The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1920-01-23
THE OBSERVATORY

riage to the girl.
! The book is we'll written, and an ex-
cellent one for any home that wishes
to possess brief but good Pilgrim
history.
Best Book of All.
The greatest book of all on the Pill
grim Fathers is The Bradford history.
This was written by the celebrated
governor of the Plymouth plantation
but was never printed till recent years.
1t was in the library of the pastor of
the Old South church of Boston in
l775, but after the English soldiers oc-
| cupied that building that year it dis
appeared; somtime about the middle
of the 10Th century there was publish
ed statements in England that it
seemed to students of the Pilgrim
history must have come from Brad
ford's manuscript. and diligent
search was made, when the original
was found in the library of the Bishop
of London, England. How it came
there is not known; it is supposed
some English soldier carried it across
the Atlantic and it found its way to
that library. A movement was set on
foot and through the effort of the u
S. minister to England, and other dis
tinguished Americans, particularly
Senator George F. Hoor, it was given
by the bishop of London to the state
of Massachusetts, and being received
limited edition of it was printed at
state expense; printed exactly as
Bradford wrote it, with his spelling
and abreviations The manuscript is
of priceless value, and is carefully
guarded by the state authorities at
Boston. The printed edition is
splendid specimen. of the printers
art. By direction of the legislature
many libraries of the country received
copies, and generous number given
private parties. AS a personal friend
of Senator Hoar my father-in-law re-
ceived copy, which has come to me,
and for time I will loan it to Our
library where any one may inspect it.
What's in a Namel &c.,.
In our library there are numerous
volumes of Bancroft's history; but
they are Hubert Bancroft's which are
of varying value and interest. The
original "Bancroft's history of the
United States" was written by George
Bancroft, who had an honorable place
in our American life besides his schol-
arship; for he was secretary of the
navy under President Polk and he it
was who established the naval acad-
envy at Annapolis, and he gave the
order to our navy to take possession
of California. His history is a stan
dard and being a Massachusetts, man
it was natural that he should give
large space to the origin of the Pill
grims, making clear how they differ
ed from the Puritans, from whom
they originally sprung, how they were
affected by their residence in Holland,
and particularly by residence in his
toric Leyden, how they crossed the
ocean, landed at Plymouth, and in
spite of dreadful difficulties, chung to
the soil, and finally largely permeated
the Pulitian colonists who came later;
the humble Pilgrims modifying the
aristocratic and stern Puritans in
many respects. The Pilgrims never
did, and never would have, punished
witches, and why cannot the would re-
member that while the Massachusetts,
Puritans did prosecute to death a few
they soon stopped it, and were the
first of the civilized world to do so /;
for thousands of witches were put to
death in Europe, extending over a
hundred years, after the New England
Puritans stopped it in horror.
Another Splendid Volume.
| One of the best books on the Pill
grim fathers of New England is by
an Englishman, Rev. DR.. John Brown
of Bedford, Eng, the author of the
Life of John Bunyan," who wrote
his noted Pilgrims Progress in the
old Jail in that city of Bedford. This
is one of the most thorough and care
full books ever published about the
Mayflower Pilgrims. DR.. Brown was
an original investigator, and being
an Englishman could get access to
sources Of information. Among my
many books on the Pilgrims I prize
this highly. But it is curious to note
how hard it is for an Englishman to
discriminate between Concord on the
Merrimac and Concord on the Charles
they are forever mixing Concord, N
H., with Concord, Mass. Some wears