The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-08-17

lLuiy IL was uabiOHai uf%AfCutloih
OF a national monument All State
lives, all partisanship, all sectarianism
hushed and forgotten, nation came
in the broad spirit of nationality,
breathing liberty and love of coun-
try, and knelt at nations cradle
1t was beautiful moment, sub
timely beautiful moment. The CO.
lossal figure of Faith GROWING the
monument was only the idea of every
heart frozen into granite. Other
speeches were then made by Lieut..
Governor Bracket, Senator Hoar
and a half dozen other Congressman.
All were inspiring and well in ac-
cord with the occasion.
After we left the great tent our
party went to the veritable Plymouth
Rock, from which the monument
stands on hill half mile away.
This is the rock upon which Mary
Chiffon first stepped on that Decem-
Der day almost two and three quar-
ter centuries age. 1t is now covered
with a canopy of granite, but other
wise it must look much the same as
then. AS we stepped upon it a Ger
man ard Frenchman approached and
pointing to the date carved upon it
(l620) each in his own mother
tongue asked us question. The
incident impressed me forcibly. To
da, all nationalties rejoice with us
and make pilgrimages To this, free
dom's shrine. Thence we went to
the "old burying ground" where
since that fatal winter. the Pilgrims
and descendants of Pilgrims have
lain their dead. Here are stones
which the two and half centuries
of storms have crumbled almost io
dust. Here are yet traced names
long famous in our national annals
One can but feel this old town q
sacred spot, and here one loves tc
linger, and linger in memory upor
the sterling virtues of these stern
fathers. At Pilgrim Hall one car
see Miles Standish's sword, and from
here we can look across to the lief
to the dark, lowering, pine woods
into which Miles and his eight com
panions plunged in quest of savagei
on the day after his disastrous WOO
ing by proxy of Priscilla Mullens
Here. too, are scores of thing,
brought over in the Maynower, ant
most sacred of all, there is the origi
nal compact drawn up for the gov
ernment of the colonists by them
selves in the cabin of the Mayflower
when riding at anchor off Province
town-that embryo constitution o
the United States.
With a word more about the mon
ument which to-day a nation ha
dedicated to the memory of tn
fathers, and l am done, and shall
take my train for Boston and bed
1t was begun hundred years ag'
in talk. Its corner stone was lay
ed in 1852 by Edward Everett, anc
was fairly undertaken at great eel
ebi alton here 80 years ago, whel
Webster spoke, and all is finished
to day. 1t is built by private sub
scriptions and by appropriations by
Congress and the Legislatures o
Massachusetts, and Connecticut L
stands 81 feet high. The figure il
that of Faith standing on an octag
onal base 40 feet in height. which
has four buttresses forming founda
tions for the four seated figures
Freedom, Education, Law and Nor
atty. Below each of these is has
relief representing some scene in pill
grim history. Faith, beautiful
woman, towers above. She stands
in an easy natural pose, her Greciar
drapery falling in rich and clingine
folds about her form. Her calm and
placid face is bent downward. 1r
her left hand is an open Bible, while
her extended right hand, with its
upward pointing index finger, calls
upon the beholder to look upward
and trust in higher power. Th,
figure of Law looks very much like
Daniel Webster, while that Of Free
dom reminds one forcibly of the face
of Edwin Booth. Such is the grand
national monument to the Pilgrim
Fathers, finished and on this gals
day formally dedicated to its service
that of being memorial for al
time of their virtues and lofty deeds
and by it's figure Faith pointing the
living ever upward to the clouds, te
the God "who has," as the Rev. Johr
Robinson said to the fathers, new
truth for us.
Macy MCGEE WATERS.