National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-12-22
PLYMOUTH BY THE SEA.

Tonight the drums Of memory beat,
The airs Of memory blow,
As troOping down the dusky way
To dreamy Long AgOi
To where, ! Ween, the manger rocked
The birtbTight Of the free,
The rosy babe, New England,
In Plymouth by the Sea.
oh! trooping down those columned years,
How stately and sublime!
Two hundred fifty years and four
This rank and file of Time.
Oh, solemn ears that stand between,
The day she touched the lea
The MaytiOWer on her pilgrimage
To Plymouth by the Sea.
see her on the boundless deep,
Gray-Winged and tempest-toss'd,
The fOam-plumed pillows beating back
And thund'ring on the coast.
The Indian and the eagle scream
And break the wind repose;
a light is on the wilderness
Twill blossom like the rose.
A hardy handful on the rock,
An hundred, age and youth
A band Of Christian alehemists
To test the gold Of truth
The vanguard Of q mighty host,
The coming years should bring,
To stamp the seal Of Liberty,
And serve their God and King.
And as the Msy-time WOOing came,
With buttercup and bird,
The shining steel began to CLINT,
The ringing axe was heard;
And then the barley and the wheat
Were WinnoWed to the mold,
And in the virgin furroW drOpp'd
The yellow corn as gold.
The while from every cabin round,
From all the hampered rooms
A dull and pounding thunder rose:
The girls were at their looms.
And while they WOVe, wonder II
They knew tonight our ears
Would catch the sound and sing Of 1t
While trOOping down the years!
They Wove no shoddy in their webs,
Those girls Of Long Ago
The wool was spun OF silken fax,
The warp Of silver tow;
While all the odds and ends were wound
For carpet-yarn in balls,
They did not braid them In their hair
Nor in their waterfalls.
Their feet-ah yes, their feet lOere large
And shod in wooden shoes;
They never wore q crimson scarf,
Nor had q fit Of "blues."
Their stockings by themselves were knit;
And 1 may here remark,
They darned them by tslloW dip
That suffered In the dark.
The young men, too, wore wood brOgans-
In size sugar trough
Until the warmth Of summer came,
And then they took them off.
With uPpers just as good as new,
And stiff u1bendinK sOles,
Their hose, If any, were Of blue,
Not striped like barber poles.
No German, then; nor did they call
On dad for stamps" or bail;
They never saw q silk.plug hat,
Nor doned q sWallOW-tail.
The white kid glove was yet to come,
The eye-glass and cologne;
Hair-Oil had not slid into use,
And scented soap unknown.
These founders OF q future race
Had something more to do
Than study dress and teach their heels;
1t was TO pray and heW.
Two temples in the wilderness
Were theirs TO build, and bring
The prohered types Of freedom and
Emmanuel, their King.
Our Pilgrim Fathers had their faults,
Yet oft mistakes occur
In families OF the best intent;
It's human but TO err.
Yea, full Of bigOtry were they,
Stiff, cold and without art,
They did not love humanity
They lacked the human heart.
Their faces wore a solemn mien,
Their aspect seemed severe;
And lest their little children stray
They kept the devil near;
An abstract worship through their creed
With them seemed all completes;
To those who did not thus believe
Was closed the mercy scat.
They had no grace OF charity;
Ihey gave no DeRgar aims,
But daily through their noses sang
Their canticles and psalms.
And then, to cap the climax, they
To Salem wiIehcraft turned,
And all their poor eccentric folk
Were tried, condemned and burned.
Yet these were superstitious sins,
For lighter times to heal;
They only knew one Jealous God;
To him they gave their zeal.
Brave men, and stout Of heart and soul,
In fire were they we'll tried;
Believing that their creed was right,
For 1t they lived aRd died.
Aye. year by year with purpose firm,
They cleft the darkness through,
And drove the banded savage back,
The wolf and panther slew.
With sturdy step and braWny arm
They tanned the tangled wild,
While pleasant farms and hamlets spranR,
And peaceful valleys smiled.
The hamIets soon to cities grew,
The rough log cabin changed
To coy hOmesteads, with their barns
In perfect system ranged.
The while from every neighborhOOd
The church spire rose on high;
The Yankee schoOlmarm had pew
The schOOlhOuse stood hard by.
Stern warriors of the truth, ye're gone,
And for the truth Ee're croWn'd;
At rest, while this uneasy world
Is still a rolling round.
Each generation takes its place,
And labOrs until run;
And so thy children'E children now
Take up the work undone.
Oh happy, dear New England,
The Union bids thee cheer;
The regal West her gSeeting sends
The South's warm hand is here.
Oh happy, proud New England,
Here's parting health to thee
For the memory Of the Pilgrims,
And Plymouth by the Sea.