ANCIENT AMERICAN CIVILIZATION.
COLUMBUS DESTROYED PAPAL DOGMAS—CRUELTY OF SPANIARDS—THEIR RETRIBUTION—RELICS IN MASSACHUSETTS—NEWPORT TOWER—MOUNDS IN OHIO—REMAINS FOUND IN IOWA—PLATES FOUND IN ILLINOIS—ANCIENT MEXICAN PYRAMIDS—HUMAN SACRIFICES—VIEW FROM THE GREAT PYRAMID—ANCIENT AMERICAN SCULPTURES—MAMMOTHS—MEXICAN CUSTOMS—RELIGIOUS RITES—COMPUTATION OF TIME—ARTS AND SCIENCES—DESCRIPTION OF PERU—ITS CIVILIZATION—MASSACRE OF THE INCAS—TESTIMONY OF TRAVELLERS—INDIAN TRADITIONS.
In ancient times, Rome had taught that the earth was flat; and that the whole habitable world was comprised in the three divisions of the eastern continent. To these divisionswere assigned respectively the descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth, the three sons of Noah.
When America was discovered, these dogmas were obliged to fall. If indeed Columbus had, as he supposed, reached the Indies by a westward voyage, then the world was proven to be a vast ball. If on the other hand America was a separate continent, divided from the eastern by a wild waste of waters of many thousand miles in extent, as was shown by the voyage of Magellan, a few years later, then it was found necessary to account for the origin of the inhabitants.
The teachings of Rome were altogether against their being descended from Adam, since none such were mentioned in their scriptures. The protestant sects were too busy in their rivalries, dissensions and civil wars, to give much attention to the subject. The stupendous event recorded in Gen. x. 25, seems to have entirely escaped their notice. Hence they proceeded to act towards the unfortunate inhabitants of ancient America, as though they did not belong to the human race.
The conquest of Mexico and Peru by the Spaniards will ever remain one of "the bloodiest pictures in the book of Time." By millions upon millions, whole races and nations were ruthlessly destroyed. It was one unspeakable outrage, one unutterable ruin, without discrimination of age, sex or character. Those who fell not by the sword, died under the lash in a tropical clime, or perished in the darkness and dampness of the mines. From the fever-stricken coast of Mexico, and the gloom of dense forests in Central America; from hiding places in the clefts of the rocks, and from the eternal snows of the Andes, where there was no witness but the all-seeing eye of God, there went up to Him a cry of human despair.
The Bishop of Chiapa affirms that more than fifteen millions were destroyed in his time. From Mexico and Peru was crushed out a civilization that might have instructed Europe.
What treasures would now be given for a view of that wonderful civilization and people that met the gaze of Cortez and his companions!
Ancient Peruvian Residence.
Is it for nothing that Spain has been made a hideous skeleton among the nations—a warning spectacle to the world? Had not her punishment overtaken her, men would have surely said: "There is no retribution; there is no God." She has been the instrument in the hands of Rome of ruining two civilizations: an eastern and a western: and both of theseed of Abraham; and in turn she has been ruined thereby herself.
With circumstances of dreadful barbarity, she expelled the Jews and Saracens who had become the children of her soil by a residence of more than seven hundred years, and in America destroyed nations, in some respects more civilized than herself. By expulsion she lost some of her best citizens; and the wealth of Mexico and Peru, induced habits of luxury and effeminacy among the remainder. Her great cities have sunk into insignificance, and towns that once boasted of more than a million inhabitants can now only show a few scanty thousands. Surely the hand of God is visible in the degradation of Spain.
It is not alone the massive ruins of Central America, Yucatan, Peru and Mexico, that astonish the beholder. In almost every part of the western continent may be found the footprints of a mighty race, now vanished from the earth.
In the copper mines on the shores of Lake Superior, have been found the implements of those who worked in those mines many centuries ago. These instruments are made of copper, yet some of them are of so fine a temper that they will turn the edge of the best steel instruments of our times.
A few years ago, in digging down a hill near the town of Fall River, Massachusetts, a mass of earth slid off uncovering a human skull which was found to belong to a human skeleton buried in a sitting posture. When the covering was removed, the astonished workman saw that the trunk of the skeleton was encased in a breastplate of brass. This breast plate was oval in form, about thirteen inches long, ten in width and nearly one-fourth of an inch in thickness. Below the breastplate, and entirely encircling the body, was a belt composed of brass tubes, each four and a half inches in length and one-fourth of an inch in diameter. The poet, Longfellow, has written a poem on this subject with which, no doubt, many of our readers are familiar. The poem commences:
"Speak, speak thou fearful guest,Who, with thy hollow breast.Still in rude armor drest,Comest to daunt me."
"Speak, speak thou fearful guest,Who, with thy hollow breast.Still in rude armor drest,Comest to daunt me."
Not far distant, on the bank of the Taunton river, is the celebrated Dighton Rock, a huge piece of fine-grained granite covered with sculptures and hieroglyphic inscriptions. Both the skeleton and the inscriptions on the rock seem to be of Asiatic origin. The armor is the same as appears in drawings taken from the sculptures found at Palanque, Mexico.
Ancient Tower at Newport.
Not far from Newport, in the state of Rhode Island, near the sea shore, is a strange tower, which may have been the base for a beacon or light-house.
At Marietta, Ohio, are ancient works that cover an area about three-fourths of a mile long, and half a mile broad. Butthe most intricate, and perhaps the most extensive, are those in the Licking Valley, near Newark, Ohio, extending over an area of two square miles.
These mounds are evidently the remains of ancient fortifications, as they are invariably situated on a commanding eminence, or by the side of a stream. Many of these mounds have been found to contain skeletons; and the appearance of the bones would seem to point to an antiquity of more than a thousand years.
Curious pottery, known as "coil-made pottery," has been found in the mounds and caves, and at the ruined "pueblos," or ancient villages, in Utah. These vessels seem to have been formed without the aid of a potter's wheel, by coiling bands of clay upon themselves.
Other relics have been discovered in various parts of the continent which throw some light on the mental and social condition of the ancient inhabitants of America. In August, 1875, on an island in the Mississippi river, near the city of Davenport, Iowa, was found a petrified skeleton. But the most singular part of the find came to light in the hardened and petrified straps, bronze buckles and wooden leg which continued the right extremity, that limb having been removed about midway between the hip and knee. This very interesting discovery proves that the arts of manufacturing bronze, and artificial limbs, as well as the art of surgery, were well known among the ancient Americans. These remains were handed over to the Academy of Sciences, and a photograph was taken of the inscription contained on a rock in the vicinity. A copy of this photograph was forwarded to the late Mr. Barfoot, then curator of the Deseret Museum, in Salt Lake City.
On the 16th of April, 1843, in a mound near Kinderhook, Pike county, Illinois, were foundsix plates of brassof a bell shape, each having a hole near the small end, and a ring through them all. The plates were so completely covered with rust, as almost to obliterate the characters inscribed upon each side of them. But after undergoing a chemical process, the inscriptions were brought out plain and distinct.
There were indications that lead to the belief that this mound was the tomb of a family or person of distinction, inages long gone by; and these plates probably contain the history of a person or people who existed at a time far beyond the memory of the present race. (For further particulars see appendix to O. Pratt's Works.)
In 1815, near Pittsfield, Mass., at a place calledIndian Hill, was found what appeared to be a black strap about six inches in length and one and a half in breadth, and about the thickness of a leather trace to a harness. On examination it was found to be formed of two pieces of thick raw-hide sewed and made water-tight with the sinews of some animal and gummed over; and in the fold were contained pieces of parchment, of a dark-yellow hue and on which was some kind of writing. Three of the pieces were preserved and sent to the University of Cambridge, Mass., where they were examined and discovered to have been written with a pen inHebrew, plain and legible. The writing was quotations from the Old Testament, Deut, vi. 4-9, inclusive, and chap. xi. 13-21, inclusive, and Exodus xiii, 11-16, inclusive. (See Voice of Warning.)
The ancient Mexican pyramids, "teocallis," or temples of the sun, were still more remarkable. Two of the most ancient of these, near the city of Mexico, were each nearly 200 feet high, and the larger of these two, covers an area of eleven acres, which is nearly equal to that of the pyramid of Cheops, in Egypt.
But the greatest pyramid was that of Cholula. Each side of its base was one thousand four hundred and twenty-three feet, twice as long as the great pyramid of Cheops. It may give some idea of its dimensions to state that its base covers nearly forty-four acres, and the area on its summit embraces more than one. On this elevation stood a costly temple, in which was the image of the mystic deity Quetzalcoatl "god of the air," wearing a mitre on his head, waving with "plumes of fire." A resplendent collar of gold hung around his neck: he held a richly-jeweled scepter of gold in one hand, and a curiously painted shield, emblematic of his rule over the winds, in the other. This temple faced the east, and in front of it, and in view of the whole valley, was the great altar of porphyry on which were offered human sacrifices.
Each year, one was chosen from the most illustrious captives taken in war. He was arrayed in costly apparel. He feasted on the most delicate viands. The people did homage to him as to a king. Whatever could contribute to his pleasure was freely given. At length the fatal day arrives. Slowly and by a circuitous route a procession ascends the pyramid. It is composed of the captive, Mexican priests, and some of the notables of the government, accompanied by bands of music. As they ascend the captive throws away his garlands, then his jewels and at length portions of his dress, as emblematic that death will disrobe us all. Having arrived at the top, he is stretched upon the huge altar of stone, and there sacrificed for the sins of the people. Afterwards the people feast upon his flesh—not as famished cannibals—but at a table teeming with delicious fruits and fragrant flowers. They who partook of his flesh were considered to have an especial share in the merits of the sacrifice. Compare with this, John, vi. chapter, 48 to 55 verse, III. Nephi, xviii. chapter. Some idea may thus be gained concerning the origin of these rites and their terrible perversion caused by apostasy.
Nothing can be more grand than the view which meets the eye, from the area on the summit of the pyramid. Towards the West stretched that bold barrier of rocks, which nature has reared around the valley of Mexico. Far away to the East are the barren though beautifully-shaped Sierras, towering high into the clouds and standing like sentinels to guard the entrance to the valley. Three of these are volcanoes, higher than the highest mountain peak in Europe, and shrouded in snows which never melt under the fierce sun of the tropics. At the feet of the spectator lay the sacred city of Cholula with its bright towers and pinnacles sparkling in the sun, reposing amidst gardens and verdant groves.
Such was the magnificent prospect which met the gaze of Cortes and his companions, and may still with slight change, meet that of the modern traveller, as from the platform of the great pyramid, his eye wanders over the fairest portion of the beautiful plateau of Pueblo.
Now the question arises, who built these mounds in the Mississippi valley, and these pyramids in Mexico? Towhat race belong the relics found in Massachusetts, Illinois and Iowa? Surely not to the Indians who were found in America when the country was discovered; for these things indicate a greater skill and culture than those tribes possessed.
Antiquaries have furnished many theories to answer this question which arises in the mind of every student. Some of these theories are very ingenious, but all are lacking in that important element, truth.
For more than three hundred years no certain light was thrown upon the history of that race. But that which man could not find out, with all his learning and research, God has revealed in His own due time. And here we see a wonderful manifestation of the hand of God in the history of this continent. A record, authentic, though brief, has been given to the world. The writings of some of the ancient worthies of that race have been preserved in the earth and have now come forth for the guidance and instruction of living men.
The Book of Mormon contains sketches of their history and the dealings of God with these peoples in a similar manner, as the Bible teaches the history and dealings of God with His ancient people, the Jews. It also contains many incidental references to their mental and social condition and the extent to which the arts and sciences were cultivated among them.
It teaches us that when the Lord confounded the languages at Babel, He led forth a colony from thence to the western continent, now called America. This colony, after crossing the ocean in eight vessels and landing in this country, became in process of time a great nation. They inhabited America about fifteen hundred years but were at length destroyed for their wickedness, about six hundred years before Christ. A prophet by the name of Ether wrote their history and an account of their destruction.
This people is known in modern history by the name of Toltecs, the ruins of whose edifices are widely scattered in Yucatan and Central America.
Mammoth.
The sculptures and hieroglyphics on these ruins bear a striking resemblance to those found in the ruins of Babylon and Nineveh. It also appears that the mammoth, or American elephant, and mastodon—animals which are now extinct—then roamed the wilds of the western continent; for representations of these animals are often found sculptured on the walls of Toltec ruins. Some persons have tried to throw doubts upon these statements alleging that no such animals ever existed outside of tropical regions. However, numerous remains of them have been found in various parts of America, especially in Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri and Oregon. In Siberia they have been found frozen in a complete state of preservation. The illustrious Rufin Piotrowski, a Polishexile, gives a full account of these animals and the methods employed by the Russian government in cutting them out of the ice. (See Souvenirs d'un Siberien.)
It is no doubt to these animals that reference is made in the fourth chapter of the book of Ether.
After this, another colony came from Jerusalem about six hundred years before Christ and re-peopled America. This last colony grew and multiplied, and finally gave rise to two mighty nations. One of these was called Nephites, the other Lamanites.
The Nephites were a civilized and enlightened people. For nearly one thousand years they were, from time to time, favored with revelations from God. Prophet after prophet was raised up from among them, and at length they were blessed with a personal appearance of Jesus Christ, after His resurrection, from whose mouth they received the doctrine of the gospel and a knowledge of the future down through all succeeding ages. But, after all the blessings and privileges conferred upon them, they fell into great wickedness in the third and fourth centuries of the Christian era, and finally were destroyed by their enemies, the Lamanites.
But though the Nephite race has vanished from the earth, still the grandeur of its ruins attest the greatness of its civilization. Indeed it seems impossible to understand the character and extent of these ruins unless we admit the truth of the records given by Mosiah, Alma and Nephi, concerning the arts, sciences, mode of warfare, religion and subsequent apostasy and degradation of that people. In fact, as researches continue it becomes more and more evident that ancient American civilization was only a transcript of ancient Jewish and Egyptian architecture, manners, customs and modes of thought. In matters of government, the pomp of their monarchs, the arbitrary power, and the obligation of all to military service present a striking resemblance to the powers and privileges of the kings of ancient Israel. Likewise their religious state was only a reflection of that of Asia. Their worship was an imposing ceremonial. Though the common people had a mythology of many gods, similar to the saint-worshipof Rome, yet the higher-cultured classes acknowledged but one almighty Creator.
Marriage was celebrated by religious ceremonies and the laws pertaining thereto bore a striking resemblance to those of ancient Israel. Polygamy was sanctioned, but in practice was generally confined to the wealthy.
The priests administered a rite of baptism to infants and proselytes for the purpose of washing away their sins. They also taught that there are rewards and punishments in a world to come—a paradise for the good, and a hell of darkness for the wicked. But the highest glory and reward was preserved for the noble few who fell in sacrifice or in battle for the cause of right. They went directly in to the presence of the sun, whom they accompanied in his bright progress through the heavens. After a few years these spirits went to animate the clouds and add luster to the glories of the sunset, or were sent to rule over and increase the pure and undying light of the stars. Who does not see in all this the traces of a purer religion, which centuries of apostasy and degradation had not been able to entirely destroy? This is all the more manifest when we consider some of their maxims and forms of prayer. One was: "Bear injuries with humility, God, who sees, will avenge you." Another was: "Clothe the naked and feed the hungry, whatever privations it may cost thee; for remember,their flesh is like thine and they are men like thee." Again: "Impart to us, Lord, out of Thy great mercy Thy gifts which we are not worthy to receive through our own merits." Also: "O, merciful Lord,thou who knowest the secrets of all hearts, let Thy forgiveness and favor descend." In all these we find sentiments such as are contained in the scriptures of the Old Testament.
One of the most important duties of the priesthood was that of education, to which certain buildings were appropriated. To each of the principal temples, schools were attached and lands were annexed for the maintenance of the priests. Their writings were on cotton cloth or skins, or on papyrus, a kind of paper made from the aloe. At the time of the Spanish conquest, vast collections of these manuscripts were in existence; but the first archbishop of Mexico, burned them in themarket-place. Rome was determined that no literature should exist but her own.
The Mexican year consisted of eighteen months and each month of twenty days; five days were added to make the number to three hundred and sixty-five. To provide for the leap years they added twenty-four days to each century. The Mexican mode of reckoning was then superior to that of Europe. When the nations of Europe adopted the calendar discovered and perfected by the Jews and Saracens, then their mode of reckoning corresponded with that discovered by the seed of Abraham on this continent and both were true.
The ancient Americans had ascertained the globular form of the earth previous to their contact with Europeans. Catholic Europe would not admit that truth till compelled to by the voyages of Columbus and Magellan.
Their agriculture was in some respects superior to that of Europe. There was nothing in the old world to compare with the menageries and botanical gardens of Huax-tepec, Chapultepec and Tezcuco.
They excelled in the arts of the jeweller and enameller. They were skillful weavers of fine cloth. They were not ignorant of the use of iron; and understood the manufacture of bronze, of which they also made use. To them we are indebted for tobacco, snuff, chocolate and cochineal. From them we learned the use of the potato, which has now extended to all parts of the civilized world. They, like us, knew the use of intoxicating drinks; and like us sometimes partook of them to excess.
This sketch would be incomplete without a reference to the civilization of Peru. As Egypt was the cradle of civilization in the old world, so Peru was in the new. Like Egypt also it was in most parts a rainless region. The ancient Peruvian empire was nearly two thousand four hundred miles in length, but scarcely sixty miles in width—a narrow strip hemmed in between the grand Andes mountains and the Pacific ocean.
Mummy.
The sides of this great mountain range might seem altogether unfitted for agriculture. But the advanced state of Peruvian civilization is at once demonstrated when it is said that these mountain slopes had become a garden. Immense terraces were constructed wherever required, and irrigation was employed on the grandest scale the world has ever seen. Peru possessed a varied climate. In the lower valleys near the coast could be raised all the products of tropical regions, at an elevation of a few thousand feet the climate was adapted for grains of a temperate zone. On table-lands, at a great elevation above the sea, there were villages and even cities. Thus the plain on which Quito stands, under the equator, is nearly ten thousand feet high, and enjoys a climate of perpetualspring. So great was their industry that the Peruvians had gardens and orchards above the clouds, and on ranges still higher flocks of sheep and llamas, in regions bordering on the limit of perpetual snow.
In Cuzco, the metropolis, was the residence of theincaor emperor, and the great temple of the sun.
The inca was both temporal prince and ruling priest of their religion. Though they ostensibly worshiped the sun, yet the higher classes recognized the existence of one almighty, invisible God.
Like the Egyptians, the Peruvians understood the art of embalming the dead. The mummies of their incas being placed in the vaults beneath the temple of the sun, at Cuzco.
This city contained edifices which excited the amazement of the Spanish adventurers themselves—streets, squares, bridges and fortresses surrounded by turreted walls. The public walls of Peru as well as Mexico were superior to those of Spain herself. Two great military roads extended the whole length of the empire—one along the coast, the other along the base of the mountains. These highways greatly aided the Spaniards in their conquest of the country.
Having gained possession of the country and robbed the inhabitants of their gold, silver and precious stones, they put to death the inca and nobility, and took possession of their residences.
The enormous crime of Spain in destroying this civilization has never been fully appreciated. In vain the Spaniards excuse their atrocities, on the plea that those nations were savages and permitted human sacrifices. True, the nations of America sank very low when the light of the gospel was withdrawn; but every candid mind will ask: "Which was the more degraded, papal Europe or apostate America?" Human sacrifice, however cruel, has nothing in it degrading to its victim. It may be rather said to ennoble him by devoting him to the gods. Although so terrible with the Mexicans, it was sometimes voluntarily embraced by them as the most glorious death, and one that opened a sure passage into paradise.
There was no spectacle on the American continent, at which a just man might so deeply blush for his race as that presentedin Western Europe when the martyr, from whom confession had been wrung by torture, passed to the stake in a sleeveless garment, with flames of fire and pictures of devils painted upon it. Let it be remembered that from A. D. 1481 to 1808, more than three hundred and forty thousand persons had been tortured, and out of these nearly thirty-two thousand burnt.
Massacre of the Incas.
Let it also be remembered that the body of man is of less value than the immortal soul, for the redemption of which the agony and death of the Son of God was not too great a price to pay. Let it not be forgotten that at that period the entire authority of Europe was directed to the enslaving of the minds and souls of men and making that noblest creation of heaven a worthless machine.
Everywhere throughout the continent may be found traces of Bible and Nephite history. Humbolt, in his travels, mentions a multitude of native books in which were described all the leading circumstances and history of the deluge, of the fall of man, and the first murder as perpetrated by Cain.
Clavigero, in his history of Mexico, tells of an ancient native manuscript, found at Chiapa, which gives a plain and brief account of the building of the tower of Babel, the confusion of tongues, and the subsequent migration of Votan, or Jotan, (no doubt a corruption of Jared) and his companions to the continent of America.
The Indians of Cuba related to Bernal Diaz, a companion and historian of Columbus, a complete and scarcely corrupted account of the deluge, the intoxication of Noah and Ham's shameful conduct.
Humboldt mentions numerous traditions existing among the natives of Yucatan and Central America concerning a great religious teacher, a wonderful personage, whom they called Quetzalcoatl, and who was a white and bearded man. "Many things are said of him in their books of parchment, and among others, that when he left them he gave them wise laws and maxims, and promised to return and rule over them and renew their happiness." Compare with this the record of Nephi. (See III. Nephi, chap. ii. to xxviii. inclusive.)
A tradition of the Wyandott Indians, published by Frederick Falley, of Sandusky, O., in 1823, gives a plain account of the battle of Cumorah. Both Breckenridge and Humboldt conclude that "a great battle took place in the region of the great lakes not later than the year 544 of the Christian era, after which the Aztecs [Lamanites] took possession of the country southward."
The foregoing will indicate to some extent the workings of the hand of God, as manifested in the history of this continent. Volumes might be written on this subject, but enough has been said to awaken inquiry among the honest-in-heart and indicate the treasures contained in the Nephite annals, and corroborated by the ruins of
"This old, old land, which men call new;This land as old as time is old."
"This old, old land, which men call new;This land as old as time is old."
THE COLONIZATION OF ACADIA.
ENGLAND'S DEVELOPMENT—REIGN OF ELIZABETH—INFLUENCE OF THE BIBLE—TYRANNY OF THE KINGS—JACQUES CARTIER—DISCOVERY OF THE ST. LAWRENCE—QUEBEC FOUNDED—ACADIA COLONIZED—TRANSFERRED TO ENGLAND—EXTRACTS FROM LONGFELLOW'S POEM—VIRGINIA SETTLED.
In previous chapters we have traced the instrumentalities which God used in the unshackling of the minds of men from the superstitions of the past, and disciplining them for the reception of higher truths. We have seen how, amidst the rage of tyrants and in spite of the opposition of the powers of evil, society had gradually climbed to a loftier intellectual eminence than that to which she had attained in any previous age. The time had at length arrived, when, far from the jarring scenes of Europe's strife, a nation was to come into existence, earnest in its love of human liberty, and vigorous in the execution of its purposes—a nation, which should accomplish some of the mightiest achievements of the human race; and where, under the benign influences of its political institutions, and in the Lord's due time, the gospel should be again revealed and the Kingdom of God set up among the children of men.
To rightly understand the history and character of an individual, we must know something of his parentage and the circumstances of his early life. Hence to understand the character of the American people, we must know something of their great national mother, the people of England.
The defeat of the great Spanish armada delivered England from the control of continental Europe, and marked a critical epoch in her development. From that hour England's destinywas fixed. She was to be the great protestant power. Her sphere of action was to be upon the seas. She was to take a leading part in the new world of the west. The time was coming when her commerce should surpass all the nations of ancient or modern times; but, above all, her language and literature were fast developing, by means of which her laws and influence would effect the remotest nations of the earth. Hitherto England had lagged behind in the intellectual development of Europe. In the single reign of Elizabeth she leaped to the first rank among the nations of the earth; nay more, she was to become the mother of nations. An impression, vague and shadowy indeed, but none the less real, penetrated the minds of the English people, that they were to be the repository of the divine will, and the executor of His purposes—that the blessings and prerogatives of ancient Israel, were to be their inheritance.
Beneath the rough exterior and blunt manners of that age, lay the new sense of a prophetic power—the sense of a divine commission. And who will say that they were wrong, or prove that they were not divinely commissioned to break down the barriers to human progress, and to some extent prepare society for the "dispensation of the fullness of times?"
The English translation of the Bible, became the great rule of life. The whole moral effect which is now produced by the newspaper, the sermon, the lecture and the circulating library was then produced by the Bible alone; and its effect on the national character was simply amazing. Religion was no longer confined to the cloister and cathedral, but became a subject of thought for every individual. The profound meditations that Shakspeare puts into the mouth of Hamlet were but a transcript of the thoughts and feelings of the earnest men of that age, who saw themselves day by day in the theater of a mighty struggle between the powers of light and the powers of darkness—their souls the prize of an eternal conflict between heaven and hell.
It was this phase of thought that gave to the world the sublime conceptions of Milton, the realistic dreams of Bunyan, as well as the stern and solemn character of Oliver Cromwell and his followers; and made these liberty-loving peasants morethan a match for the chivalry and iron-clad knights of King Charles I.
Nor was this feeling confined to any one class. It permeated all ranks and conditions, even to the sovereign. Tradition still points out the tree in Hatfield Park, beneath which Elizabeth was sitting when she received the news of her peaceful accession to the throne. She fell on her knees and exclaimed: "It is the Lord's doing, and marvelous in our eyes." To the end of her reign these words remained stamped on the golden coinage of the realm. Through all her long and eventful life, the feeling seems never to have left her, that her preservation and her reign were the issues of a direct interposition of God.
The foregoing may help us to understand the character of the English people at the time they commenced to plant the institutions of liberty on this continent. Who can read the thrilling narrative of English history during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries without acknowledging the hand of God, in moulding the character of the British people?
It was not a pleasant world which the men and women of Europe had to live in during the sixteenth century. Fighting was the constant occupation of the kings of that time; civil wars were also frequent. In these confused strifes men slew their acquaintances and friends as the only method they knew of deciding who was to fill the throne. Feeble commerce was crushed under the iron heel of war. No such thing as security for life and property was expected. The fields of the husbandman were trodden down by the march of armies. Disbanded or deserted soldiers wandered as lawless men over the country and robbed and murdered at their will. Epidemic diseases of strange type, the result of insufficient and unwholesome food, and the poisonous air of undrained lands and filthy streets destroyed the inhabitants. Under what hardships and miseries the men of the sixteenth century passed their days, it is scarcely possible for us now to conceive.
From the persecutions of the old world they fled to the wilds of the new. The thrilling story of their adventures, though indeed real, sounds more like romance than reality. Unlike the history of eastern nations, which frequently loses itself inmists of antiquity, the history of the American people begins at a comparatively recent date. It is less than four hundred years since Columbus and his companions first saw the western continent, and less than two hundred and seventy-five years since the first colony was planted in the territory which formed the thirteen original states.
Another peculiarity is, that from the very first this land has been an asylum for the persecuted and oppressed of every nation.
It was in the beautiful month of May, 1535, that Jacques Cartier, a bold navigator in the service of the king of France, sailed along the shores of the gulf of St. Lawrence, stopping here and there to examine the country and lay out plats for future settlements. In July he entered the river St. Lawrence and sailed on its broad waters, amidst picturesque scenery in which was realized all his glowing expectations and dreams. Leaving his vessel at the present site of Quebec, he proceeded up the river in a small boat, as far as the Indian settlement of Hochelaga. This place he named Mount Royal. It is now the magnificent city of Montreal. However, no permanent settlements were formed, and it was not till 1604 that De Monts, Champlain and other explorers began to colonize the country, on the banks of the gulf of St. Lawrence. Quebec was founded in 1608. The whole region on the south shore of the gulf was then called Acadia. Its history shows the wonderful influence kindness exerts, even among the savage tribes of North America. Poutrincourt, the governor of the colony, caused an immense banqueting hall to be erected, which was well supplied with deer, moose, bear and all kinds of wild fowl. He made friends of the Indians and entertained the chiefs at sumptuous feasts. In the Winter evenings by the blazing pine logs, Champlain would relate the stories of his wonderful adventures among the hills, and valleys, and lakes, and streams, and cataracts, and red men of the west.
At length, by the fortunes of war, this colony was transferred to England; but its heart was still with France. The English distrusted its loyalty, and sent an armed force to surprise and attack it, and carry away the once happy people, and scatter them throughout their American domains. The Acadians werecrowded into transports, their families were separated, their friendships and attachments broken up, and they were exiled among strangers, never to see each other again. The name of Acadia was blotted out. Most people are familiar with Longfellow's beautiful story of Evangeline. It is now almost the only memorial that remains of the history of that colony.
As a picture of peace and prosperity, contentment and neighborly love, worthy of imitation in this selfish age, a few lines from Longfellow's beautiful poem, may not be out of place:
"There, in the midst of its farms reposed the Acadian village,Strongly built were the houses with frames of oak and of hemlock;There, in the tranquil evenings when sunset had faded to twilight,Softly the church-bell sounded calling the people to worship.Thus dwelt in love these simple Acadian farmers,Dwelt in the love of God and of man. Alike they were free fromFear that reigns with the tyrant, and envy the vice of republics,Neither locks had they to their doors nor bars to their windows,But their dwellings were open as day and the hearts of the owners;There the richest was poor, and the poorest lived in abundance."
"There, in the midst of its farms reposed the Acadian village,Strongly built were the houses with frames of oak and of hemlock;There, in the tranquil evenings when sunset had faded to twilight,Softly the church-bell sounded calling the people to worship.Thus dwelt in love these simple Acadian farmers,Dwelt in the love of God and of man. Alike they were free fromFear that reigns with the tyrant, and envy the vice of republics,Neither locks had they to their doors nor bars to their windows,But their dwellings were open as day and the hearts of the owners;There the richest was poor, and the poorest lived in abundance."
Meanwhile attempts at colonizing were going on farther south. The settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, was founded in 1607. The adventures of Captain John Smith, the virtual founder of the colony, are well known to most readers, as well as the romantic story of Pocahontas, the Indian princess. Its early history is a narrative of strife and human suffering. Many of its early inhabitants were scions of nobility, men unused to toil; in some cases they were mere adventurers, actuated by a lust for gold or love of plunder. However, it teaches one important lesson, that noble birth and high-sounding titles are of little account when compared with the plain virtues of industry, honesty, and trust in God—that it is not men of wealth, but men of noble character that are of most importance in founding a commonwealth.
COLONIZATION OF NEW ENGLAND.
CHARACTER OF THE COLONISTS—THEY LEAVE ENGLAND—SOJOURN IN HOLLAND—BREWSTER'S PRINTING PRESS—PURITANS EMBARK FOR AMERICA—THEIR TRUST IN GOD—ROBINSON'S PROPHECY—PLYMOUTH FOUNDED—SUFFERINGS OF THE COLONISTS—CONFLICT IN ENGLAND—PECULIARITIES OF THE PURITANS—HARVARD COLLEGE FOUNDED—EXTENT OF SETTLEMENTS—FIRST CONFEDERATION.
"What constitutes a state?Not high-raised battlements or labored mound,Thick wall or moated gate;Not cities proud, with spires and turrets crowned,Not bays and broad armed portsWhere, laughing at the storm, proud navies ride;Not starred and spangled courtsWhere low-browed baseness wafts perfume to pride;No! Men, high-minded men,With powers as far above dull brutes endued,In forest, brake or den,As beasts excel cold rocks and brambles rude;Men, who their duties know,But know their rights; and knowing dare maintain."
"What constitutes a state?Not high-raised battlements or labored mound,Thick wall or moated gate;Not cities proud, with spires and turrets crowned,Not bays and broad armed portsWhere, laughing at the storm, proud navies ride;Not starred and spangled courtsWhere low-browed baseness wafts perfume to pride;No! Men, high-minded men,With powers as far above dull brutes endued,In forest, brake or den,As beasts excel cold rocks and brambles rude;Men, who their duties know,But know their rights; and knowing dare maintain."
The mind instinctively turns to the colonizing of New England as one of the great landmarks of human history. A little more than two centuries ago this land was covered with forests in which roamed various tribes of Indians; and the rivers, which now give life to so much cheerful industry, flowed uselessly to the sea. To-day this same land is covered with cities, towns and villages, gardens, vineyards and orchards, schools and palaces—a civilization surpassing, in some respects, that of any other country on the face of the globe.
Whence came the men who wrought these mighty changes? What were the circumstances that led them to abandon theircountry and their kindred, and all the sacred associations that link man to his native land, to seek homes beyond the stormy Atlantic, in a wilderness then inhabited only by savage beasts, and men still more savage; and above all, that trained them in the principles of self-government and fitted them to become the founders of a mighty empire?
At that time protestant princes, no more than popish, were willing that their subjects should think for themselves. James I. had just ascended the English throne. His was the head of a fool and the heart of a tyrant. He was determined that every one of his subjects should observe the rites and ceremonies of the Episcopal church. On the northern border of Nottinghamshire stands the little town of Scrooby. Here were some brave and honest people, to whom the ceremonies of the Episcopal or Established church were an offense. They held their meetings in secret, at the house of one of their number, a gentleman named Brewster. They chose Mr. Robinson, a wise and good man, to be their leader in spiritual things. But their secret meetings were betrayed to the authorities and their lives were made bitter by the persecutions that fell upon them. They resolved to leave their own land and seek among strangers that freedom which was denied them at home.
They embarked with all their goods for Holland. But when the ship was about to sail, soldiers came upon them, plundered them and drove them on shore. After some weeks in prison they were suffered to return home. Next Spring they tried again to escape. This time a good many were on board, and the others were waiting for the return of the boat, which would carry them to the ship. Suddenly soldiers on horseback were seen spurring across the sands. The shipmaster weighed his anchor and set sail with those whom he had on board. The soldiers conducted the remainder back to prison. After a time they were set at liberty. In little groups they made their way to Holland, and thus they accomplished the first stage of the tedious journey from the old England to the new. Here they remained for eleven years, and worked with patient industry at their various trades. They gained a reputation for honesty and skill in all their undertakings, and thus they foundabundant employment. Mr. Brewster established a printing press and printed books about liberty, which greatly enraged the foolish King James. Meanwhile this little band received additions from time to time, as oppression in England became more intolerable. Still they looked upon themselves as exiles. The language and manners of the Dutch were not pleasing to them. They did not wish to lose their identity. Already their sons and daughters were forming alliances that threatened this result. They therefore determined to go again on a pilgrimage, and seek a home in the wilds of America; where they could dwell apart and found a state, where all should enjoy civil and religious liberty.
They collected their little funds and procured two vessels, theSpeedwell, of sixty tons, and theMayflower, of one hundred and eighty. TheSpeedwellwas found to be unseaworthy and was abandoned. They had not sufficient funds for all to come at once. Brewster was placed in command of the company, which was composed of "such of the youngest and strongest, as freely offered themselves." A solemn fast was held. "Let us seek God," said they, "a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance."
On a sunny morning in July, 1620, the pilgrims knelt upon the seashore at Delfthaven, while their pastor, Mr. Robinson, prayed for the success of their journey. Out upon the gleaming sea a little ship lay waiting. Money was wanting and so only one hundred could depart. They left the remainder with tears and fond farewells, to follow when they could. Mr. Robinson dismissed them with counsels which breathed a pure and high-toned wisdom. Some of the words which he then uttered, seemed to have a prophetic import. This will be readily seen from the following extract:
"The Lord has more truth yet to break forth out of His holy word. Luther and Calvin were great and shining lights in their times, yet they penetrated not into the whole counsel of God. I beseech of you, remember it, that you be ready to receive whatever truth shall be made known to you."
Who will attempt to deny that God, through him, spake words pregnant with a meaning that men at that age did not understand?
A prosperous wind soon wafted them across the North sea and they sighted the coast of England. After considerable delay at Southampton, Dartmouth, and Plymouth, theMayflowerstarted early in September on her long and lonely voyage from the old world to the new. After a boisterous voyage of sixty-three days they espied land, and in two days more cast anchor in the harbor of Cape Cod.
How truthful the lines,
"The heavy clouds hung darkThe woods and waters o'er,When a band of exiles moored their barkOn the wild New England shore!"
"The heavy clouds hung darkThe woods and waters o'er,When a band of exiles moored their barkOn the wild New England shore!"
It was a bleak-looking and discouraging coast which lay before them. Nothing met the eye but low sand-hills, covered with stunted trees down to the margin of the sea. At first no suitable locality for a settlement could be found; but at length they selected a spot where the soil appeared to be good, with "delicate springs of water." On December 22, 1620, the pilgrims landed—stepping ashore upon a huge boulder of granite, which is still preserved as a memorial of that event. The cold was so excessive that the spray froze upon their clothes till they resembled men cased in armor. They had been badly fed on board the ship, which, together with exposure, caused sickness to prevail among them. Every second day a grave had to be dug in the frozen ground. The care of the sick and the burying of the dead, sadly hindered their work; but the building of their little town went on. When Spring arrived there were only fifty survivors, and these were sadly enfeebled and dispirited. Upon an eminence beside their town they erected a structure which served a double purpose. The upper story was used for a fort, in which were placed six small cannon. The lower story served for a meeting-house and school-house.
The pilgrims had already drawn up and signed in the cabin of theMayflower, a document forming themselves into an organized government, to which they unanimously promised obedience. Under this constitution they elected John Carver to be their first governor. It is true they acknowledged King James, but they left no very large place for his authority.