The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-01-26
The Puritans Of Fact and OF
Fiction Compared.
The History, Conduct, Character, Laws,
Regulations, Prosecutions and Out
RACES Of the Puritam.
ANCIENT NEW ENGLAND SLAVERY.
The Blue Light and True Light View
Of the Subject,
&C.. &C.. Sc.
THE POPULAR PURITANs.


Society diners, New England pupits and New England
rostrums, and now in contrast to this superabundant
rhetoric propose present the real facts in regard
o Puritan ancestors. "facts," says Gradglrno,
" are stubborn things, but popua prejudice seomseven
stubborn and the Purans have long held an ascen
dancy history which they do noedeegve This inquiry
into the real merits Of the has long been needed and
most apropos since it cannot fail to show us Who
arc the real authors and what is the real origin of 80
cession.
Orators and lecturers represent that the Purtans
were noble army of prosecuted martyrs, fathered
by wycliG and Hooper of glorious memory, suffer
ing under Henry the Eighth rising unler Edward
tho sixth, burned by cruel Mary, snubbed by pre-
latsh Elizabeth and leaving England during the reign
of the deceitul James with wyclf their origi
nal with Luther Calvin and Melanchon tn r advisers
and abettors with the great Robinson as their leader
turning their backs upon the homes from which persccu
had forced them and with their love of liberty
guiding star crossing the wild waves via Leyden, to
crGa leaving little of hberys lcaven to work out
~ shape Of Cromwell and his reforms at home II is
Co. IS true Hume says that to the Puritsns tho
English the whole freedom Of their const
tution;' and it is popularity supposed that our
ncclar alton of Independence was drawn up during
that terrible passage in the Maylower which Everett
coqucnty describes, and engrossed upon puch-
Of the period during those long winter evenings
which followed the landing OF the Pilgrims, and to which
Mrs Iemans in stanzas which all will recall so touch
ngy refers The popula idea 10 be that this band
martyrs, every of whom WAS IN personal charac
ter saint, immediately set about doing good, and
has about it since, its posterity following
example, and that the Purans brought as their de-
sccndants have since preserved all the learning the in
tcgcnce the pety the freedom the genius, the inven
ton the patriotism with which this country has been
blessed You this asserted III every New Englandors
speech and from its iteration and reeration even the
greatest skepc might be pardoned If at last he came to
believe II true.
THE PURITANs OF HISTORY.
Fact and the popular ideas, however, do not always
agree and the Puritan of history is quite different per.
sonage from that exhibited tous by New England orators
In history find many revelations in regard to the Pur
tans England and in Holland in regard to their cmgra
ton to this country its causes and its Objects in regard
to tier department and laws here and regard their
character and conduct generally which go far to provo
the popular estimate of them erroneous and to fix upon
them several very grave and awkward charges not the
least of which are hypocrisy and Inconsistency.
Dugdaie-a writer contemporary with the English Puri-
tans-scouts the idea OF their Wy cfiian origin,
and traces them directly to the fanatics of Germany
from whence they came into Egiand with Ling Edward
the sixth According to s account they were rather
turbulent set Of fellows, then prosecuting than
prosecuted for pous Calvnno tardy sympathzer with
rteis men-reoommends Somerset, Edwards protector,
Ia ltstrain them "by the revcnging sword"
By the sword, or in some other way, thoy
were apparently restrained but entirely destroy
for reinforced and reinv goracd they mad, bold push
political power is charged, during this and suisse
qIcnt rcigs This not tho first time,
tie last when religious feeling has been made
no especial dscredt would attach to the fact
it not strenuousy denied, and not
such entire dsincrcstedncss Claimed for the Purtans
But Puiansrn had perhaps hardly rounded to its full
and proportions then, and It's political tendencies
better displayed during the reign o Eliza beth, and after
the hros of bloody Mary had been extiGgushed Isaac
Walton, in his Life OF Hooker, states distinctly
enough thus political intriguery and its movers
and object 30 that those very men," saws
he "that began with tender meek petitions proceeded
to admonitos then TO satircal romonstrances and at
last, having, like Absalom, numbered who was not and
eItI fh.rm fhazaa nFaal utUfu
great party that they burst threaten first, the
bishops, and then the Queen and Parliament TO all of
which they secretly encouraged by the Earl lei
eeser then in great favor with her Majesty and the reputed
chrsher patron general Of these proendcrs to ten
derness of conscience his design being by these
t. bring such odum upon the bishops procure tho
alienation OF their lands, and large proportion Of hcm
for himself DE lOlmc and King Charles charge sach
designs upon the whole OF the luranS tha former
.ayng that the same spirit which had made an
attack ON the established faith directed itself
TO politics and tho latter AIDES hc conascation of
merrs estates being more beneficial than tho charity Of
SAVING their lives reforming their ert0rsn The Arch
bishop OF Canterbury officially writes, In 1873 tho end
fof the Puritan moycmenp Nil be ruin IT, religion aud
confession to our country, anu King James, Shrewdly
joining tho fpscopalans o foar u Puritan ascondency
gave u bis motive in the phrase mo bishop, king In
spite e their dcras Of the fact therefore pretty sharp
allcl people in those days believed that the Purans
an.yd political power and though then, now, II
was asserted and reasserted that tho puritans only
wished few Indifferent changes Of the Liturgy and per
mission not to preatish garments-prn-
oiplcs which Hume calls frivolous and riiculous-
justified during Cromwcls time, and Judging by what
The Iurans did in New England would have been moro
than justified had they obtained power under less great
leader.
PURITAN OBJECTIONS TO THE ENGLISH CHURCH.
II will be necessary to a fI understanding Of the sub
cct state the order Of Of Puritan defenders
exactly TO what the PuritIs objected. Edwin Hail. in
his " Puritans and thor Principles dating the rise
of the paritans at the time Of Edward VI
says that they then objected to wearing "Po
pish regmentas' in Queen Mary's time they objected
to ropish ascoadenoy and this objection was Of course
renewed whe Elizabeth came to he throne They then
objected TO wearing robes, surp ices and ga ments
which were 81 inscparably assoca ed with Romsh doc.
trncs and pesttons to making tho sign Of the
IN hnptsm TO the private baptism Of children by
IN cases If emergency 10 tho requirement Of god
fathers and god mothers to the ceremony conrma.
tion; to kncelng at tho lords supper to bovng
when the Of Jesus mentioned divine scrvcr
10 the use u the ring in marriage to saints Days 60 the
Office OF baptism Ia which The priest thanks God or hsv
10 the service for visitation Of the sick and
to certain portions q tho burial service. They
were called Pufitaus because they wished TO pa.
tity the church from their errors--loying II all
tho same, however and wishing 10 separate from IT,
aud tho church refusing to De purified, they began to
ASK some very ugly questions What right has the civil
tsMer u make Laws for the chirchfr aud what ~ a
churth the result Of these queries beinA says Hail. and
in fact All Puritan Apologies the discovery that ina.
tiOnal or diocesan church was a "sheer usui patton
equally destructive 81 purity Of faitl
ship, Incompatible with religious liberty, and at
Pufiians come 10 make church Of theis own In New
England whether they forget this truth whether they
organize church and state establishment OF anything
Ike tho same obnoxious order.
PURITAN PROSECUTIONS.
For these objections and FOR this logical discovery the
Puritans say that they were prosecuted and 1t Is the
prevalent idea that they abused kept under burned
and MANNED, without mercy tina, not single favor
shown them and that they bore this with great meek
resignation and humility. Some writer's ADMIT al
this and Justify this persecution Puritan writer's jus
titled persecution In general by recng some Of the in.
stances Of Christian crucy the part u the Puritans
themselves. Others reason that II the Fufians per
secuted at al, IL Cor points o. conformity at first
for II persecution which teyolupod the queries about
church aud state which might easily have been dropped.
- Dr Dwight says, Our ancestors more
s1lcitous about tho surplicc and the
monies than their Importance required, If, indeed,
these the real ~ their socitudc.N
Prom this these writers argue that the real Of
their soliciude" political. They could not have
been fearful Of popery while hzabcth rcgnod and yet
the Queen feared them much she dd the Papiss
and hey may have been prosecuted IL prosecuted At