The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-04-07

/ grim Fathers in pursuit Of religious
freedom for themselves, permitted 10
others "a greater latitude Of individual
opinion than had ever been given De-
fore by men in authority. The scotch
Covenanters revenged the prosecutions
which they suffered. The French
Huguenots retaliated upon their tor
mentors. The Lutherans and Calvin
. lists did not rise above the intOlerant
spirit of their age. But the Pilgrims
were not only free from excasses
which disgraced the annals OF the
Massachusetts, Bay Colony, but prac
ticed the amenities due from Chris
tian people to their neighbOrs, what
ever their difference in creed. The
policy adopted by the COlOnists III
America, against political disOrgan-
izars, and which set in motion what
seems to us religious persecution, was
not known at Plymouth. Even in
1916, they would not join the other
COionists "for the seasonable and due
suppression" of heresy. Samuel Cor
ton and ten followers were compelled
by the Massachusetts Bay authorities
to labor with an iron chain fast boIted
around their legs, and if they spoke
to anyone on the subject of religion,
or complained of their usage, they
were to suffer death. In Plymouth,
GOrton had merely been sentenced to
give security for good behavior and to
pay fine.
Even wItchcraft, which was popu-
lar superstition in the Colonies (as it
was over all England at that time,
and which sent victims TO death in
neighbOring colony, was never pun
ished at Plymouth, the law against it
being a dead letter and never exc
cuted.
1t is hard for the descendants of the
old Pilgrims to understand what it
cost to exercise this tolerance in those
early days. The ancient Pilgrim trod
the bare ground in his cabin. His
room was lighted by pine knots. He
took his lonely watch at the log fort.
A captured Indian squaw, held as hos
tage, was the most exciting spectacle
the ancient Pilgrims child could see.
1t was a hard life. Many died from
lack Of comforts and insufficient food.
federation under these conditions
was heroic, when compared with
that in our own day, which is a sort of
easy-gOing allowance of any doctrine
which does not disturb the material
interests of the community; a tacit
agreement between we'll to- do neigh
bors not to interfere with each others
beliefs, provided these views do not
stand in the way of the comfort, hap
pfness or morals of the people. The
real truth is that the Pilgrims exer-
cised hearty liberation, not an intel
lectual liberality. They were narrow
in their views, but they were not
bigotted. They knew little of theol-
Ogy, but were well up in Christian
ethics. Their faith was replete with
tenderness and mercy. What they
loved next to their Bible was Christian
fai ~ Il Tn, haf hni 70
was almost sublime.
AS compared with the Puritans,
they lived in a different theological
temperature. They were different
men. They left no poems or wise
sayings; no memoirs except simple
diary of each days doings. But they
have inspired more poetic thought
and verse; have aroused more sympa-
thetic eloquence and have written
their deeds across the continent in
larger characters than all the rest of
the cOlOnists put together. They
wrought unconsciously, but glOr-
iOusly. What civilized nation has not
heard of and honored them! What
Christian church has not enshrined
their memory as that of the pioneers
of religious freedom! Their tolerance
was their own, but it has proved to be
a tonic for all generations. If they
were ''cranks," then welcome that
sort of crankiness when it sticks to
that sort of crankinesss. They were
peculiar. They may have been stern.
Let this be true, yet they were no
zealots or fanatics, in their scorn of
decisions, their aversion of tyranny,
their hatred of hypocrisy. Let, then,
scoffers call Plymouth Rock the
Barney stone of America. We may
we'll stand upon 1T as the corner
stone of our religious liberation, the
one rood of earth where persecution
stayed its hand, and man dared to say
to the wild waves of cruel zeal, "Thus
far, but no farther"
~ In life and death they teach
This thought-this truth-sublime.
There's no man free, except he reach
Beyond the verge of Time.
so. reckoning up the starry slope,
They bid our souls to live;
And flooding all the world with hope,
Have taught us-to forgive"