Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1867-03-28
For tas Fayetteville Observer.
Yankee Ancestry.
The history of the United States

The history OF the United States
at this period is but the continual
ton Of the history of the Puritan,
and a sad reenactment of those
scenes that always result from re-
ligious bigotry and fanaticism,
when coupled with political pow.
er. IF we look back on the Shiny
trail Of this selfrighteous sect, as
they crawled through former
century of English history, we dis
cover that intolerance, that tyran-
ny, that wild and reckless thirst
for power and dominion, Of which
the past six years is but the mad
and frenzied repetition. They
erect temple to the Deity, and
behind its veil, and in His name,
they forge and weave chains of
hell and impious schemes, and with
the spotless hand of liberty shape,
and create, and fasten the harpies
of oppression and despotism on
an unsuspecting people.
See what the English historians
Say of the Puritans of the seven
teenth century; and how well
their rawlings then foreshadow their
clamors to-day. Then Britain
was in the agonies of dissolution,
and to-day Columbia is dying:
The Puritans in the day of their
power had undoubtedly given cru
eel provocation. They proved as
intolerant and meddling as ever
Laud had been. They interdicted,
under heavy penalties, the use of
the Book of Common Prayer, not
only in churches, but even in pri-
vate houses. 1t was then a crime
lin Puritanical eyes, in child to
read by the bedside of a sick parent
one of those beautiful collects
which had soothed the griefs of
forty generations of christians.
Severe punishments were de-
nounced against such as should
presume to blame the calvinistic
mode of worship. Clergynen of
respectable character were not
only elected from their benefces
by thousands, but were frequently
exposed to the outrages of a fanat-
ical rabble. Churches and sepul-
chres, fine works of arts and Curl
Gus remains of antiquity, were
brutally defaced. The Puritanical
Parliament resolved that all pic
lures in the royal collections which
contained representations of Jesus
or OF the Virgin Mother, should
be burned. Sculpture Jared as i'll
as painting. Nymphs and graces,
the work of Ionian chisels, were
delivered over to Puritan stone
masons to be made decent. Pub
lie amusements, from the Mosques
which were exhibited at the man
sions of the great down to the
wrestling matches and grinning
matches on village greens, were
vigorously attacked. One ordi-
nance directed that all the may.
poles in England should forthwith
be hewn down. Another pro-
scribed all theatrical diversions.
The play-houses were to be dis
mantled, the spectators fined, the
actors whipped at the carts tail.
Rope-dancing, puppet-shows, bowls,
horse-racing, were regarded with
no friendly eye. But bear-baiting,
then favorite pastime of high
and low, was the abomination
which most strongly stirred the
wrath of the austere sectaries.
The Puritan hated bear-baiting,
not because it gave pain to the
bear, but because at gaze pleasure to
tie spectators. Indeed they gene
rally contrived to enjoy the dou-l
BILE pleasure of tormenting both
spectators and bear. (Not that
we love the negro, but we hate
the master.-&almoe p Chase, of |