The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-01-29
THE PILGRIM FATHERS.
The Distinction Marked Between the
Pilgrims and the Puritans.
Principles of the Pilgrims Explained Ser
mon at Dickson's Opera-House by Rev.
c. Caverno, of Lombard, I'll.

Ouera-hOuse last night the following sermon:
Hebrew xiii, IL "Whose faith follow"
History is said to be philosophy teaching by
example; why may 1t not also be morals and re-
ligion teaching by e3amplei - 80.
The closing lines of Mrs Hem&ns' hymn cele-
brating the Pilgrim Fathers-the hymn begin
"fhe breaking waves dashed high
On a stern and rock-bound COAST
are
"They left unstained what there they found
Freedom to worship God"
I think there is a very wide popular Impression
that that statement is better poetry than truth.
should hardly expect TO keep the ear OF my
dience II I attempted in tile first instance
panegyric on the Pilgrims this evening. because
should expect there would arise the Thought,
which know has been industrousIy Justified,
that those men after all do not deserve psnegyrc,
for tine reason that, is assorted, they were not
true TO their own principles
Now there will be great gain IL we correct false
historic impressions.
1t is a little strange that it should be reserved
70 an English lady, Mrs. Hemans, to produce
the best lyric poetry and also the exactest sum-
NATION OF history in honor of the Pilgrim Faith
ers; but so it is to this date. Bea uttful Mrs.
Hemans hymn is,it is more beautiful than true.
There Is not particle OF deduction to be made
from the exact historic verify Of her statement
that the freedom to worship GOd, winch tic
Pilgrim Fathers found In these western wids,
they left unstained. There was never any per-
seculion for conscience sake by the who
settled the Plymouth colony or by their descend
ants. Let us set that down as a fact, this morn
1t ana IL S so ;sbo our onnG or S
much misrepresentation arising from centounding
the Pilgrim Fathers with totally different set
of men, having widely different principles, who,
i'll 1880 began the settlement OF Massachusetts
Bay. Toe Pilgrims landed at Plymouth In
1920. Nothing can he more unjust than to
charge upon the Pilgrim Fathers everything
that happened up and down the coast on which
they took up their habitaiion.
French HngucnOts had settlement the
coast OF Florida hfty-five years before the ar
rival Of the Pilgrims. One day a Spanish COM
mander came down upon them amt issued the
following order:
81 am Meendez, of Spain. The Frenchman
who lis Catholic l will spare. Every hereto
And he did kill 200 persons, men, women and
children, Unfortunately. Now, yOu might
lust as well charge that act upon the Pilgrim
Fathers as to carry over to them any Odiam from
The troubles with Baptists, Qaakars and witches
These Pilgrim Fathers had no connection with
any Of those troubles, in fact, nor could they
have ever arisen where they did had the found
ees or the colony of Massachusetts Bay held
the PILGRIM principles-juSt exactly what
they did not do. The Pilgrim Fathers,
, tlkyitsifettlerS Of the Plymouth colony
1920, were separatists from the Church OF
-Sae4AfId. The principles which they held were
tsat there should be no connection between
church and state-that no civil power should be
exerted TO compel uniformity of belief They
advocated and practiced liberation. The Ply
mouth colony was always an asylum for those
driven out Of the Massachusetts Bay colony by
the religions troubles therein.
And now one word, in passing, as to that Mas
sachusetts Bay colony. When we pass Judgment
on them, let us judge them in the light of their
ownprincipies, and not in the light Of the prn-
who settled the colony of Massachusetts Bay
never protested the principle of religious telera-
ton. They were not advocates of the doctrine
OF separation between church and state They
were simply, at most, non-conforiuing members
of the Church of England They sepa-
ratlstsfrOm 1t, as the Pilgrims were. The most
they ever professed to desire TO carry out
some reforms inside the Church of England,
preserving all the while the connection of that
church with the state, and so by civil power Sc
onNing conformity of belief. Bancroft specially
says that the men who settled the colony Of
MaSsaciUgprT9 weP Taf
me quote something else from Bancroft:
"On leaving the Isle of Wight winthrop and
the chief of his fellow passengers board the
Arbea, including the ministers, babe an affec-
tienate farewell to the church and the land of
their nativity.
reverend Fathers and brethren"-rrhis mind
yon, to the church that had hunted the Pilgrim
church from England such was there addressed
to all from whom they parted
"Howsoever your charity NAV have met with
dise1uragement through the mIsreport or our in
tenti0ns or the indiscretiou OF some amongst us,
vet we desire y0u 70 be pleased to take notice
that the principals and body of our eoInnanY es-
TEEN it our honor to call the Church OF England,
from whence we rise, dear mother, ana
cannot part from native country
where she specially resideth, without much sad
ness or heart and many tears in eyes, bless
ing God for the percentage and education as
members of the same body, and while we have
breath we shall sincerely endeavor the eontiau-
nuee and abundance Of her welfare" John
Robinson and John Carver and Bradford and
Brewster, and the other Pilgrim Fathers, had
not that kind OF word and feeling for the Church
of England. How it came about that as soon
as these cOloDists of Massachusetts Bay
touched our shores they began to practice on
the separatst principles, and how. after a long
struggle of years, those principles obtained the
supremacy even III the colony of Massachusetts
Bay, so that that colony gave mp episcoDacy and
the idea of compulsory conformity, and went
over to congregationalisn and liberation, would
he an interesting history to trace, hut it not
he our work this evening L allude TO The
MASSACHUSETTS, colony only to call up
clearly to your minds the broad historic
difference between that colony aud the colony
OF Plymouth. And yet, one word in porting as
10 that Massachusetts, colony. They should not
be condemned for not practicing principle
which they never professed. Had they pro-
fessed tine principles OF the Plymouth colony.
they might be most justly condemned for their
illiberality to Baptist and Quaker in some in
stances. But liberation was an idea, whose
dawn was scarce gllmmerng the horizon of
human thought. I5 speaks poorly tor our
liberation 10 pass condemnation on men for not
practicing an idea they had not, and which could
hardly he considered as born into the world.
Here is thought from Froude, the English
historian, which would do well to bear in
mind when we sit in Judgment on the Purtans
or the Massachusetts Bay colony. persons who
hve beyond our own circle, and still more
persons mo have lived In another age receive
what Is called Justice and not charity and justice
~ supposed to consist in due aotments
OF censure for each special act OF misconduct
leaving merit unrecognzed." It is a good deal
easier to turn up noses in supercOus crit
cism of these coonists of Massachusetts Bay, than
IT'S to try to understand them. But with their
faults or their virtues we have nothing to do to-
day. We speak Of other men with other principles
There is one little scrap of history not widely
known confirmatorv of this distinction between
che colonists OF Plymouth and the colonists of
Massachusetts Bay, between the separatist and
the non-conformist, between tine Pilgrim and the
Puritan. Lord Macauay and Lord Mahon, both
historians were commissioners to supervise the
decorations of the Chamber of the English House
of Lords. Cope's painting OF the land
ing OF the Pilgrims was put un
an the wall with the inscription, Land.
lug OF the Pnritans in New England" Appeal
taken to the commissioners against the his
torical accuracy of the inscription. Cope was
consulted, who said he took his idea from Brad
ford's journal, whereupon Lords Macauay aud
Mahan ordered the inscription to be erased
and 'rhe landing of the Pilgrim Fathers" to he
substituted in its stead. So far have I gone 10
disarm prejudice founded on misconcep tion
Whoever shall saw that the PILGRIM Fathers