Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-16
THEN IND N0W,


A prophet is not without honor, save in his |
own country. Matthew 1857
Over two hundred years ago, in this !
month of December, band of men land |
ed On the desolate coast of New England. |
They came as pioneers to prepare the way
for higher civilization, freer and more
intelligent worship of God.
Did they accomplish the work they set
themselves to do? Do they deserve the
honor and lasting respect of mankind ?
Among some classes it is considered a
mark of critical acumen if not OF superior
Intelligence to impeach their good name,
the motives that actuated them and the
work they bequeathed to their descend
ants. To claim that the Pilgrim Fathers
were hypocrites and their religion bigotry.
To justly judge of any man
or class of men, the time
in which they lived, the prevailing modes
of Thought, and the laws then in force
must be carefully considered.
The Puritans fad from persecution and
imprisonment for religious opinions, to en-
unknown land and to unknown dangers,
prefering to brave tho perils of tho seas
and ali that might await them in new
country if fre6dom to worship God could
be gained for themselves and children.
Certainly We must admire their courage
aud heroism whatever their faith. A mere
handful of men, women and children, some
of gentle birth and training, leaving home
and native land with brave haarts and un-
daunted courage, TO make new
homes in wilderness
Inhabited only by savages and wild beasts
for their faith. How ever severe our
criticism of their work, TO one can honest
~ deny that the motive which brought
them to the bleak shores of New England
was the determination to s'Worship God
according to the dictates of their own
conscienoes." They battled with the cold
and frost, with want and hunger, with
fever and death, but worked on, building
homes and schools and churches, never
faitering or turning back, although during
the first winter one.half their number
succumbed to cold and want, ''yet not one
spoke of going back to England" In the
first years of the settlement they set apart
portion of the corn and cattle to lay the
foundation of school where their "young
ing as in their beloved Cambridge" and
from so small a beginning arose Harvard,
the finest educati onal Institution in Amer
lea.
Their persecution of other seets of
Christians, and legal murder of persons
accused of witchcraft was the natural out
come of the training and traditions of the
mother country. All over Europe at that
time there was a firm belief in witchcraft,
and in Scotland alone over four thousand
persons suffered death in ten years on
charge of witchcraft. Was it strange that
the Puritsns executed twenty for the same
thing? How deeply they repsnted and
mourned for their errors their historians
bear record. One brave old Judge, Sam
uel Sewell, who afterwards wrote against
slavery. kept a day of fasting and prayer
every year, beseeching Heaven for par
don.
The Puritans OF England and the Pill
grlms of Salem were brethren begotten by
the tyranny and corruption of the court
and church of England.
Their laws, severe and unwise as they
were, were theirs by adoption rather
than creation. Their colony was
strictly a religious colony, and all their
avs were al ministered to one end, ''to
make sober and virtuous people, fearing
above allthings to do wrong"
Their lives were as pure and true as the
lives of any body of men who ever lived
During their sojourn in Holland, tn 9
Dutch magistrates said of them, "These
English have lived among US now these
twelve years, and yet we have never had
any suit or accusation against them" For
four years there was not case of theft
among ths Paritans, and liar was alb
horred by the whole community, and
hardly dar ed to show his heed.''
We may ri6icule the laws by which
they infringed personal liberty and as
sumed the direction of family matters,
such as making scoldins and tale bearing
reformatory offences, and living
and dishonesty penal crimes; the Law pro.
hibiting the chewing of tobacco by minor,
and by Others more than once day and
then ten railes from any dwelling house
the Sabbatarian laws which required every
person to attend church or pay fine for
unnecessary absence; but are We superior
to them in morality wisdom? Con
trast the vice and arimes of to-day with
the virtuous sober lives, Of the Massachu
sets coloEy.
The value of any system Of education Of
- ,k,
whe are taught or governed. TAe pill
grims, schooled by persecution aud hard
ships, relying upon God, founded a system
OF schools aud laws of which truth ani
virtue were the corner stone. They erred
in their methods. but they lived in III,
time OF Charles First, and such error:
were common. Said a re
cent speaker, SIN tha days