The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-23

lens of the strife between labor and
capital, and of the government of cit
les where vast masses of men born on
foreign soil, of different natonalities,
and of different races, strangers to
American principles. to American ideas,
to American history. are gathered to-
gether to exercise the unaccustomed
function of government, in an al
most unrestricted liberty. You have to
deal with a race problem rendered more
difficult still by a. still larger difference
in the physical and intellectual quail
ties of the two races whom providence
has brought together.
l should be false to my own manhood
if failed to expose my profound regret
and sorrow for some occurrences which
have taken place recently, both in the
north and in the south. ] am bound to
say that, considering all the circum-
stances, the north has been the worse
offender.
1t is well known Cor if it be not well
known, / am willing to make 1t known,
that I look with ineXpressible alarm
and dread upon the prospect of adding
to our population millions of persons
dwelling in tropical chimes, aliens in
race and in religion, either to share in
our self government, or, what is worse
still, to set an example to mankind OF
the subsection of one people to another
We have not yet solved the problem
how men of different races can dwell
together in the same land in accord
ance with our principles of republican
rule and republican liberty. l am not
one of those who despair of the solu-
ton of that problem in justice and in
freedom. l do not look upon the dark
side when / think of the future of our
beloved land 1 count it the one chief
good fortune of my own life that, as
/ grow older, I look out on the world
with hope and not despair.
We have made wonderful advances
within the lifetime of the youngest or
us. While we hear from time to time
of occurrences much 30 be deplored and
utterly to be condemned, yet, on the
whole, we are advancing quite as rap
idly as could be expected to the time
when these races will live together on
American soil in freedom, in honor and
in peace every man enjoying his just
right wherever the American constitu
ton reigns and wherever the American
flag foats-When the influence OF intel
ligence, of courage, ot energy INSPIRED
by lofty patriotism and by Chris
tian love will have its full and legiti-
mate effect, not through disorder, or
force. or lawlessness, but under the
silent and sure law by which always
the superior leads and the inferior fol-
lows. The time has already come when
throughout large spaces in our country
both races are dwelling together in
| peace and harmony. I believe that
condition of things to be the rule in the
south and not to be the exception. we
| have a right to claim that the country
and the south shall De judged by the
rule and not by the exception
| But we want you to stand by us in
our troubles as brethren and as coun-
| trymen. We shall have to look, in many
perils that are before us in the near fu-
| ture, to the conservatism and wisdom
of the south And if the time shall
come when you think we can help you,
your draft shall be fully honored.
But tonight belongs to the memory
Of the Pilgrims. The Pilgrim of Ply
mouth has a character in history dis
tinct from any other. He differed from
the Puritan of Salem or Boston in
everything but the formula in which
his religious faith was expressed.
He was gentle, peaceful, tolerant,
gracious. There was no intolerance or
hatred or bigotry in his little common
wealth. He hanged no witches, he
whipped no Quakers, he banished no
hereto. His little state existed for u
years, when it was blended with the
Puritan commonwealth of Massachu-
sets. He enacted the mildest code of
laws on the face of the earth. There
were but eight capital differences in
Plymouth. Sir James Macintosh held
! in his hand list of two hundred and
| twenty three when he addressed the
house of commons at the beginning OF
the present century. He held no foot
| of land not fairly obtained by honest
purchase He treated the Indian with
| justice and good faith, setting an ex-
10 oh Nnt al bn octx ri
ter on the law of nations, commends
to mankind. In his earliest days, his
tolerance was an example to Roger
Williams himself, who has left on rec
ord his gratitude for the generous
| friendship of Winslow. Gov. Brad
ford's courtesy entertained the Catho-
| lie priest, who was his guest, with a
| fish dinner on Friday. John Robinson,
the great leader of the Pilgrims, uttered
the worlds declaration of religious in
dependence when he told his little flock
on the wharf at Delft Haven, as re-
ported by Winslow:
1--WE are ere long to part asunder and
the Lord knoweth whether he should
| live to see our face again. But wheth-
err the Lord hath appointed it or not
he charged us before God and his
blessed angels to follow him no further
than he followed Christ: and if God
| SHOulQ IGNeoI any lHlHS 10 US Dy any
other instrument of his, to be as ready
to receive it as we were to receive
any truth by his ministry, for he was
very confident the Lord had more truth
and light yet to break forth out Of his
holy word
The Pilgrim was a model and an ex.
ample of a beautiful, simple and state.
| ly courtesy. John Robinson, and Brad,
ford, and Brewster, and Carver ano
/ Inc al
and naughty Endicott, or the bigotec
| Cotton Mather as in the English
! church, Jeremy Taylor, and George
Herbert, and Dome, and Vaughn differ
from Laud, or Bonner. or Bancroft.
/ Let me not be misunderstood. / an
not myself a descendant from the Pill
grilns. Every drop of my blood through
every line of descent for three centu
ries has come from a Puritan ancesto.
| am ready to do battle for the name
and fame of the Massachusetts Puritan
in any field and against any antagonist
Let others, if they like, trace their line
age to Norman pirate or to ROBBIE
baron. The children of the Puritan ar,
not ashamed of him. The Puritan as {
distinct, vital and predominant power
lived less than a century in England
He appeared early in the reign of Eliz
abeth, who came to the throne in 1858
and departed at the restoration O
| Charles ii, in 1860 But in that brie
period he was the preserver aye, h,
was the creator Of English freedom
BY the confession of the historians VIII,
most dislike him, it is due to him tina
there is an English constitution. IT,
created the modern House of Commons
That House when he took his seat ii
it was the feeble and timid instrumen
of despotism When he left it. il wa
what it has ever since been-th
strongest, freest, most venerable legis
lative body the world had ever seen
When he took his seat in it. it was lit
tie more than the register of the king
command. When he left it, it was tn,
main depository Of the national dignity