The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-22

/ fhiiN u Niidl way SHhtktu more OF 11h
! law than of the Gospel more OF the old
| than of the New Testament who dare
| rise up and blame them who dared such
| perils as they, and gave up life itself
| TO preserve pure and untrammeled their
| personal and individual right to serve
| God according to their lights
| While we may dopiore the narrow spirit
| which caused them to act in the very
| manner which they despiscd i'm others
| and from the influence of which they
| fled, all men must honor and revere their
| sincerity and intcnseness of devotion to
| God, which is so poorly reflected in the
| spirit of this day Well wrote quaint
| George Herbert of the old English land
| i'm the days preceding the Pilgrim set
| tlemont, that Religion stands on tiptoe
IN our land. ready to pass to the Ameri-
| can strand"
! think the old saw distance lends en-
| chantment to the view is nearly always
| true. Many whom we accept as saints
| today would have made but poor friends
| to live with. These men whom we gath
| er from far and near to honor tonight
| were not greater i'm the mass than their
| descendants. 1t is absurd for us to bo
| supinely wishing we might be like our
| forcfathers when what is needed is not
| ability. or opportunity but only well and
| incentive. The Revolution aud the civil
war brought out just such characteristics
| of self-sacrince, devotion to cause and
Will to prosecute that cause through over
whelmng suffering and distress to a sue
| cessful issue. Therefore among the first
fruits OF New England life. | must not
! omit that sweet and universally human
| failing of love.
Much of the history of the times We
| celebrate tonight is supplied by the let
| ters of affectionate remembrance. writ
| ten to devoted wives left behind in the
old country. The Justly celebrated court
ship of Miles Standlsh occurring but a
| short time after the death of his first
| beloved wife opens up to our view even
upon that desolate coast. and amid those
savage wilds the human side Of the stall
| walt stern hearted Purtans. And what
more sweetly human than that pure
| flame portrayed by tradition and pocsy
which overcoming all womanly reserve
and restraint, broke forth upon the ears
of the astonished John Alden, from the
| lips Of the demurc Priscilla, in the words
| why don't you speak for yourself.
John?" The learned and knightly VIM
throp so deeply mbued with the serious
ness of life as to exclude all levity or
merriment from existence failed not.
when left at the early age of twenty
| eight q second time widowed, to take
unto himself a sweet. Puritan maiden
to add to the serious and self-sacrlic-
ing nature of his life.
A CONFEDERATEs BLUNDER.
But | am very sure the Pilgrim Faith
ers, i'm their marrying snd giving in
marriage. never committed the blunder
which it is related General Ewell, of the
! Confederate Army, continually made af-
ter his marriage. The general was an old
bachelor, of long standing. Finally, late
i'm life, he surrendered and gave up his
sword to a widow a Mrs. Brown.
The general was so great stranger to
the marriage state that he could not
quite convince himself that if Mrs.
, Brown were really Mrs Brown. that
! Mrs. Brown ever became Mrs. Ewell AS
| a result of this confusion. on introduce
ing his wife to anyone, he always pre-
! sCHtCd her as this is my wife, Mrs.
| Brown" SO. i'm religion and morality.
as i'm love and war, our ancestors were
men. strong i'm the integrity of their
purpose it is true, God-fearing and brave
| hearted, but men whose like we may see
again, and whose sterling worth Is not
! too perfect to be initiated by their de-
! sCendants. You see, gentlemen how strong
the ruling habit is when the clergyman
| cannot forbcar preaching even amid these
! surroundings, where only the laity are
| supposed to have this privilege and
I forhear lest you may not agree with me
that | can well voice the words of Pas
! tor Robinson, who once wrote friend
| respecting long sermons-hs custom was
| always to close after speaking a couple
| of hours: Il have many times drawn so
dry that | could not well speak any
| longer for want of matter; but | could
ever speak short as | would" p. +.
| j. b. No. 40.
| 1t was no poetic eXaggeration which
| inspired the words respecting the Ply
mouth settlers that God had sifted three
| Kingdoms to find the wheat o1 this plant
| ing. Then sifted the wheat as the liv-
ing seed of a nation" UongfellowD
In less than twenty years after the
| landing of the Pilgrims from the May
| flower. Notwithstanding the absolutely
uncultivated character of the country,
| the hardships encountered in climate and
| in close contact of savage animals, and
| yet more savage men; in spite of cold,
| famine, death all united in an apparent
endeavor to destroy them, in less than
| twenty years we find these energetic
men have founded school Of learning.
A PURITAN LETTER.
one of them in writing to England in
! 1910 gives his friends the following inform
alton: after God had carried us safe
! to New England and We had builded our
houses provided necessaries for our live
| lihood, reared convenient places for Gods
worship and settled the civil government,
one of the next things we longed for
and looked after was to advance learn
| ing and to perpetuate II to pOSteritv,
! dreading to leave an illiterdte ministry
TO the churches when our present min
listers shall lie in the dust'
To this end the general court of Mas
!
| 1888 John HaTVards' will devoted unc-halE
| of his estate, amounting to about GlaJ.
| to the establishment OF IA college for
! training and educating the minds OF
| young men. From this wise foresight
! ana humble beginning has grown in Two
| centuries and a half that magnificent in
/ Stitution hearing the name Of its first
| humble donor. of which this whole great
| country is proud, and whose name is to
! all the world the synonym of the most
! advanced learning and highest culture
| Harvard university. Had our fOrefath-
| ers been possessed of that spirit we hear
| so often expressed today in the words let
! every generation take care of itself, learn
| ing would have scarce reared her myrtle
! crowned head among as, and l could not
| point tonight TO Harvard and Yale and
| Union as first fruits of New England
! life.
Gentlemen, l have finished. Not Prom
want of matter" like our ancestor, John
Robinson, but that, like him, II could
always speak short as | would"
Mr.. Israers was the last address Of
the evening. IT was a thoughtful and
fitting close with an adequate religious
sentiment to an evening which had not
overburdened with such tender thought.
The dinner concluded with President
| NValrens announcement that all was
finished and only good nights" re-
manned TO be said. 1t was 1870 O'Clock
when the gathering was dismissed.
PECKVlLLE.
The employees of the Forest Coal