Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-11-17


Nevertheless Plymouth began relatively to lose
ground. Whole communities came over in body,
bringing all classes from laborers to physicians
and clergymen; but few went to Plymouth The
Pilgrims had constituency. Their bitter OPP
position to the established church and to the Pur
tans, and their desire to be let alone efectually
Isolated them from their sister colonies.
In the next two decades Bradford Brewster, and
Standish died and Winslow returned to England
The creation of thriving towns all about Massa
chuSettS bay and to the west as far as the Con-
necticut river on the Sound, and even over on
Long Island, powerfully reacted on the little group.
Up to 1880 Plymouth the dominant force
in the New World. After that men and events
swept past her and around her until in 1891, she
was swallowed up by Massachusetts.
Their absorption into the Massachusetts colony
was easy and natural. In 1891 their creed did not
differ materially from that Of the churches founded
in Salem and in the later colonies. All the New
England churches were as completely separated
from the established church as even Robinson
could have wished
The political extinction of Plymouth was really
a triumph. The Pilgrims had conquered spiritual
ly. The New England churches were ruled by the
congregations. What they called pOpiSh practices
were everywhere ended.
Plymouth, losing her civic independence, became
first Il general possession of all New England and
then a tradition of the nation.
The little Mayfower band had become mighty
host, steadfast always in the maintenance of
individual rights, and latterly stout defenders of
religious liberty.
There are now more of the Pilgrims in the
Mississippi valley than in Massachusetts, more on
the Pacific coast than in Plymouth.
The revolt at Scrooby, so unimportant that it
was scarcely noticed by the authorities, at first
registered merely protest against established err
ror and power Then, with little conception of
the significance of their acts, the men who led
that revolt became the most successful adventures
in all history.
Europe generally regarded America much as
the Greeks regarded all the world beyond the Pill
lars Of Hercules-as unnhabitabe, except by bar
barians and full of terrible monsters Colonial
ton had previously been failure because it had
lacked knowledge and a right purpose. The I'M
charted western seas and the uneXplored western
world were almost as mysterious in 1870 as they
had been in 1892. The economic success of Plym-
outh disspated the mystery and made the CONT
nent land for citizens rather than for adventur-
ers for workers rather than for protligate peers
Europe's attitude Immediately changed, and
the New World was slowly transformed from
Botany bay into a place of imitable opportunity.
The Pilgrims were politically impracticable and
remained economically unimportant to the end
They were spiritually brave but as a body apart
they were impossible to live with They agreed
with few and few agreed with them; but they
made the great demonstration, they and not Col
umbus made the great discovery
An ancient legend tells us that the two great
rocks standing one on the southery point of
SPAIN the other over against it on the northery
point Of Africa, were torn asunder by Hercules
to admit the Atlantic and form the Mediterranean
sea. This beautiful old myth, as is the habit OF
myths fitted itself to existing facts and explained
a mystery by creating greater mystery.
The Pilgrims did not mystify They answered
the riddle over which Europe had gravely pom
dered for more than hundred years. They lifted
the curtain which for six hundred years had con-
cealed the great mystery With their feeble hands
they erected pillars that marked the entrance to
a Jew continent through which speedily poured
the food Of life that has given America to the
world.