Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1888-12-27
FOREFATHERs DAY.
HE Pilgrim Fathers and the Esm-
press Ihoy Have Left ON tho Land.

| PAOho hhey hhhFG heKt ON tho bsg7nds
/ fdhor tds@te Let MS not forget that
4 on this 10th Of December, tB1O, tho Pilgrim
rathors landed on Plymouth Rock. As Fore
! laplels llAy il has ever since been reverently
4 REGARDED throughout the New England states,
anu We do We'll To call TO mind sometimes iii
ms rushing age their sacrifices for conscience
sasn, tnelr 1uderings, their high example. The
touching details are far less familiar TO us all
thhn they ought TO he. The bsst and fullest
accounts should he oftener put in the hands Of
our children, as the most stimulating and en-
nonling history with which they could become
conHersant. What children ever had grander
ancestry, or have more 10 be- proud Of and
/ kfNtelul lor, IN tho founders OF our RepuDlic?
nc world u mover likely to witness again such
@crillce such high, heroic zeal sllch unselflsh
haherence 10 principle ms animated the Pill
grim Fathers; 20 let is make the most of Ii.
"dod sltted three kingdoms TO find them" is
tiie old saying and We wonder If the country
We're siitnd now to find thnir like in character
ana martyr courage, men who would 80
through just their experience for the same
reasons, u would not be found a smaller band
than landed on Plymouth Rock.
But We lament 10 say 1t seems to have be-
come much the fashion to de:ry them. to over
look the grandeur of their character, intellect
ma achievements, and make the most oi every
little tiaw, forgetting how tar in advance they
We're OF their times nnd every other people,
ihey were u rity set upon u hill, and all the
nations of the earth have been led on and
raised up In the light of 1t.
IN giving them honor we must remember
too thp church and the faith that made them
Whit they werc and that they left u precious
legacy TO their children TO this day tho
the church Of New ENGLAND, 1t is tho only
sect that Is not sectArian, not pushing,
not aggressive, sseekBth not hnr oWn,n but "
only the gospel ia preached in les purity is
abundantly satisfied For this very reaenh
there are times when a word needs to be
spoken in her behalf. Eorefathers Day marks
not only the settlement OF New Englln l. hut
also the beginning of the Congregational
Church In Aincriea. 1t was fer this they came
-.Frned1m 10 worship Cod in their own way.
We all know whnt the Puitans had to contend
with, how sickness, famine, want and suffering
OF every kind dectOatcd their numbers, how
slowly came additions from the Old World, yet
in ~ years they had 1913 churches. in that first
century they subdued the wilderness, built
towns ana colleges, founded the public schools.
"the first experiment Of the kind ON earth,
and where, indeed, tho experiment was for
the first time possible-and laid broad and
dcep ''iho four corner stones OF their civlza-
tion; religion, learning, liberty and law
since our Presbyterian friends during their
centennial year hnve seemed little disposed 10
do. fun Justice 10 the Pilgrim Fathers. wa may
be permitted 10 state that b3 years hal elapsed
from the coming of the AayiiDwer before We
first hear OF the Prcsbyterans in this country,
We quote from one Of thelr own authorities,
the Rev. DIR. Miller of Prnceton:
THE first Presbyterian church that was
organized and furnished as place OF worship
in tho American colonies, so far as is now
known, was In the city nl Philadelphia about
the year lIO3, Two ministers, one from Scot
land and the other from the north Of Ireland,
laid the foundations of thts work. "lhoy mp
pear 10 4ANt btbu Sent 10 llllS country Dl u IT'S
spectahie body of piOus dissenters ill London
for the purpose Of preaching tho gospel in the
middle and southern colonics,p and WE soon
after hear OF churches founded at Snow Ilill,
Nd, New Castle, Dell and Charleston, \. G.
The precise date Of their beginning their
Foretathers Day does not seem to be known nj
, | all.
When one OF their lecturers n few months
ago, since he must needs bring ns into his dis
| course, called us Independents, were we un-
charitable in thinking thHthe took Is great deal
. | a
10 hiA hearers tho least ideh uf respects And
| did he forget that public speaker Is very
properly expected TO show himself somewhat
) informed on a subject on which he essays e
!, enlighten his audience? 4 very cursoly read
: ing would have told him: .'Ihe Puritans had
|. been harvested by prolacy on one side, and
independeucy on the other, aud strove to avoid
the evils ni 10th. lipnce the Cambridge plat
8 form" adopted In 1913. more than half a
!, century before The first Presbyterian church In
| America, says: "fhe term independent we
approve not" The "Yery plous and learned
American divine, lncreaso Mathor,P who IN
!, 1885 betalne president of Harvard College!
wrote: "fhht the churches OF New England
] have been originally congregational is known
70 every. ono. Their platform does expressly
dlscaim tho name of Independent" OF pt.
| Mnther II iS stated, that though u devoted
pastor and teacher, "He was an interchangeable
student and published variety Of works on
I religion, politics, history and philosophy" His
still more brilliant son, Cotton Mather, u. D.,
author of the celebrated "Essays 10 do Good,
To which Franklin aseribed his desire 10 be
, uscfuE in the midst OF life spent In The most
! | strenuous efforts 10 accomplish all that was
, possible for the glory Of God and the good of
his fellow men, published SS2 books. Can they
J who would speak slightingly of such MS these
| match their record2 VIII their writings
, furnish tho strong meat on which our future
. philosophers and statesmen Will he nuurtshed
! up: Congregational ministers from that day
? down to the present furnish the strong
meat eagerly sought after by educated diyinrs
, of all denominations, and by the edlti-
waited in all lands. Who would, preach
| without an acquaintance with Edwards
and Dwight, or could keep abreast of our own
times without trying to follow up, as best he
| can, Dr. Storrs and Joseph Cook And indeed,
where would the literature Of our land be Ii
that of Now England and his children Werc
stricken out? Iiow small tho proportion Of
those who have attained distinction in This line
, who had not Rt least her blood ~ their VEINS.
nr. Strong says: "New England ideas gave
| form 10 the national government and shaped
tho institutions OF the Middle states And We
read as an historical fact that "Several years
: before the American revolution there was near
| the home Of Mr.. Jefferson, in Virginia, y
church which was governed on congregational
principles, and whose monthly meetings ne
often attended. Being asked how he was
| pleased with their church government, he re-
, piled, that it had struck him with great force
, and Interested him very much TINT he cohsd-
|, cred il tile only form nf pure democracy that
then existed in tile world, anl hnt concluded
il would be the hest plan of government Tor the
} American colonies"
STATISTICS show TINT OF all the denominations
, Congrcgationnlists give much the largest sum
per capita fOr missions and benevolent enter-
, prses and this without taking into account the
money poured out in aid OF other chntetles,
! notably the Presbyterian, and for every other
good cause. The American Missionary At-o-
cation OF New York, organized by ConEreea-
tiohalists and supported nineteen-twenheths
, by their contributions, is non-sechrihn, ana
!, all evangelical churches hnye for IA generation
been reaping steadlly the benefits o. their e&-
pendiInre OF nearly half million u year.
Their distinctive work is the establishing anu
J maintaining OF schools and rhnrches among