The sun., 1897-08-15


the wnilasoortained facts 40 to this remarkable
emigration, the conclusion soems well founded
that, previously TO 1775, not less than 500, 900
people OF tho Covenanter race from the north OF
Ireland and Scotland had sott,od in the colonies.
III VIC assume the average length of time they
had boon here to be thirty years. It can bo safely
inferred that they had increased at least 80 per
cent during that time, making the number not
less than 100000 people In 1775. That the Pur-
itans IN the same year could not have much ex-
ceeded 100000 Is evident from the fact that, In
l7sO, tho whole population Of New England, in
Guiding ouakers, Baptists, and Covenanters, was
only fraction over 1000 900. The Cavaliers
In virginia, including their slaves and white
servants, could not have exceeded 100000 in
1776, since tho whole population OF the colony
In 1910 was only 747,8lo. These estimates in
dicate that the Covenanters were, at the date OF
the revolution, the most numerous OF the three
great subdivisions Of the people in the country.
In New York, and especially In the western sec
tion, large part OF the inhabitants seem TO
have been of this stock. Delaware and New
Jersey also had largo Covenanter population.
In Pennsylvania they were very numerous be-
Ing rcckoned at onethird Of the population. In
the southern colonies they constituted nearly
one-half of the inhabitants. In North and south
Carolina their control was almost supreme.
Ramsay. tho historian OF South Carolina. records
that Ireland, that is, the Covenanter emigrants.
contributed most to the population OF that
State. Williamson says the same thing in ref
erence to North Carolina. 1t is admitted that
Kentucky was peopled by Covenanters. and 1t
Is equally clear that Tennessee, from tho very
first settlement, has been in the main under tho
direction OF this people, Georgia also was
largely settled by tho Covenanter race. Ogle-
thorpe's colony practically failed In 1852. The
New England colony at Sunbury also failed.
Then came the Covenanters from the mountain
| and Piedmont regions of the Carolinas and
Virginia and filled all middle Georgia. They
have gone on from the day Of their arrival, until
they have given Georgia an acknowledged pre-
emincnce among tho Southern States To this
day tho only people of a nearly pure. homo
geneous type and blood in the United States are
found In the Southern States, and those ap-
preaching the nearest to purity and homogenc.
ity are encountered in tho States where the
Covenanters first sottled in great numbers.
namely, in Virginia, West Virginia. North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee.
and Kentucky.
Now IL we would measure the part played by
tho Covenantors in our Revolutionary war. wo
must keep in view that they were Wings almost
to n man. The only apparent exception is offered
by the hghlanders of North Carolina. But these
were not generally Covenanters. Many of them.
indeed, were Catholics. On the other hand, tho
number Of Tories In the country was computed
by John Adams one-third of the people and
has been estimated by Justin Winsor at two
ffths. There were good many Of them in the
Now England States, and they were numerous
in New York and Pennsylvania. In all of the
Southern States they constituted about one
half. Deducting not only the Tories, but also
the Quakers. of whom there were a good many
in Virginia and North Carolina, we see that
thnr Cow nl fIn,&
one-half Of the fighting population on the patri-
otto side throughout the South. 1t is true that
the Catholics of Maryland were true to tho
cause of independence. but they were
not numerous. Tho Baptists, also. were
everywhere loyal to the colonies. but
their number was very limited The Meth
odists, likewise. were faithful. but their
great denomination then In its infancy.
The Huguenots were as true to the American
cause as the Covennnters. but their num-
bers were very small. The Germans. who had
settled In Virginia, constituted but an insgnif-
cant part Of the population, 80 that not many
fighting men could be drawn from them. Many
Of the Cavaliers, no doubt, fought for independ-
ence. did also part OF the settlers OF English
descent outside Of Virginia. All these put to-
gether, however. could not furnish as many SOL
diers as the Covenanters. Judge Temple there
fore, concurs with Douglas Campbell in believ-
ing that tho Covenanters contributed to the
Continental army majority Of its troops
throughout the whole country south Of the Della
ware River. besides assuming almost the whole
| of the defensive work on the Western frontier.
Tho Covenanters, or, as they are commonly
designated, the Scotch-Irish, have sometimes
been described as the Puritans Of the South"
The author NJ this hook deema II a IN q thus
to confounh these two great peoples He points
out that though the glish and the Scotch
were originally of the same blood to large ex-
tent, thcy early became separated into two dis-
tinct nations, each possessing peculiar charac-
terstics Of its own. 1t is not denied that, from
some points Of view, there were striking rcscm-
| blances between thcm especially between the
| early Puritans and tho early Covenantcrs. In
| the stern austerity of their religion and in the
sombreness Of their lives, in word. in tho out
| ward aspect Of religious life, they looked
very much alike. Yet the traits which
| distinguished the one from the other were un-
| mistakaLlc, especially after each race had left
| its native land and found n new home
| for itsclf. where its natural tendencies
| had room for development The Puritan
was. and remained. an Engishman, with Eng
| lish taste. ideas. and habits. In common with
| the rest of his countrymen, he believed in CASTE
| in social distinctions. and in the inequality of
| men. In religion, the Puritan believed, with all
the earnestness OF his strong nature, that he
was right, and, SO believing, he used the whole
| power of the Church and State to enforce con-
| formity to his belief. He permitted no diss mt.
In his view, there must be universal conformity.
or else Punishment, the whipping post the
Bfbbet. The State was merely the ally of the
Church, useful only to enforce It's DEGREES and
dogmas. The latter WAS supreme over the con-