The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-01-01

new era, that BURYING THEIR DEAD.
distinction being given then and for
many years after to March p, the day
| Of the Annunciation, or Lady day. Not
until 1852 did Jan. l become the initial
day of the legal year. Before that time
| it was customary to set down dates
| from Jan to March "a, inclusive,
| thus: Jan. u, l62O-1. signifying that
| popularity the year was 1921, but le'
gally 1920. In this, as in all other
things, the pilgrim fathers followed
the English custom.
Instead Of the celebration of New
Years day or of any other holiday we
| find such entries as Jan. 90 dies Rose.
the wife of Captain Standish." Sick
ness and death were induced by the
privation and exposure incident to the
! season and the lack of strong, well
built domiciles Wading through the
| lev water from the ship to the shore.
bearing the scanty building materials
and the still more scanty supply of
| food, proved fatal to the men, while
the mental anxiety and lack Of Suita-
| BILE provisions carried off the women
| and Children
| Not only were the pilgrim fathers
stricken by the lack of suitable shelter,
but the scantiness and coarsencSs OF
their food supply during that long and
terrible first winter proved disastrous
to the little colony. Partial starvation
was added to the other terriers of the
settlers, many Of whom had been deli
cate1y nurtured in England.
One atiiiction was spared the pill
grims during the terrible winter days
that preceded and followed New Year ;
| day. 1621-there was no trouble, n
had been dreaded, with tie Indians II
has been said Of the "fajhprS' thai
Immediately after landing they fcI
| first upon their knees and tAen uPol
the aborigines.' SO far rom this be
ing the case. it is patheticaliy notet
that that winter they had to form
seven times more graves for the dea,
than halJitntiens fer the living The!
were buried OH the bank not far frol.
the landing-a spot still to be vencratc'
and, lest the Indians should ta!lt
courage to attack the survivors from
their weakened state, tie soil T"ei"t
covered the graves Of their IL.
relatives was carefully beaten low!
and planted with a crop of corn.
By March % 1921. the first real E"v
Years day in the rlymouth colony. T.:
| surviving m0iety~of the co.ouists i.at
| decided to remain in New EI@.uI
rather than go back on the May 4owcl
/ I1t Il IL Il for T.
transaction of public business. passe
! some simple laws for the governmcn
of the colony and reelected John Car
yer governor He had been chosen III
previous year aboard ship. Du.in
the Decentralization Governor Carve:
wife had been drowned, and his SO
perished early in the winter. He hin
self governed the colony only q fc'
weeks more, dying Apri! ) He we
succeeded by William Bradford
/ James Richard Green. the eTirei
English historian. in lis History G
the English People" says of the II
grim fathers and their suffcrings dui
| ing the first winter in the new wor'l
| "In 1926 the little company CT I'll
| pilgrim fathers. as aftertimes loved
call them landed on the barren coas
OF Massachusetts at a spot to whic
they gave the name Of Plymouth, i
memory Of the last English port q
which they touched. They had soon
face the long. hard winter of the nortl
: to bear sickness and famine Eve
: when these years of toll and sufIerin
{ had passed there was time whe
they knew not at night where to haI
a bite In the morning. Resolute an