Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-10-24
FROM OUR REPORTERS.
PRIZE ESSAY.
and the Thirteen Original Col
onieS.


and the Thirteen Original Col
onieS.
jamestown, the first English town
permanently settled in the New World,
was founded in 1907. There the first
Americn Legislative Assembly met in
1919. Negro slaves were introduced
the same year. The cultivation of
tobacco built up commerce and largely
increased the population but did not
favor the growth of ftowns.
Now let us inquire something about
the character of the men who planted
this settlement. They were men poor
ly adapted to indure the hardships of
life in new country. The settlers
about one hundred in number-were
mostly men of gentle birth, unused to
labor. They had no families and came
here in search of wealth and adven-
ture. The climate was unhealthful
and before the first autumn, half their
number including Gosnold, their lead
er, had perished. Then came romantic
John Smith, and saved the colony
from ruin. He taught the men how to
swing an ak, and declared that those
who would not work must not eat He
taught them that industry and self-re-
lance are the surest guarantees to for
tune Many interesting things are
told of John Smith in connection with
jamestown. To tell all of these would
fill large book. History loves to tell
us that one time he was captured by
the Indians and only saved from death
by the pleadings of a brave little Indian
girl named Pocahontas. This girl after
ward did much for the colony and was
later married to one of the colonist,
John Rolfe. Many of the leading
families of Virginia have been proud
to say that the blood of Pocahontas
coursed through their veins. If you
were to take trip up the James river
now all you would see of the settle
ment of Jamestown would be the ruins
of the old church. The crumbling
tower, with the arched doorways, is al.
most hidden by the schrubbery which
surrounds it. And this with few
weather beaten tombstones is all thatre-
mains of the first permanent English
settlement in America.
Henry Hudson in 1909, sailed up the
river which bears his name. He was
an Englishman but was sailing under
the Dutch flag, so the Dutch took pos
session of the country and called it
New Netherlands. On Manhatten Is-
land they founded the city of New
Amsterdam. England and France were
both jealous of the colony, and in 1864
England took possession of it and
named it New York in honor of James
Duke of York
The Dutch first claimed possession of
what is now New Jersey. The English
Duke of York seized the country and
gave it to two of his friends, Lord
Berkley, and Sir George Carteret, NAM
ing the province from the British Isle
of Jersey. A company then bought
the land, granting to the settlers most
of the privileges of self-government.
In 1902 the Quaker proprietors sur
rendered their rights to the English
and New Jersey became royal colony
until the Revolution.
Leaving these settlements in the
south let us go up the coast as far asCape
Cod Bay. Here on stormy day in
Autumn 1920 band of Pilgrims land
ed. The little band of one hundred
and two, men, women and children
had come over in the Mayfower, in
search of a place where they could wor-
ship God as they pleased. They were
rugged, hearty class of people we'll
suited this wild country they had come
to subdue. Nevertheless they suffered
much during that first winter and half
of the little band perished either from
cold or starvation. Yet when spring
comes and the Mayfower is ready to
sail for England not one of the Pill
grims thinks of returning with her.
They were rewarded for their per-
severance and hard work for they left
us colony, which in after years be-
came one of the noblest states of this
grand Republic, Massachusetts. Mas
sachusetts was first of the colonies in
which her people assembled in town.
meeting and established government
for the people and public schools for
the children.
New Hampshire originally formed
part of the Maine or the Mainland,
English colonists settled Dover and
Portsmouth. Emigrants from Massa-
chussets and Scotch-Irish later found
ed the towns of Exeter and London
derry. The Scotch Irish set up the