The New York herald., 1921-01-02

known to have been at any time q
member OF the Pilgrim church, was
not when engaged as military leader
Catholic, or that John Alden was
not an Irishman. Had not the older
church corporation been then repre-
sented by war. desolation, Spain and
the Inquisition. we see nothing In the
contemporaneous Pilgrim writings or
record to nurse animosty against those
Christians who held to the medieval
tradition.
In Plymouth, Mass, besides tolerat-
ing people Of divers religious opinions
so long as they behaved themselves
decentiy-the Pilgrims fraternized
with them. The records of the Old
Colony show that people were disci-
plined for breaches of morals and con-
duct, but not for their opinions.
Roger Williams was not then the
settled down old gentleman OF fifty
years later, but youthful Welshman
whose head was full of notions which
he himself later considered wild.
1t was the Puritans of the Bay
Colony, not the Pilgrims, who ban
ished him to Rhode Island He reused
the ire Of these white lords Of the soil
by his assertion Of aboriginal owner
ship of the land. He denied that King
James had any right to dispose of
it without native consent. In other
words, the Puritans vehemently held
to the dogma that Providence-as
represented by themselves-had given
them the heathen for an inheritance.
Who does not remember Mark Twain's
jest about the English people being the
only modern nation mentioned In the
Bible-because they were meek" and
Inherited the earth?
No doubt some, both Of the free and
the state churchmen of Massachusetts,.
paid the Indians for the land they
occupied. Yet we should be glad In
deed TO read in any English charter
what is down In black and white and
In strictest grammar In the Dutch
West India charter. that all lands set
tied upon, not may or might, but mast
be paid for. OF this fact and truth
the unique treasure Of wampum belts
long possessed by New York before
the fire I'm the Albany Capitol bore
eloquent witness. No other State ever
euualled It. It Is true that Pennsyl-
vania ranks next in proof of justice
to the Indian. but Governor Minuit OF
Manhattan set the precedent for Penn
and all others.
To condense long story which lies
patent on the pages Of the somewhat
voluminous contemporary literature
by and about the Pilgrims, their story
of unity in diversity, Of pluribus
unum, or out OF many one. shows the
prototype Of and tells a parable for
our Union of forty-eight sovereign
States. The century old stale argu-
ment Of autocracy, that democracy
was impossible on a large scale, is now
after three centuries disproved.
Democracy, safeguarded by law or
liberal representative government, is
now the rule Nor did Andrew Car
negie. the poor boy in the land OF
opportunity. misname his book. Vir-
glnia led in representative govern
ment, as our own Lady Astor has
so frequently reminded her British
compeers, but the Pilgrims first i'm
ported democracy to our shores. Sure
ly the secret of their success was self
control under the higher sanctions and
freedom OF conscience so consistently
practised.
Our opportunity and our duty are
manifestly one-to Americanize the
alien on our shoresl If we fail in this
disaster surely awaits us. for the aver
age emigrant ship of to-day carries no
such cargo OF ideas and people as
freighted the Half Moon of 1909 or
the Mayfiower of 1920 or the New
Netherland of 1924.
Yet If we are able to unite and har-
monize all the cultures and inheri-
tances of the many strains OF human
ity seeking our land even as well as
the Pilgrims did, who can doubt that
our Republic will produce the grand
est commonwealth, the noblest typo
of man and for his helpmate the most
beautiful woman our race has ever
seen? Such is the orthodox creed OF
true Americanism. AS Of old. II can
be said OF those who in this ventu
of faith believe and try:
"They can. because they think they
can"