Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1886-12-30
THE BLARNEY STONE OF NEW
ENGLAND,

| Plymouth Rock has been termed "the
blarney stone OF New England" aud Mr..
; Blaine will kiss it in Boston tomorrow
where he delivers an address 10 memory
of "Forsfather's Day" The Yankee
laughs at the Irishman who on St. Pat
rick's Day INDUCES id extravagaut
eulogy Of the Irish race, but the Irish.
man has his chance to smile or to sneer
when he reads the speeches Of tho
enthusiastic orators who No "Forefather's
Day praise the Pilgrim fathers as the
sewers of all good seed that has lowered
and fruited in splendid America, and
claims that the New England man,
working out New England ideas, is the
lsaTcn of the whole lump Of our great
republic. Irishmen may be excused for
smiling at the boastful enthusiasm of
New England, for they begin to see that
New England men keep a stronger grip
on their greatful memory of the Puritaus
than they do on the land the Puritaus
wruns by conquest aud seduced by craft
from the Indian.
Boston is rapidly becoming an Irish
city, aud the Irish and French C,na
dans are prolific, while tho old New
England stock at the extreme East is
comparatively barren. There are two
views taken Of the Puritan founders Of
New England. The Yankee orators
describe them a. the sub 'ematiou of all
the characteristic rtue, of the Anglo.
Saxon race; men Of action, fortitudc,
pluck and faith, described by Wendell
Phillips when he sid that above and
be.ond all men Of his time the Puritan
made ''his pole s'ar duty, his goal liberty
and his staff justice, aud taught US to
erect and maintain free alters, free lips
and free families" They were not men
of taste; we're not disposed to love Of
adventure; they did not travel where
they could not trade, and yet they were
ready to travel in any direction, near or
far, where they could trade and secure a
profit. The Puritan was emineutly a
man IT business. The great gift of the
Puri an to his time was his laying broad
and deep the foundation Of Tho common
school. The common school was estab.
lished within the colony almost at the
first settlement, while in tho older colony
OF Virginia years afterward the governor
thanked God shat there we're no schools
or pristing presses 10 his state" There
Is the same distance to-day between New
England and Virginia. Virginia taxes
herself lightly for education, while Mas.
sachusetts spends about seven millions
annually to educate her people.
The Puritan state polity was perfect 10
theory, if sometimes strained by bigotry
in practice. The idea that pervaded the
Puritan state was individual right, ths.
institutions were made for men; and they
were true through. all their history to
this principle Of the sacrediuess Of man,
and the full flower and frait Of this
respect for individual right to rree
home, free church, free speech and
equal civil rights, ss expressed 10 the
New England town meeting, is presented
to-day in a republic whose flag covers
sixty millions Of free people, and not .
single slave. 1t took deal Of time and
cost, deal Of blood and tears before We
rose to the serene altitude Of this Puritan
theory Of sacrednsss of the individual
right, but the present magnificent tree Of
American liberty is due to the seed
planted BY the Pilgrim fathers At Ply
mouth, when breaking away from the
theory Of the tyrauts Of their time, th.,
the state is everything, and the iDdivid'
aal man nothing, they wrote on thei,
banner the words ''uotil the individual
right Of man is held sacred, whether oi
home, church, or free public speech, and
the equal rights Of tho m.jo1ity, liberty
il not safs." The Puritsu did not az
With Elizabeth, James, Charles Stuar,
aud Louis Fourtsenth, II am the state =
but they ssid. mo one man il the state
ell men. exercising equal rights Of speech
and action are the state" Bseiuuina
with the individual right in the home
they applied il to the church, the s.hoo
and the town meetiae, and the republic 4
the natural, logical child Of New
England town meeting. Oregealax.
John Kelly the great and popular
violiaist, veil known sll over the Paei6c
coaA, died in Victoria B. G.. sevep.]