The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-06-13
FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
INTERESTING READING For YOUNG
PEOPLE.
The Colonial Governments Were
Too Weak to Protect Themselves
From Pirates-COmmon Errors
Of sDeech-Hints on Summer
Dressing. ,.ff T."


Of speech-Hints on Summer
Dressing. .sHf
We, in these times Of America, pro-
tected by the laws and by the number
of people about us, can hardly COM
prehend such life as that Of the
American colonies in the early part Of
OF the last century, when it was pos
sible for a pirate like Blackboard to
exist, and for the governor and the
secretary Of the province in which he
lived to share his plumber, and to shell
ter and to protect him against the law.
At that time the American colonists
were in general rough, rugged peo-
pie, knowing nothing of the finer
things of life. They lived mostly in
little settlements, separated by long
distances from one another, so that
they could neither make nor enforce
laws to protect themselves. Each man
or little group Of men had to depend
upon his OF their own strength to keep
what belonged to them, and to pre-
vent fierce men CT groups Of men
from taking what was theirs away
from them.
1t is the natural disposition of every
one to get all that he can. Little chill
dren usually try to take away from
others that which they want, and to
keep it for their own. 1t is only by
constant teaching that they learn
that they must not do so: that they
must not take by force what does not
hnI0np n i, INV l, irr
and training that people learn to be
honest, and not to take what is not
theirs. When this teaching is not suffi-
cient to make a man learn to be hon
est, or when there is something in the
man himself that makes him not able
to learn, then lie lacks only the oppor-
tunlty to seize upon the things he
wants, just as he ould do if he were
little child.
In the colonies at the time, as has
just been said, men were too few and
scattered to protect themselves
against those who had made up their
minds to take by force whatever they
wanted.
The usual means Of communication
between province ard province was by
water, in coasting vessels. These small
coasting vessels were 50 defenseless,
and the different colonial governments
were so i'll able to protect them. that
those who chose to rob them could do
1t almost without danger to them
selves.
SO it was that all the western world
was in those days infested with armed
bands of cruising freebooters or pi-
rates-men who had not been taught
or who had not been able to learn,
that they must not take from others
what belonged to those others. These
pirates used to stop merchant vessels,
and take from them what they chose
Each province in those days was
ruled over by a royal governor ap-
pointed by the king. Each provincial
governor was at one time free to do
almost as he pleased in his own pro-
vince. They were accountable only to
the king and the home government;
and England was so distant that they
were really responsible almost to no.
body but themselves.
The governors We're Just as DESTROYS
of getting rich quickly, Just as desir-
Gus Of getting all that they could for
themselves, as was anybody else, ONLY
right to be actual pirates or robbers.
They wanted to get rich easily and
quickly, but they did not desire
riches so much as to lead them to dis
honor themselves il their own opinion,
and IN the opinion of others. by graft
tying the desire. They would even
have stopped the pirates from doing
unlawful acts, if possible; but their
provincial governments " ere too weak
to prevent the freebooters from rob-
ping merchant vessels, or to punish
them when they came ashore. The
provinces had no navies. and thew
really had no armies; neither We're
there enough people living within the
communities to enforce the laws
against those stronger and fiercer men
who were not honest.-From "Jack
Ralllster's Fortunes" by Howard
Pyle, in the June st. Nicholas