The Saint Paul globe., 1904-12-30

Those proud folk who descended
from the Pilgrim Fathers and have
been wont to pride themselves greatly
tIpon the fact and hold annual ban
Guets for the proper celebration OF the
anniversaries of the day upon which
the fathers jumped lightly onto Plym-
outh rock, thereby adding to the gay
ETY. of nations for all time, have been
given a sad slap in the face. This
contretemps occurred last week in New
York when the Society of Pilgrim
Mothers foregathered at their fifteenth
annual dinner There was much good
talk. many pleasant things to eat, and
Man was not present.
1t must not be imagined, however,
that he was entirely ignored, for his
nothingness was discussed and his alb
solute lack of value agreed upon. TO
the event was enjoyed is to put
1T mildly. The pleasure of the occa-
sion was not marred by the presence
of a single masculine person, and the
Pilgrim Mothers discovered that very
enjoyable banquet can be given with
out Pilgrim Fathers. This is not to say
that the fathers feelings were in the
least hurt, for they would probably
deny that they cared at all; all the
same TINS department REFUSES " OS-
lieve that they were not, at least, as
tonished to find that the Pilgrim
Mothers could have such a nice time
without them.
It is only a question of time when
Mantle great lord of the universe
viii not be necessary at ALL At all
events the mothers had a very good
time and made speeches which put
man completely out of business par
ticularly in the matter of discovery
For we have all been in the habit or
thinking that the Pilgrim Fathers had
much to do with a certain landing sew
eral centuries ago, and their descend
ants have laid the hattering JUNCTION to
their souls that to come down in q
straight line from those early voyagers
put the hall mark of distinguished an
ceStry upon them for all time. But the
other day, when the mothers met at
the festive board, they gave blow to
history and tradition which was en-
tirely unexpected. The banqueterS
discussed the Plymouth Rock affair in
detail and agreed that it was the Pill
grim Mothers who should be honored,
and so drastic were they in revision of
the events as we have always heard
them, that they refused even to give
credit to the Pilgrim Fathers for sail
. ing the ship. Mrs. Lille DevereuX
Blake, a woman who knows all that is
necessary for mortal woman to know,
declared that the histories of that
early landing event were wrong, and
this, said sheS is the way it was:
What really happened was that
tnirty-nine women landed on Dec. %,
1920, at Plymouth Rock. They were
accompanied by few men, it is true,
but that was a mere detail
How the patriotic society formed in
commemoration of the Pilgrim Fathers
is going to stand UP under this we are
/left to conjecture. But even worse
things were said, and Man was thor
oughly discredited at this dinner. All
the women present made addresses and
answered to toasts, and in each speech
alluSionS were made to the Sterner sex
and to the increasing ability of women
TO get along nicely without those who
formerly were regarded as their pro-
tectors. Whether the Pilgrim Fathers
viii have the coura age-after this
Knockout blow-to partake of their
annual feast is a question. The moth
ers dWelt upon the fact that their
fCrebears in New England in early
days did nearly all the work and rare
Iy had time even to sit down. Follow
ing naturally upon this was a pleasing
picture, in contrast, of the great prog
TesS which had been made by women
since that day, which now allowed
them not only to sit down once in q
While as on this pleasing occasion, but
made it possible for them to be placed
in positions of authority and TO ruu
the world quite to suit themselves.
Thus is history rewritten and his
torical events put in their proper light
by those who know