The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1905-02-03
fret (
New Year's
Of !1s Pilgrims

tan settlement of New Eng
land and the planting by the
| pilgrim fathers in American soil OF
the germ of freedom from which has
grown our great republic.
On Nov. II. 1920. the good ship May
! flower. with the devoted band which
! had brayed the perils of seas almost
| unknown to seek. in a new world the
/ liberty of conscience denied them il
| the old, had anchored in the harbor of
/ Provincetown. On that same day the
/ pilgrims had chosen John Carver fos
! their governor and had sent ashore an
armed delegation to select a spot on
/ which to pitch the pilgrims tents. But
| these pioneers, though they found no
| hostile inhabitants, discovered no ac-
| commodatiOns for a permanent colony
/ After brief explorations an eXpedi-
ton was dispatched to circumnavigate
| Cape Cod bay and find a better haven.
| On Dec. the scouts landed on
! Clark's island $50 named from the
| Mayflower's mate. who was of the
| partly The next day, which was Sat
urday. they explored the island, on the
| Sabbath they rested, and on Monday.
| Dec. II, they sounded the harbor and
marched also into the land and found
divers cornfields and running brooks,
4 place very suitable for situation
Then they returned TO the ship,
which by the end of the week was
safely anchored i'll Plymouth bay.
The selection of site for the pro
posed town and the preparation of ma
terials delayed until after Christmas day
the beginning of the first house for COM
mon use to receive the pilgrims and
their goods, but by New Years day
house lots had been assigned and most
Of the company had left the ship for
home on shore ana were busily at
work rearing their habitations. Tra-
dition divides the honor of first step
ping on Plymouth rock between John
Alden and Mary Chiffon. On New
Years morning Il solemn service was
| held to thank the good God who had
guided them across the waters to this
beautiful haven and to ask his blessing
upon the village they were building.
The common house was erected
near "Burial hill," on the road which
left the shore just south OF Plymouth
rock. and next to it Peter Brown built
himself a house. About this nucleus
there was soon Il wcll ordered little
town. Yet the exposures incident to
the founding OF the colony told severe
y upon all, and before summer nearly
half the band Of 102 which had land
ed on New Years dag had succunbcd.
But the spirit of the survivors was un-
broken, and when the Mayflower in
April sailed honcwarI not one of the
col0nists went in her, 50 sweet was
the taste of freedom even in the shad-
ow of death. Traces of the ncarness
Of Indians were numerous. but it was
rot until March that savage visited
thc settlement This savage, who an
nounccd himself as Samosct. a native
Of ths eastern parts" Or the coast of
Mainc. where contact with English
fishermen had given the Indians some
knowledge of the English language,
told them in broken speech that the
name Of their settlement was Paw
tuXct. He told them also that about four
ed most of the natives of that region,
so that there was now no one to dis
pu.e the pilgrims possession of thc
territory
They learned fren Samoset that
their nearest neighbors were tie Wam-
panoacs Of Narragansett Bay, whose
chief was Massasoit Soon afte.ward
Aassasoit himself came ana made
treaty of peace with the pilgrims,
which was observed for fifty-four
years.
In April Governor Carver died, and
William Bradford was elected his sue
ccssor. under whose Eenefcent rule the
colony progressed materially, and in
The following November the ship For
tune from London brought welcome
additions to their small population and
tie royal patent which confirmed for
ever the pilgrims in their occupation
Of Plymouth bay.
an episcopal bishop went to the polls
in Philadelphia. accompanied by three
colored servants who are voters. all
four dcpositing their ballots with
heads uncovered. Voting is a solemn
duty. if rot sacred one. and ii will
he a step in advance when every voter
approaches the polling place in Il spiri:
oI reverence Tor MS own ACT ANA tne
acts of his fellow citizens. In order t.
Eaye a truly representative govern
ment tho voter must vote according to
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