The Portland daily press., 1862-09-27
COMMUNICATIONS.


MEssRs. EDITORS The late attempt of
your correspondent sMaine," to calumniate
the character of the Plymouth Pilgrims, re-
minds me Of a similar attempt which noticed
in the Hallowell Courier, of the 4th inst, in
an article written by its editor, mr. New
man, extolling the Episcopal Colony of Pop
ham, at the expense of the Pilgrim colony at
Plymouth. He says:
In 1901, just thirteen year2h6e : the puri-
tans landed on Plymouth n eorge Pop
ham landed at the mouth q ennebec with
English settlers, and bull ~ dwelling
houses. They REMAINED le year. In
1905 Popham died, the settIol suffered from
cold and privation, their store-house was burnt,
they were annoyed by the natives, and return
ed to England discouraged.
In the same year, 15Q npestown, South
Virginia, was settled b bip load of
smigrants. These set Ppham's at
religious sdI ces accordingNlb the ritual of
that church. They were Englishmen, liberal
In their views and tolerant in their opinions.
On the other hand, the English Puritans who
came from Holland, and landed on Plymouth
Rock In 1920, were illiberal and selfish in their
religious views. This was soon manifested in
the Baptsts and Quakers, and the extreme
laws they enacted in religious matters. Al
though representing themselves as fleeing from
persecution, they Immediately set to work to
establish system Of religious domineerng
ten-fold more severe than they had themselves
suffered from the English Church. Their re
lgious frenzy eliminated years after in the
putting TO death OF the witches.
: I viii not say, as Ex-Gov. wAsHBURx, at
the late Popham celebration intimatcd, that
both the Jamestown and Popham colonies fail
ed because they were exotics from the Episco-
pal CEurch-children too tender TO maintain
themselves so far away from the mothers apron
string,-whereas, had they been Puritans, hard
ened and made selfsacrihcing by persecution
as the Pilgrims were, they would have sue
ceeded As these actually did succeed In estab-
fishing settlement in these then inhospitable
wilds but do wish to take this occasional and
this place, to say that both MAINE" and the
editor Of the "Kennebec Courier" betray
shameful ignorance, as well as sectarian
spite, In saying that the Episcopal Colony of
Popham, were "iberdi and tolerant In their
opinions" whilst the Pilgrims "who came from
Holland, and landed on Plymouth Rock were
.iiiiberdt and selfish in their religious views"
alleging that they banished Baptists hung Quak-
ers, and put witches to death. What are the
facts? According to history, the Episcopal
Colony, which died year old, at the mouth of
the Kennebec river, was fitted out by Lord
Chief Justice Popham, Of the Kings Bench,
who sent his relative, George Popham, in
charge Of the Colony hither He was indeed
a devoted Episcopalian but was he so very
4liberal and tolerant in his opinions" as the
editor Of the Kennebec Courier would repre-
sent? On the contrary, no one was more in
tolerant towards the non-conformists or Puri-
tans than he. 1t was before him that many of
thesehumb christian were tried and sentenced
to death, for the awful crime of differing from
the Episcopal Church! Take for example, the
case of that godly man John Penry, or Ap
Henry, tson Of Henry,) who for daring to draft
apetition to Queen Elizabeth, praying her to
allow him liberty to "preach the Gospel in his
native principality," was found guilty of differ
ing from the church by this very Popham, and
condemned TO die" He suffered death as a
martyr, and his "appcal to the Queen" just
oStohc ms SAeSuaoi, n ohc VI tue hlust
and affecting papers that all history records.
Popham and his Colony, were "liberal and
tolerant" were they? The Courier man be-
trays great ignorance in his desire to extol the
Episcopal Popham, at the expense of the Ply
mouth Pilgrims.
Then again, he intimates that the Puritans
who landed on Plymouth Rock, were really
not driven hither by the prosecutions of the
Episcopal Church, although representing
Themselves as fleeing from persecution" Did
the man nerer read history? Let him read the
following from Daniel Webster's Centennial
Address, Dec. 22, 1920:
An unfrequented and barren heath on the
shores OF Lincolnshire, was the spot whittier
they were driven. and where the feet of the
Pilgrims were to tread, for the last time, the
land Of their fathers.
As this scene passes before us, we can hard
ly forbear asking, whether this be band of
maiefactors and felons, flying from justice p
What are their crimes that they hide them
selves in darkness? To what punishment are
they exposedthat to avoid it, men, and women,
and children, thus encounter the surf of the
North Sea, and the terrors of night storm?
What induces this armed pursuit after them,
and this arrest of the poor fugitives of all ag-
es, and both sexes? Truth does not allow us