The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1893-02-16
A MYTHlc PURITAN.

a MYTHlc PURITAN.
Celebration Of Pilgrim Fathers 0ay ~
New = gland Children.
Children Of New England who are
real god are wont to get festively to-
gether on Pilgrim Fathers day. On
these occasions at least one Of the chill
dren will erect himself and discourse
on the austere virtues of their forbearA
He may even pour upon those sainted
memories some commiseration for the
hard and stony paths in which he as
sumes that they trod. That there were
those who mortified the flesh, OK At least
the countenance. IL not to be denied;
but the notion that tho excellent Yam.
KEGS ever. at any time, put from them
the ordinary inspirations to joyance
cannot be proved from any contempt
rary record whatever.
Let anyone stroll with Hawthorne
through the New England of fifty years
ago At Augusta, Me-, the decanters
and wine bottles are on the move; there
are rubicund faces and breaths odorous
of brandy and water; occasionally il
heard the cheerful pop Of the cham
payne cork. At the Berkshire public
houses the toddy stick is busy; tho
Pittsaeld blacksmith loves his glass,
and comes to the tavern whenever 1t
seems good to him. At the new hotel
In the suburbs of Boston he gathers the
materials for sketch of the mode of
passing Sunday by q majority of young
middle-class people, as he calls them,
near big town. They are lounging
about-some standing at the bar watch
ing the preparation of tumblers of
punch; some, with flushed faces are
putting cigarA On the road are stages
in abundance burdened with passen-
gers inside and out; also chaises and
barouches, horses and footmen.
For pictures 6fty years earlier in
widely different walks of life go to
Goodrich, peter Parley," in his Con-
necticut village, where he belongs to
the best people, or to DR.. John c. War
rem. who is of the best Boston set, or to
that wonderful self-made creature.
"Lord' Timothy Dexter. The Goodrich
young people, including all the deacons'
offspring, danced through the win
ter at the country tavern. Warrcn's set
overdrank itself habitually to that de-
gree that he became a founder of the
temperance society. The vulgar bucks
to whom Dexters wealth gained access
skipped" dollars on the waters of the
ponds and ate 500 bills in sandwiches
to show their blood. Less than fifty
years further back reaches to the war
of independence, Wien the materials of
history became copioua Its popular
movements are all conducted in tav-
ems, amid the consumption of lashins
of brandy, Madeira ana rum.
Fifty years more aud we are in the
headlong prophet denouncing woe upon
the American Israel for ito drunkenness
and uncleanness, the abesnd:ug Of tav-
erns, whittier even the clergy resort and
some of them daily; it's monstrous iniqui-
ty of profane or "prophane" swearing.
Neither does the Rev. Cotton Mather
confine himself to generalities, but
strings catalogue on catalogue of in
stances that make the proceedings of q
modern police court seem tame and
spiritless Is it not nearly time to have
done with that mythical Puritan given
over wholly to godliness, with all the
human juice in his veins turned to
whey. For it seems to teach that such
q strain of soured milksops as the
myth C puritans are painted could ever
have begot breed to write their names
red and large from Louisbourg to Pc
tersburg.
The creature is misjudged from his
Sabbath blue laws We are, exclaimed
Hawthorne, community of Sabbath
breakers. Naturally they were. They
were of Selden's stock, who laid it
down that IF there be any supersti-
ton, truly and properly so-called, it is
observing the Sabbath after the Jewish
manner" Before the Pilgrim Fathers
day comes round again it is to be hoped
the orator of the occasion will be at
some small pains to seek contemporary
witness concerning the folk he is to
magnify. He may do some service by
clarifying the virtues tn ey did practice
a. we'll as profess, AMI redeem their
memory from the obloquy of having
done more than dodge some vices in q
shabby way.-N. Y. Sun.