The Wall Street Journal
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Review & Outlook
The Desolate Wilderness
A chronicle of the Pilgrims' arrival at Plymouth, as recorded by
Nathaniel Morton.
Here beginneth the chronicle of those memorable circumstances
of the year 1620, as recorded by Nathaniel Morton, keeper of the
records of Plymouth Colony, based on the account of William
Bradford, sometime governor thereof:
So they left that goodly and pleasant city of Leyden, which had
been their resting-place for above eleven years, but they knew
that they were pilgrims and strangers here below, and looked not
much on these things, but lifted up their eyes to Heaven, their
dearest country, where God hath prepared for them a city (Heb.
XI, 16), and therein quieted their spirits.
When they came to Delfs-Haven they found the ship and all things
ready, and such of their friends as could not come with them
followed after them, and sundry came from Amsterdam to see them
shipt, and to take their leaves of them. One night was spent
with little sleep with the most, but with friendly entertainment
and Christian discourse, and other real expressions of true
Christian love.
The next day they went on board, and their friends with them,
where truly doleful was the sight of that sad and mournful
parting, to hear what sighs and sobs and prayers did sound
amongst them; what tears did gush from every eye, and pithy
speeches pierced each other's heart, that sundry of the Dutch
strangers that stood on the Key as spectators could not refrain
from tears. But the tide (which stays for no man) calling them
away, that were thus loath to depart, their Reverend Pastor,
falling down on his knees, and they all with him, with watery
cheeks commended them with the most fervent prayers unto the
Lord and His blessing; and then with mutual embraces and many
tears they took their leaves one of another, which proved to be
the last leave to many of them.
Being now passed the vast ocean, and a sea of troubles before
them in expectations, they had now no friends to welcome them,
no inns to entertain or refresh them, no houses, or much less
towns, to repair unto to seek for succour; and for the season it
was winter, and they that know the winters of the country know
them to be sharp and violent, subject to cruel and fierce
storms, dangerous to travel to known places, much more to search
unknown coasts.
Besides, what could they see but a hideous and desolate
wilderness, full of wilde beasts and wilde men? and what
multitudes of them there were, they then knew not: for which way
soever they turned their eyes (save upward to Heaven) they could
have but little solace or content in respect of any outward
object; for summer being ended, all things stand in appearance
with a weatherbeaten face, and the whole country, full of woods
and thickets, represented a wild and savage hew.
If they looked behind them, there was a mighty ocean which they
had passed, and was now as a main bar or gulph to separate them
from all the civil parts of the world.
Communitarianism: A proven failure
An Essay by Chip Ford
Submitted (and ignored) as an op-ed rebuttal
to the Boston Globe's editorial of April 11, 2003
"We certainly applaud those individuals whose
compassion has led them to volunteer extra tax payments," the
Boston Globe opined yesterday [Apr. 11, 2003] in its editorial, "A
collective duty," marginalizing our voluntary tax check-off.
"But we do not recommend it."
The Boston Globe's preferred form of government is
a "social bond that people should enter into willingly ...
The core concept is that of community -- that everyone has a stake in
everyone else's well-being."
The editorial board then reached back into history
and pulled out a quote from a Puritan leader of the Mayflower Compact
period: "'We must delight in each other,' John Winthrop said with
great vision in 1630. Mutual responsibility should be the social
lodestar, requiring everyone to keep in mind, as Winthrop said, 'our
community as members of the same body.'"
The editorial concludes: "The day
Massachusetts starts relying on voluntary contributions is the day it
ceases to be a commonwealth."
Shame on the Boston Globe for selectively taking
history out of context to justify its political ends. Its editorial
writer should know that America's first experiment with socialism was
an abject failure that cost the lives of more than half of the
foundering settlers by 1627. The editorial should have acknowledged
that the failure of communitarianism was quickly rejected in favor of
capitalism and property rights, and that the colony subsequently
thrived.
After living the Boston Globe's philosophy for half
a decade of want, Governor William Bradford and other Puritan founders
of the Plimouth Plantation came to recognize that, despite their
struggles, perseverance and faith, something was very wrong, something
needed to change if they were to survive. In his journal,
"Of Plymouth Plantation," Bradford wrote:
"All this while no supply was heard of,
neither knew they when they might expect any. So they began to think
how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better
crop than they had done, that they might not still thus languish in
misery."
These were practical men, and as such they looked
for practical solutions that might lend to their survival and that of
those who depended on them:
"At length, after much debate of things, the
Governor (with the advice of the chiefest amongst them) gave way that
they should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that
regard trust to themselves ..."
Governor Bradford and his council established
property rights and free enterprise, self-reliance and
self-motivation, truly a new concept in this new frontier.
Immediately, the result of private industry was quantifiable:
"This had very good success, for it made all
hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than
otherwise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could
use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better
content. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their
little ones with them to set corn; which before would allege weakness
and inability; whom to have compelled would have been thought great
tyranny and oppression."
As their social experiment in property rights and
capitalism progressed it only got better, making obsolete what the
Boston Globe again advocates:
"The experience that was had in this common
course and condition, tried sundry years and that amongst godly and
sober men, may well evince the vanity of that conceit of Plato's and
other ancients applauded by some of later times; that the taking away
of property and bringing in community into a commonwealth would make
them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God."
Pilgrim leader William Bradford perhaps best summed
up the philosophy of those who today carry the endless burden of
"the most vulnerable among us" in his objective and
apparently-ageless observation:
"For the young men, that were most able and
fit for labour and service, did repine that they should spend their
time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without
any recompense. The strong, or man of parts, had no more in division
of victuals and clothes than he that was weak and not able to do a
quarter the other could; this was thought injustice. The aged and
graver men to be ranked and equalized in labours and victuals,
clothes, etc., with the meaner and younger sort, thought it some
indignity and disrespect unto them. And for men's wives to be
commanded to do service for other men, as dressing their meat, washing
their clothes, etc., they deemed it a kind of slavery, neither could
many husbands well brook it."
While the feel-good Boston Globe would have us
return to the "halcyon" days of the Mayflower Compact and
its "core concept ... of community," the lesson learned from
its deadly failures stands in stark -- and honest -- contrast.
History also provides a dire warning for us:
"Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat
it."
- Excerpt from -
"Of Plymouth Plantation" (1620-1647)
by Gov. William Bradford
Read
more
All this while no supply was heard of, neither knew
they when they might expect any. So they began to think how they might
raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop than they
had done, that they might not still thus languish in misery. At
length, after much debate of things, the Governor (with the advice of
the chiefest amongst them) gave way that they should set corn every
man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves; in
all other things to go on in the general way as before. And so
assigned to every family a parcel of land, according to the proportion
of their number, for that end, only for present use (but made no
division for inheritance) and ranged all boys and youth under some
family. This had very good success, for it made all hands very
industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would
have been by any means the Governor or any other could use, and saved
him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content. The women
now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with
them to set corn; which before would allege weakness and inability;
whom to have compelled would have been thought great tyranny and
oppression.
The experience that was had in this common course and condition, tried
sundry years and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the
vanity of that conceit of Plato's and other ancients applauded by some
of later times; that the taking away of property and bringing in
community into a commonwealth would make them happy and flourishing;
as if they were wiser than God. For this community (so far as it was)
was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much
employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For the
young men, that were most able and fit for labour and service, did
repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for
other men's wives and children without any recompense. The strong, or
man of parts, had no more in division of victuals and clothes than he
that was weak and not able to do a quarter the other could; this was
thought injustice. The aged and graver men to be ranked and equalized
in labours and victuals, clothes, etc., with the meaner and younger
sort, thought it some indignity and disrespect unto them. And for
men's wives to be commanded to do service for other men, as dressing
their meat, washing their clothes, etc., they deemed it a kind of
slavery, neither could many husbands well brook it. Upon the point all
being to have alike, and all to do alike, they thought themselves in
the like condition, and one as good as another; and so, if it did not
cut off those relations that God hath set amongst men, yet it did at
least much diminish and take off the mutual respects that should be
preserved amongst them. And would have been worse if they had been men
of another condition. Let none object this is men's corruption, and
nothing to the course itself. I answer, seeing all men have this
corruption in them, God in His wisdom saw another course fitter for
them.
For more information on the first Thanksgiving,
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