor enough to debase
their souls; content with mechanical and
agricultural occupations in villages and
rural districts, yet conscious OF The liberty
with which Christ had made them Tree, AMI
therefore bold enough 10 confront, eccleslas'
ucal and even royal authority In the capital.
Serious, as became their religious probes
sion, they grew under persecution to be
grave, formal, and austere. Chosen en-
issanes OF Uod, rs 'hey believed, they VIII
iinsy became ouicasts among men, ID,
winery constituted dePosi'aiies OF pure ana
accounting run, Us ihey 'housh', they an.
houhceI, Us ,neli own RUE OF conuuc., tna'
no a'ucie OF iai'n, no EXERCISE VI eeo'es'as,
uoa' authority, no 'uie OF use anu
no1 sven snreu OF ce,einohia' OF s '..l''
inen'' smou'u oe aecep'eu, un'ess sa"o"ou'
Ell oy direct warrant from the scriptures,
Us interpreted oy themselves, IN inc nee eS'
efcise oil their own conscielces, illumina-
ted by the Holy Spirit. God, although
benevolent Father, was yet, as they oelley-
cd, Jealous towards disooedlence OF His
revealed will, and would punish conscious
neglect OF its commandments. These
were the PuIitans. They came into The
world to save It rom desPotism; and The
world comprehended them not. Ihey re-
FUSED 10 acquiesce IN me compromise, DC,
cause u involved a surrender OF natural
rights, and violation OF principles OF duty
toward God. Nevertheless. they were true
Christians, and therefore they declined 10
set up their own convictions Us standard
Tor olhe:s who subscribed TO The Christian
faith, and freely allowed TO all their fellow
subjects the same broad religious liberty
which they claimed Tor themselves. They
persisted IN non.coniormity. The more
hardly pressed, Inc more hrmIy they per-
sisted. The more hrm their persistence,
the more severe and unrelenilng was the
persecution they endured. More than
hundred years virtually oullawed as citizens
aud subjects, and ou,casls from the es'ab-
lished church, the Purilans bore unh'neh-
lnsiy Their nnwaVering testimony asalns,
tue compromise before magistrates anu
councils IN tho p'lIory' under stripes IN
marches IN camps, III prison. IN hlSn'' IN
eNile, among icen'ious s2ldiefy ana uisso-
in'e companions IN neishoonng lands Oh
'ne o'oad anu Then nneSp'ored ocean, when
me mariners lost 'heir reckoning, ana the
sh'ps supplies became scanty ana net
seams opehed 10 tue waves on unknoWn
coasts, homeless, houseless, and lanlishing;
IN the leaiiess iorest, surrounded by ice and
snow, fearful OF savage beasts and confront
ing savage men. The compromise policy
failed. Civil and religious liberty was not
overbone; II rose erect Il triumphed {; it
Is still gaining new and wider and more en-
during ihcmphs; and iyrants have read
anew the lesson, so oNen wasted upon them
before, ,ha, where mankind stand upon
their convictions Of moral right and duty,
in 'disobedience 10 civil authority, there is
no middle course OF dealing with them,
between the persecution that exterminaies,
and the federation tina, satisfies. Tho Puri-
,ans were no, ex,erminaied, they were no,
The Puriians thus persisted and prevail
cd because they had adopted one true, SIM
gular, and sublime principle Of civil con-
duct, namely: that the subjec, ia every
State has natural RICH, 10 religious liberty
OF conscience. They knew too we'll the
weakness OF human guarantees Of civil lib
erty, and the frailiy Of civil barriers agains,
tyranny. They therefore did no, affect 10
derive the RICH, OF liberation from the com.
mon law, or the statutes OF the realm, or
magma charta, or even from that imaginary
contest between the sovereign and the sub
jeci, which some Pub'icis,s had about ,ha,
time invented asa basis Tor civil rights
They resor'ed directly TO law broader,
older, and more stable, than all these-a