The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-09-24
Plymouth Rock.
New York Times

building a new meeting house, Tn iron of which IS to be placed large piece of Plymouth Rock. Some years ago I, "as estimated that there were m possession of Congregational societies and of private CongregAiionallsts eleven thousand hvt hundred tons. in round numbers. of Plym- outh Rock. In Ill probability these eleven thousand five hundred tons have by this time grown to be fully twenty thousand tons, for no earnest Congregationalist and no loyal descendant of the Pilgrims is satisfied unless he IS ballasied, so to speak. with piece of Plymouth Rock. The quantity of specimens of the true cross" in the possession of devout Roman Catholics Is conceded to be very great. but it IS insignificant in comparison with the quantity of pieces of Plymouth Rock that are scattered over our country. With these pieces q building SIX times the size of the capitol ii Washington could be constructed. and ,his building could be surrounded by wooden fence seven miles long and eigh, feet high, made en- tireiy of pieces of Elder Brewster 5 favoTi;e char.
 The world IS slowly learning the truth concerning the landing of the Pilgrims. II IS now pretty thoroughly established tha, they did not land on the day which has so long been celebrated as '' Forefa,hers' Day" In fact the'e WAS no general and simultaneous landing efthe Pilgrims. After the Mayhower had entered the bay formed by Cape God small parties ei sailors in search of rum. and Pilgrims in search of 4 sufficiently gloomy wilderness landed day after day at difieren, points along the coast. There Is no doubt that after IIylnouih had been selected as Ii good place to board during the winter, all the Pil.nins till remaining on board the Mayfleser were ordered To go ashore but there is mol the slightest foundation for the popular theory thd; all the flsums went ashore a; Plymouth. two by two, u precisely ,hc same hour. and in dcSoat imitation of Noah's collection af animals.
 While the story of the landing of the hlgnms has thus been stripped by learned critics of is original picturesque features. no one has disturbed the myth of Ply mouth Rock. l, Us taken for granted by ever, body that those Pilgrims who dId land ai Plymouth stepped ashore on the rock. Noe. | FlyH ouih Rock "as the regular sle 5tnbeat landing. fl there MAS a convenient WAari di the foot af II. and Ebmmedfoas patf of stafr> leading to the Eop. Witt4. perhaps. a freight elevator. ef 6&i least .t Jane ahefeW nh to helst freight and bag ,se. | | qat possible that the lilerims diel igrz; oH ;he k, <. H. how ever. these e5n4eu'1psc, were lacking
 and there rs too much reason to believe that they were thc Pilgrim, unqueston- ably landed somewhere else
 Judging from the present height of Plymouth R <. ,ificf thousands oi ions have been earned away from |. we must beheS ( thai IL summit waS al least forty feet-ab'tse the water u th,. tune "i the 4r rival of :he lil.ilms. Nha, could be more absurd ,haa lo suppose tha, the flgunis could >iep from 4 small boa; L. the summit et >us | a fstek | he s.ilef, of the NasfiaNe5 instead ai approdo hirl.. the Rock w.tA the!r fragile boat, would have kep, away from II and all other rocks. III order ro avold beng dashed h pieces Had any weil-meaning Pilgrim sad to them. Land Us on that rock se that postcriiy can have something to make relics out oi. the sailors would undoubi- edly have made NcrN irrevcrcnt reply oonsigning the rock and ,he wel-mcaning Pilgrim In af unpleasant, locality
 The Pilgrims must have landed on | sandy beach and they probably go; vefs ae: ;': -,s diu.i,s. | .,.i vrry inc ior eIo- quent orators to picture 10 us the Pilgrims walking arm Tn arm over the gang plank of the Nastiower to the flat summit of Plymouth Rock, pre, cdcoi by band oi music and welcomed by dcpu,a,ion oi leading Indians bearing banners in- scnbcd Wclcome.Nenerable strangers. and " Give Us Bibles. hu; the Pilgrims did nothing of the kind They wae rowed Ia the beach where they were com pelled to step overheard and wade ashore. They may have held a prayer meeting soon aiier they landed. but un- doub,edly thelr tifs, proceeding w..s ,o >i, down and io proceed ,o empty ,hc water out of iher boots. a, the same tune IT, forming the mate m charge ot the boa, that he was i loaihsome Amalki,e. and that they would get even with him lust as soon aS ihcl could organize d court with power to punish such-like offenders. The Pilgrims were not in the least picturesque and the, were wet and angry Thus does the truth oi history conflict with TO- nance.
 The fac, ,ha, the Pilgrims landed on a beach instead of t rock will. of course. impair the value of Plymouth Rock. bu, Il will not put an end to the sale of relics, The precise beach mus; he found. and its ineNhausuble sands will then become precious relics of the landing of ,he Iil- grims. EveN Congregational meeting house will supply itself with section oi Plymouth beach. and small bottles of sand will be exhibited by every descendant, oi the Pilgrims as proof of his reverence for his ancestors.
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