Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-08-21
At ProvincetoWn.

and the exercises held at this old Cape
Cod village were of a nature to inter-
est the whole country. 1t was not
only that President Roosevelt partici-
pated and in his address touched upon
matters of great Importance, but the
event Itself. the laying of the corner
stone Of a great monument to mark
the SPOT where the Pilgrims first land
cd was something in which we all
have q share 1t was at Provincetown
that those on the Mayflower landed
! and there they made their temporary
homo for several weeks while exploring
tine neighboring coast and selecting
| Plymouth as the place of their perma-
| nent settlement.
! Tn, landing at Provincetown was
| the first step in the permanent settle
| mcnt Of New England. although
| Plymouth has always been jealous Of
| the ProvincctoWn claims i'll this mat
| ter. Provincetown was only a tenn
| porary stopping place to be sure, and
| the Pilgrims left it after a few weeks.
place on American shores and in its
harbor their immortal compact was
milton has always been conceded by
historians, although of course the
greater sentimental interest has CEN
tered around Plymouth where the per
which witnessed the hardships and
sacrifices of that Pilgrim band which
made Plymouth Rock the cornerstone
of our American republic.
\ lefty monument $50 feet above sea
level and visible 50 miles or more out
at sea is to be erected at ProvincetoWn,
sufficient funds having been secured at
last through the efforts of the hiStorl-
cal associations back of the move
ment. Towering upward from the
turmoil of the waves at the base of the
rock-ribbcd hill upon which it rests.
TINS fToN lIlttlbNIl III W III Az q
symbol of the New England spirit and
will be Il shrine for American patriots
for generations to come.
1t is especially fitting that the build
ing Of this monument and the holding
of the jamestown Exposition should
occur at the same time. and in
al 1.,I un ~
the two enterprises represent very fit
tingly the events which produced
them. The jamestown settlement was
inspired by dreams of wealth and con-
quest 1t was located amid most ia
vorabic natural surrounding and yet
it proved a failure. The Plymouth
colony was not seeking gold of pleas
urt. but its members had conSecratcd
their lives to a great principle and in
their devotion to this principle their
lofty courage was mistaken by the
hardships and dangers which faced
them. Their colony lived and that
principle still lives. The landing of
the Pilgrims was the beginning of
progress which has never faltcred.
Such work as they did and such
principle rs they lived and died for are
well typified by the great monument
which is to tower skyward from the
spot where they landed.
The exercises in connection Win tic
having of the cornerstone yesterday
were worthy of such great occasion
and the speech Of President Roosevelt
,vas ono which will undoubtedly be
read with great interest throughout
the country Many things of great
national Importance have been nap
n.njnc this summer. but for the past
t,vo months the President has been at
bis summer home and his pubic utter
amos have been few. His address, )
nublishcd in full elsewhere in the jour
nal this; morning and we urge our
readers to give it careful attention