The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-08-02
THEY CAME INTO A WORLD UNKNOWN.
roday a Great Nation Honors Their
Devotion and Heroism.
pedIcatIon of ithe Monument to the
Pilgrim Fathers.
congressman Breckinridge's oratlon
and Mr.. o'ReIIIy's Poem.

| was dedicated tOuay' Ah0 SuuS and daugh-
ters of Plymouth were here in great num-
bers, also visitors from far and near. The
weather of the early morning was unpropi-
tious and it was necessaryto view the pa
rade from beneath umbrellas, heavy show
er prevailing. The exhibition began at sun
rise with salute by Battery A, and the
ringing of the bells. The morning train
brought vast numbers of strangers and a
| great throng surrounded the new monu-
ment at $50 o'clock, when the dedicatory
exercises were carried out by the Masonic
Grand Lodge, according to the ritual of their
order. These exercises were very interesting.
| First Carter's Band rendered a choral by
| John KPaine, then song of praise, written
by r, w. Thomas Power, music by Brother
VIM. Fl. Gerrish, was sung by the Temple
Quartette. Following the song came the re-
quest of the President of the Pilgrim Socie-
| ty. ex-Gov. Long; the response of the Grand
Master, Henry Endicott; proclamation by
the Grand Marshal Geo. III. Rhodes. reading
| of Scripture selections by Grand Chaplain,
Rev. Charles A. Skinner; prayer by the
Grand Chaplain, report on the examination
| of the monument and libation of corn by
the EJunior Grand Warden, Charles Harris.
| The next exercise was the libation of wine
| by the Senior Grand Warden Andrew G..
| Stone. rhe libation Of oil by Deputy Grand
| Master Samuel Wells was then made. The
| Grand Chaplain delivered an invocation,
Master Henry Endicott. The entire assem-
bly, then sung hymn, by Rev; Thomas Pow
concluded with probation by the Grand
| Marshal, benediction by the Grand Chaplain
| and the Pilgrim chorus from Tannhauser by
The general procession was formed at IL
| o'clock, under the marshalship of William
| p. Stoddard. This consisted Of seven divis-
| ions. The first, following the chief mar
posts of Plymouth and vicinity. The second
| division was made up of carriages contain
| ing w. G. P. Breckenridge, the orator; John
| Boyle O'Reilly, the poet John d. Long,
President of the Pilgrim Society; Congress
men Lodge and Greenhalge. William t.
| Davis, chairman of the executive committee,
and the other invited guests, who num-
bered more than two score. The MasonS
| filled the third division, and the Odd Fellows
| the fourth. The fifth division consisted of
clety. under whose auspices the building of
the monument has taken, place, and the re-
ception committee. The Plymouth and
neighboring town iremen marched In the
sixth division, while the seventh and last
was composed of the public school children.
The great banquet, where the speechmak-
ing of the day took place, was served in an
immense tent, gayly decorated for the occa-
sion.
Hon. John d. Long, the president of the
association, was chairman lof the day. He
said it was simply his duty to bid the assem-
| bly, welcome to the coming delightful cheer
| of eloquence and poetry. He spoke of the
associations of the day and how visibly pres
ent in their ancient costumes were the Pill
grim men and women of hundreds of years
ago. In his reference to the monument it
self Mr.. Long mentioned the late Governor
Bodwell of Maine as among those who had
given aid.
The Grafton.
Congressman Breckinridge then delivered
the grafton, in which he said:
This monument is erected to the Plymouth
forefathers, to those who landed here on
December 81, 1920, who We're in belief and
union of that church, save as to very few,
who had felt compelled to leave England,
and had been in Holland for twelve years.
They were not Puritans as that term was
then understood; there was radical differ
ence between them, but the trend of events
obliterated that difference. That all sep
araisls had been Puritans is, presume, the
fact But the Puritan was not separatist
and had no sympathy with the fundamental
truth on which the separatist alone could
justify the secession or withdrawal from, the
Established Church.
AS has been pointed out many times the
company (which came over in the May
flower was church, an organized, ecclesi-
astical body. There were among them some
who were not members of this church, and
from this gre " the necessity of that compact
by which they formed themselves into a
"civill body p0litick." But as a church the
fathers exiled themselves to Holland, set
tling at Amsterdam; as church they re-
moved to, and remained at. Leyden as
church they determined to emigrate to Amer
lea. 1t was Calvinistic Protestant Church !;
| but this description does not differentiate
this church to itself. Its peculiarity was
that it was separatist church. 1t was pure
ly English. We are not now concerned with
the fight for 'free church" as against
"a church under King" in Scotland, or the
result of it there nor with the organizations
of various congregations on the Continent,
| which in more or less vigor proclaimed the
independence of the church Of State domina-
tion. This was an English separatist church.
| 1t differed alike from the Catholic and Eng
l lish church, including the Puritans in the
| English church, and the difference, as has
| been well said, twas not superficial, but
| wide, fundamental and irreconcilable. 1t
| involved nothing less than the whole .ques-
| tion of enforced or free religion; of religion
| by act of the State, or freedom
| of conscience; of religion as an act
| of obedience to the ruler, or as an act
of conscience toward God. the difference, in
truth, which separated and still separates the
State church from the free all the world
| over" What is involved in this belief? That
the church is voluntary, spiritual associa.
| tion, to be governed only by the laws OF
domination of the State. But this statement
is only putting in another form their, belief
while what desire to do is to analyze 1t.
They were Calvinistic in theology. Their
church was a voluntary association, ID
which, while the spirit of God resided IN 1t,
the rulers were chosen by some form OF cleo
tion; and while these rulers were thus chosen
| by the voluntary election of the members,
yet when chosen they ruled In the name OF
Christ and under the law as contained In the
| word of God. Before human soul could
reach this conviction it must have accepted
| as true beyond cavil, that there was a per.
l sonal God separate from him and the material
1 world: that this personal God had created
I man, and had sent His own Son to die fol
| him that this man thus created, and fol
whom the Son of Man had died, was an i'm
| mortal being whose eternal life was deter.
| mined here: that the church was the means
| of bringing that man to the acceptance OF
| that truth on which that eternal salvation
| rested. and that between that God and that
soul no human power & GOuid intervene
with God is necessarily thereafter
free soul: and he who profoundly believed
that this had indeed been his lot could well
revolt at the least human domination ovel
bis mode of worship. .To,such an one there
was only religious freedom, not religion:
liberation. These are antipodal, not kin
Sred cnncentions. The Turks tolerate Jew
! and Gentle alike-upon the conteInptuous
\ rround, s1et the unbelieving dogs eat eacf
| other" Religious toleratlon Is favor
| granted by sovereign 20 subject; relig
ious freedom is a right enjoyed by an equal
| federation in an equal Is lnsolence; It in
wolves the claim OF power and the right oi
resnming control and Withholding the tolera
| tion. Religious liberty, contains the claim t,
perpetual right, involves perfect equality
and the freedom Of the soul from control. i
man. as of right, can voluntarily unit,
with others in the formation Of an organized
| body. ruled over by persons voluntarily chos
| on fhe object of which is worship of per
sonal God for the eternal salvation Of hi
sonI that man is essentially a free man; /
he cannot do this, his freedom is not secure,
and is in constant danger. We now see thi
truth with such plainness, that it is Difficult
to realize how slow was the progress of ou
ancestors to its realization, and the homo
due TO the Plymouth fathers Is that they frs
hrought that truth as practical vital princi
ple Of governmental life to this continent
THE REFoRMATIoN.
When the reformation divided the Cath
| olic church. it did not separate church fror
state. but created sectional churches, 0
LII .ho +omnoral head was the king n