Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1859-07-07

''God bless those stars forever.
1t is LIBEkry's refrain,
From the SHOWS of Wild Nevada
To the sounding woods of Maine.
Oh. long ago at LEXINGTON,
And above those minute-men,
The odd Thirteen were blazing bright;
There were only thirteen then.
Oh. the stars have risen init,
Till the Eagle waits the Sun,
And FREEDOM from her mountain watch
Has counted Thirty y-one.'"
Counted .'thirsy- oue;;" poe,r~ w,ittes a
time ago. will not DO for to day. For to-
day. we add a new star TO our galaxy. and
now We have thirty-three in the family of
Slaies.
know of M way that we can benaroc-
cupy Tie brief moments allotted us TO day.
than in reviewing the subject. familiar
though it NAV be to you all. of the rise
and progress Of civil. religious and polit
ical liberty on our own soil, in our own
happy country.
4 full century had elapsed, from the dis
covery Of this continent, before any per
manent settlements were made within our
bounds; the whole of our new prosperous
country laying quiet waste,
In 1903. during the reign of Elizabeth,
a party of christians. under their pastor,
Mr.. Robinson, on account of persecution
for non-conformity to tie established re-
ligion, were obliged to flee their natiye
country, and seek shelter on q foreign soil.
This Was after the reformation, yet reliy
ious tolerance and freedom of opinion
were then unknown; they are products oi
American soil. So determined and cruel
was this persecution. that while it forbade
the pilgrims to worship according to the
dictates of their own conscience, it deter
mined to prevent their migration, and as
they were about to depart under cover oi
night, part of them were seized by an
armed force. and the remainder alone es-
capped 10 Holland for a temporary shelter
II was until 1929 that they again re.
united I'D embarked for Americ.,. Al
first they started in two ships, bat on ac
lcountof the leaky condition of one of them
they were Obliged to put back no less thar
three times, to refit, when one of lhei
vessels was abandoned; and the whole com
fpaay, consisting of one hundred and on,
persons, crowded in small crazy craft
set out on their perlous voyage TO seek
home. IN the unexplored regions of tn,
New World. ~ .rt
Who were they, thus driven from the
native shore' A band of outlaws? A shi,
load Of convicis and condemned criminals
Oh. NOi--but band of stern, resolule
unfiincliing men. with their wives and lit
tie ones. daring the dangers of the ocean
to find among the savages grave, or t
4 plant and rear. on new continent. the tre
of civil and religious Liberty. Little di
that precious freight of the Nay Flowe
realize the glories of to day. Little did the
think that upon this morn. thirty million
of happy people would rise up and ca
them blessed. But an all-wlse Providence
in whom they trusted, brought them a
last. after weary voyage, in sight of land
and they landed on Plymouth Rock, i
early winter. ..-..---.--..
To-day we have the association of names
if not of circumstances. place oroccasior
We are in Plymouth to-day. name cnnse
Grated to Liberty; and. although we Sc
4 here no barren rock. OF hear no sound {
the surf beating against rock bound coas
nor hear the winter winds howling anon
! the Gifts and Jagged peaks; nos can "
} look abroad and see wide waste covere
with the new fallen snow; yet We Of PIym
, ouih. Indiana. can, in our ,imagipation.
, least. look back when it thus appeared /
ths weary pilgrims, of another plymouth
at another lime. While we grieve for the