The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-06-22
A Word for the Puritans

these days, even among persons whose intelii-
gence might had US to expect Of them better
things, to ridicule and decry in every possible
way the acts, the principles and the service oil
the puritans. They are painted TO US a. lot
Of harsh aud sour fanatics, whose chief char
icleristics were bigotry aud hypocrisy, who
sought to strip life of all its beauty and grace,
70 whom cheerlulness was the chief OF crimes,
and chanting nasal psalmody, aud listening to
dismal homiles the chief OF duties and pleas
ares. Even il not depicted in colors so severe
We hear them spoken Of most condescendingly
as a class of well meaning enthusiasts, very
,bsurd no doubt, aud pitilully narrow, but yet
pardonable on account OF their good inten-
tious.
Strange. that In time like this, when God
is writing in blood and IRE upon the land his
indorseReut OF the principles they enunciated
and la his merciful providence showing US the
consequence OF departure from these princi-
pies, strange indeed, that from the sons OF the
curtains we should hear such talk IS this.
Dat upon such base aud shallow ingralitude!
La plsnting a state, they laid its foundations,
orosd and deep iu the eternal strata OF free
dom aud justice. To their principles, more
or less faithfully carried out, we owe it that
We have reached point which enables us TO
look back upon them with such selfeompla-
cency. What is our boosted nineteenth CEN
Jury OF civilization but the natural out growth
Of the seed they planted, the logical develope-
.nent Of the premises they laid down? They
taught freedom Of conscience, freedom Of
speech, the supremacy OF law, the equal BROTH
mood OF man. Or these truths they made
corner stone for this state firmer than the
save-worn rock on which their feet fret rest
ed. The proportion 10 which their descend
.nts have been faithful to these has been the
true measure Of their prosperity. Departure
therefrom has been TO them the "direfui spring
of woes unnumbered," and not yet concluded
What say your They fed from persecu-
sc,urged quakers, and enacted. absurd blue
Laws" for the maintenance Of an impossible
and ridiculous decorum.
Well, aud what then? For the first and
craven charge. that they were not able Who'll
~ to escape the infection OF an age Of general
intolerance, to admit it proves no more than
that they were men, of like passions and
weaknesses with other men. But in this res
pect, they have surely a right to be judged
not by few isolated instances. That whole
sect could not always be made to thiuk and
act up TO the highest standard Of its own best
teachers, Is surely no strange or exceptional
thing. Il cannot effect the main point ct 10
sue, which IL whether their conduct In Its
general scope and bearing was Ia consonance
with the principles they professed. Thati
was so, no msn can deny. From time to time
It CHANGED, when weaker spirits held the as
tendency, that they lapsed somewhat from
their lofty standard into acts more In hsrmo-
ny with tina, aslgss~a aud ialsisssnl nss. Rot
never for long. Through all the darkness OF
those evil times, their course Is like a trail OF
light, their occasional errors showing but as
spots upon the brightness Of the sun.
For the other and lighter count in this in
dictment OF "Blue Laws" and such like absurd
edicts, have those who make jest of them
really considered the unspeakable corruption
and shameless profligacy OF the age in which
they lived, and against which such ats were
but natural though exaggerated protest?
Action and reaction are equal. At period
when society was sunk 10 a depth OF pollution
which no one in the present day can fully con-
ceise OF, or would dare to describe il he did,
it Is not strange that the natural recoil Of
II nd thiuOs
have carried them little into extremes -
Those who deride the over scrupulousness
which fined home-retnrning sailor for kissing
his wife on q public street, should consider
how greatly preferable Is even such q prudish
decorum as this, TO the shameless debauchery
which fled the courts Of CHARLES and James,
and spread It's poisonous faint downward
through all classes Of society.
No. honor, eternal honor TO the Puritan
for despite his errors, his failures, and his ui-
takes, he yet rises TO our view, looking back
through the shadows of the past, the noblesi,
grandest, most heroic figure of that time; a
man, brave, wise, earnest, thoughtful, fearing
God, and set king to do His will. Stern oil
neiu he was, perhaps, for his life called him
to stern duties, but true and warm was the
heart that throbbed beneath his sober doub
let.
II he rejected unwisely the arts which min.
lister to the beauty aud grace of life, the worst
that cn be said Of him is, that he held too
exclusively to one pole of q double truth
Even this error could not render him insensi.
bic to the poetic aud the beautiful, for his
soul thrilled 10 the solemn melody oil Miltou's
Sondrous epic, aud The still grsuder strains OF
the poetking VI Israel were To him the nat
ural utteI ance OF the feelings OF the heart
In an age oil impurity, his life was purely
ordered. In an age OF skeptics and scOffcrs,
he held fast his faith in God. In HI age oil
lyIsnDy on the Que hand aud eeryihty on the
o.her, he asserted the worth and dignity OF
the individual soul, aud stood ready TO dare or
sutier oil for the maintenance OF that truth
All around him, II ,erty, trodden under the
feet OF tyrants. seemed but The ashesof an IL
tinguished fire, bur ON the altar OF his heart
the sacred flame was still kept burning. and
rom 10 he was To kindle a beacon which
should illuminate the world. This was the
work he came TO do; aud be did IL nobly
with grand consciousness that he wrought
not alone for bis own day, but for all coming
tune.
Modern nippancy, educated az the school he
founded, sneers II his narrowness, forgetting
hist 1t was his taithiulness unto the end which
secured Tor US the best blessings we enjoy
For rs he labored, he pray sd, he sorrowed !;
for us he fought, he bled, ne conquered-
Shame be our portion II we fail to render to
him the reverence aud the gratitude which
are his due. EPSILON.
BUST OF Gov. SMlTH-A superb piece of
Art is now la pI ogress. and has teen so far
completed that Il may be safely and Justly crit