The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-11-19

that WAS in them. They had intense
convictions upon some things which
were very important to he observed
and they laid equal stress upon other
things which We're o correct. but
they demanded equal obedience to
them. They believed in the super
natural beyond The limits of reason
able inteiligence. They not only be-
lieved in God and his His providences
which belief is exceedingly good for
all to have. but they also believed
in witches just as intensely. They
not only believed in the bible as a
source OF religious instruction and
indeed the revelation of the highest
type o: morality for men. which is
always TO he commended. but they
also believed that the bible was alb.
solutely and literally a revelation from
God TO men. They construed the
scripture with all its iteralness. The
poetry of the scripture was literally
interpreted. The rhetoric of the scrip
ture had 70 them absolutely the force
OF the divine law. The scriptures in
Strued 20 be the direct revelation of
tho divine mind. They Went SO fai
tina; Very many OF them believed tina,
when they were in difficulty or trou-
bic il they would open the scriptures
dit random. the words which first
caught the attention OF the eye were
to them an absolute direction as to
what they should do.
With such a religious education,
With its imperfections of knowledge.
they united an intense Loyalty to those
things h a they believed TO be true.
TehN assumed to he a judge of every
one else who did not hold the same
views that they did. and regarded
them at once as belonging to a class
Of intideis that should be held in
CHECK or punished if need be. Many
a good man was prosecuted simply
because his mental attitude was not
in accord with others. This was Illus
trated in the case OF one Of their num-
Der who had more sympathy with the
Indian tribes than they did, and he
was hanished to another portion OF
New ENGLAND where he did the best
that he could to carry out his concep-
tion OF what a christian people should
10 with a savage nation. 1 wish here
to make known. incidentally. wha.
has followed in the a from that
particular form of a religious life. AS
the years have gone by that same de-
gree of intolerance has been main
tanned. and as a sequence. as people
have grown in nowledge and a wider
information, the New England people
have given rise to various forms of
religious faiths which were protests
this original one. Protestant
tism has split UP into the various div
.sions growing ~ of the differences
of opinion. Those distinctions which
are. in the popular mind. considered
orthodox and hererodox are the nat
ural result Of hiatt influence which
was eXerted by the Pilgrim fathers. 1t
has taken much will power and much
strong intellectual thought on the part
of the deseendent of old New England
to rid himself OF some Of these crudi-
ties and to come nearer than he other
wise would to the essential faith Of
christian teaching.
Preparation for Thanksgiving.
l could go much farther in discus
ing the peculiar character Of those
old Pilgrims but 1 am fearful that
l might weary my readers. l can safe
ly ssum that those who have under
stood what I have now written can
easily imagine the peculiar atmosphere
that filled the home in a community
in New England preparatory to the
coming Thanksgiving day. First OF
Iall. there was in that community a
Very positive recognition that the
good that they had received during
the year that was past had come from
the hand of the Almighty. Here is a
community faith that is highly to be
desired. There is d great difference
between the people who can see the