Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1876-03-14

cludes the history of tho world for a
thousand years"
"And our own-so it does measurably,
but not from the standpoint of the Amer.
lean student. That long story of Indian
wars. so admirably told by Parkman,
that should be studied, and the young
American, whose grandfather was per-
haps carried away, au infant in his moth
er's arms, from Indian horrors. should
know the story of King Williams War.
The dreadful incident of Mrs. Dustin is
in all the picture books. to be sure, but
what American boy of seventeen can tell
that prodigious history of the years from
1926 to 1700-that period which includes
Sir Edmond Audros, and the romantic
episode of the Charter Oak, and the mid
de-age legends OF Sir William Phipps, q
sort of titled Captain Kidd, who raised
plate and jewels and treasures from the
wrecks in the southern seas? Then as II
Heaven were angry with The poor colo
divinity, came. in 1862, the story OF the
Salem witohcralt, cold and hunger, and
absense of all national amusement..-
The short, dark days of q New England
winter had sent in upon itself that intro
spective and active New England mind.
wonder always that such people in such
a position are not mad. | should have
been witch prosecutor myself"
"Yes, Orestes, you would have been q
good Cotton Mather, except that you
would never have written The Wonders
of the Invisible World You would have
hanged and burned the witches and
defended yourself 10 the end"
Thank you. you are singularly CON-
plmentary and inst Why so aggressive?
thought had been agreeing with
you"
80 you had. only thought you
would enjoy the comparison"
Il do. only wish TO remark that il
Cotton Mather had not hanged me, !
should have shot him; it would have been
n matter OF opportunity. Bot to return
to our history. We could light it up pos.
sbly with Captain Kidd, man who has
found defender in learned Judge OF
the present day. one who issued brill
liant pamphlet a few years ago, in defense
OF two outlaws. Robinhood and Captain
Kidd, proving that they were but scape-
goats for greater and less honest men. -
The earl of Bellamont, for instance, was
the real pirate. Kidd the fictitious one.
II is curious fact, this book-the Judicial
ermine defending two heroes of outlawry,
aud making a good case of it, too"
Yes, such brilliant monographs would
light up the dull pages OF our national
story very much; not however. stories Of
George Washington and Benjamin Frank
lin-.they have been done to death; we
must seek new and unusual heroes"
"Sir William johnson and Molly Brandt
his wife, might help along little. adher-
ing TO your idea of the pill 10 the MARINA
lade. but must go back to the multipli.
cation table"
"Do allow me-" said !, "a few eloquent
words for Wolfe and MontcaIm, those two
northern lights shining over the fortifi
cations of Quebec That episode, not
purely American, always helps me to re-
member the French and Indian war and
its dates"
"Yes, see you like sugard dates, can
died dates, jelied dates. but that will not
do Tor the student OF history. You must
read up, understandingly, before the
Centennial, the political history of your
country. You must not be looking out
for the picturesque. Now, there is moth
ing picturesque about the stamp act, and
yet we must know that it passed in 1865.
often thought of those scenes OF that
disturbed period, when, during our ates
war New York saw her street dark, con-
fused, and in the hands of mob. His
tory repeats itself The vigilance COM
mittee in San Francisco was thought q
new thing, but it was not, il was mere
copy of an old indignation. Then yor
must begin," continued OresteS, "tC
struggle with tho constitution; you mus
follow the learned and astute mind of MI
Calhoun, and the profound and eloquent
words Of Webster. You must read some
OF the thousand and one books on tha
important paper, the Declaration of In
dependence, which Choate said was full
of 'glittering generalities. and which
some ebody else said gan with a false
hood, if it did not end is something worse
Men are no! born free and equal W.
are more or less hampered by the condi
iions of our birth. There is no doub
that some people are bora under much
more favorable circumstances than 9th r!
and Tor equality, there is no such thing
Then as to the great question Of state
rights, contederacy or general govern
ment-although it is now dead issue
see TO what confusion it led: the hasty
adoption of the constitution. and before
that the agitation in which the Declara
ton of Independence was signed, anC
we became The thirteen United States o
America"
mo wonder there was confusion"