The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-06-24

LAUDS PILGRIMS
DR.. FL. I. Sell Urges Local
People to Remember
the Mayfower.
A SCHOLARLY SERMON.


"The Pilgrims were a sturdy folk,
racing life or death fearlessly. Theirs
was real religion, serious but not
sentimental During the first winter
at Plymouth ffty-one of their number
died, ffty-one out of ninety-two. But
they were undaunted. They planted
wheat above the graves Of their dead
that the Indians might not know how
weak they were. This was the spirit
Of the Pilgrims, a spirit that con-
quered all adversieses and planted
freedom in a new world"
This was the tribute paid to the
Pilgrim-fathers at Kenosha's celebra-
tion of the tercentenary Of their land
ing at Plymouth, held in the First
Congregational church Sunday morn
ing. The services were made memoir
able by the singing Of the Misses Yerda
Noren, Margaret Becker and Edna Cam
eron, and by the sermon preached by
DR.. H. E. Sell, pastor of the church.
Pilgrims Were Apostles.
"The Pilgrims were a prepared peo-
pie for prepared place." said DR..
Sell "They landed at point in Mas
sachusetts that had been desolated by
the plague in the year preceding their
arrival. For the Indians it was
horror-place. Consequently they did
not annoy the newcomers during the
first months of their great adventure.
Later they sent them a bundle of ar
rows as a declaration of war Captain
Miles Standish answered the challenge
with snake-skin, filled with powder
and bullets. The Indians did not at
tack. Even they seemed to understand
that the Pilgrims were made of
sterner stuff and that they were pro-
tected by a Power against which all
arrows were powerless."
Especially impressive was DR.. Sells
explanation Of the Pilgrims place in
history. He divided the progress of
Christianity into four distinct periods.
1. The congregational period, A. D..
30-S26, during which the church had a
congregational government without
overseers; 2. The papal period,
325-1635; 8. The Protestant Reform,
1535-1629, characterized by gross &C.
clesiastical abuses in England; 4. The
Pilgrim period, 1620-192O, in which
have come both political and religious
freedom as a result of the courage
of the Pilgrims.
The latter period was discussed with
unusual thoroughness and brilIiancy.
Carefully following the life and his
tory Of the Pilgrims, DR.. Sell showed
conclusively that they had been more
than party, an ideal; that they had
advocated a return to Apostolic con-
gregationalism that had stimulated
freedom both in and out of the church;
and that their Compact" drawn up in
the cabin of the Mayfower before they
landed at Plymouth was, as Bancroft
asserted, "the first instance in history
Of constitutional government based
on manhood suffrage" He also ex-
planned how the Pilgrim movement had
given rise to the more political Puri-
tan movement and had made possible
the preaching of John Wesley and the
founding of the Methodist church.
Lovers of Liberty.
''The words of the text" he declared
in conclusion, fare as pertinent today
as when Paul wrote them to the
churches in Galatia: Stand fast, there
fore, in the liberty, wherewith Christ
hath made you free They were an
inspiration to the Pilgrims and they
continue to be that to all who are
loyal to the faith of their fathers
and who desire, like them, to be fol-
lowers of the Clean"
Following the sermon the congrega-
ton sang the Pilgrim Hymn to the
stately melody of Duke Street. 1t was
surpassed in impressiveness only by
the special music for the service,
which included splendid trio inter
pretatio nof "Hark, Hark, Ny Soul,' by
the Misses Noren, Becker and Cameron
and an exquisite solo rendition Of "Out
of the Deeps" by Miss Cameron.