The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-21

FROM Portland. Me-, to IA Francisco
today will be sounded the praises of New
England, whose Pilgrim Fathers landed
on Plymouth Rock December q, 1920.
There will be much said of the founders of
New England and the colonial civilization
they created-both of praise and blame
that will be extravagant and in excess of
strict historical justice. Of the Pilgrim
Fathers who founded the Plymouth coll
ony much can be said in eloquent praise,
and little in censure. They were really
far in advance Of their age in the sweet
ness, humanity and liberation of their
spirit as manifested in their civil govern
ment and their religious creed and con-
duct. But the strain of sweetness and
humanity that came over with the Pill
grims was not sufficient to completely
saturate and teaven the far larger and more
influential Puritan lump that founded the
colony of Massachusetts, bay. For good
and evil the Puritans of Massachusetts,
bay fixed the fate and character of New
England 10 a far greater degree thar did
the p~hilanthropic, tolerant and humane
founders of the Plymouth colony.
It will not be unjust to the memory of
the Puritans, whose virtues and vices
made New England stalwart in battle.
with a strong drift to sourness. meIan.
choIy and cynicism in peace, to accent A
truthful the portrait which is drawn of her
by one OF her sons, Charles Francis
Adams. a man of pure New England stock
on both sides. a man whose family derives
its historic fame from the able and con-
spieuous part it has always borne not only
in the history of colonial New England
but of the United States. If blood. stock.
family pride and sectional ties could make a
man tender ofthe fame OF the New England
Puritan surely the present distinguishes
and accomplished representative of the
historic Adams family may be trusted not
to set down anything in malice against
his ancestry, and even to e~xtenuate some.
thing Of its sins of omission and commits.
sion- An Adams surely might be ex-
pected, in writing of New England, to
Be 10 her faults q little blind.
Be to her virtues very kind.
Mr. Adams. in his Massachusetts rn;-
sodes," does not give us a pleasant picture
Of the Puritan. as he finds his character
written in the town records of Maxsa-
chusstts. OF the famous theologicsI cor.
troversy of 1857 over Anne Hutchinson
Mr.. Adams says that it was NOTHING m,rs
III its essence than "a struggle for civil,
power and ecclesiastical supremacy i, q
small village community" As such be
adds, lit naturally resulted in a disrlav of
the worst qualities of those enrsgas :,
it, and illustrated with singular foycs
the maiign influence apt To ha nv
ereised by the priest and the woma,
rs active elements in political life"
Mrs. Hutchinson was banished into
the wilderness near the mouth of the u,a-
son. and Was soo after slain with ali .n.
children by the Indians. "a her e-,a,
Judges expected she would be ana ~.
news Of her death was a.,
Judgment of God" Referring - ~.
barbarous treatment Of Mrs. Hutchin.o,
and Mary Dyer. Mr.. Adams saws ,n,. a..
is worse than useless tn deny that 81.
New England Puritans were e~ssentiaru =.
prosecuting race They could not ba o.h.--
wise. They believed that they were Cot..
chosen people, As such they were i'll.
ali others were wrong" When 1hasa..
fortunate III gave birth After .h.s-
troubles 10 stitboEn. taizsharen ch;ld-.,
the brutal temper of the Puritan tns,,o--
was shown n the declaration tina, .,ss
visible seals of Divine wrath r.
been set upon r~cprobata hildr -
the devil of the horrors Will,
came IL Anne Hutchinson w;.h
her accommodation and b~aaishna.t
Mr.. Adams frankly says tha; b-sntshm.-.
into the ''howilng wilderness" oe ~
England in l6SS mean desolatlon o-.~
inc, or death by the ~tomahavk. or c.n.-
itv to Indian enemies. worse th,n N
other woes combined, Mr.. Adav.
fuses to accept any of the stock e,.,N.
which are commonly intsrpcsef f.. =.
defense Of religious persecution
aicted by the Puritan fo-efa,harx II.
saws that after all due allow sB.as
made for the isnocances II the tim. ..s
puritans prosecuted because ,hev =.
fseyed 10 fsuatieiSm. aud therefore
euted rs a part az their faith" r.
honestly believed thai size right 10 ps,xs-