The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-10-15


and martyr.
The decree that they who will not
work shall not eat is considered
in the abstract and our youth are led
to believe that in one instance the
Puritan of the seventeenth century
yielded to humane impulse and per-
formed an act out of harmony with
all other acts. Nothing is further
| from the truth. The Puritan was an
aristocrat. He believed in a govern
ment of the few; union of church
and state. At no time since were
caste lines more closely drawn. Title,
wealth and creed served as a spretext
for the mastery. Caste in New
England then was as inflexible as
that of Brahmin. but lacked prece-
dent. The Puritan lacked precedent
for any act he ever did. In religion,
he was a relentless Calvinist Cal
|vinism was his code as well as his
creed. He brooked no opposition.
The unoffensive Brownists were de-
Iported. The treatment of Anne
Hutchinson was unjustifiable in the
extreme.
We desire our readers to consider
that famous decree, "no work, no
FEAT" with some circumstances having
a direct bearing upon 1t. The Puri-
tans recognized no inalienable rights
of the Indians. Land was granted to
individuals in accordance with their
wealth. Those who possess much
wealth received much land, Those
lwEo possessed but littl wealth sre-
lceived but little land. The law pro-
hibited anyone selling land to Indians
but rum was sold to them without
lstint. There was placed upon the
s1atute books law providing that
wine should be sold to the Indians
for the reason, that nothing should
ibe withheld from them that God al
|loweth to all" When the decree
that they who do not work, shall
mot eat" was issued, magistrates
were given discretionary authority
orders were issued to erect house
of correction The result anticipated
was realized. Pauperism actually in
creased, thus affording the high caste
Puritan ample supply of laborers eth
er as paupers or petty criminals, and
a multiplicity of officers to MAIN
tain discipline. BY decree. the In
dian was tramp. vagabond, an
allen In his own country. BY design,
he was a slave or a criminal. The
Puritans regarded wine as belonging
to God but the land belonged to
1.-THE Adversary and his heirs them
selves. Whatever may be the desire
|of historians, the Puritan OF the sew
,enteenth century, will be considered
lin charity rather than in justice, for
in the poverty Of human language, he
continues to revel in charity.
Historians of even the present day
seek to condone the crimes of the
Puritan and offer extenuating cir
cumstanees that are foreign to the
subject to sustain their position, but
their own words manifest gross in
consistency and are contradictory up
on their very face. We quote the
! following from Elson's History Of the
United States, pages 1888; But the
most striking feature in the life of
New England is found in its religion.
The state was founded upon religion,
and relSssch was its life, The entire
political, social and industrial fabric
was built on religion. Puritanism
was painfully stern and somber: 1t
was founded upon the strictest, un-
Modified Calvinism; 1t breathed the
lair of legalism rather than free grace
and receivedits inspiration from the
IOld Testament rather then the new
There was CLEAN of truth in the
lcharge of Mrs. Hutchinson that the
IPuritans lived under covenant OF
works. This was because they had not
yet fully grasped the whole truth OF
divine revelation. No further PROOF
lof the legalistic tendencies of Puritan
worship Is needed than glance at
their on laws. A man, for example,
was fined, imprisoned, or whipped, for
mon attendance at church services.
He was dealt with still more harshly
lif he spoke against religion or denied
1.-The divine origin of any book OF the
bible. Laws were made that tended
Ito force the conscience, to curb the
freedom of the will. and to suppress
1.-THE natural exuberance of youth-laws
THAT could not have been enacted and
enforced by people who compre-
lhended the full meaning Of Gospel
liberty, or had caught that key note
of religious freedom sounded by the
ancient prophet and resounded by
st, Paul and Luther, "The just shall
live by faith.
Nevertheless there is no more ad-
Imirable character in history than the
New England Puritan OF the seven
'teenth century. His unswerving de.
Ivotion to duty, his unlimited courage
based upon the fear of God, his love
|of liberty and hatred of tyranny
these are the qualities that have en-.
Ithroned him In the memory of the
, American people. We deplore the mar
roness and intolerance of the Puri
tans; but they were less narrow
and intolerant than the English ant
most of the Europeans of that day
mi n lx..l IL.