New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-27
THE PURITAN.
HIS PLACE IN THE MAKING OF AMbh'-
CAN HISTORY.

doubtless think the proper thing ana the ihuis-
crjminate censure which satirists and others nave
poured out upon the rgdly righteous Shake
speare's Malvolio and Buffers Hudibras and
Ralph exempllfy the appearance of the Puritan
in the eyes OF his unregenerate contemporaries
But as usual. the wicked chose the worst speci-
mems among the saints to grid at. seeing only the
foibles in what was, at its best, above their NAL
ice DR. Byngton admits that the
Puritans became strong in England they were
joined by crowd of people who had no prin-
cpes, whose only aim was to be on the winning
side.
1t was this changeabe multitude which shouted
for the Parliament and for Cromwell when these
were victorious. and was just as obsequious to
the returning Stuart that gave evil repute to
the Purltans. The hypocrItes exaggerated all the
external pecuiarlties of Puritanlsm because
these were for them the only things that had any
meaning But 1t is also true that good men car
red into Il later age which could not appreciate
them some tricks Of speech and behavior that
were genuine and admirable in their origin. The
habit of endless quotation from the Bible which
was characteristic OF the Reformed Party not
only In England but in all other countries where
the party existed was one OF these 1t was good
practice at the outset. The Bible was an eX-
tremelv novel body of literature to most people
In the sixteenth century They knew Of 1t only
by hearsay. When 1t was laid before them IN
language which they could understand, they
were stirred deeply by the discovery that the
mysterious book which they had 50 long revered
was as interesting as it was sacred. They found
a sentence in it for every occurrence or their
lives and for every mood of their minds FROM
pure literary satisfaction without considering
the religious side of the matter at all. they were
justified in the boundless they made Of quota
tons.
But nothing can interest humanity he. ond
certain point The Bible was not mere litera-
ture. 1t was a textbook Of controversy. In the
monotonous cangor of debate even sacred
words sounded harsh. The fastdous man Of
letters and the irreverent man IF the world felt
an incongruity, and even the pious began to he
disturbed at seeing the Bible flung about In
fragments. The revulsion was so complete that
the Bible and religion became themes to be very
delcately handled for example. in THE Specta-
tor" But the Puritan did not share this lit
erarv constituencies He was too deeply invo' ed
in conflict to perceive that his Bible loia began
TO sound insincere to many of his felloW-men.
1t was not cant, because he dreadfully in
earnest: but it seemed like cant to some people.
and unfriendly critics have hardly done with l.
yet. In New England, where Puritan and PHI
grim had little opposition to meet the peculiail-
ties that were wearing away in the old world
were intensified for time DR.. Byington agrees
with Hawthorne in saying that the first genera
| ton born in New England was darker i'm spirit
than the men and women who had brought
from England some remniscence of the brighter
side of life. 1t an intense life that OF these
sons and daughters of the Massachusetts pio-
neers and it was happy too because they were
absorbed in it. But it has rarely given the
same pleasure to those who have tried to repro
duce it in Imagination.
This was not due to detached Incidents nAe
the witchcraft deusion. One has heard OF those
things to WEAKNESS. They prove nothing
| against the people of Massachusetts Bay. On
the contrary, when they are investigated in the
light Of contemporary events in Europe, they
| evince the superiority of the New Englander. In
the Old World systematic. long continued cruel
ties were the rule In the New World
siona outburs: Of fanaticism was followed by
the humblest repentance. The world has heard
more OF the few witches who were done to death
at Salem than of the hundred thousand burned
for the same imaginary offence in Germany.
The minuteness with which the New England
| fathers have been criticised is really tribute
| to their memory. Hardly any other body OF
men could have stood this microscopic Inspec
ton we'll 1t is not. then such momcntary
alterations New Englanders guilty OF
that have given unenviable color to the life they
| led. 1t is the dense seriousness the supernat-
ural soemnity with which they invested the
most trihing things of life that has ruined their
| reputation with poserity.
The humor of the thing lies in the circum-
stance that they built up a naton-and a really
religious nation at that-while giving up their
| Il. firp ccQ1
away lamenting the godlessness of those who
came after them. The old New-England .itera-
| ture is full Of this Nemesis of faith" DR.. BY
| ingtcn reviews the series of charges which
doctrine underwent The narrative is a grave
one. full of those words replete with con-
| trcversy Cavinism. Armnansm. Antnomian-
ism. Socinianism, Halfway Covenant and what
not but the upshot of it all is that Satan found
it as easy to get into Massachusetts as into the
! Garden Of Eden. II he scotched at Salem,
he emerged unhurt at Agawam. If he could not
| get in by the Bay he slipped in by the Con-
necticut River. You almost suspect that heresy
must have been hidden in every piece Of
furniture that came over in the Mayhower 80
that 1t could fly out whenever chest was
opened In short the moody positive English
man. with his heritage of Lolardy and Mar
prelatry and Antipopery. already develop
/ i'm into the New Highlander with passion for
sIecuating on every subject and especially
| upon the mysteries of faith. The learned and
dIsputatious ministers sharpcned the wits n
| their congregations, until the latter were "as
| quick to detect any departure from the stand
ards Of doctrine which they had accepted as
| the Athenians were to detect faults of pro-
| nuncation or of style in their orators
This education was not one to broaden the
sympathes but it was efficient in concentrat-
ing the mental powers. 1t supplemented the
| practical training which given by the
urgent needs of life in new country. The in
ventive Yankee Of later age would certainly
! have lacked some of his resourcefulness If it