The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-06-14

THE unveiling OF the Ideal statue OF the Pilgrim In
Central Park yesterday week well served to illus
trate how the Pilgrim spirit has permeated the life
blood OF the nation. The artist, Mr.. j. O. A. Ward,
In this as In 30 many other cases, seems to have
caught the proper inspiration, and the statue Ia
commended by the critics dgniHed and adequate
The statue the fruit of contributions raised by
the New England Society. The unveiling was made
memorable by the address OF George William Curtis,
which distinguished for elevated thoughts elo-
quently expressed. Mr.. Curtis spoke Of the Mother
land In the following noble words;
The modern England that we know Is the England
OF the Puritan enlarged, liberalzed. graced,
ment and Jealousy and Misunderstanding, despite
the alienation OF the Revolution and OF the second
war, the buzz Of cockney gnats, and onicla indif-
country OF our distinctive America, the mother OF
our language and It's literature Of our characteristic
national impulse aud OF me great munimens OF our
individual liberty. To what land upon the globe be-
yond his own shall the countryman OF Washington
turn with pride and enthusiasm and sympathy, not
10 the land OF John SeldeD and John Hampden and
John Milton and what realm shall touch so deeply
the heart OF the fellowcitizen OF Abraham Lincoln
as that whose soil and not long before our own was
too sacred for the footslep Of SLAYER She is not
the mother Of dead empires. but OF the greatest
own Revolution was the defense Of England against
herself. She has sins enough to answer for: But,
while Greece gave us art and Rome gave US law, In
the very blood that beats In our hearts and throbs
along our veins, England gave US liberty.
Mrs. Curtis thus describes the Puritan influence
in the "irTepressible CONFLICT"
There was but one force which could oppose the
vast and accumulated power oi slavery ia thls
country aud that the force which In other yearg
and lands had withEt0od the consuming terr0rs OF
the Hierarchy and the crushing despotism Of the
crown-the conscience Of the people; u moral con-
ylcon 30 uldaunted and uncoInproInising that en-
durance could not exhaust u nor suffering. nor
wounds, nor death appal The great service Of the
Puritan In the second epoch was the appeal 70 this
conscience which prepafedit for the conflict. There
were other voices, indeed VOICES everywhere, har-
moIous and immortal voices, swelling the chorus
but chieny from New England came the moral APP
peal penetrating and persstent, disdainlng political
argument aud party alliance, an appeal which with
all the ancient feryor OF the Puritan faith spurning
every friendly rcnonsrance, every plea Of prudence
every prophecy Of disaster, aud every form of OBJ
loquy aud malignant eninity, urged upon every
citizen the personal guilt Of completely with national
wrong, and by its divine logic inexOrably forced
parties 10 the true issue, moulding our politics anew
aud when debate ended tue same sprt irradlated the
enbated cause OF the Union, Of the national pride,
OF the honor Of the nag with the reslseas glory OF
the old and eternal Puritan principle OF human
liberty and equal rights, In which our shame aud
our SORROW and our long sectional alienation were
utterly consumed