The Shasta courier., 1859-01-29
Ike Partington's Composition.

plymouth Rock was the subject given out
for the exercise Of the school, and the next NOR
ning the teacher and the whole of the BOYS were
astonlshed at the following luminous compost
ton by Ike Partington, which displays great
historical acumen, and q most astonishing
chronological facility:
plymouth RocK.-This rock was brought to
this country in the Mayfower, in the year 1892,
by the Pilgrims, under direction of elder Osmyn
brewster, who afterwards moved to Boston, and
became an alderman of that city. Plymouth
! Rock was put on a wharf, where part of it re-
mains to the present day, as people may see, if
they will take the trouble to scratch the dirt
away. No reason is given for putting the rock
up SO far from the water, except it was to keep
it out Of the wet. DR.. Y. B. Shurtleff was the
first to land on Plymouth Rock, which he did
| without any trouble because it wasn't very big
one. 1t was on this rock that Governor Carver
first shook hands with Samoset, who said: Wel-
come, Englishmenr 1t is recorded that when
Samoset came up, Governor Carver asked him if
he was a real lngine, or only a member of an
lngine Company. The rock has long been re-
| garded as famous place, and great many
things have been written about it. Strangers
coming on the coast always climb to the mast
heads with spy-glass to see Plymouth Rock.
The American Eagle for great many years
used to come and whet his beak on the rock,
/
from getting stolen, took all there was of it, and
carried it up and put it in front of Pilgrim Hail.
where it remains at the present time, invested
with great interest and an iron fence. The fence
bears the names of all the Pilgrims in cast iron
letters that can't be rubbed out. On the other
part of the rock, the descendants of the Pilgrims
have landed, because they have covered it up
with land, probably to save it from being worn
out by the allusions touching it that are thrown
t~vE ,f,f T,tIv
Plymouth Rock is the corner stone in the cellar
wall of our republican structure paragorically
speaking, and the spirit of Liberty sits upon it
with drawn sword in one hand and the torch
of freedom in the other. The monument to the
Pilgrim Fathers, commenced by Mr.. Billings in
1858, upon Plymouth Rock, will be three thou
sand feet above the level of the sea, and can be
easily seen from New Haven, the place the Pill
grims came from, with the naked eye. 1t was
concerning this rock that Mr.. Pierpont wrote his
celebrated ode, commencing,
We've found the rock, the travellers cried
supposed to allude to the Cushman procession
shat visited the spot in ZIG, and at the time of
fhe great famine. Peregrine White, the first
white child born in Massachusetts, was born on
Plymouth Rock, and Miles Standish, when John
Alden swindled him out of Priscilla, in 1903,
sharpened his sword on Plymouth Rock, swear
ing vengeance. In short, Plymouth Rock is one
Of the paladums of our liberty, and if foes in
wade the shores of Plymouth at high water-for
they can never get in at low tide-the people
will throw this rock in their teeth. 1t is pre-
cious legacy from the Past to the Present, and
from it may be reckoned the Pilgrims Pro-
gress."
The composition received with much ap-
plause, and the teacher was much pleased
with it that he gave the boy fifteen checks for
his performance.