The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-04
WAS CROMWELL
THE FATHER OF
OUR DEMOCRACY?
Speaker at Chautauqua Pays
High Tribute to "Old
Ironsides" Interest
ing Lecture

Lauding Oliver Cromwell as the
father of modern democracy" the
Rev. Newell Dwight Hills delivered a
most interesting lecture yesterday az
ternoon before the Bridgeport Chau-
tauqua assembly, in which he told In
a most interesting manner of the ire
mendous blows struck for modern lib
erty by "Old Ironsides.''
Mr.. Hills not only showed what
Cromwell did for England but what
the brewers son did for America, in
fact, for the civilized world Of to-day
He struck the blow that broke the
back Of the theory of the divine right
Of kings. He opened UP the way for
every existing institution of Democ-
racy, and for religious liberation.
Mr.. Hills lecture was by no means
in the cut-and-dried style of biogra-
ply, in fact there was little or moth
ing biographical about it and it was
interspersed with side-1ights upon the
England of Cromwelps time, the Eng
land Of to-day, and modern institu-
tions brought into existence by the
great protector.
The speaker sketched very inter
estingly the conditions that prevailed
in England at the time that Crom-
well was boy. The entire wealth OF
England was in the hands of 1000
people, while about 100000 were prac-
tically penniless English navy
there was none; English commerce.
about England and captured almost
every ship that dared put forth, short
of man of war. One of the pirates
grew so bold that he made raid one
fair day upon London, went through
the main streets of the town. cap
tured 500 citizens Of London, threw
them into chains and sold them into
slavery in Turkey.
John Elliott, brave Englishnan, re-
scented this shameful piratical raid
BY straining every resource he gath
cred the money to equip ship, man
ned it, and set out in pursuit Of the
pirate. He captured the leader and
brought him before King Charles.
The king thanked John Elliott and
then took the pirate captain aside
and bargained with his fellow pirates
for ransom. Fifteen purses of gold
was the kings price; the pirates said
ten. Finally twelve was hit upon as
compromise agreement.
4 "And say that Judas Iscariot was
better than King Charles said DR.
Hills; Judas Iscariot sold his mas
silver and got them; but King Charles
: sold his country for II purses of gold
and gave 10 per cent discount fol-
cash. And yet I was in a Philadel-
pha church the other day and on a
stained glass window I saw a picture
Of the English king and under it were
the words, ST. Charles -
DIR. Hills then sketched the Incl
dents which led up to the war between
King Charles and the people, in which
Cromwell was induced to take charge
of the forces of the English people.
with the result of the annihilation OF
the royal army and the final capture
Of the traitor king.
The reason for CromwelPs destruc-
ton of the 400 castles in England, the
stronghold of feudalisn,' was graph
cally portrayed by the speaker, who
also commented humorously on the ut
ter idiocy with which most of the
modern histories Of Cromwell comment
on the subject.
GO home and look at your Life
Of Cromwell said DR.. Hills and you
will find that Cromwell had no taste
for architecture hence. he destroyed
the beautiful old English castles -
The speaker explained that as q
matter of fact Cromwell's taste in art
was Of the highest-as Protector OF
England he purchased the paintings of
Raphael for the country-and half of
these were afterwards sold by the
next King Charles, to replenish the
royal pocketbook. Cromwell founded
the Royal Academy of Art and gave
the first endowment in any country
for music and opera. And yet because
he was forced from vital necessity to
destroy the rock-ribbed castles which
had so long sheltered oppression,
tyranny and feudalism, his modern
traducers accuse him of having had
mo taste in architecture
AS for the personality of Cromwell,
the speaker described him as a man
Of the greatest purity of life. God