The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-01-10

hole at the foot of the galloWS-tree.
 It took a rare courage to act as Da- venport did, knowing the fearful eonse- quences of detection. Rewards were of fered and men were sent here to search every building and cellar in the colony, but without success. The men were fin- ally safely conducted to Hadley, Massa- chusetts, but Davenport was never again free from liability to arrest to be followed by a terrible doom in London.
 Davenport has been denounced for a letter which he wrote while the regici- des were here, to Colonel Temple of Boston, an agent of Charles the Sec- ond. In this letter he attempts to de- fend his own conduct, and to show wherein he should not be personally in volved in the harboring of the regicides. Indeed, he goes so far as to try to con- vince Colonel Temple that up to the time of his writing they had not been here at all. He said, to quote, con June 22 they came from another colony, where they were and had been for some time" Now we know perfectly well that MT. Davenport knew perfectly well that those men had been hiding all this time either in his house or the house of his neighbor across the street, or in the vicinity of West Rock. It cer- tainly seems as though minister, of all men, would know just what kind of name to apply to that kind of a statement. It is certainly apparent that MT. Davenport had been so busy of late with other matters that he had neglect ed to read up on some Of the command ments. But the problem may be per- haps simplified little when we remem- Der that MT. Davenport was not only a clergyman but a politician.
 It is perhaps but generous to assume that he was. so intent on accomplishing what he believed to be right that he felt justified in using any means which might throw the kings agents off the scent and save from ruin, not only the men he was protecting, but the little community which he had fostered with so much care.
 But his position on this question alienated many who had hitherto been his strong adherents. They granted his right to risk his own life for principle, etio dQIlllISu HIS SupilIllC UOl maintained that it was wrong for him to jeopardize the interests of the col ony. William Leete, of Guilford, who had been elected governor, at first join- ed with the minister in protecting the regicides, but finally decided that the exiles ought to be sacrified when their interests clashed with those of the col ony.
 Right along with this came the ques- ton of uniting with Connecticut un- der the Winthrop charter, and then came the struggle of Davenport's life. The majority were tired of being de- prived of their political rights on the ground of non-church-m h-membership. The Connecticut charter gave full power to the people to govern themselves with out restrictions of any kind, a power which they had forever yielded into the hands of church members at New Ha- ven.
 Davenport opposed the movement with all his energy and eloquence, but the tide was against him. Town after town severed it's allegiance to the colo ny and went over to Connecticut, until but three remained. Then his spirit
 broke. He saw the results of his life long labors melting away, and for the | first time in his life he turned his face l away from the conflict. He knew that his cause was lost, and when word came | that his beloved New Haven had gone 1 with the rest, the ray of hope that had sustained him throughout the contest,
 vanished, and he gave himself over to despair.
 | He felt that those whom he had loved i and served with an unfaltering devo- | tion had turned from him in his old | age He wrote to friend in Massa- chusetts: "Christ's interests in New Ha- ven is miserably lost" lie grew to look
 upon the place as the scene of great | defeat, and could see in 1t only the
 wreck of his lifelong hopes and plans. | He soon after received a call from
 Boston, and despite the earnest wishes 1 of friends and congregation, accepted
 But he was broken in health and spirit, | and growing feeble with the infirmities
 of age. He died two years later, after
 nearly thirty years spent in the new world, and was buried in the cemetery
 of Kings chapel.
 | think we shall have no trouble in
 agreeing that Davenport is not an easy man to place. We cannot dispose of | him by saying that his theories were
 foolish, and that he was a weak man | because he held them. Problems like | these have to be worked out, and we
 often owe a greater debt than we think
 to the men who settle them.
 | It were a waste of time to try to determine whether Davenport is wor- | thy most of praise or blame It is | better to leave him standing in the
 light of history and let him cast his own
 shadow.
 There has been no end of controver-
 sy concerning him. His champions
 claim for him a place in history as a
 great theologian and a great leader ot
 men; his enemies put on a sheer and
 call him a great politician. I hope ]
 may be pardoned for saying that dc
 not think he was either. He was not a great man. His mind worked in narrow lines, and his sympathies were moi
 broad enough and deep enough to un- derstand humanity. He never could
 have been great leader of men, be- cause he was not in touch with them | He dared not trust men, for he did not