The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-15
! The Globes SSs%s.J"ay /
The Colonial Period Of american Literature


ain. More than Franklin even. he rem
resents the best literature Of the public
press In that period. Through the coll
umns Of the Boston Gazette he reached a
majority of New England homes. ana
was copied in the journals Of other
provinces.
A letter of his in the last named pa
per on March IS. 1869, is probably the
nrst printed intimation of a possible rup-
ture With England. Owning no newspa-
per himself, he was the chief Journalist
IN several. Not as Sam Adams alone,
but as a dozen writer's for all that read
ers could guess by his various sigma
lures His political principles, however,
never varied through all the multifor1n
eXposltions by his pen. In state papers
written for public assemblies. in omen
letters addressed to those in authority,
ne was the creator or director of opin-
ION. His writings constitute a large
part of the literature which helped on
the great revolution in thought that pre-
ceded revolutionary acts.
Inc name and writings of Josiah Ouin-
ey should be classed with those OF Offs
ana Adams as remonstrants against the
ehcroachments Of Britain. The three
together represent the advanced attitude
OF New England in this period of poIfti-
cl controversy. More than others they
snuffed the battle from afar and hasten-
ed to meet its coming.
Ihe prominent sentiment Of the decade
before the Declaration Of Indenendenca
mad an able exponent in John Dickln-
SON. or pennsylvania and other middle
colonies, in which he lived and IaborAd
ne beheVed with the majority OF colo
nlsts at that time that colonial liberty
might be secured without sacrificing
union With the mother country. To
maintain and encourage this view of af-
Ialrs he wrote increasingly. Pamphlets
and newspaper articles flowed from his
pen. People awaited with eager expect
ancy the weekly installments Of his
Farmers Letters" They read with adj
miration his state papers. which ne
framed for assemblies and conventions.
His resolutions" petitions" ''instruc-
tons" and addresses and other docu-
ments of similar character and Impor-
lance show. that he was the trusted
spokesman Of the majority. They earned
nm the title Of the 'Penman of the
revolution" Such he continued to be
until the oppressive measures of the
British ministry drove the larger part
or the colonists beyond their patient,
loyal and hopeful position to resort to
arms for the defense Of their consttu-
t1Onal rights But John Dickinson stocG
unmoVed in his conservative belief. al
though he manifested his patriotism by
Joining the army when the issue came
to the trial by combat. His Farmers
Letters" will always remain as interpre-
ters Of the remonstrant period in the
great transition. Protesting against the
thought of independence as a fatal ca
Iamity, he insists upon freedom and the
recognition Of rights by crown and par
nament. With equal sincerity he urges
loyalty and a dignifed appeal to the
British sense Of justice and to the prin-
clples of English liberty. Such consist
ency was appreciated by wise and pru-
dent statesmen in parliament and out
OF 1t, but they were in the minority.
and the kings fools in the majority.
me wise men, by their wisdom could
not save the state; also the foolish were
destined to precipitate the conflict which
lost them the best half Of the continent
None the less valuable, however, as DO
ltlcal literature are the writings of the
man who stood for moderation, restraint
and what is now known as the policy of
arDltraton. War became the final re-
sort; because compelled, but this neces-
slty detracted nothing from the higher
craftsmanship of Dickinson and the no.
b1llty OF his writings. These had q wild.
er recognition than those Of anv otber
man except Franklin. Published in four
hIths or the colonial newspapers week bv
week, the Farmers Letters" were aft
erWard printed in eight editions here.
three IN Great Britain and one on the
coItinent where their sentiments were
time the author was the first man of
letters In America.
linen the gust which whirIed bafora
the storm swept people awav from tbfs
SeIt-centered statesman in two directions
toward armed resistance on the part of
the majority, and toward unprotestino
adheslon to existing authority by the
remainder. Each division intensified one
OF TWO sentiments, which all had former
ny IN common-of liberty and LOYALTY
Inc expression of these emotions con-
sIltutes the literature of the last part
OF this period in It's two branches, which
dlVerged more and more until one of
them eliminated in the Declaration of
independence and the other wasted IT.
sen IN prohtlesS dissent To mention
the leaders In the first movement is ali
tnat can be done here and now
IN those days politics shared the puIpit
Wlth DIVINITY, and the unorthodox Jona-
than Mathew should not be overlooked
among those who had already been con-
sp1cuous in the forefront Of the contro-
Versy. His sermons were mighty inspira-
lions to his neighbOrs but as Iiterat,,
they have lost much of the power Will
accompanied their delivery. other d1vInes
echoed his political doctrine-if they could
not his theological vieWs-whose patriotic
sermons now lie buried In the crypts III
antiquarian libraries. It is rather in III
political essays Of statesmen that the
driftings of opinion and the character of
It's literature can best be discovered The
chief of these are so well known and
their writings SO accessible that it will
be sufficient merely to alIude to the part
which John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and
Alexander Hamilton had in the prerevo-
luton controversy.
Less eminent men and writer's contrib-l
uted to the literature Of ferment and
transition, both prose and verse-in the
latter department no one more abundant
ly than Philip Franeau. A Huguenot de- 1
testadon of tyranny, strengthened by
sufferings or a British prison ship in
creased the bitterness of his satirical
verse as hostilities continued. He was the
leader of a band of versifiers, who Gre
ated the ballad literature Of the RevoIu-
tion which, by presenting the Iudicrous
side Of misery, did much to cheer the
hearts Of the patriot soldier. It's answer
ing verse from the other side did some
thing toward relieving the animosity Of
the loyalists. The two together, like the
two corresponding branches of prose writ
ing, are reflections of the thoughts and
emotions of a divided people, who were
apprehensiye and hopeful fearful and
desperate by turns in the face Of an inn
minent catastrophe.
Tn both prose and verse, however, a
marked improvement Is observed The
subjects Of treatment were in the line OF
immediate and vital concern, close to
their hearts and homes. Life and liberty
were involved in the discussion. Emotion
as well as thought pervaded its express
sion. Heart as Well as hand engaged in
its handling. There was no time or room
for nonsense. With an experimental ac-
quaintance with the traditional policy OF
Great Britain on the part Of these writ