The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-02

with fervent tears to the Lord. Il was an
official act Of the pastor as q selected part OF
an organized church then set apart to the task
of establishing new home in America There
was no civil government. These immigrants did
not believe in a theOcratic state any more than
In a seculariZed church. It was necessary to
organize form of civil government, and out Of
that necessity sprung that noble instrument
known as tn Social compact Of the forefath-
ers." That such a compact was deemed neces'
sary demonstrates how scrupulously these
men held to separation of state
and church. Already an organized
church, they, by their own conyic-
tions OF the province of its powers and the
limitations of its authority felt compelled 10
form civil body polite. True .emisrants do
not leave their country behind them, they
carry it with their faith and custom. Men
die, these survive. They enter into beliefs,
convictions, life and the hopes of a composite
people who are born, trained and live under
their influence.
WHAT THE FOREFATHERs BROUGHT.
These forefathers brought with them their
conception of England-their England. They
brought no titles nor ranks, priesty hierarchy
no ecclesiastical ranks and orders, no cOmpli
Gated systems Of fees But they did bring with
them monogamic marriage with It's individual
ity and the s4nctity of home, the rights
of the subject to the protection of the
law, the sacredness Of individual property,
precedent consent before the levyiug Of taxes,
anu the right TO express in some legal and pre-
scribed manner their will for those who were to
represent them in the legislature and the
church.
they were freed from the institutions Of the old
world, ana at liberty TO choose what material
they would use in this new world. No men
were ever more fully committed by pre- potency
Of blood, race, training, life and convictions,
than these grave, earnest. heroic pilgrims. y
and the highest praise to be awarded
them is that they were faithful to those con
victionS, steadf est in that faith, unwavering IN
their devotion in these beliefs.
Let us be just to all These were not eXclu-
Sively theirs, nor did they alone bring them
here, But this immigration was pecular-that
church, as a church, should found a settle
ment-and, therefore, peculiar in the form of
organization which this produced and the Sc
lection OF the persons composing it; pecu-
liar in that it was the first colony because of
its belief OF the freedom of the church from
state regulation; peculiar that it landed on a
territory not included in the permission granted
to it, and where there was no superior, except
the somewhat uncertain rights of the king, and
therefore II had to form government for itself
peculiar in the instrument which this exigency
produced.
LAWS ENACTED.
During the first year, under a compact made
on shipboard, meetings had been held and some
laws or ordinances enact d. These meetings
were at first called town meeting" which, per-
hapS, Is peculiar political feature of New Eng
land development, and in the congrega
tional form Of church COVE rnment. Con
gregatioual meetings are simply reli-
gious town meetings. The influence,
educational, political and religious, of these
town and congregational meetings on the de-
velopment Of both the individuality and politics
of the citizens OF the state cannot be overesti-
mated.
My countrymen. the chiefest merit of those
to whose memory this monument has been
erected was their fidelity to truth as they saw
the truth. This is the noblest attribute Of man
that he can love the truth supremeiy. The
truth is as we see it; TO be loyal to that truth is
our supremest duty.
John b. ORsilly, the poet of the occa-
sion, was then introduced and read his
poem, THE Pilgrim Fathers.n After the
reading of the poem addresses were made
by Lieut-Gov. Bracket, on behalf Of the
state George F. Hoar, Heury Cabot Lodge,
William Cogswell, E. A. Morse, Hon. Will
lam I. Davis, Hon. Frederick T. Green
laugh and others.