New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-24
PILGRIMAGE TO PLYMOUTH.
ALONG CAPE COD ROADS TO THE FAMOUS
ROCK
A LITTLE VILLAGE THAT DOESN'T LIKE LII
Terry FoLK"-IN TIE TOWN OF THE
PILGRIM FATHERS.

PILGRIM FATHths'
sandwich, Mass. Aug. 20-out 'i 'i'c 80 anoos %
the sun as we turned out OF the ioNeiN P
slawme Farm. and drove quietly throuS" 'lo 90
town of Sandwich. Across the water Up -.
stretched out a vague line OF mist, anu "'u'i Wv
~ Tho rising sun the hay cleaned with IadlaV o"i''
trn 10 the left and are on our way u - '''~'
new pilgrims 10 the old Pilgrims 'ow'' .to
macadan road speaks OF the thrl' a"o . e., .n 81,
tounsneon,e and the neat. trim houses with INC o'
of garden and rolling lawn, repeal tie sa"io e'1 -
our lat l. the house and property that might iaNo
oao copdwich-old sandwich town, founded Only
few wears after the date which makes rNio"'n w,
Observation-Disclosures as the summer Hoi"o =" 49,,
r1eveand But Mr.. Cleveland passed Dy o'o e"''''''
of sandwich and decided to set UP his summer
nh Buzzards' Bay much TO the RELIEF OF many So
pcope of Sandwich, who feared that the oio .lo
I'D life Of the place might be forever uesto'ou'
A few minutes more and the carriage Tolls "'io"N
the streets of Bourne, and the line OF ohakepoao
tho undiscovered country" comes rreSis'ioS o "',
rnd Tn and on along the peaceful country ROAD ,'ii
q ncture of the shimmerng sea, batheu Id '''o
light and bright with fishers sails 'le ali .s
9TH Tho life Of the opening day, and the can vi VI"
h,rds moves us with its surprising beanW' VIA. NV
Iier spot could be found for breakfast at Hoo' " ~
fresh sweet air. and with the beauties Vi h" 49,.
anonnd ne as II 70 crown the feast7 Appetite Is not
entirely an internal prompting 30, al ieas'' W" o'
that morping for the relish and vigor Oh inc mc was
hicb came with the air. Zoe sky and the sea-
A long mil through the sandy cape ROAD Drousn' VS.
N a little hill whence VIC looked down On cou' ~,
SWAMP a tiny village perched on the ruse VI " No. ,,
and spread carelessly along single thoTo"ehoiV' ~
is the place made known by cape ~" ro,"' -
bcrs live the people who feel to this day the oieIe
90 Tho noto,iety into which Sally Pratt McLeahs poo"
n,upoed them The quiet of their sober lhdns'rlo"
lives was thus rudely broken ana 'euar swamp
Wallencamp ii is called In the DOOR, mas ".''' -,
the happy selfcontentcd place IL uSed W o0 w" nv,
Grandma and Grandma Fisher and Their lapp! lln"s
found life worth living in the quaint OLD ARK, ""'''
,soa hr clusfer of trees is visible from the ro'd'
rho old SCHOOL, house is there. too and the " ha"Sio
where Emily kept house for the bachelors VINO oiou
shame and ruin to one fair creature III the Niiis7o
neonle of Cedar swamp have little love Tor 'hc e"0o
teacher. Who having lived among uiem o'u NV
,cunle 70 invest her story with all the MARKS VI
us,, nv retaining the familiar names OF tle
,oon,. and nv rchearsinC their homely taiR !uso
az IL was freely and unsuspiciousiy gwen f"o"o
craphic realism has no charm lor ''o'', w
thcre was a CLEAN Of malicious satsfacuoh Ill INC o'0
Of the old woman at whose house we s'oppeu " ~
a drink nc she said WAL, I'm gled We haVht
rsad that Story IL hain't done no good, ana its
done n powerful lot of mischief 1t druv poor "r"I III"
IN the grave and Gran'pa want long III l"h0''"s
her 1t nigh sent all us folks crazy CAUSE ~
many peepul here 10 sec the AIR. auu ~"
fool questions they hadn't orter ask l'nt guess
she's had her reward. She's got twins now ana
,bev tell how she's trying to get divorce from her
man We hanr got no yuse for httery ioik heic
ANYWAY And the old lady barely mahaeeu' III
her anger with the novelist, the she" a her STORY
To saw good day to us. we handed back the upper
and wished her good morning. In few minutes
a hill of cedars cut the Ark and the swamp from
view and vet we Thought with something AKIN 10
pity of the sad story Of those Cape Cod foiKN
Cane Cod needs society for the Correction OF Guide
Poss-some association TO repress the cccehuoity al"
curb the extravaganza with which sign posts are
dvrfth Iiph 6i.T
mec as pure art. and of that subter feeling concern
ing the rude humiliation of space and time we all
have Pilgrims in strange land. the lana was
stranger yet by Of the aythmetca vcisstuue.
of the Journey, which impressed us Win an awe Va
numbers Whoever li>ped in numbers here lisped
most incorrectly. During n journey OF elghbei
miles from sandwich to Plymouth there was many
crisis when the only way presented TO us OF reachng
Plymouth was by going back toward sahd"lch'
The old problem of the frog climbing up the wei
*" inches in the morning only to iall Dack y
inches in the night came bac': TO u from boyhood
DAYS in the light Of practical problem ana we beeai
timidIy to wonder when the poo batTach'fn would
again see the light of day-in other words couio
the modern pilgrims ever reach Plymouth town by
crab-Iike retrogrcssiOn? And TO us, that oay, the
total depravy of things inanimae was concentrated
in those innocent posts which told fbs with the easy
rrace Of a Machiavel. Al last timdity was flung 10
the winds and with the courage of STANLEY Jephson,
Parke and Bonncy combined thcre were four OF us,
YOU see) pushed boldly on till light broke through
the woods. and the bay and headland OF plymouth
lay before
It's lovely town which looks out upon the sea. to
the great lights marking the unsafe coast and the
treachcrous harbor. out to Manomct Point. where
forest and meet far into the blue and green and
purple where the great ships battle with the waves
and beyond to where the and sky Become one
How grateful to the eyes Of the Pilgrims must have
been that wooded land, sloping to the waters edge
which met their eager and prayerful gaze in 1920 !
Surely never sight of land inspiring and sight
Of peaceful harbor after the storm and stress Of wind
and welcome, because 50 much wished Tor.
But there no rock bound coast 10 distress them
and the only danger for the MayfOwer was In making
the harbor through the channel and the shoals
called the "Cowyards,7 which lie OFF the shore. A
story is told Of the intense grief which possessed Mrs
Hcmans when she learned that the only "rockbound
coast at Plymouth was the one made famous by her
own immortal lines And yet the Ggment Of her imagi
nation enduring than the prosaic fact expires led
In the long low stretch Of beach On Plymouths coast
"sternr il may be- and doubtless is at times but rock
bound never
The town is intensely loyal and devoted to every
thing connected with that memorable year. that MEM
orabe ship and the memorable company it bore.
Everywhere are the magic naines-the Plyhouth
Bakery the Pilgrim Steam-Laundry, the Mayhower
Cigar, etc Ii might be said, without any spirit OF
criticism that the Pilgrim associations form part OF
the stock in trade Of the town. The town IS neatly
laid out and its houses and It's streets running para
Iell and at right angles to the bay, like those of
any New England town.
AZ the foot of of the principal streets is Pilgrim
Rock, covered with canopy, and at times removed
from vulgar touch and tread by locked gates. There
is nothing extraordinary in its appearance. but the
numerals 1920 cut into it tell the whole story
The Rock occupies the position II did on the day
the Fathers landed. Within few PAGES one may see
where the tide ran, although the line Is some
distance out from Pilgrim Rock While We were
contemplating the Rock trying to understand what il
typeied and what II meant, hundreds Of old soldiers
and visitors Ut the week Of the q. A. II. Encamp
ment at Boston, marched down TO the haOwed place
and, our occupation disturbed left the Rock
and associations 10 the neMcomer.. Nni without