Norwich bulletin., 1920-06-09

the Puritati faith, decided to east In
his st with the Pilgrims. Fortunate.
indeed, were they IN has coriiifis- k9I ,
he ''royed military leader whose ser-
vice they could scarcely have doc
without, doing his share of the work
OF the colony, yet keeping guard si;h
UNITING Vigilance. To the lear with
tylich he inspired ;he Indians Is sa=fe-
ly due the colohists' freed5ni from al
tack. -
John Alden. whose maine LoaEssl-
lows poem has So iiiseparlbly linked
with Stahdish's, vas a COOPER. Picked
up at .Southarilpton, who afterwards
proved one Of the most efficient men
In Edward winsiow the coioaists
found the diplomat of the colony
| While travelling in Europe he visited
| Leyden and there married Eiizzbeth
| Barker Perhaps it was through her
that ne Joined the Sepafatists and be-
came one of the number to migrate to
| America. 1t was he TO whom the. col
onists entrusted the missions requir-
| ing diplomacy as well as courage.-fof
while Standish held the Indians in
check by fear. Winslow won them by
his persuasive speech. lie was
stauncfi friend of Oliver Crofr1weifsnd
died while leading an expedition sent
! Jul. ny iililtt " Tic 1nultf.
| DR., Samuel Fuller, the connpapy's
| physician, should also Be menti6ked
! He, too, was a deacon OF the chsyrch
and later an able assistant TO the gov
| ernor.
In September, these with theft s6Hn-
panions. one hundred and two In all
set sail from Plymouth. Only ninety
could be called Pilgrims, the rest being
servants, sailors. and Adventures
| e.
mid ocean they encountered heavy
storms during which the vessel Mas
strained, and though the trouble was
remedied, the water crept into the cab
ms and below deck. causing great dis
comfort to. the passengers, who also
suffered from confinement in their
crafnped and unventiiated Quarters.
Great was their joy, then, when on
| November nineteenth land was sight
ed. Two days later they arrived in
Provincetown harbor. This being
without the bounds of their charter.
the Pilgrims wished to go further
south, but dangerous shoals decided
them to stay where they were Upon
hearing this decision those who were
not of the congregation declared them
selves free of the law. Seeing the
danger these men would be to the COL
ony, Governor Carver called a confer
etice in the cabin where the famous
compact was signed by an binding
them to Obedience to Whatever laws
might be enacted for the general good.
Immediately after, they began .Jex-
ploring the surrounding country, and
Plymouth was finally chosen as the
places for the settlement. Lots were
apporuoned and the work of building
the houses began. For days the men
toiled amid snow and biting frosts
and by spring all who survived that
terrible winter were comfortably
housed.
But the suffering had been extreme
Confinement on the ship and exposure
caused the death Of half their number
> At one time only six or seven were
vel enough to care for the sick and
bury the dead.
The Indians troubled them little. A
. treaty was made with Massasoit chic
. bf the Wampanoags. and this togeth
er with StandiSh's able rlanagen1eTit
kept them safe from Indian attack.
The new ennigrants that later ar~iv.
cd from, Leyden proved an added bur.
sen. They brought no provisions. an.
\ the colonists. being Obliged TO shar.
their food with them; were Obliged IL
snare their food with them, wer,
brought to the verge of starvation
Z I ct despite these hardships, the col
ony not only grew, but succeeded IL
repaying the London Company. Jii
Their growth, however, was SLOW
and in course of time the town wa.
Z absorbed into the Massachusetts Icoi.
ony. But the true glory of the Pr
grlms lay not in the size or wealth o
their colony but in their spirit an,
democratic ideas of government whicI
have been handed down through tn
z generations until they have become al
lnseparable part of our American life