Morning journal and courier., 1890-12-23
r,,r pup.rANs AND PILGRIms.

Inv Addresses and Music-Our Pub.
Tic Schools-Need Of Religious Edu-
catfon-GrOwth of Congregational.
ism.
Last evening the 278th anniversary of
The landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth |
was celebrated in Dwight Place church.
The exercises were exceedingly appropriate,
consistingof addresses and music. Though
the celebration was by the New Haven |
Congregational club there were large
number Of otherspresent who had accepted
the invitation extended to be present. The
body of the church was pretty well filed,
with a few in the galleries.
The meeting was presided over by Rev.
Mr.. Mulch of the Howard avenue church.
A prayer offered by Rev. Mr.. Williams
was the first of the evenings exercises.
The music for the occasion was under the
DIRECTION Of Professor James L. Ensign
and was of high concert quality. The
first number rendered was by Miss May
Mansfield, who sang "The Pilgrim Faith
ers" with power and exquisite feeling.
The first speaker of the evening was DR.:
Twitchell, who delivered an address OF
telling power and interest, his subject be,
ing, 0The Puritans and Pilgrims.
Dr.. Twitchell in opening spoke of
the landing of the Pilgrims and
of the first recorded celebration of Fore
fathers day, which was at Plymouth De-
cember 81, 1857. Evidently, said the
speaker, it was Gods hand that directed
the Mayfower to the port it reached. He
spoke of the age and times in which the
Pur1tans lived, the old feudal customs, the
attitude of church and state in those days,
the prosecutions in the reigns of Henry
VIII and Edward vi, and the beginnings
of Protestant immigration. He gave fur
Their lucid statement of the events which
had shaping effect on the movement
which eliminated in the departure of the
Puritans for the new world.
In 1917 the first thought was conceived
of an American colony. The story is well
known of that memorable voyage after SO
many vicissitudes, which was endured only
by an heroic faith so sublime. ALI through
the centuries God has planted the seed
corn and waited patiently for the fruit to
ripen Those Pilgrims, men and women,
originated for themselves government
and, may God grant, will never be over
thrown.
A loud burst of applause greeted the
conclusion of DR.. TwitchelPs eloquent
eulogy.
Next the string quartette, composed of
Messrs Fonaroff, Ensign, Rawson and Mil
Ter, rendered Haydn's Symphony in E fiat.
The next speaker was Rev. DR.. Smyth,
whose address on "Pilgrim's Thought as
to the Future of America in brief is as
follows:
He said that as he came to the church
somewhat weary he felt rather unkindly
toward the Pilgrims, for if they had not
had the temerity to land at Plymouth he
would not have had to make speech that
evening. I wish, he said, to speak of those
principles of the Pilgrims which are still
in the permanent foundation of our gov
eminent, and toward which we must look
for our future prosperity. One was the
idea of popular government. There was
the principle which received its highest
development, as exemplifed in the speech
of Lincoln at Gettysburg. The ideas of
the Pilgrims when they came over were
not clear on the matters of popular gov
eminent. The following is an extract he
gave from the prayer of one of the early
| diyines:
30 Lord, help us to respect our magis-
trates and Oh Lord, give us magistrates
| whom we can respect"
AS the descendants of our Pilgrim fore
fathers think it would be a good thing
if a little political dynamite were placed
under some political plots which have
been made right here in this city. The
principle of religious education was
another. Our public school system has
of necessity become largely of secular
| nature.
The Roman Catholic church to-day in
this country comes nearer to the early
principle of the Pilgrims for religious
training than do the Protestants. The
answer of Professionalism to the Catholics is
a weak one.
1t is our duty to see to it that the Amer
lean children shall receive q religious edu-
cation. 1t is serious problem that con-
fronts us. We laugh sometimes at the
bigotry of the Pilgrims in their severity of
laws, especially in the Sunday laws. I
wish some of our socialistic boomers could
see how very paternal those early laws
were. They tried to regulate through the
paternal oversight of the state the entire
business of the community and found the
theory foiled. But they believed firmly
in the Christian society. This idea of a
society, whose materialism should be
spiritualized, was the dream toward
which they looked wistfully. When
they planted on the hillsides the
Congregational churches they estab-
lished the simplest form of religious
service that had ever been known. What
the future of that church is to be I know
not, but believe that it will perform an
essential part of carrying ON the work
dream of Christian society. We want,
sometime in the future, an American
| church for the American people simple
enough to take all in its worship, and
how shall the Congregationalists contribute
toward that great movements
The violin solo next rendered by Mr..
Max Fonaroff was finished and artistically
performed and won merited applause.
The last speaker of the evening was Rev.
E; B. Sanford of New York, who took
"Congregationalists" as his subject. He
traced the growth of Congregationalism
from its early start in Eng 4and in 1880
down to the present time.
The evening exercises were concluded by
the string quartette performing the quar-
tette in G by Mozart. A vote of thanks
was extended to the musicians and the
ladies of the church, who prepared spread
for the club before the evening session be-
gan.
The following is a resolution passed in
honor of the memory of the late Alfred
Walker.
Voted, That the Congregational club would
hold in pleasant memory the service which was
rendered by the late Mr.. Alfred Walker in the in.
| honor OF the name Of one who for many years
has sought to promote the interests of our CON
| sentative order in this city and who has been q
| faithful servant of the master in all efforts for
the religious welfare of the community, this cut
| spread upon its record this expression of its
| sense of Indebtedness to him and its recognition
q his life of prolonged usefulness in our
| churches.
Rescue Lodge.
Rescue lodge, Independent Order OF
Good Templars, gave an entertainment
last evening in their hall in Insurance
building. A large audience was present.
Mrs. G. Fl. johnson conducted the exer-
cises. Following WAS the program:
Address by William H. Conklin; instru.
mental music, Mr.. Smith; recitation,
Frances Bartlett; recitation, Oracle Lin.
Charles Fechter; recitation, Ada Holling.
worth; recitation, Carl F. W. Bergman
music, Mr.. Smith; recitation, Mamie
Conklin; address, Miss Mary Mansfield
music, Mr.. Denison and Professor Stick
ney; dialogue, Nellie Conklin, Mamie
Bartlett and Mamie Conklin; music, Hattie
Denison; recitation, Mrs. johnson; song,
Nellie Conklin; recitation, Oracle Linton
recitation, Ada Hollingworth.
THE POLO WORLD.
New Britain Does the ssBaby,, Ac,
and is Easily Defeated-The Audi.
ence Leave the Rink Disguised.
The New Britain team played ''baby'
polo at the rink last evening and was just
~ Kissed by the audience. Mckay was thu
| 1ooJar l., 4ba d;o<,ro oofr,1 d;Yo,