The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1920-01-23
Of
BOOKS TOLD BY
THE OBSERVER
Third Centennial Anniversary Of
Pilgrims Landing In Decem
cember Already Awakens
Interest; Other New Volumes

bred years since the Pilgrims of the
Mayflower landed on the celebrated
rock of Plymouth, Mass. And that
historic event is to be suitably OBJ
served; the state of Massachusetts, and
patriotic societies are making arrange
ments for the celebration, and as the
Pilgrims have SO much affected the
whole country the national govern
ment will participate in the doings. 1t
was. my good fortune to be present at
the 2SOth celebration, which, although
on December 81, was perfect, though
belated, Indian summers day. The
OOth anniversary is to be held some
time in the coming summer for the
comfort and pleasure of the partici-
pants, which were not considered for
the Pilgrims themselves.
Mrs. Hemans, the English poetess,
had heard of the rocky shores of New
England, such as are to be found north
of Boston and along the coast of
Maine and she had such in mind when
in her celebrated poem she wrote:
The breaking waves dash high
On a stern and rock-bound coast"
But that does not apply to the coast
south of Boston and at Plymouth
where the shores are low, flat, sandy
and at low tide just mud flats, but
there are occasional rocks from the
glacial ice drift. Such was the blue
granite boulder at Plymouth which
supplied suitable and convenient
landing place for the first boat-load
of the Mayflower Pilgrims, and as
though prophecy of the coming Am
erican woman, it was a lively girl,
Mary Chiffon, who first stepped from
the boat to the rock and shore.
The book committee and librarian
of our city library are always antici-
pating our needs and desires, and now
have secured good, readable book on
the Pilgrims.
The Mayflower Pilgrims. BY Ed
mund James Carpenter. The Abing-
don Press, New York. 2s5 pages,
with good index.
This is not a great work from or
iginal sources, but it is an excellent
compilation, freshly written by de-
scendent of the Mayflower company.
All the salient facts are brought out
from the very beginning of the gath
ering of the Pilgrims in the eastern
counties of England, their emigration
to Holland, the spotless record they
left in the low countries, particularly
at the university town of Leyden, how
they decided to come to America,
their coming, settlement, hardships
devotion to principle and to each 9th
,er, and brief record of events till the
Plymouth colony was merged into
that of Massachusetts Bay. Their
just treatment of the Indians, and
friendship Of the Indians is shown
OF course much is made of the writ
ing of the Solemn Compact in the
cabin of the ship, for their govern.
ment, when they learned they were to
plant themselves outside the grant Of
lands originally made them; the,
would be outside the realm of tht
laws made for them in England, ane
so having the English love of lawful
ness they proceeded to establish Z
government of their own, which his
torians say is the first known in
stance in history of a people vol
untarially writing a law constitution
for their own government.
The prominent persons of the Pill
grim band are we'll described, such a:
Bradford, Brewster, Winslow, Mile!
Standish, and of course John Alder
and Priscilla Molines. 1t is curiou:
about the name of the latter, the cele
brated Priscilla. Our forefathers wer:
not exact in spelling, and Bradford
the noted Pilgrim governor spelled
Priscilla's name in three differen
ways in his history, and at last j
came to be plain Mullens; and yer,
strangely, is so now on the monu
ment at Plymouth, which has a souns
as though of Irish origin. 1t wa
really Molines, one of the French HUI
guenots who fled to Holland; an,
it is enough to settle the French or
igin of the family for all time tina
Priscilla was quick witted enough t,
ask John Alden, "Why don't yo,
anAak for ,xansa>l& Ioh. ...k>. I