Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-12-25

anu SeuucuuCuS ohu SuCeo wC'C tHcll
ancient ways of living in the Puritan
towns. Reason and philosophy ask of
history why were they thereI and wha,
we're they doing History answers:
They mere planting New England in
the interest Of Liberty. In the first
quarter OF the 18th century the males
tic movement of the English mind which
began with Hooper, Bishop of Glouces-
ter, seventy years before, aud culumlnat-
ed in Cromwell, and which history calls
PuRIrANIsM, divided into two sections,
and have been sketching one ofthcm.
The other remained in England. II
Mouarchists characterize the work OF
this worthy, as in the main. destructive,
the work of american Puritanism was
certainly the nobler one OF construction
altogether. When it landed on Ply
mouth Rock, We may now say, two CEN
turies aud half Of civilization, freedom
and progress landed with it. 1t was
nineteen years before the pure-hearted
John Hampden had refused to pay ship
money; it was more than q quar-
ter Of century before Provi-
dence launched that mighty thun-
derbolt of genius and power, Oliver
Cromwell, into the murky storm OF
English politics when they framed their
first free constitution, and set up their
forest Democracy, and while the mother
c. untry was in the throes of coming
revolution they wrought out their per
sonal heroism and social reform behind
the Atlantic, unobserved and in silence.
The noisy world was connected with
them only by the sympathy of few
thinkers and the prayers OF few saints.
They left the old world partly by com
pulsIoE
Heavens Winter cloud hangs codly down,
And earth puts down on its rudest frown;
But colder, ruder was the hand
That drove them from their own fair land,
but partly also from choice. They
would not consent that the many should
be overridden by the dcta, ion, or an
moved by the resistance Of the arbitrary
few. 1t would be better by and by in
England; .but they did not care to
wait They could have it better at
once in America, and meantime dosome
good. The spirit OF their countrymen
had been gathering strength to force
down the great Queen, and promised
actually to force down her contemplate
successor, as it did put dozen his son.
Popular government was going through
It's baptism of fire and blood. The year
after James accession one had been bold
enough to say, a people may be with
out King, King cannot be without
a people," Our forefsthers made that
saying fact, and freedom blessed their
forest homes. With many loyal words
they we've virtually, to a great degree,
independent of the crown. Its constant
petty expressions they were tar away
from. Matters grew worse and worse
for popular freedom under James, and
during ten, at least, of the years of his
reign (from lo29to l639) England was an
absolute monarchy. The great Earl OF
STAFFORD turned traitor to the peoples
ause in 162e. Land became head Of
the high commission court that year
and Primate of England in 1888. 1t
WAS the very time when the kepubll-
cansm Of New England was ril cnil. 2
and setting Itself into m2ture soIidity
and strength.
7Hey ,rere proeiding for political and
social improvement Mrouyh populrr
Intelligence. This was their grand, their
trusted agency. They began with one
! literally edrcatcd man to every two
hundred OF two hundred and fifty per
sons. Their chi, fto~ns, like Boston, New
Haven and Hartford had schools with
in the first five years. They founded a
college in the seventh year OF the Mas
sachusett- Colony with an appropriation
equal to half the colony tax. Students
came over to it from England. 1t was
fifty years before another was founded
elsewhere. Fifty years after, the land.
in. of the Governor ofanother Colony,
not Puritan, thanked God they had
neither free schools nor printing, and
hoped they would have none for CEN
tury. Harvard College already had a
press, the first in the land. though the
great English city of Manchester had
none for u hundred years, and Liver
pool none for hundred aud ten years.
Mass achusetts has the honor Of the first
egi,lat We act BY which the people gave
their own money to found university,
and the first law enjolning lit upon
townships of suitable number
Of householders to provide for all
children instruction in the ludi-
ments OF learning. The family in.
s,ruction, the political aud religious de
BATS of the Puritans made OF necessity
An intelligent people. "The call which
summoned them from the comforts q
their homes says a phlosophic French.
man, "was purely intellectual, and in
facing the inevitable sufferings of exile
their object was the triumph of an
'dea. They trusted in the power Of
ideas for success.
They had the masses IN view in all
that they did. They did not contem-
plate liberty and education for mankind
III the societies they founded. Thei,
aim was narrowed and humber. Univer
sal philanthropy had been the passion Of
10 age then. They did not suppose
mankind would ever know them. They
looked to be forgotten. Yet the un
conscious laborers for their race arc
often its truest benefactor.. They la
bored for the masses with whom they
were in contact. 1t was a generous anc