The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-12-28
Editorial
of the. Day
WHAT WE OWE THE PURITAN
(Fron Ada News


Concerning the Pilgrims who landed
at Plymouth. three hundred years ago
Nhis week il is interesting to read in
the reports Of the many celebrations
Of that historic landing shat the Pi-
grlms came to America for the sake
of religious freedom and to- estab-
lish liberty Of conscience. The truth
Of the matter is the Pilgrims were in
one respect just like the rest OF the
world-a. that time. They We're strongly
in fuvog Of religious freedom when
It was their own freedom involved,
but vcry bitterly opposed to religious
freedom when it concerned someone
else.
I'm the wilds oi Massachusetts the
Pilgrims found religious liberty. TneS
established their own churches and
worshipped in their own way. But
woe to those who differed from them
in doctrinal and ecclesiastical matters.
Tho early history Of, Massachusetts,
is a story of religious intolerance and
/ persecution. The Puritans Of Eos
ton made short shift Of Quakers and
Baptists and other sects who failed
TO subscribe TO the Puritan beliefs.
/ Quakers were hanged on Boston Com
mons. Baptists were driven into the
wilderness nf Rhode Island where they
granted religious liberty TO all sects
at Providence.
/ Liberty of conscience was not the
cause of the Puritan migration. The
Puritan fathers were not seeking lib
ery Of conscience. They were seeking
the authority of individual conscience
an authority that caused them TO de-
fy all power but that of Goi alone
and 10 reject the authority OF all
priests and prela.es. They acknowlcdg-
ed no earthly control but the control
! of Their own conscience. They lol-
lowed its Dictates in every case IN
spite OF all the powers Of Rome and
Canterbury They were willing TO die
for conscience Slkc. but at the same
time they considered all other sec,s
as followers Of anti-Chiist and were
willing to die TO drive such sec,s from
The face Of The e1rtn.
Liberty Of conscience and its con-
sequence. religious liberation, were not
the fruits OF the Puritan migration.
Those things came later. But the un
compromising zeal with which the
Puritan insisted on the authority ol
conscience inevitably lead the popular
izing of free education and the growth
a. ha tksili
of God individually * was necessary
for the individual to read tnc Bible,
In order that their children might
be able to read the Bible school was
opened IN the shadow Of every church
Thus from the beginning of The colony
Massachusetts became a stronghold ol
free education,
Democracy rose and flourished
among The puritans \ people acknow'
Lodging no earthly authority but theii
own conscience could not possibly
he true tu the doctrine of divine right
Of kings .By the very nature Of thcii
religious convictions they were grad
.ually alienatc1 from the ideas o
monarchy ana kingscraft ana led faI
towards the recognition of the equal
ity OF men. \ people who acknow
lcdgcd no superior but God ana n,
guide hut conscience became as ,
matter Of couwc pioneers In the caus,
OF American democracy.
While We are, therefore mot I'm
debtcd tn the Puritan for religious
freedom and liberty OF conscience ",
are heavily iud,sted TO him FOR mucl
of our progress In free education an,
much Of our development In demo
cratic government, The religion h,
brought 10 America was not OF th'
happiest, but Il was Kind tina, do
velopcI Co. God-f,aring. law-abldinl
, people. and one whose impress ol
American llfe and government ha
given our civilization It's crowninl
. glory