The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1922-11-30
PILGRIMS NOT
ALWAYS blue"
Also, Writer Asserts, Far More
/. Liberal Minded Than Is
Generally Believed.
Differed Widely From the PurItans,
Though Popular Belief Has Coupled
Them-Former Body Permeated
With Aristocracy.

With Aristocracy.
thanksgiving always suggests to us
that double impulse Of respecting
Christian ideals and of feasting plenti-
fully. The latter element is quite pre-
dominant in the general attitude to-
ward the day.
1t would be good idea to hyphen-
ate the words Thanks Giving" for in
that way the word "giying" rather
than taking" would be emphasized
and thus be in better accord with the
true spirit Of the day. In any event,
we are all very thankful that in our
country we still express our gratitude
to the Lord In the same language used
by the Pilgrims three hundred years
ago in 1921, writes Prof. B. ]. Cigrand,
member Of faculty, University Of H.
linois. in the Chicago American.
1t is to be regretted that so many
people use the terms Pilgrim and
Puritan INTERCHANGEABLE. In reality
they are widely different.
Pilgrims LiberaI-Minded.
The Pilgrims were liberal-minded
people. They were double Protestants,
having rebelled against not only the
Roman Christian methods but also
against the regal or English govern
ment church. In the belief that they
could not reform the former and GER
tainly not amend or change the lat.
ter, they chose to go to Holland and
later to America, there to worship as
they pleased.
The Puritans believed they could
alter the Episcopal or government
church, so they remained faithful to
the regal religion and the sovereign.
The Pilgrims were liberal minded, far
more SO than they are given credit
for being, while 1t was the Puritans
who were strict.
The Pilgrims taught equality. They
said "love one another" and their
cordiality and hospitality toward new
Corners is one of the sweetest memoir
les of pioneer America.
They were aver anxious to win peo-
pie to Christ, without completely max.
ing over the new recruit. 1t Is wrong
to charge them with even "exacting
that all in their midst be Of their
faith" for of the 102 who came over
in the Mayfiower, all were not of the
same faith.
When the Puritans of Boston (and
they came many years subsequent to
the Pilgrims) made 1t so unpleasant
for Roger Williams, 1t was the PHI
grim community Of Plymouth which
welcomed him and made his trip to
Rhode Island safe by insuring> kindly
treatment from the Indians. Williams
was banished by the Puritans for as
sorting ut is wrong to prevent man
from holding Office IL he be not
Christian"
Chung to Old English Idea.
The Puritans, too, were aristocrat-
ic. They chung to the old English
idea that man was measured by
his blue blood-and again some blue
and bloated pocketbook.
: But not so with the Pilgrims. They
cared nothing about blood and less
about the kings metallic picture. The
Puritans were the Republicans Of New
England and the Pilgrims were the
Democrats.
The former decided they would not
associate with the easy-going "equali-
ty community" as they called the
Pilgrims. Soon after the Lord caused
a great sickness to fall upon the Bos-
ton colony Governor Endicott' was
Obliged to beg Governor Bradford Of
Plymouth to please come to our res
cue and send Doctor Fuller, that fam
GUS physician, to take care Of the
sick colony" This siege Of illness
united these two colonies and they
formed the Congregational church.
The pictures we paint Of these peo<
pie causes the rising generation to
shun contact with these well-mean-
Ing early Americans. There Is more
cruelty In the average-sized communi-
ty today, there is more tyranny In the
land this moment among industrial
classes, more unreasonable civic tax
alton, to say nothing Of various re-
ligious restrictions, than was exacted
in those days Of the Pilgrims regime.
There have been more unjust accu-
sations against these nation found
ers' than Americans realize.
Those people were not half as "blue"
or severe as we have been led to be-
lieve. They were human and most
charitable Let us teach and preach
to love and revere them.
Laws Did Not Exist, II Claim.
Arthur Gilman, a great authority on
legal affairs In the colonies. writes
that st is almost needless to say that
the so-called. blue laws, which have
been made the butt and joke and OBJ
feet Of violent objurgation, were never
In existence in that colony, but were
MANUFACTURED by a writer who desired
to hold the colony up to .ridicule."
Certified copies Of these blue laws
fail to materialize. In fact New
Jersey, Virginia, and parts Of the
South, were by far more strict about
the observance of the First Day" as
the Sabbath was called. New Jersey
forbade travelling for pleasure, or 9TH
er similar recreation. nfractions Of
these rules might be punished by the
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