The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-17

religious liberation. Mr. Adams draws a
broad and deep distinction between the SER
vices rendered by Massachusetts TO the west-
srn world and TO mankind at large with ref
srsnce to emancipation from caetc. or equality
before the law. and its very different attitude
with regard TO religious tolsration. BY col
lectinR relevant extracts from different parts
of these four lectures. We shall endeavor to ex-
bibit, as nearly az possible In his own words.
the authors new and luminous discrimination
between the contributions Of Massachusetts, to
civil and to religious liberty.
=.
In the early part Of his first lecture. Mr..
Adams avors that so far as equality before the
law 10 concerned-that is to say personal. civil
liberty tho record OF no community is more
credltable more consistent. or. in truth. more
important, than that OF the community COM
posing the Commonwealth Of Massachusetts.
The idea OF equality before the law was the
offspring Of tho English commonwealth. Its
Rodfathers we're Hampden and Milton and
Cromwell 1t found inartlculate expression
IN the death OF King Charles /. No portion OF
the world was then. however. ready to acce pt
10 startling q paradox. All existing habits.
traditions. institutions. whether social. politi-
cal or religious. recoiled from II. On its face.
Il seemed ike an absurdlty to assert that the
Law the equal OF tho lord at whose castles
gate he lived. or OF the priest who represented
God. Such an idea could no more find accept
nuce with the peasant himself than II
could with the lord or the priest. In
deed. the peasant, no long time before
had been q serf an adjunct to the soil.
and inseparable from it. Accordingly. though
It was protest against human inequality. tho
English commonwealth was but passing
protest Law. usage tradition were forces too
powerful to be at once overcome; and tho
hereditary. privileged-class principle reas-
serted itself. But. meanwhile the germinal
Idea OF the commonwealth had been trans
fsrred across tbs Atlantic. It was there plant
cd in Massachusetts. where it slowly devel-
opsd under the m ost favorinR OF possible con-
ditious. At first it was acc pied there hardly
more than It had been In England. The magis-
tratss talked OF the common people" and
one code OF criminal law applied to them.
while another applied to the gentry. Slavery
also existed for time. but it was only In Its
least Questionable form. No large gangs OF
bondsmen ever worked under overseers- Never
organized. the System died . natural death.
1t IL also noted that, as there was no king and
no noble In the land, all freemen eventually
stood upon footing Of absolute equality In the
church and tho town meeting. Thus It came to
pass that, whom the Massachusetts Constitu-
tion Of 1880 went into effect. all the opposing
forces had disappeared. and the principle OF
human equality before the law theoretically
enunciated In the Declaration Of In dependence
was Q reality In New England. In tho United
States considered as whole. the principle was
accepted only subject to limitations Itapplied
but to white men. Then. In due course Of
time. followed the long slavery struggle In
which Massachusetts, was arrayed against
vlrginia-the Puritan idea against the idea OF
caste. Not until April. 1885. was the question
definitely settled.
Ioonoclast as Mr.. Adams may seem presently
to many persons. when he comes to speak OF
the relation OF his state to the idea OF religious
federation. he regards the history OF Massachu-
setts as the record OF the gradual developm emit
of q social and political truth OF the first i'm
portAnoe. 1t 10 his conviction that, viewed In
this light the passage OF the Red Sea was not
. more momentous event than the voyage OF
the Maynower; and that the founding OF
Boston was frauRht with consequences hardly
less important than those which resulted
from the founding Of Rome. In his opinion.
therefore. too much labor cannot be devoted
10 the history Of Massachusetts. Its every de-
tall merits the closest scrutiny; for from the
days OF tho settlement through the Revolu-
tionary trouble. down to tbs fall OF slavery.
30 far As the principles OF civil liberty
and human rights are concerned. Massachu-
sets has always been at the front In one
century. acting from PhilAdelphia through
the Continental Congress and tho Declaration
on tho French Assembly in Paris. and In an
other. through the broken Confsderaoy on
Spain and Brazil. her influence has been world
vida She was the backbone Of the movement
which preceded the French revolution. and she
inspired the agitation which ended In the fall
Of African slavery.
II.
But while such has been the Massachusetts
record As respects equality before the law. Mr..
Adams has written this book to demonstrate
that. a. regards RELIGIOUS federation. It has