Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-07-06

thought WAS right. Among these were
that little band now known as the Pill
grim Fathers.
Their exile to Holland was accom-
panied by many difficulties. They
were many times arrested, imprisoned,
and in every way severely prosecuted.
But their patience and pleadings at
last prevailed, and after an unsuccess-
full attempt in the autumn of 1907, they
at length succeeded, . few months
later, in accomplishing their flight to
Amsterdam, where they hoped to find
a home and place of freedom. They
finally settled at Legion, and there
they lived eleven years and supported
themselves by hard work in various
occupations.
Altho the Pilgrims were now relieved
from persecution, they we're not fully
satisfied with their new home. Had
they come to Holland as scattered
refugees, they would have been alb.
sorbed into the Dutch population
But they had come as an organized
community, and to be taken up by
another nationality was q thing that
they all dreaded. They wished to pre-
serve their E 'glish customs and speech,
And in order that their descendants
should not become like the Dutch,
they wished to find some favored spot
where they could form new nation,
and lay the cornerstone of q Chris
tian state. They had strong desire
for self-government, and the only
thing that could satisfy this desire
was migration to an unsettl I'D
country. But where was such place
to be found? 1t was too late to find
it in Europe, since every foot of its
soil was taken up. The only place in
the world, where such spot could be
found, was on the shores Of the con-
tinent that Columbus had lately dis
covered. They therefore turned their
attention toward America.
After short preparation they be-.
gan the peri|ous journey. The magni-
tuie Of the undertaking can hardly
be imagined by us in our days. To
leave everything that was known and
everything that was dear to them, and
to strike out into an unknown wilder
ness to endure no one knew what hard.
ships and dangt RS, was something to
strike terror into the strongest hearts.
But the Pilgrims were cast in heroic
mould and they preserved. The ship
in which they sailed was small and
weak. Heavy storms arose which
tire atened to send the little ship with
it's band to the bottom of the ocean.
They sailed on. The distance from
them to the shores which they left
grew longer and longer, till, on the
9th day of November, 1920, they saw
land
On the 2lst day of December the
little band of one hundred Pilgrims
stepped ashore on Plymouth Rock.
1t was pure accident that the spot
which they had selected for their future
home had already received from John
Smith the name of Plymouth, the oeau.
tiful city from which the May flower
had sailed. They were now on the
bleak and inhospitable shores of New
England. There was not much to re.
mind them of home as they stood there
on the shore, with a wilderness con.
tanning wild beasts and barbarous
indians on one side, and the noisy
Atlantic on the other. The snow.
covered grounds and the bare trees
did not resemble much the greer
groves and grass-covered hills which
they had left. But they had no time
to think of that.
They we're now in q new existence
and with willing hearts they began tc
meet the hardships which accompanied
it. To come to an unsettled wilder.
ness in the cold season was unfor.
tunate for the Pilgrims. They did no.
get houses built before the severe y in.
ter set in. So, during the winter they
suffered from cold. Sickness set in
and before spring came, ffty-one o.
the devoted band had died, while thu
surviving ones were scarcely able tt
bury the dead. Only q few of theil
hardy leaders we've able to move
about. The spring was indeed wei
come to the sick and tired peop'e
The progress of the colony wa:
slow. At first they worked together
but this plan failed; so land was ther
assigned to each settler. They elected
their own governor and made tbell
own laws. When provisions and fae
had been stored up for the ensuing
winter, Gov. Bradford appointed 9
day of Thanksgiving and praise, til.
origin of our annual Thanksgiving
festival. Town meetings were helt
and laws were passed. The history
OF New England had begun.