National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-01-27
PILGRIM MEuORI.iL. No ~.

hIohlbll al slavery ana persecution
make every man equal under the
law, and leave every man free To
adopt the faith and forms of church
government and worship that he
preferred. 1t would b. wrong 10
infer that the practice Of the Pill
grimS was always as perfect as their
theory. No mans is, and less any
body of men. Under stress of troub.
le and passion men will tranSgreSs
principles and laws coolly and firm.
~ adopted. Yet human slavery,
practiccl and defended in all the
civilized world elsewhere, never
properly existed under Pilgrim rule.
In Il new country, without prisons
and other aids to security against
bad men, the Pilgrims sometimes
sentenced Il criminal to a period of
labor un,,cr an assigned master, in
lieu of sending him to prison as we
do. This was not caste slavery, it
was penalty, and was diSuscd as
soon as the colony was able to build
prisons. A faw negro slaves were
introduced into alilucnt families, ac-
cording TO the universal custom Of
ti'leS all around them, bat trtsc
slaves soon, under Puritan morals,
,'ccamc the attached and well treat
ed, and free, members .. the family.
And they were the FIRST to condemn
all chaltcl slavery, and to abolish
all scmhlancc of it. In some few
instances they were mtolcrant of
those who held religious faith, and
prepared Il manner of worship, diff
tcrlng from their own. But we be
liCNc their ecclesiastical or civil pow
or was never made to bear Cypress.
lively on such, unless they were ac.
cused and proved to be diSturbcls
Of the public peace. The Pilgrims
burned no hcrcticS, or QuakcrS, or
witches, as was common in the old
country. 1t is greatly to be regret.
ed that they did accuse, convict and
hang II few such, though it were on
principles Of law and of testimony
accepted in all the christian world
then, fer disturbing the public peace
and resisting the civil authority
But they were the first to see the
wrong OF putting to death, or per
scouting in any way religious ia
natics, and to stop it.
What has been known as Conncc-
ticut Blue Laws were never lmput-
ed to the Pilgrims, and Pallrey says,
never existed except as fiction in
Connecticut even. Speaking of laws
against extravaganza III dress Pal-
frey says: ~ do not recollcCt any
thing of the kind at Plymouth" In
fine, in libcrality, in liberation, in
Just and cqua! laws for the public
good, the Pilgrims were, and con
tnucd to be the teachers and .cXem.
plars for tie world.
70 avoid misunderstanding the
principles of the Pilgrims and the
resulting fruits as these appear in
History. we must bear in mind that
the settlers of Salem and Boston in
1924, forming the Massachusetts
Colony, Were PuritanS but not Pill
ylimS. They had not declared for
the total separation of Church and
State. They rather attempted to
make the civil authority and the
church authority one, by allowing
none but church members to vote in
civil government. IicrcSies and diff
hCultiCS in the church were referred
to the General Court for settlement.
and disorderly church members
were cited before the civil tribunal
for trial.
This colony was composed OF
staunch puritanS, many Of whom
had been men of wealth and intlu-
encp, and ranK, in English society.
They had not severed their c0nnec-
ton with the Church of England,
and hoped rather to bring her up
to their views, than to join Church
separate from her. But their labor
was IA hard one. They often found
themselves involved in sore trials,
eases of discipline for religious Ell
ror. and prudence of religious ac-
ton. were brought before the evil
courts with troublesome frequency.
They could not help noticing the
greater tolerance and the greater
quietnesS of their Plymouth neigh.
borS. Left alone to the honest stu
! DIV of the Bible, its freedom to the
individual conscience became more
and more apparent, and more and