The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-12-10

remain English, they could not return to England
without risking contamination by contact with
Puri:ans and Anglicans.
The wilderness of America, with all its terrors,
seemed to offer them the essential conditions
They early decided not to go to jamestown De-
cause the Episcopal church was already established
there. They tried to get definite concessions from
the established church to their own government
and worship, and then abandoned such attempts
Finally, in June 1919, they got patent from the
Virginia company. They concealed their real pur-
pose, and got the patent in the name of John WIN
cob. They hoped to sail without revealing VINO
they were and what they purposed. Later they
abandoned this patent for another granted by the
Virginia company to John Peirce and associates
Under this instrument their anonymity was COM
plete
They then negotiated seven-year contract with
Thomas Weston and group Of London merchants
afterward known as the Adventures The con-
tract as first arranged covered the financing OF
the enterprise and planned to set up trading
post. The question then was-hOW many wouio
go across the sea, and who?
It was decided that II majority voted to go.
Robinson should lead them; if the majority voted
not to CO. Brewster should lead those who went.
The majority voted not to go, and Robinson never
saw the New world.
On September 16, 1920, the MayfOwer left
Plymouth on her immortal voyage In mid ocean
weaknesses In the ship. Land was sighted on the
nineteenth Of November. The sailors said 1t was
Cane Cod: so they turned south, as they were
under Virginia patent and must land In territory
controlled by the Virginia company. They quick
~ ran into the shoals and breakers that lie about
the cape, and then turned northward.
In doing this they abandoned their patent en-
tirely. The famous compact signed ID cue -na'-
flowers cabin before they landed was drawn up
NOT as a kind of earlier Declaration OF Indepen-
dome as orators me out of mind have said, Dut
hec luse some of the men denied that Bradford mad
any authority them after the patent nad Deeh
abandoned The new instrument was intended 10
he declaration that all stood on an equai Iootihs
The critical period of the Plymouth colony was
from 1920 to 1927. In those seven years its iouiu
ars achieved the success and rendered the unique
service that have nightly influenced the suose
auent development of the world
These were not the first religious Zealots VINO
landed in the New World. for the Huguenots had
preceded them; nor was Plymouth the hrst eo
ony. for many settlements had been MADE carrier
but they first interpreted America to Europe me
thing that~fmpressed Europe was not the hlgh
ideals of the Pilgrims, not their religious devotoh
the fact that counted was their economic success.
n is not easy for us to understand what 1t
meant in those days to demonstrate TO the olo
World that men could i've could even prosper III
the New Worlds without aid from over the SEA.
Ne one had previously done 1t; no one beheVed i
could be done. The men and women OF Plymouth
came to the New World to make homes to stlck
even though they died in the struggle. They stuck
and they died. In the first year more than one
half their number died. In the next SIX years, our
of a population of one hundred and ninefy-nine
only six died>
The great Puritan migration which began In
1627-which directly created Massachusetts, and
had an almost Unreasonable influence In founding
New England-was the direct result not OF the
pilgrims religious beliefs but of the economic sue
cess achieved at Plymouth
six. possibly more; of the guarantors OF the Bay
colony had been members OF the Adventures VINO
purchased the Mayiower and backed the Original
anternrise They knew the whole story 'ntinatel.
and orofted by the experience.