The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-07-09

al
lNM III He calls 1t "Rambles Around Old Bos
llNA ton" The publishers are Little
Brown & Co
We were three-a visiting Englishmen, the
Artist, and Antiquary, says Mr.. Bacon. The Artist
and Antiquary the gossiplng guides; the
Engshment the guided The Englishman would
do Old Boston exclusively. He had done" the
blend Of the Old and New, and would hark
back to the Old and review it In leisurely strols
among It's landmarks He had asked the Artist
and Antiquary to pilot him companionably, and
they would meet his wishes, and gladly for the
personal conducting of a stranger so saturated
with Old Boston lore as he appeared to be
could not be other than agreeable
Beyond the few measured historic memorials.
the landmarks he especially would seek
many OF them long ago annihilated in those re-
peated marches of progress of Improvement
common to all growing cities, or efaced in the
manifold markings over of the topography Of the
Old Town. than which none other In Christendom
has undergone more. Still, II not the identical
things, the sites Of select number Of them could
be identified for him, and their story or legend
rehearsed while the Artists pencil would repro
duce yet remaining bits of the Old jumbled with
the New.
Properly our initial ramble was within the mar
row bounds OF the beginnings of the Puritan cap
ital, the metropolis of the Wilderness" hanging
on the harbor's edge OF the little 'pear-shaped."
behilled peninsula, for which the founders those
"well-educated, polite persons Of good estate"
took Old Boston In England for its name and
London for It's model. The Lincolnshire borough
on the Ftham to be It's prototype only in
name. The founders would have their capital
town be to New England in its humble way what
London was to Old England So Boston was
bulded, likeness in miniature to London.
This London look and Old England aspect we
remarked, remained to and through the Revolu-
ton; and in a shadowy way remains today, our
guest would see. II was indeed a natural family
likeness, for, as the record shows Boston from
the beginning was the central point Of the most
thoroughly English community in the New World.
There infusion Of foreign element Of
consequence until the end Of the colony period
and the close Of the seventeenth century. Then
the French Huguenots had begun to appear and
mingle with the native Puritans. But while early
in the province period this element became sufi-
cent in numbers to set up church of it's own
and to bring about some softening OF the old
austerites of the Puritan town life, 1t did not
impair the English stamp. These French Hugue-
nots easily assmated in the community which
welcomed them, and in time these competent
artisans and merchants the Bowdoins, the
Faneuis, Chardons, Sigourneys, Reveres, Moli-
neuxes Greenleafs, became almost as English or
American English as the rest. Nor was the
stamp impaired by the infusion Of Scotch and
Irish into the colony in increasing numbers dur
ing the latter half of the seventeenth and the
early eighteenth centuries by the floating
population OF various nationalities naturally
drawn to a port OF consequence. as Boston was,
the chief in the colonies from the outset. These
foaters coming and going merely lent variety
and picturesqueness-or brought temporary trou-
ble-to the sober streets. Up to the Revolution
the population remained homogeneous, with the
dominating influences dstinctively OF English
lineage. When with the Revolution the English
yoke was thrown OF and the "Bostoneers' tore
down every emblem OF royalty and every sign of
a Tory and burned them in huge bonfire In
front of the old statehouse and afterward re-
named King street state" and Queen street
Court" they could not blot out its English mark
And we'll into the nineteenth century, when In
1922 Boston emerged from town to a city, the
population was still "singuarly homogeneous;
Il came to cityhood slowly and somewhat re-
luctantly after repeated attempts, the first early
in the colony period. Edmund Quincy In his
fascinating life OF his distinguished father. Josiah
Quincy. writing of the municipality in 1923 dur.
ing Josiah Quincy's first administration as mayor
he was the city's second mayor-observes: The
great Irish and German emigration had not then
set in The city was eminently English In Its
| character and appearance and probably no town
| OF it's size IN England had population OF such
unmixed English descent the Boston OF that
day II was Anglis ipsis Anglior-more English
| than the English themselves. The inhabitants OF
| New England at that time were descended. with
scarcely any admixture OF foreign blood. from the
| Puritan emigration OF the seventeenth century"
| As the founders and settlers brought with them
| ALL their beloved old home characteristics and
would transplant them, as was possible, In their
new home so we find their earliest crooked
little streets" with old London names. So the
| earlier social life grim though II was with Its
Puritanical tinge Is TO have been old English
/ In n smaller and narrower way.