Class _tr\^ Copyright N° COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE Compiled by MARTHA AYLI^LANE AND MABEL HILL Teacher of History in the Lowell State Normal School GINN & COMPANY BOSTON • NEW YORK • CHICAGO • LONDON - OCT 80 jyUfr I COPY B. Copyright, 1905, by Martha A. L. Lane and Mabel Hill ALL RIGHTS RESERVED GINN & COMPANY • PRO- PRIETORS ■ BOSTON . U.S.A. PREFACE Between the covers of this volume the editors have brought together a number of simple literary excerpts which illustrate the leading events and the characteris- tic conditions that have marked the development of the United States. The value of these and similar side lights on the study of history has been demonstrated too often to need further proof. Every intelligent teacher of history makes more or less use of literature to give reality and vividness to per- sons, events, or conditions under consideration in the class room. Unfortunately, however, a good library is not always available, and even when suitable books are within reach the required material is widely scattered, and its selection requires time-'and effort both from teacher and pupil. The purpose of the editors has been to gather into com- pact form a large amount of illustrative material of this kind, — the first volume for children of ten and twelve years, the second for the higher grades. In this book at- tention has been given to historical and chronological data, appropriate blackboard quotations, and suggestive lists of helpful books which may be read in connection with the study of American history in elementary schools. The selections from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, John Greenleaf Whittier, Nathan- iel Hawthorne, Lew. Wallace, and Lucy Larcom are used by the kind permission of Houghton, Mifflin and Co. IV PREFACE We are permitted also by the kindness of the publishing houses named below to use the following selections: "The Boston Tea Party " and "Washington's Inaugural Journey," by Washington Irving, edited by John Fiske (Ginn & Com- pany) ; "The Song of Marion's Men," by William Cullen Bryant (D. Appleton & Co.); "The Man without a Coun- try," by Edward Everett Hale (Little, Brown & Co. and Lend a Hand); "The X-Rays," "The Phonograph," and "Liquid Air," by Ray Stannard Baker (McClure, Phillips & Co.) ; "Columbus," by Joaquin Miller (from the complete works of Joaquin Miller published by The Whitaker and Ray Company) ; " O Captain, my Captain," by Walt Whit- man (Small, Maynard & Co.); "The Opening of the Bea- ver Fair," by Mary Hart well Catherwood (A. C. McClurg & Co.) ; "The Shannon and the Chesapeake,'' by Thomas T. Bouve; "The Lick Observatory," by Edward S. Holden; and "The Story of the Atlantic Cable," by Cyrus W. Field (Perry Mason Co.) ; " School Children in the Philippines," by Adeline R. Knapp (Silver, Burdett & Co.) ; and "The Surrender at Oueenston Heights," by Benson J. Lossing (Harper & Brothers). For other selections we are indebted to John D. Long, Francis M. Finch, Frederick Chalmerson, Charles F. Dole, Jeremiah E. Rankin, and Theodore Roosevelt. CONTENTS Chapter I. The New World, i 492-1 583 Page The Island of Atlantis Plato 3 Leif the Lucky Frederick Chalviersoii 5 Ferdinand and Isabella Washington Irving 8 Columbus Joaquin Miller 1 1 Columbus Arthur Hugh Clough 13 The Discovery of America Washington Irving 14 The Reception of Columbus at Barcelona . . . Washington Irving 18 The Shame of Montezuma Lew. Wallace 20 Sir Humphrey Gilbert Henry W. Longfellow 22 Chapter II. The New Homes, 1607-1675 The Story of Pocahontas Martha A. L. Lane 26 The Word of God to Leyden Came . . . Jeremiah Eames Rankin 34 The Pilgrim Fathers John Pierpont 36 The Landing of the Pilgrims Felicia Browne Hemans 38 Miles Standish Henry W. Longfellow 40 The First Thanksgiving Selected 42 The Challenge Henry W. Longfellow 45 Hiawatha Henry W. Longfellow 48 The Captive Mary Rowlaiidson 51 Philip of Pokanoket Washington Irving 52 Chapter III. Colonial Life, 1678-1758 The Opening of the Beaver Fair . . . Mary Hartwell Catherwood 58 The Pine-Tree Shillings Nathaniel Hawthorne 61 The Sunken Treasure Nathaniel Hawthorne 66 The Acadians Henry W. Longfellow 72 V vi CONTENTS Chapter IV. The Revolution, i 770-1 789 Page The Boston Massacre Nathaniel Hawthorne 80 The Boston Tea Party Washington Irvitig 84 Allen's Capture of Ticonderoga George Bancroft 87 Bunker Hill George H. Calvert 89 Signing the Declaration of Independence .... George Lippard 91 Song of Marion's Men IVilliam Cullen Bryant 94 Nathan Hale Francis M. Finch 96 Washington's Inaugural Journey Washington Irving 99 Chapter V. The Union, i 798-1 830 Hail Columbia Joseph Hopkinson 104 The Constitution and the Guerriere Old Ballad 106 The Surrender at Queenston Heights . . . Benson John Lossing 108 The Shannon and the Chesapeake Thomas Tracy Bouve 1 1 1 The Star-Spangled Banner Francis Scott A'ey 114 The Man Without a Country Edward Everett Hale 116 Old Ironsides Oliver Wendell Holmes 121 Chapter VI. Keeping the Union, 1832-1852 America Samuel Francis Smith 1 24 A New England Sabbath Lucy Larcom 125 To Arms Park Benjamin 128 The Angels of Buena Vista John G. Whittier 130 John Caldwell Calhoun Temple 134 The Story of the Atlantic Cable Cyrus W. Field 135 Daniel Webster Johji D. Long 140 Chapter VII. The Civil War, 1861-1865 The Cavalry Charge George Parsons Lathrop 146 Dedication of Gettysburg Cemetery Abraham Lincoln 147 Little Giffen of Tennessee Francis O. Ticknor 149 O Captain ! my Captain ! Walt Whitman 150 The Blue and the Gray Francis M. Finch 152 Union and Liberty Oliver Wendell Holmes 154 The Republic Henry W. Longfellow 155 CONTENTS vu Chapter VIII. The Growth of the Nation, ^^^i-iQoS^^^ . M. A. Shorey 158 The Chicago Fue. • QUver Wendell Holmes 160 Welcome to the Nations . ^. . . ■ ■ O ^^^^^ ^^^ How the Children ,.ng the Bell Ed^^afd S. Holden 164 A Modern Observatory jr'u,^ ,6, Ray Stannard Baker \on t/ie founding of the New Haven colony) I see it now, that one solitary, adventurous vessel, the Mayflower of a forlorn hope, freighted with the prospects of a future state. Edward Everett New England was the colony of conscience. — John Quincy Adams O strong hearts and true ! not one went back in the Mayflower ! No, not one looked back who had set his hand to this plowing. Longfellow THE STORY OF POCAHONTAS Martha A. L. Lane Historical Note. During the troublous months occupied in the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, 1607-1608, the colony would have gone to ruin had it not been for the courage and shrewd wisdom of Captain John Smith, then a man under thirty years of age. He was at one time, he says, taken prisoner by the Indians, and would have been killed if Pocahontas, the daughter of the chief, had not begged for his life. There is some doubt as to the authenticity of the story. Pocahontas afterwards married an Englishman, John Rolfe. With him she visited England, where she died. Many Virginians are proud to trace their descent from this Indian woman. The following scene, though founded on historical fact, is in itself fictitious. The fallen leaves had drifted in great heaps upon the soft green velvet of an PZnglish lawn, and were floating upon the placid waters of the Thames, which wound silently along at the foot of the garden. In the clear air there was a sharp chill which quickened the steps of a young man pacing back and forth by the edge of the river. 1675] THE NEW HOMES 2/ It was at Richmond, England, in the year 1610. King James was then lying at Stirling Castle, and his Royal Highness, Henry, Prince of Wales, was enjoying himself, after his fashion, at his own house. It was a very innocent and simple fashion, and the prince himself was a pleasant- faced, auburn-haired young man, dressed in a plain suit of rough gray frieze. He was straight and broad-shouldered, with the keen eyes and good muscles of a healthy athlete. He looked up quickly as a man brushed his way through a small thicket on the bank above him. "Ah, my good Sir Thomas," he cried with boyish eager- ness, "has the redoubtable captain at last arrived.''" " He has, your Highness," the chamberlain answered with deference. " Is it your pleasure to see him here ? " " Ay," said the prince ; " I can ever talk and listen better in the fresh air, thou knowest. When I am king I shall summon Parliament itself to an out-of-door sitting." The chamberlain discreetly gazed at the distant palace, that his young master might not perceive how greatly scan- dalized he was at such a proposal. "Make haste and fetch him," his Highness went on rapidly. " And harkye, my lord ! come not through this good man's harvest field a second time. I fear me you have ruined his corn with your heavy boots." " Your Highness was in haste," began Sir Thomas, but Henry interrupted him with a good-natured laugh. " My haste must never make a poor man's waste," he said ; and one might have noticed a slight impediment in his speech. "We princes are likely to be selfish, heedless folk, at the best. Now go, good Challoner, and bid Captain Smith join me here." 28 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i607- Sir Thomas, right glad in his heart to be let off so easily, was about to retrace his steps, when he suddenly stopped. "The man is an impatient boor," he muttered. "He will be here in another minute." Henry scrambled boyishly up the bank to see for him- self. Marching along, with a stride that was almost a swag- ger, was an oddly picturesque figure clad in a tawny doublet, with jerkin and hose of the same color. His bristling hair and whiskers gave him a curiously theatrical look, which was, in part, carried out by his bearing. He approached with a confidence which barely fell short of impudence, yet with a certain dignity which, in its turn, commanded respect. He looked with evident surprise at the tall young prince. "Your Highness will forgive me," said he with a gallant sweep of his great hat, as his knee touched for an instant the turf before the royal lad. "When Raleigh spoke of his ' dear boy,' I looked to find you playing ball." " Since you come from my friend Sir Walter, you are indeed forgiven and most welcome," said Henry courte- ously. " I trust you left him well." " Well, in truth, but far from happy," his guest answered with sudden seriousness. " One does not find the Tower a cheerful place of residence, your Highness." "There you are right. Captain John Smith," Henry cried warmly. " None but my father would keep such a bird in a cage. Nay, good Challoner, thou knowest I am a loyal son on every question but this." Sir Thomas coughed behind his hand in some embarrass- ment. " Come, come," Henry went on ; "leave us to our- selves a little, my Lord Chamberlain. You care not for such wild stories as I am assured this famous captain can tell 1675] THE NEW HOMES 29 me. I will return before the hour is up. And now, sir," he went on, " I scarcely know where to ask you to begin." " It makes little difference," said the captain, smiling at the lad's impetuous manner. "My life has been one long adventure." " Yes," cried Henry, eager to prove himself familiar with his new friend's history. "I have heard of the Turk's heads, and the lady Tragabizanda, and how you were treated like Jonah and thrown overboard." "And has your Highness heard of Pocahontas.''" asked Captain Smith, with a gleam of amusement in his eyes. "I cannot say it," said Henry, laughing; "but if it is about your life in America, then that is what I want to hear." " I would that I could carry you with me into the heart of that great, silent forest," Smith began as easily as if story-telling to a prince were an everyday affair. " There is nothing like it in all England. Fancy the wide river with no sails upon it, the beautiful but desolate shores, the vast stretch of unknown sea, the coast line which no eye can follow, and the impenetrable woods where one wanders for days without sight of human life." " Go on," said Henry, his face alight with interest. Smith was drawing with his heel in the loose sand an out- line of the Virginia coast. "There," said he, "is the river." "Ay, my father's river," assented Henry. " It is named for his Majesty," Smith said a little dryly. "And here is the fort and settlement. About fifteen miles to the northeast is an Indian village. Here lives the Pow- hatan, or the great chief." 30 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i607- " What is the village like ? " Henry asked. "A dozen or more long houses are pleasantly seated on a hill," Smith explained. " They are shaped like an arbor over a garden walk, and covered with large sheets of bark which overlap each other. There are no chimneys, but at the top of the house, at the crown of the arch, there is an opening a foot wide for the escape of the smoke and to light the dwelling. The fires are on the ground in a line down the middle of the house. Sometimes more than twenty families lodge in one of these houses. The Indians themselves — " "Ay, I know how they look," interrupted Henry. "My father has many curious pictures of his new subjects. But the adventure — " " It was not quite two years ago," Smith began obedi- ently. " I had been sent to trade with the Indians for some corn. And corn in America, your Royal Highness may remember, is not wheat, as in this country, nor oats, as in Scotland, but a large kernel which grows swathed in silk upon a heavy cob. The Indians had so much to tell me of the interior of the country that I determined on an exploring expedition. With two Indian guides and one white man I set off in a frail canoe. " It was about the middle of December, and the swamp in which we found ourselves was chilly and dismal. We had made but little progress, when one day a band of two hundred yelling Indians fell upon us, and after killing my comrade, took me prisoner and tied me to the trunk of a tree in order to torture me to death. " I had with me a small pocket compass, of which I for- tunately bethought me. I showed the savages the tiny 1675] THE NEW HOMES 3 1 needle quivering to its place no matter how they turned and twisted the glass. The glass itself was the greater marvel to them, and when I seized the chance to give them a discourse on the wonders of the heavens, they began to look upon me with something of awe and respect. Presently they untied the thongs which bound me and led me away with them." " Why should the savages have attacked you so fiercely .'* " Henry asked. " Rumor saith that an Indian was kidnapped by a white captain some years ago," said Smith, "and it may be that they suspected me of being responsible. If such a thing happened it must have been one of Gilbert's company. There seemed to be some effort to identify me with a taller man. On the other hand, such is the natural ferocity of these barbarians that possibly it is their custom to receive all strangers in this fashion." "Truly, a hospitable country," was Henry's comment. " But make haste, my captain. Time presses." " I was finally brought into the presence of the Powha- tan himself. He was sitting on a low bench with his feet almost in the embers of the fireplace. His robe was made of the fur of some small animals, whose tails, being left on, dangled like tassels. Near the walls were a row of women with their faces and shoulders painted a bright red, while in front of them stood the warriors of the tribe. " Shortly after my entrance two big stones were placed before the chief, and after some consultation I was taken forcibly and laid upon them. Then the grim file of war- riors moved slowly forward, each bearing his club uplifted, when suddenly — " 32 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i607- " What ? " asked Henry breathlessly, as the older man paused for greater effect. " — When out rushed the chief's young daughter, Poca- hontas, and casting her arms about my neck declared that they should not hurt me. As I lay there helpless, with the Indian girl's head bent over mine and her supple brown fingers clasping me, I had no thought of rescue. I knew little, as you will see, of their customs. " I said to myself, ' They will drag her away, or perhaps kill her too.' Your Highness may think how my heart leaped when I felt them loosen the cords and was assured that I was free." " How old was the lady, my gallant captain ? " questioned Henry, remembering the man's former adventures and fore- seeing a possible romance. Smith's eyes twinkled. "About eleven, your Highness," he answered, "and a fine strapping lass for her age." Henry smiled. " What happened next .-' " he asked some- what hastily. Captain Smith chuckled as he twisted his heavy mous- tache into a fine upward curve. "That is the most laughable of all," said he, pleased with his listener's hearty good-fellowship. " The Powhatan and his men painted their faces in most hideous devices, and after howling dismally, at intervals, for two long days, came to me and embraced me, telling me that now I was the chief's adopted son, 'and that I might return to James- town, if I would but send to him, as a mark of my esteem, a couple of cannon and a grindstone." "And did you see Pocahontas again .-*" asked Henry, stumbling a little over the uncouth name. 1675] THE NEW HOMES 33 "Ay, that we did, right frequently. The lass has a brave heart, as you shall hear. It was some months after this that she heard of a treacherous attack to be made upon us by the Indians, led by that honorable old gentle- man, her father. Your Highness, she came alone at night, in a storm, to warn us of our danger ! " Henry's quick imagination reviewed the perils of such a journey and he nodded approvingly. " And this was the chief whom you crowned .? " he asked incredulously. " The very same, your Highness ; and would that you had been there to see. The London Company thought it a wondrous fine thing to have the coronation, as your Highness has been told, so Newport and I performed the ceremony as in duty bound ; but could you have seen the ridiculous creature in his scarlet robe and unsteady crown you must have died of laughing." Captain Smith was shaking with mirth at the recollection, and some irrever- ence in his manner brought Henry to a sense of his own dignity. " I thank you. Captain Smith, for the entertainment you have given me," he said graciously. " I envy you your fine, free life, your voyages, your work, and your glory. I am like a barnyard fowl longing for the wild life of the wil- derness." "It is all well enough for a youth like yourself," said Captain Smith, with something like a sigh, " and right glad were I to travel in company with one whose tastes are like my own. But when a man is old, my lad, he likes a snug harbor, and old friends, and quiet ways. We are not wholly to be envied, we adventurers." 34 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i607- "I shall never be an old man," said Henry. "Some- thing tells me I shall not be here long, and I would not have it otherwise. Yet, if I am ever king or no, I shall remember with pleasure this hour by the river and your share in it. To-night I go to London, else I should beg you to return. And so good morrow to you, Captain John Smith." Captain Smith bowed low, his hand upon his heart, — an act of courtesy somewhat unusual with him. "What a pity that he is to be a mere king!" was his thought as the prince turned and left him. THE WORD OF GOD TO LEYDEN CAME Jeremiah Eames Rankin Biographical Note. Jeremiah Eames Rankin was born in New Hampshire in 1828. He became the president of Howard University, Washington, in 1889. Dr. Rankin has published several volumes of prose, as well as several of verse. Historical Note. The Separatists, as the Pilgrims were first called, were so persecuted in England that many of them went to Holland under the leadership of their pastor, John Robinson. Here they set- tled, hoping to found a new home for themselves and their families ; but everything was strange in the Dutch city and they were far from contented. They could not bear to think that their children would forget the English language, and the dear old English habits and ways of living ; so they thought hopefully of the New World, where they might keep their English customs and find freedom in matters of religion and of government. The word of God to Leyden came, Dutch town by Zuyder Zee ; Rise up, my children of no name, My kings and priests to be. ]675] THE NEW HOMES 35 There is an empire in the West, Which I will soon unfold ; A thousand harvests in her breast, Rocks ribbed with iron and gold. Rise up, my children, time is ripe ! Old things are passed away. Bishops and kings from earth I wipe : Too long they 've had their day. A little ship have I prepared To bear you o'er the seas ; And in your souls my will declared Shall grow by slow degrees. Beneath my throne the martyrs cry : I hear their voice. How long? It mingles with their praises high, And with their victor song. The thing they longed and waited for. But died without the sight ; So, this shall be ! I wrong abhor. The world I '11 now set right. Leave, then, the hammer and the loom, You 've other work to do ; For Freedom's commonwealth there's room, And you shall build it too. I 'm tired of bishops and their pride, I 'm tired of kings as well ; Henceforth I take the people's side, And with the people dwell. 36 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i6ot- Tear off the mitre from the priest, And from the king, his crown ; Let all my captives be released ; Lift up, whom men cast down. Their pastors let the people choose. And choose their rulers too ; Whom they select, I '11 not refuse, But bless the work they do. The Pilgrims rose, at this, God's word. And sailed the wintry seas : With their own flesh nor blood conferred. Nor thought of wealth or ease. They left the towers of Leyden town. They left the Zuyder Zee ; And where they cast their anchor down, Rose Freedom's realm to be. THE PILGRIM FATHERS John Pierpont Biographical Note. John Pierpont was born in Connecticut in 1785. He died in 1866. For twenty-six years he was pastor of a Boston church. At the age of seventy-six he volunteered as chaplain in the Civil War ; he was afterwards transferred to the Treasury Department. Historical Note. Plymouth, Massachusetts, lies upon a beautiful hillside which slopes down to fair meadows and yellow sands, and to the harbor which stretches out its arms with kindly invitation. Here the Pilgrims built their first log houses, here half their number perished during the first winter, and here the brave remnant displayed their endurance and courage and all-sustaining faith. 1675] THE NEW HOMES 37 The Pilgrim Fathers, — where are they ? The waves that brought them o'er Still roll in the bay, and throw their spray As they break along the shore ; Still roll in the bay, as they rolled that day When the Mayflower' moored below, When the sea around was black with storms, And white the shore with snow. The mists that wrapped the Pilgrim's sleep Still brood upon the tide ; And his rocks yet keep their watch by the deep To stay its waves of pride. But the snow-white sail that he gave to the gale, When the heavens looked dark, is gone, — As an angel's wing through an opening cloud Is seen, and then withdrawn. The pilgrim exile, — sainted name ! The hill whose icy brow Rejoiced, when he came, in the morning's flame, In the morning's flame burns now. And the moon's cold light, as it lay that night On the hillside and the sea, Still lies where he laid his houseless head, — But the Pilgrim ! where is he ? The Pilgrim Fathers are at rest : When summer 's throned on high, And the world's warm breast is in verdure drest. Go, stand on the hill where they lie. 38 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i607- The earliest ray of the golden day On that hallowed spot is cast ; And the evening sun, as he leaves the world, Looks kindly on that spot last. The Pilgrim spirit has not fled : It walks in noon's broad light ; And it watches the bed of the glorious dead, With the holy stars by night. It watches the bed of the brave who have bled, And still guard this ice-bound shore, Till the waves of the bay where the Mayflower lay Shall foam and freeze no more. THE LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS Felicia Browne Hemans Biographical Note. Felicia Browne Hemans was born in England in 1794. She became known as a writer of verse which was marked by unusual taste and sweetness. It is said that when she was told of the sandy seashore near Plymouth, she was greatly troubled because in this poem she had written "rock-bound coast." Mrs. Hemans died in Dublin, Ireland, in 1835. Historical Note. After the long voyage of sixty-three days across the Atlantic, the Mavfitnver dropped anchor in what is now Province- town Harbor, at the extreme end of Cape Cod. An exploring party was sent out to find a good place for settlement, and the site of Plym- outh was decided upon. The Sunday previous to their landing these Pilgrims spent upon an island now known as Clark's Island. Here they offered prayers of thanksgiving and sang hymns of praise to God. The breaking waves dashed high On a stern and rock-bound coast. And the woods against a stormy sky Their giant branches tossed ; 1675] THE NEW HOMES And the heavy night hung dark The hills and waters o'er, When a band of exiles moored their bark On the wild New England shore. Not as the conqueror comes, They, the true-hearted, came ; Not with the roll of the stirring drums, And the trumpet that sings of fame ; Not as the flying come. In silence and in fear ; — They shook the depths of the desert gloom With their hymns of lofty cheer. Amidst the storm they sang. And the stars heard and the sea ; And the sounding aisles of the dim woods ran; To the anthem of the free ! The ocean eagle soared From his nest by the white wave's foam ; And the rocking pines of the forest roared This was their welcome home ! There were men with hoary hair Amidst that pilgrim band ; — Why had they come to wither there, Away from their childhood's land .? There was woman's fearless eye, Lit by her deep love's truth ; There was manhood's brow serenely high. And the fiery heart of youth. 39 40 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [I607- What sought they thus afar ? — Bright jewels of the mine ? The wealth of seas, the spoils of war ? — They sought a faith's pure shrine ! Ay, call it holy ground. The soil where first they trod. They have left unstained what there they found — Freedom to worship God. MILES STANDISH Henry W. Longfellow Historical Note. Captain Miles Standish, a man who had won honor in European wars, had joined the Pilgrim band at Leyden, not as a member of their religious communion but as one who wished to help found a colony in the far-away English possessions of which he had already heard much. When the long, perilous voyage was over and Plymouth Harbor was reached, the leaders chose Standish for their " commander." From the very outset, therefore, this brave Captain Standish stood at the head of military affairs in the struggling little colony, proving himself of the greatest po.ssible assistance to his friends in their rela- tions with the Indians and in the work of forming the " Plantation" itself. Suddenly breaking the silence, the diligent scribe inter- rupting, Spake, in the pride of his heart, Miles Standish the Captain of Plymouth. " Look at these arms," he said, " the warlike weapons that hang here Burnished and bright and clean, as if for parade or in- spection ! 1675] THE NEW HOMES 41 This is the sword of Damascus I fought with in Flanders ; this breastplate, Well I remember the day ! once saved my life in a skirmish ; Here in front you can see the very dint of the bullet Fired point-blank at my heart by a Spanish arcabucero. Had it not been of sheer steel, the forgotten bones of Miles Standish Would at this moment be mold, in their grave in the Flemish morasses." Thereupon answered John Alden, but looked not up from his writing : " Truly the breath of the Lord hath slackened the speed of, the bullet ; He in his mercy preserved you, to be our shield and our weapon ! " Still the Captain continued, unheeding the words of the stripling : "See, how bright they are burnished, as if in an arsenal hanging ; That is because I have done it myself, and not left it to others. Serve yourself, would you be well served, is an excellent adage ; So I take care of my arms, as you of your pens and your inkhorn. Then, too, there are my soldiers, my great, invincible army, Twelve men, all equipped, having each his rest and his matchlock, Eighteen shillings a month, together with diet and pil- And, like Caesar, I know the name of each of my soldiers ! " 42 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1607- This he said with a smile, that danced in his eyes, as the sunbeams Dance on the waves of the sea, and vanish again in a moment. Alden laughed as he wrote, and still the Captain con- tinued : " Look ! you can see from this window my brazen howitzer planted High on the roof of the church, a preacher who speaks to the purpose. Steady, straightforward, and strong, with irresistible logic, Orthodox, flashing conviction right into the hearts of the heathen. Now we are ready, I think, for any assault of the Indians ; Let them come, if they like, and the sooner they try it the better, — Let them come, if they like, be it sagamore, sachem, or powwow, Aspinet, Samoset, Corbitant, Squanto, or Tokamahamon ! " From The Courtship of Miles Standish THE FIRST THANKSGIVING On the twenty-first day of November, in the year 1620, the Mayflozvcr, with its company of Pilgrims, came to anchor off Cape Cod. She had had a stormy voyage of more than nine weeks, and now, separated by the wide ocean from all that they held most dear, the Pilgrims looked out upon a dreary, barren wilderness. So uninviting was this sandy strip of shore that small exploring parties set out to find a more attractive landing place. 1675] THE NEW HOMES 43 At length, on the 21st of December, a company of men under the leadership of Captain Miles Standish reached the harbor of Plymouth and landed on the spot destined to be the site of the first permanent New England colony. A few days later the Mayfloiue7' herself arrived at the place chosen for the new home, and the task of building began at once. The houses were roughly made of logs and were protected from the weather by a thatching of frozen sod. As the work progressed the women and chil- dren came ashore, a few pieces of furniture were set up in the new cabins, and housekeeping began. Hardly was the work well under way, however, when sick- ness attacked the colony and carried off nearly half of their number. At one time during that hard winter there were only seven who were strong enough to care for the living and to bury the dead. The sick were crowded together in a cold, comfortless hospital, and the dead were buried at night lest the Indians should know how few remained. In the spring, however, the desolate little colony took new courage. Although each member mourned the loss of some near and dear one, they all went bravely on with the work they had pledged themselves to do. They calmly watched the Mayflower as it sailed out of the harbor one sunny morning in April, when the glad singing of the birds must have brought to mind their far-away homes. The captain had offered them a free passage to England, but not one of them accepted the offer. They felt that their duty called them to make good the promise of those first sad months. The summer seemed to these uncomplaining souls a happy and prosperous one. At its close they began to 44 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1607- gather their small harvests and to make ready for the long winter. And as they looked upon their little store of pro- visions they were conscious of so many special reasons for gratitude that the gov^ernor issued a proclamation appoint- ing a feast of thanksgiving. Gunners were sent into the woods for wild turkeys, housewives worked all day in their kitchens, and a mes- senger was sent to invite Massasoit, the chief of the friendly Indians, to the celebration. Early Thanksgiving morning the guests appeared on the outskirts of the settlement. They were in high glee at the notion of the coming feast. As they filed into the open square by the governor's house they were given a hearty welcome, and they stood reverently while the morning service of prayer and praise took place. Then came not only one but three days of fun and feast- ing. The usual work was put aside, the children romped together without reprimand, and the tiny army of twenty men went through its drill to the great enjoyment of the savages. But throughout these hours of pleasure-making the real purpose of the celebration was not forgotten. Each day was closed, as it was begun, with a religious service. It was Indian summer time. The air was soft and warm ; a lovely haze hung over the sea ; the woods were still tinged with the late autumn coloring. There was the hum of many voices and the music of merry laughter as the Pilgrims and the Indians partook of the feast on the third day. . This was the state dinner, and a very ample one it was to those who had already felt the pinch of hunger more than once. There was roast turkey stuffed with beechnuts ; 1675] THE NEW HOMES 45 there were delicious venison pies, oysters brought by the Indians, great bowls of clam chowder, broiled fish, tooth- some cakes, wild grapes, nuts, and plums. Tradition says that the savage guests contributed popped corn as well as oysters to the dinner, and that the children greatly enjoyed the new dish. To-day we may see the meaning of Elder Brewster's prophecy : Blessed will it be for us, blessed for this land, for this vast continent ! Nay, from generation to generation will the blessing descend. Generations to come shall look back to this hour and these scenes of agonizing trial, this day of small things, and say, — "Here was our beginning as a people. These were our fathers. Through their trials we inherit our blessings. Their faith is our faith ; their hope our hope ; their God our God." c / / // THE CHALLENGE Henry W. Longfellow Historical Note. The rattlesnake-skin cliallenge occurred in Jan- uary, 1622, when Canonicus thus sent his defiance to the white settlers. The governor returned the skins stuffed with bullets. Meanwhile the choleric Captain strode wrathful away to the council, Found it already assembled, impatiently waiting his coming ; Men in the middle of life, austere and grave in deportment. Only one of them old, the hill that was nearest to heaven, Covered with snow, but erect, the excellent Elder of Plym- outh. God had sifted three kingdoms to find the wheat for this planting, 46 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i607- Then had sifted the wheat, as the living seed of a nation ; So say the chronicles old, and such is the faith of the people ! Near them was standing an Indian, in attitude stern and defiant, Naked down to the waist, and grim and ferocious in aspect ; While on the table before them was lying unopened a Bible, Ponderous, bound in leather, brass-studded, printed in Hol- land, And beside it outstretched the skin of a rattlesnake glit- tered, Filled, like a quiver, with arrows; a signal and challenge of warfare. Brought by the Indian, and speaking with arrowy tongues of defiance. This Miles Standish beheld, as he entered, and heard them debating What were an answer befitting the hostile message and menace, Talking of this and of that, contriving, suggesting, objecting ; One voice only for peace, and that the voice of the Elder, Judging it wise and well that some at least were converted, Rather than any were slain, for this was but Christian behavior ! Then out spake Miles Standish, the stalwart Captain of Plymouth, Muttering deep in his throat, for his voice was husky with anger, *' What ! do you mean to make war with milk and the water of roses ? Is it to shoot red squirrels you have your howitzer planted The Challenge 1675] THE NEW HOMES 47 There on the roof of the church, or is it to shoot red devils ? Truly the only tongue that is understood by a savage Must be the tongue of fire that speaks from the mouth of the cannon ! " Thereupon answered and said the excellent Elder of Plymouth, Somewhat amazed and alarmed at this irreverent language : " Not so thought Saint Paul, nor yet the other Apostles ; Not from the cannon's mouth were the tongues of fire they spake with ! " But unheeded fell this mild rebuke on the Captain, Who had advanced to the table, and thus continued dis- coursing : " Leave this matter to me, for to me by right it pertaineth. War is a terrible trade ; but in the cause that is righteous, Sweet is the smell of powder ; and thus I answer the challenge ! " Then from the rattlesnake's skin, with a sudden, con- temptuous gesture, Jerking the Indian arrows, he filled it with powder and bullets Full to the very jaws, and handed it back to the savage, Saying, in thundering tones : " Here, take it ! this is your answer ! " Silently out of the room then glided the glistening savage, Bearing the serpent's skin, and seeming himself like a serpent. Winding his sinuous way in the dark to the depths of the forest. From The Courtship of Miles Standish 48 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1607- HIAWATHA Henry W. Longfellow Historical Note. The more intelligent Indians realized that the white man had come to stay, and that he had brought a stronger gov- ernment and a better way of living. As the years went on many of the sachems and princes of the tribes issued messages to their fol- lowers to make peace with the paleface and to accept his friendship. From his wanderings far to eastward, From the regions of the morning, From the shining land of Wabun, Homeward now returned lagoo. The great traveler, the great boaster, Full of new and strange adventures. Marvels many and many wonders. And the people of the village Listened to him as he told them Of his marvelous adventures, Laughing answered him in this wise : " Ugh ! it is indeed lagoo ! No one else beholds such wonders ! " He had seen, he said, a water Bigger than the Big-Sea- Water, Broader than the Gitche Gumee, Bitter so that none could drink it ! At each other looked the warriors. Looked the women at each other. Smiled, and said, " It cannot be so ! Kaw ! " they said, " it cannot be so ! " O'er it, said he, o'er this water Came a great canoe with pinions, A canoe with wings came flying. 1675] THE NEW HOMES 49 Bigger than a grove of pine trees, Taller than the tallest tree tops ! And the old men and the women Looked and tittered at each other ; " Kaw ! " they said, " we don't believe it ! " From its mouth, he said, to greet him, Came Waywassimo, the lightning, Came the thunder, Annemeekee ! And the warriors and the women Laughed aloud at poor lagoo ; " Kaw ! " they said, " what tales you tell us ! " In it, said he, came a people. In the great canoe with pinions Came, he said, a hundred warriors ; Painted white were all their faces. And with hair their chins were covered ! And the warriors and the women Laughed and shouted in derision. Like the ravens on the tree tops. Like the crows upon the hemlocks. " Kaw ! " they said, " what lies you tell us ! Do not think that we believe them ! " Only Hiawatha laughed not. But he gravely spake and answered To their jeering and their jesting : " True is all lagoo tells us ; I have seen it in a vision, Seen the great canoe with pinions, Seen the people with white faces. Seen the coming of this bearded People of the wooden vessel From the regions of the morning, 50 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1607- From the shining land of Wabun. " Let us welcome, then, the strangers, Hail them as our friends and brothers, And the heart's right hand of friendship Give them when they come to see us. Gitche Manito, the Mighty, Said this to me in my vision. " I beheld, too, in that vision All the secrets of the future, Of the distant days that shall be. I beheld the westward marches Of the unknown, crowded nations. All the land was full of people, Restless, struggling, toiling, striving. Speaking many tongues, yet feeling But one heart -beat in their bosoms. In the woodlands rang their axes, Smoked their towns in all the valleys, Over all the lakes and rivers Rushed their great canoes of thunder. " Then a darker, drearier vision Passed before me, vague and cloud-like : I beheld our nation scattered. All forgetful of my counsels. Weakened, warring with each other ; Saw the remnants of our people Sweeping westward, wild and woeful. Like the cloud-rack of a tempest. Like the withered leaves of Autumn ! " From The Song of Hiawatha 1675] THE NEW HOMES 5 1 THE CAPTIVE Mary Rowlandson Historical Note. Mrs. Mary Rowlandson was, with several others in the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts, taken prisoner by the Indians in February, 1675. This selection is taken from her own account of her sufferings. Now the Indians gathered their forces to go against Northampton. Over night one went about yelHng and hooting to give notice of the design. Whereupon they went to boihng of groundnuts and parching corn (as many as had it) for their provision ; and in the morning away they went. During my abode in this place Phihp spake to me to make a shirt for his boy, which I did ; for which he gave me a shilhng. I offered the money to my mistress, but she bid me keep it, and with it I bought a piece of horse- flesh. Afterward he asked me to make a cap for his boy; for which he invited me to dinner. I went, and he gave me a pancake about as big as two fingers ; it was made of parched wheat, beaten and fried in bear's grease, but I thought I never tasted pleasanter meat in my life. There was a squaw who spake to me to make a shirt, for which she gave me a piece of beef. Another asked me to knit a pair of stockings, for which she gave me a quart of peas. I boiled my peas and beef together, and invited my master and mistress to dinner ; but the proud gossip, because I served them both in one dish, would eat nothing except one bit that he gave her upon the point of his knife. Hearing that my son was come to this place, I went to see him, and found him lying flat on the ground. I asked him 52 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1607- how he could sleep so ? He answered me that he was not asleep, but at prayer ; and that he lay so, that they might not observe what he was doing. I pray God he may remember these things now that he is returned in safety. At this place (the sun now getting higher), what with the beams and heat of the sun and the smoke of the wigwams, I thought I should have been blinded. I could scarce discern one wigwam from another. There was one Mary Thurston of Medfield, who, seeing how it was with me, lent me a hat to wear ; but as soon as I was gone, the squaw that owned that Mary Thurston came running after me and got it away again. Here was a squaw who gave me a spoonful of meal. I put it in my pocket to keep it safe ; yet notwith- standing somebody stole it, but put five Indian corns in the room of it, which corns were the greatest provision I had in my travel for one day. The Indians, returning from Northampton, brought with them some horses and sheep, and other things which they had taken. I desired them that they would carry me to Albany upon one of those horses and sell me for powder, for so they had sometimes discoursed. I was utterly help- less of getting home on foot, the way that I came. I could hardly bear to think of the many weary steps I had taken to this place. PHILIP OF POKANOKET Washington Irving Historical Note. Philip, son of Massasoit, became the sachem of the Pokanoket or Wampanoag tribe of Indians about the year 1661. For forty years the old chief, his father, had kept peace with the English, and the settlers of Plymouth had grown into friendly rela- tions with the red men. But with the death of Massasoit and Philip's 1675] THE NEW HOMES 53 accession the spirit of friendliness died out. For fourteen years plots were made, — plots in which Philip was discovered conspiring against the white people. A man of great power and unconquerable determination, Philip meant to drive out the English once and for all. After the first fight, — -" the great Swamp Fight," — which occurred in December, 1675, when the New England colonists in a body completely destroyed the Indian fortifications, Philip realized his defeat. With a scanty band of followers, who still remained true to his desperate fortunes, the unhappy Philip wandered back to the vicinity of Mount Hope, the ancient dwelling of his fathers. Here he lurked about, "like a specter, among the scenes of former power and prosperity, now bereft of home, of family, and friend." There needs no better pic- ture of his destitute and piteous situation than that fur- nished by the homely pen of the chronicler, who is unwarily enlisting the feelings of the reader in favor of the hapless warrior whom he reviles. "Philip," he says, " like a sav- age wild beast, having been hunted by the English forces through the woods above a hundred miles backward and forward, at last was driven to his own den upon Mount Hope, where he retired with a few of his best friends into a swamp, which proved but a prison to keep him fast till the messengers of death came by divine permission to execute vengeance upon him." Even in this last refuge of desperation and despair a sullen grandeur gathers round his memory. We picture him to ourselves seated among his careworn followers, brooding in silence over his blasted fortunes, and acquiring a savage sublimity from the wildness and dreariness of his lurking-place. Defeated but not dismayed, crushed to the earth but not humiliated, he seemed to grow more haughty 54 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [leor- beneath disaster and to experience a fierce satisfaction in draining the last dregs of bitterness. Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune, but great minds rise above it. The very idea of submission awakened the fury of Philip, and he smote to death one of his followers who proposed an expedient of peace. The brother of the victim made his escape, and in revenge betrayed the retreat of his chieftain. A body of white men and Indians were immedi- ately dispatched to the swamp where Philip lay crouched, glaring with fury and despair. Before he was aware of their approach they had begun to surround him. In a little while he saw five of his trustiest followers laid dead at his feet ; all resistance was vain ; he rushed forth from his covert and made a headlong attempt to escape, but was shot through the heart by a renegado Indian of his own nation. Such is the scanty story of the brave but unfortunate King Philip, — persecuted while living, slandered and dis- honored when dead. If, however, we consider even the prejudiced anecdotes furnished us by his enemies, we may perceive in them traces of amiable and lofty character sufficient to awaken sympathy for his fate and respect for his memory. We find that amidst all the harassing cares and ferocious passions of constant warfare he was alive to the softer feelings of connubial love and paternal tender- ness, and to the generous sentiment of friendship. The captivity of his " beloved wife and only son " is mentioned with exultation as causing him poignant misery ; the death of any near friend is triumphantly recorded as a new blow on his sensibilities ; but the treachery and desertion of many of his followers, in whose affections he had confided, is said to have desolated his heart and to have bereaved him of 1675] THE NEW HOMES 55 all further comfort. He was a patriot, attached to his native soil ; a prince, true to his subjects and indignant of their wrongs ; a soldier, daring in battle, firm in adversity, patient of fatigue, of hunger, of every variety of bodily suf- fering, and ready to perish in the cause he had espoused. Proud of heart and with an untamable love of natural liberty, he preferred to enjoy it among the beasts of the forests, or in the dismal and famished recesses of swamps and morasses, rather than bow his haughty spirit to sub- mission and live dependent and despised in the ease and luxury of the settlements. With heroic qualities and bold achievements that would have graced a civilized warrior, and have rendered him the theme of the poet and the his- torian, he lived a wanderer and a fugitive in his native land, and went down, like a lonely bark foundering amid darkness and tempest, without a pitying eye to weep his fall or a friendly hand to record his struggle. From The Sketch Book Selections from Prose and Poetry The Twenty-Second of December. — Bryant. The Indian. — Everett. Eliot's Oaiv. — Whittier. Endicott and the Red Cross. — Hawth"ORNE. The Maypole of Merry Mount. — Hawthorne. The Bridal of Pennacook. — Whittier. Ann Hutchinson. — Hawthorne. Tabby's Tablecloth. — Alcott. The Sketch Book. — Irving. Queen Elizabeth. — Green {Short History of the English People). Stories of the Old Dominion. — Cooke. 56 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE Books for Children Indian History for Young Folks. — Drake. Pilgrims and Puritans. — Tiffany. Old Times in the Colonies. — Coffin. Little Puritan's First Christmas. — Robinson. Young Puritans in Captivity. — Smith. Young and Old Puritans of Hatfield. — Smith. Colonial Children. — Hart. Grandfather's Chair. — Hawthorne. The Making of New England. — Drake. Teacher's List Westward Ho ! — Kingsley. Beginnings of New England. — Fiske. Old Virginia and her Neighbors. — Fiske. The Dutch and Quaker Colonies. — Fiske. Standish of Standish. — Austin. Betty Alden. — Austin. A Nameless Nobleman. — Austin. Knickerbocker's History of New York. — Irving. Home Life in the Colonies. — Earle. Child Life in Colonial Times. — Earle. King Noanett. — Stimson. To Have and to Hold. — Johnston. The Romance of Dollard. — Catherwood. CHAPTER III COLONIAL LIFE The Puritans — there is a charm in that word which will never be lost on a New England ear. So intense is our sense of affiliation with their nature that we speak of them universally as our " fathers." Whipple The country felt itself honored by those who were " Virginians born " ; and emigrants never again desired to live in England. Bancroft Liberty without obedience is confusion, and obedience without liberty is slavery. — Penn The only treaty which was never sworn to and never broken. Voltaire New times demand new manners and new men; The world advances, and in time outgrows The laws that in our fathers' day were best. — Lowell Taxation without representation is tyranny. — Otis Liberty, property, and no stamps ! —-Boston Boys' Cry (1765) I am not a Virginian but an American. — Patrick Henry Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all, — By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall ! The Liberty Song (Boston Gazette') To be prepared for war is one of the best ways of preserving peace. — Washington 57 58 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i678- THE OPENING OF THE BEAVER FAIR Mary Hartwell Catherwood Biographical Note. Mary Hartwell Catherwood (i 847-1 903) was an American writer who made portions of our history as entertaining as fiction. Historical Note. In 1678 Robert Cavelier de La Salle returned from France to Canada to carry out his ambitious schemes of pene- trating the great western wilderness. With him came his friend Henri de Tonty, — the man with the copper hand. The annual beaver fair was usually held in midsummer, but this year the tribes of the upper lakes had not descended with their furs to Montreal until September. These pre- cious skins, taken out of the canoes, were stored within the lodges. Every male of the camp was already greasing, painting, and feathering himself for the grand council which always preceded a beaver fair. Hurons, Ottawas, Crees, Nipis- sings, Ojibwas, Pottawattomies, each jealous for his tribe, completed a process begun the night before, and put on what might be called his court dress. In some cases this was no dress at all, except a suit of tattooing, or a fine coat of ocher streaked with white clay or soot. The juice of berries heightened nature in their faces. But there were grand barbarians who laid out robes of beaver skin, ample, and marked inside with strange figures or porcupine-quill embroidery. The heads swarming in this vast and dusky dressing room were some of them shaven bare except the scalp lock, some bristling in a ridge across the top, while others carried the natural coarse growth tightly braided down one side, with the opposite half flowing loose. 1758] COLONIAL LIFE 59 The guns of the fort had fired a sakite to Indian guests on their arrival the evening before. But at sunrise repeated cannonading, a prolonged roll of drums, and rounds of musketry announced that the governor general's fleet was in sight. This governor general, with all his faults, had a large and manly way of meeting colonial dangers, and was always a prop under the fainting hearts of New France. His boats made that display upon the St. Lawrence which it was his poUcy and inclination to make before Indians. Officers in white and gold, and young nobles of France, powdered, and flashing in the colors of Louis' magnificent reign, crowded his own vessel, — young men who had ventured out to Quebec because it was the fash- ion at court to be skilled in colonial matters, and now fol- lowed Frontenac as far as Montreal to amuse themselves with the annual beaver fair. The flag of France, set with its lilylike symbol, waved over their heads its white reply to its twin signal on the fort. Frontenac stood at the boat's prow, his rich cloak thrown back, and his head bared to the morning river breath and the people's shouts. Being colonial king pleased this soldier, tired of European camps and the full blaze of roy- alty, where his poverty put him to the disadvantage of a singed moth. Merchants of Quebec followed him with boat loads of Indian supplies. Even Acadia had sent men to this voy- age ; but most conspicuous to the eyes of Montreal were two men standing at Frontenac's right hand, — a Norman and an Italian. Both were tall, the Italian being of deeper colors and more generous materials. His large features 6o AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1678- were clothed in warm brown skin. Rings of black hair thick as a fleece were cut short above his military col- lar. His fearless, kindly eyes received impressions from every aspect of the New World. There dwelt in Henri de Tonty the power to make men love him at sight, — savages as well as Europeans. He wore the dress of a French lieutenant of infantry, and looked less than thirty years old, having entered the service of France in his early youth. The other man, Robert Cavelier, — called La Salle from an estate he had once owned in France, — was at that time in the prime of his power. He was returning from France, with the king's permission to work out all his gigantic enterprises, with funds for the purpose, and one of the most promising young military men in Europe as his lieutenant. La Salle had a spare face, with long oval cheeks, curving well in- ward beside the round of his sensitive, prominent chin. Gray and olive tones still further cooled the natural pallor of his skin and made ashen brown the hair which he wore flowing. The plainness of an explorer and the elegance of a man exact in all his habits distinguished La Salle's dress against that background of brilliant courtiers. La Salle 1758] COLONIAL LIFE 6 1 He moved ashore with Frontenac, who saluted benignly both the array of red allies and the inhabitants of this second town in the province. The sLibgovernor stepped out to escort the governor general to the fort, bells rang, cannon still boomed, and martial music pierced the heart with its thrill. From The Story of Tonty THE PINE-TREE SHILLINGS Nathaniel Hawthorne Biographical Note. Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American author remarkable for his artistic genius and the beauty of his style. He was born July 4, 1804, and died May 19, 1864. This selection is taken from a work called The Whole History of Grandfatlier''s Chair. An old man is represented as owning an ancient chair, which had been brought to New England by the earliest set- tlers. His grandchildren ask him to relate the adventures of this chair, and in doing so he tells them stories of men famous in early New England history. Captain John Hull was the mint-master of Massachusetts, and coined all the money that was made there. This was a new line of business ; for in the earlier days of the colony the current coinage consisted of gold and silver money of England, Portugal, and Spain. These coins being scarce, the people were often forced to barter their commodities instead of selling them. For instance, if a man wanted to buy a coat, he perhaps ' exchanged a bearskin for it. If he wished for a barrel of molasses, he might purchase it with a pile of pine boards. Musket bullets were used instead of farthings. The Indians had a sort of money, called wampum, which was made of clam shells ; and this strange sort of specie was likewise 62 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1678- taken in payment of debts by the English settlers. Bank bills had never been heard of. There was not money enough of any kind, in many parts of the country, to pay the salaries of the ministers ; so that they sometimes had to take quintals of fish, bushels of corn, or cords of wood, instead of silver or gold. As the people grew more numerous and their trade one with another increased, the want of current money was still more sensibly felt. To supply the demand, the Gen- eral Court passed a law for establishing a coinage of shil- lings, sixpences, and threepences. Captain John Hull was appointed to manufacture this money, and was to have about one shilling out of every twenty to pay him for the trouble of making them. Hereupon all the old silver in the colony was handed over to Captain John Hull. The Pine-Tree Shilling of Massachusetts battered silver cans and tankards, I suppose, and silver buckles, and broken spoons, and silver buttons of worn-out coats, and silver hilts of swords that had figured at court, — all such curious old articles were doubtless thrown into the melting pot together. But by far the greater part of the silver consisted of bullion from the mines of South America, which the English buc- caneers — who were little better than pirates — had taken from the Spaniards and brought to Massachusetts. All this old and new silver being melted down and coined, the result was an immense amount of splendid shillings, 1758] COLONIAL LIFE 63 sixpences, and threepences. Each had the date, 1652, on the one side, and the figure of a pine tree on the other. Hence they were called pine-tree shillings. And for every twenty shillings that he coined, you will remember, Captain John Hull was entitled to put one shilling into his own pocket. The magistrates soon began to suspect that the mint- master would have the best of the bargain. They offered him a large sum of money if he would but give up that twentieth shilling which he was continually dropping into his own pocket. But Captain Hull declared himself per- fectly satisfied with the shilling. And well he might be ; for so diligently did he labor that, in a few years, his pockets, his money bags, and his strong box were overflowing with pine-tree shillings. This was probably the case when he came into possession of Grandfather's chair ; and as he had worked so hard at the mint, it was certainly proper that he should have a com- fortable chair to rest himself in. When the mint-master had grown very rich, a young man, Samuel Sewell by name, came a-courting to his only daughter. His daughter — whose name I do not know, but we will call her Betsey - — was a fine, hearty damsel, by no means so slender as some young ladies of our own days. On the contrary, having always fed heartily on pumpkin pies, doughnuts, Indian puddings, and other Puritan dain- ties, she was as round and plump as a pudding herself. With this round, rosy Miss Betsey did Samuel Sewell fall in love. As he was a young man of good character, industrious in his business, and a member of the church, the mint-master very readily gave his consent. " Yes, you 64 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i678- may take her," said he, in his rough way ; "and you'll find her a heavy burden enough." On the wedding day we may suppose that honest John Hull dressed himself in a plum-colored coat, all the buttons of which were made of pine-tree shillings. The buttons of his waistcoat were sixpences, and the knees of his small- clothes were buttoned with silver threepences. Thus attired, he sat with great dignity in Grandfather's chair ; and, being a portly old gentleman, he completely filled it from elbow to elbow. On the opposite side of the room, between her bridemaids, sat Miss Betsey. She was blush- ing with all her might, and looked like a full-blown peony or a great red apple. There, too, was the bridegroom, dressed in a fine purple coat and gold-lace waistcoat, with as much other finery as the Puritan laws and customs would allow him to put on. His hair was cropped close to his head, because Governor Endicott had forbidden any man to wear it below the ears. But he was a very personable young man ; and so thought the bridemaids and Miss Betsey herself. The mint-master also was pleased with his new son-in- law, especially as he had courted Miss Betsey out of pure love, and had said nothing at all about her portion. So, when the marriage ceremony was over, Captain Hull whis- pered a word to two of his menservants, who immediately went out, and soon returned, lugging in a large pair of scales. They were such a pair as wholesale merchants use for weighing bulky commodities ; and quite a bulky com- modity was now to be weighed in them. " Daughter Betsey," said the mint-master, "get into one side of these scales." 1758] COLONIAL LIFE 65 Miss Betsey — or Mrs. Sewell, as we must now call her — did as she was bid, like a dutiful child, without any ques- tion of the why and wherefore. But what her father could mean, unless to make her husband pay for her by the pound (in which case she would have been a dear bargain), she had not the least idea. " And now," said honest John Hull to the servants, " bring that box hither." The box to which the mint-master pointed was a huge, square, iron-bound, oaken chest ; it was big enough, my children, for all four of you to play at hide and seek in. The servants tugged with might and main, but could not lift this enormous receptacle, and were finally obliged to drag it across the floor. Captain Hull then took a key from his girdle, unlocked the chest, and lifted its ponderous lid. Behold, it was full to the brim of bright pine-tree shillings, fresh from the mint ; and Samuel Sewell began to think that his father-in- law had got possession of all the money in the Massachu- setts treasury. But it was only the mint-master's honest share of the coinage. Then the servants, at Captain Hull's command, heaped double handfuls of shillings into one side of the scales, while Betsey remained in the other. Jingle, jingle, went the shillings, as handful after handful was thrown in, till, plump and ponderous as she was, they fairly weighed the young lady from the floor. "There, son Sewell!" cried the honest mint-master; " take these shillings for my daughter's portion. Use her kindly and thank Heaven for her. It is not every wife that 's worth her weight in silver." From Grandfather^ s Chair 66 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [igts- THE SUNKEN TREASURE Nathaniel Hawthorne Picture to yourselves, my dear children, a handsome, old- fashioned room, with a large, open cupboard at one end in which is displayed a magnificent gold cup, with some other splendid articles of gold and silver plate. In another part of the room stands our beloved chair, newly polished, and adorned with a gorgeous cushion of crimson velvet tufted with gold. In the chair sits a man of strong and sturdy frame, whose face has been roughened by northern tempests and blackened by the burning sun of the West Indies. He wears an immense periwig flowing down over his shoulders. His coat has a wide embroidery of golden foliage, and his waistcoat, likewise, is all flowered over and bedizened with gold. His red, rough hands, which have done many a good day's work with the hammer and adze, are half-covered by the delicate lace ruffles at his wrists. On a table lies his silver-hilted sword, and in a corner of the room stands his gold-headed cane, made of a beautifully polished West India wood. Somewhat such an aspect as this did Sir William Phipps present when he sat in Grandfather's chair after the king had appointed him governor of Massachusetts. But Sir William Phipps had not always worn a gold- embroidered coat, nor always sat so much at his ease as he did in Grandfather's chair. He was a poor man's son, and was born in the province of Maine, where he used to tend sheep upon the hills in his boyhood and youth. Until he had grown to be a man he did not even know how to read 1758] COLONIAL LIFE 6/ and write. Tired of tending sheep, he next apprenticed him- self to a ship carpenter, and spent about four years in hew- ing the crooked Hnibs of oak trees into knees for vessels. In 1673, when he was twenty-two years old, he came to Boston, and soon afterwards was married. He often told his wife that, some time or other, he should be very rich, and would build a "fair brick house" in the Green Lane of Boston. Several years passed away, and William Phipps had not yet gained the riches which he promised to himself. Dur- ing this time he had begun to follow the sea for a living. In the year 1684 he happened to hear of a Spanish ship which had been cast away near the Bahama Islands, and which was supposed to contain a great deal of gold and silver. Phipps went to the place in a small vessel, hoping that he should be able to recover some of the treasure from the wreck. He did not succeed, however, in fishing up gold and silver enough to pay the expenses of his voyage. But before he returned he was told of another Spanish ship, or galleon, which had been cast away near Porto de la Plata. She had now lain as much as fifty years beneath the waves. This old ship had been laden with immense wealth ; and, hitherto, nobody had thought of the possi- bility of recovering any part of it from the deep sea which was rolling and tossing it about. But though it was now an old story, and the most aged people had almost forgot- ten that such a vessel had been wrecked, William Phipps resolved that the sunken treasure should again be brought to light. He went to London and obtained admittance to King James, who had not yet been driven from his throne. He 68 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i678- told the king of the vast wealth that was lying at the bottom of the sea. King James listened with attention, and thought this a fine opportunity to fill his treasury with Spanish gold. He appointed William Phipps to be captain of a vessel called the Rose Algier, carrying eighteen guns and ninety-five men. So now he was Captain Phipps of the English navy. Captain Phipps sailed from England in the Rose Algier, and cruised for nearly two years in the West Indies, endeavoring to find the wreck of the Spanish ship. But the sea is so wide and deep that it is no easy matter to discover the exact spot where a sunken vessel lies. The prospect of success seemed very small ; and most people would have thought that Captain Phipps was as far from having money enough to build a " fair brick house " as he was while he tended sheep. The seamen of the Rose Algier became discouraged, and gave up all hope of making their fortunes by discovering the Spanish wreck. They broke out in open mutiny ; but were finally mastered by Phipps and compelled to obey his orders. It would have been dangerous, however, to con- tinue much longer at sea with such a crew of mutinous sailors ; and, besides, the Rose Algier v^2iS leaky and unsea- worthy. So Captain Phipps judged it best to return to England. Before leaving the West Indies he met with a Spaniard, an old man, who remembered the wreck of the Spanish ship, and gave him directions how to find the very spot. It was on a reef of rocks, a few leagues from Porto de la Plata. On his arrival in England, therefore. Captain Phipps solicited the king to let him have another vessel and send 1758] COLONIAL LIFE 69 him back again to tlie West Indies. But King James refused to have anything more to do with the affair. Phipps might never have been able to renew the search if the Duke of Albemarle and some other noblemen had not lent their assistance. They fitted out a ship and gave the com- mand to Captain Phipps. He sailed from England and arrived safely at Porto de la Plata, where he took an adze and assisted his men to build a large boat. The boat was intended for the purpose of going closer to the reef of rocks than a large vessel could safely venture. When it was finished the captain sent several men in it to examine the spot where the Spanish ship was said to have been wrecked. They were accompanied by some Indians, who were skillful divers. The boat's crew proceeded to the reef of rocks and rowed round and round it a great many times. They gazed down into the water, which was so transparent that it seemed as if they could have seen the gold and silver at the bottom, had there been any of those precious metals there. Nothing, however, could they see ; nothing more valuable than a curious sea shrub, which was growing beneath the water, in a crevice of the reef of rocks. It flaunted to and fro with the swell and reflux of the waves, and looked as bright and beautiful as if its leaves were gold. "We won't go back empty-handed," cried an English sailor; and then he spoke to one of the Indian divers. "Dive down and bring me that pretty sea shrub there. That's the only treasure we shall find." Down plunged the diver, and soon rose dripping from the water, holding the sea shrub in his hand. But he had learned some news at the bottom of the sea. 70 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i678- " There are some ship's guns," said he, the moment he had drawn breath, — "some great cannon, among the rocks, near where the shrub was growing." No sooner had he spoken than the English sailors knew that they had found the very spot where the Spanish galleon had been wrecked so many years before. The other Indian divers immediately plunged over the boat's side and swam headlong down, groping among the rocks and sunken cannon. In a few moments one of them rose above the water with a heavy lump of silver in his arms. The single lump was worth more than a thousand dollars. The sailors took it into the boat, and then rowed back as speedily as they could, being in haste to inform Captain Phipps of their good luck. But, confidently as the captain had hoped to find the Spanish wreck, yet, now that it was really found, the news seemed too good to be true. He could not believe it till the sailors showed him the lump of silver. "Thanks be to God ! " then cries Captain Phipps. "We shall every man of us make our fortunes ! " Hereupon the captain and all the crew set to work, with iron rakes and great hooks and lines, fishing for gold and silver at the bottom of the sea. Up came the treasure in abundance. Now they beheld a table of solid silver, once the property of an old Spanish grandee. Now they drew up a golden cup, fit for the king of Spain to drink his wine out of. Now their rakes or fishing lines were loaded with masses of silver bullion. There were also precious stones among the treasure, glittering and spar- kling so that it is a wonder how their radiance could have been concealed. 1758] COLONIAL LIFE 71 There is something sad and terrible in the idea of snatch- ing all this wealth from the devouring ocean, which had possessed it for such a length of years. It seems as if men had no right to make themselves rich with it. It ought to have been left with the skeletons of the ancient Spaniards, who had been drowned when the ship was wrecked, and whose bones were now scattered among the gold and silver. But Captain Phipps and his crew were troubled with no such thoughts as these. After a day or two they lighted on another part of the wreck, where they found a great many bags of silver dollars. But nobody could have guessed that these were money bags. By remaining so long in the salt water they had become covered over with a crust which had the appearance of stone, so that it was neces- sary to break them in pieces with hammers and axes. When this was done, a stream of silver dollars gushed out upon the deck of the vessel. The whole value of the recovered treasure — plate, bullion, precious stones, and all — was estimated at more than two millions of dollars. It was dangerous even to look at such a vast amount of wealth. A sea captain, who had assisted Phipps in the enterprise, utterly lost his reason at the sight of it. He died two years afterwards, still raving about the treasures that lie at the bottom of the sea. It would have been better for this man if he had left the skeletons of the shipwrecked Spaniards in quiet possession of their wealth. Captain Phipps and his men continued to fish up plate, bullion, and dollars, as plentifully as ever, till their provi- sions grew short. Then, as they could not feed upon gold and silver any more than old King Midas could, they found it necessary to go in search of better sustenance. Phipps 72 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i678- resolved to return to England. He arrived there in 1687, and was received with great joy by the Duke of Albemarle and other English lords who had fitted out the vessel. Well they might rejoice ; for they took by far the greater part of the treasure to themselves. The captain's share, however, was enough to make him comfortable for the rest of his days. It also enabled him to fulfill his promise to his wife, by building a " fair brick house" in the Green Lane of Boston. The Duke of Albe- marle sent Mrs. Phipps a magnificent gold cup, worth at least five thousand dollars. Before Captain Phipps left Lon- don King James made him a knight ; so that, instead of the obscure ship carpenter who had formerly dwelt among them, the inhabitants of Boston welcomed him on his return as the rich and famous Sir William Phipps. THE ACADIANS Henry W. Longfellow Historical Note. During the years immediately following Braddock's defeat (1756-175S), about seven thousand French "neutrals" were driven out of Nova Scotia by order of the English government. The harshness of this act has probably been exaggerated, for recent investigation shows that great ca.re was taken to prevent the separa- tion of families or any unjust treatment of the exiles. So passed the morning away. And lo ! with a summons sonorous Sounded the bell from its tower, and over the meadows a drum beat. Thronged erelong was the church with men. Without, in the churchyard. 1758] COLONIAL LIFE 73 "Waited the women. They stood by the graves, and hung on the headstones Garlands of autumn leaves and evergreens fresh from the forest. Then came the guard from the ships, and marching proudly among them Entered the sacred portal. With loud and dissonant clangor Echoed the sound of their brazen drums from ceiling and casement, — Echoed a moment only, and slowly the ponderous portal Closed, and in silence the crowd awaited the will of the soldiers. Then uprose their commander, and spake from the steps of the altar, Holding aloft in his hands, with its seals, the royal com- mission. " You are convened this day," he said, " by his Majesty's orders. Clement and kind has he been ; but how you have answered his kindness. Let your own hearts reply ! To my natural make and my temper Painful the task is I do, which to you I know must be grievous. Yet must I bow and obey, and deliver the will of our monarch ; Namely, that all your lands, and dwellings, and cattle of all kinds Forfeited be to the crown ; and that you yourselves from this province 74 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1678- Be transported to other lands. God grant you may dwell there Ever as faithful subjects, a happy and peaceable people ! Prisoners now I declare you ; for such is his Majesty's pleasure ! " As, when the air is serene in the sultry solstice of summer, Suddenly gathers a storm, and the deadly sling of the hailstones Beats down the farmer's corn in the field, and shatters his windows. Hiding the sun, and strewing the ground with thatch from the house roofs. Bellowing fly the herds, and seek to break their inclosures ; So on the hearts of the people descended the words of the speaker. Silent a moment they stood in speechless wonder, and then rose Louder and ever louder a wail of sorrow and anger. And, by one impulse moved, they madly rushed to the doorway. Vain was the hope of escape ; and cries and fierce impre- cations Rang through the house of prayer ; and high o'er the heads of the others Rose, with his arms uplifted, the figure of Basil the black- smith. As, on a stormy sea, a spar is tossed by the billows. Flushed was his face and distorted with passion ; and wildly he shouted, — " Down with the tyrants of England ! we never have sworn them allegiance ! 1758] COLONIAL LIFE 75 Death to these foreign soldiers, who seize on our homes and our harvests ! " More he fain would have said, but the merciless hand of a soldier Smote him upon the mouth, and dragged him down to the pavement. In the midst of the strife and tumult of angry contention, Lo ! the door of the chancel opened, and Father Felician Entered, with serious mien, and ascended the steps of the altar. Raising his reverend hand, with a gesture he awed into silence All that clamorous throng ; and thus he spake to his people ; Deep were his tones and solemn ; in accents measured and mournful Spake he, as, after the tocsin's alarum, distinctly the clock strikes. " What is this that ye do, my children ? what madness has seized you .'' Forty years of my life have I labored among you, and taught you, Not in word alone, but in deed, to love one another ! Is this the fruit of my toils, of my vigils and prayers and privations .-' Have you so soon forgotten all lessons of love and for- giveness ?" Few were his words of rebuke, but deep in the hearts of his people ^6 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1678- Sank they, and sobs of contrition succeeded the passionate outbreak, While they repeated his prayer, and said, " O Father, for- give them ! " Meanwhile had spread in the village the tidings of ill, and on all sides Wandered, wailing, from house to house the women and children. Long at her father's door Evangeline stood, with her right hand Shielding her eyes from the level rays of the sun, that, descending. Lighted the village street with mysterious splendor, and roofed each Peasant's cottage with golden thatch, and emblazoned its windows. Long within had been spread the snow-white cloth on the table ; There stood the wheaten loaf, and the honey fragrant with wild-flowers ; There stood the tankard of ale, and the cheese fresh brought from the dairy, And, at the head of the board, the great arm-chair of the farmer. Thus did Evangeline wait at her father's door, as the sunset Threw the long shadows of trees o'er the broad ambrosial meadows. Ah ! on her spirit within a deeper shadow had fallen. And from the fields of her soul a fragrance celestial ascended, — Evangeline 1758] COLONIAL LIFE yy Charity, meekness, love, and hope, and forgiveness, and patience ! Then, all-forgetful of self, she wandered into the village. Cheering with looks and words the mournful hearts of the women. As o'er the darkening fields with lingering steps they departed, Urged by their household cares, and the weary feet of their children. From Evanseline Selections from Prose and Poetry How the Women went from Dover. — Whittier. Cassandra Southwick. — Whittier. Giles Corey. — Wilkins. The Quaker of the Olden Times. — Whittier. Lady Wentworth. — Longfellow. Legends of the Province House. — Hawthorne. Sir William Phipps. ■ — Hawthorne. Sir William Pepperell. — Hawthorne. Evangeline. — Longfellow. The Witch of Wenham. — Whittier. Books for Children From Colony to Commonwealth. — Tiffany. William Penn. — Hodge. Autobiography of Franklin. — Franklin. Stories of Great Americans. — Eggleston. Stories of American Life and Adventure. — Eggleston. The Deerslayer. — Cooper. The Last of the Mohicans. — Cooper. The Pathfinder. — Cooper. A Book of New England Legends and Folklore in Prose and Poetry. — S. A. Drake. 78 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE Teacher's List New France and New England. — Fiske. Frontenac. — Parkman. Montcalm and Wolfe. — Parkman. The Refugees. — Doyle. The Conspiracy of Pontiac. — Parkman. The Story of Tonty. — Catherwood. The Beginners of a Nation. — Eggleston. The Transit of Civilization. — Eggleston. The Scarlet Letter. — Hawthorne. Agnes Surriage. — Bynner. The Adventures of Ann. — Wilkins. Doctor Vandyke. — Cooke. The Colonial Cavalier. — Goodwin. Customs and Fashions in Old New England. — Earle. The Sabbath in Puritan New England. — Earle. CHAPTER IV THE REVOLUTION If I were an American as I am an Englishman, while a foreign troop was landed in my country I never would lay down my arms, — never ! never ! never ! — Pitt The Americans will fight; England has lost her colonies for- ever. — Franklin Give me liberty or give me death. — Henry The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time. Jekkerson Where Liberty dwells, there is my country. — Franklin By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April's breeze unfurled. Here once the embattled farmers stood. And fired the shot heard round the world. — Emerson So through the night rode Paul Revere ; And so through the night went his cry of alarm To every Middlesex village and farm, — A cry of defiance and not of fear, A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door. And a word that shall echo forevermore. — Longfellow In their ragged regimentals Stood the old Continentals Yielding not. — McMaster We must all hang together or assuredly we shall all hang sepa- rately. — Franklin 79 8o AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i770- We hold these truths to be self-evident : That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights ; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. . . . And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. — Decla- ration OF Independence Yesterday the greatest question was decided which ever was debated in America, and a greater perhaps never was nor will be decided among men. — John Adams I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country. Nathan Hale THE BOSTON MASSACRE Nathaniel Hawthorne Historical Note. The English government, annoyed by the defiant spirit of the colonists, sent troops to Boston and quartered them in the city. As might have been expected, an encounter took place between the soldiers and the citizens. This, though not important in itself, showed the dangers of military rule and of disregarding the will of the people. It was now the 3d of March, 1770. The sunset music of the British regiments was heard, as usual, throughout the town. The shrill fife and rattling drum awoke the echoes in King Street, while the last ray of sunshine was lingering on the cupola of the townhouse. And now all the sentinels were posted. One of them marched up and down before the customhouse, treading a short path through the snow and longing for the time when he would be dismissed to the warm fireside of the guardroom. 1789] THE REVOLUTION 8 1 In the course of the evening there were two or three slight commotions, which seemed to indicate that trouble was at hand. Small parties of young men stood at the corners of the streets or walked along the narrow pavements. Squads of soldiers, who were dismissed from duty, passed by them, shoulder to shoulder, with the regular step which they had learned at the drill. Whenever these encounters took place it appeared to be the object of the young men to treat the soldiers with as much incivility as possible. " Turn out, you lobster -backs ! " one would say. " Crowd them off the sidewalks ! " another would cry. ** A redcoat has no right in Boston streets." " O you rebel rascals ! " perhaps the soldiers would reply, glaring fiercely at the young men. " Some day or other we'll make our way through Boston streets at the point of the bayonet ! " Once or twice such disputes as these brought on a scuffle, which passed off, however, without attracting much notice. About eight o'clock, for some unknown cause, an alarm bell rang loudly and hurriedly. At the sound many people ran out of their houses, sup- posing it to be an alarm of fire. But there were no flames to be seen, nor was there any smell of smoke in the clear, frosty air ; so that most of the townsmen went back to their own firesides. Others, who were younger and less prudent, remained in the streets. Later in the evening, not far from nine o'clock, several young men passed down King Street toward the custom- house. When they drew near the sentinel, he halted on his post and took his musket from his shoulder, ready to pre- sent the bayonet at their breasts. 82 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i770- "Who goes there?" he cried, in the gruff tones of a soldier's challenge. The young men, being Boston boys, felt as if they had a right to walk their own streets without being accounta- ble to a British redcoat. They made some rude answer to the sentinel. There was a dispute, or perhaps a scuffle. Other soldiers heard the noise and ran hastily from the barracks to assist their comrade. At the same time many of the townspeople rushed into King Street, by various avenues, and gathered in a crowd about the customhouse. It seemed wonderful how such a multitude had started up all of a sudden. The wrongs and insults which the people had been suffering for many months now kindled them into a rage. They threw snowballs and lumps of ice at the soldiers. As the tumult grew louder it reached the ears of Captain 1789] THE REVOLUTION 83 Preston, the officer of the day. He immediately ordered eight soldiers of the main guard to take their muskets and follow him. They marched across the street, forcing their way roughly through the crowd and pricking the towns- people with their bayonets. A gentleman (it was Henry Knox, afterwards general of the American artillery) caught Captain Preston's arm. "For Heaven's sake, sir," exclaimed he, "take heed what you do, or there will be bloodshed ! " "Stand aside!" answered Captain Preston haughtily. " Do not interfere, sir. Leave me to manage the affair." Arriving at the sentinel's post. Captain Preston drew up his men in a semicircle, with their faces to the crowd. When the people saw the officer, and beheld the threaten- ing attitude with which the soldiers fronted them, their rage became almost uncontrollable. " Fire, you lobster-backs ! " bellowed some. " You dare not fire, you cowardly redcoats ! " cried others. " Rush upon them ! " shouted many voices. " Drive the rascals to their barracks ! Down with them ! Down with them ! Let them fire, if they dare ! " Amid the uproar the soldiers stood glaring at the people with the fierceness of men whose trade was to shed blood. Oh, what a crisis had now arrived ! LTp to this very mo- ment the angry feelings between England and America might have been pacified. England had but to stretch out the hand of reconciliation and acknowledge that she had hitherto mistaken her rights, but would do so no more. Then the ancient bonds of brotherhood would again have been knit together as firmly as in old times. 84 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i770- But should the king's soldiers shed one drop of Ameri- can blood, then it was a quarrel to the death. Never, never would America rest satisfied until she had torn down the royal authority and trampled it in the dust. " Fire, if you dare, villains ! " hoarsely shouted the peo- ple, while the muzzles of the muskets were turned upon them. " You dare not fire ! " They appeared ready to rush upon the leveled bayonets. Captain Preston waved his sword and uttered a command which could not be distinctly heard amid the uproar of shouts that issued from a hundred throats. But his sol- diers deemed that he had spoken the fatal mandate, "Fire! " The flash of their muskets lighted up the street, and the report rang loudly between the edifices. A gush of smoke overspread the scene. It rose heavily, as if it were loath to reveal the dreadful spectacle beneath it. Eleven of the sons of New England lay stretched upon the street. Some, sorely wounded, were struggling to rise again. Others stirred not nor groaned, for they were past all pain. Blood was streaming upon the snow; and that purple stain in the midst of King Street, though it melted away in the next day's sun, was never forgotten nor forgiven by the people. THE BOSTON TEA PARTY Washingto]^ Irving Historical Note. England had been involved in long and costly wars and she had taxed the colonies to help pay the expenses of these campaigns. There were taxes on glass and pasteboard, painters' colors, and tea. The famous Stamp Act had been repealed, but these later taxes brought up the same discussions and objections. 1789] THE REVOLUTION 85 Owing to the constant protests, all duties except the tax on tea were at length done away with by an act of Parliament. The duty on tea was continued, simply to show that England had the right to tax the colonist, — the principle which the whole struggle was about. The passing of this act occurred on the very day of the Boston Massacre. The colonists, as a matter of convenience, resumed the consumption of those articles on which the duties had been repealed, but continued, on principle, the rigorous disuse of tea, excepting such as had been smuggled in. New Eng- land was particularly earnest in the matter ; many of the inhabitant.s, in the spirit of their Puritan progenitors, made a covenant to drink no more of the forbidden beverage until the duty on tea shguld be removed. This covenant operated disastrously against the interests of the East India Company, and produced an immense accumulation of the proscribed article in their warehouses. To remedy this. Lord North brought in a bill (1773) by which the Company were allowed to export their teas from England to any part whatever, without paying export duty. This, by enabling them to offer their teas at a low price in the colonies, would, he supposed, tempt the Americans to purchase large quantities, thus relieving the Company, and at the same time benefiting the revenue by the impost duty. Confiding in the wisdom of this policy, the Company dis- gorged their warehouses, freighted several ships with tea, and sent them to various parts of the colonies. This brought matters to a crisis. One sentiment, one determi- nation pervaded the whole continent. Taxation was to re- ceive its definitive blow. Whoever submitted to it was an enemy to his country. From New York and Philadelphia the ships were sent back, with their cargoes, to London. 86 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1770- In Charleston the tea was unloaded and stored away in cellars and other places, where it perished. At Boston the action was still more decisive. The ships anchored in the harbor. Some small parcels of tea were brought on shore, but the sale of them was prohibited. The captains of the ships, seeing the desperate state of the case, would have made sail back for England, but they could not obtain the consent of the consignees, a clearance at the custom- house, or a passport from the governor to clear the port. It was evident the tea was to be forced upon the people of Boston, and the principle of ta.xation established. To settle the matter completely, and prove that, on a point of principle, they were not to be trifled with, a number 1789] THE REVOLUTION 8/ of the inhabitants, disguised as Indians, boarded the ships in the evening (December i6, 1773), broke open all the chests of tea, and emptied the contents into the sea. This was no rash and intemperate proceeding of a mob, but the well-considered, though resolute act, of sober, respectable citizens, men of reflection but determination. The whole was done calmly, and in perfect order, after which the actors in the scene dispersed without tumult and returned quietly to their homes. From John Fiske's Irving' s Life of Washington ALLEN'S CAPTURE OF TICONDEROGA George Bancroft Biographical Note. George Bancroft (i 800-1 891) was an eminent American historian and statesman. His History of the United States was the result of an immense amount of labor and research. Historical Note. At the opening of the Revolution it was hoped by the colonists that Canada would join in the American cause. The Provincial Congress felt that by driving the British army out of Canada they might aid in this movement. Moreover, they wished to seize the stores in possession of the British at Fort Ticonderoga, then under command of Delaplace. Ticonderoga controlled the water way between the Hudson valley and Lake Champlain. Ethan Allen and his "Green Mountain Boys" undertook this expedition. The fort was out of repair, and as the commander had but a hand- ful of men there was nothing to do but to surrender. Allen and his exulting patriotic band captured a large number of cannon, small arms, and ammunition. Thus the important gateway of Canada fell into the hands of the American army without a struggle. The men were at once drawn up in three ranks, and, as the first beams of morning broke upon the mountain peaks, Ethan Allen addressed them thus : " Friends and fellow- soldiers, we must this morning quit our pretensions to valor. 88 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1770- or possess ourselves of this fortress ; and, inasmuch as it is a desperate attempt, I do not urge it on, contrary to will. You that will undertake it voluntarily, poise your firelock." At the word every firelock was poised. " Face to the right ! " cried Allen ; and, placing himself at the head of the center file, Arnold keeping emulously at his side, he marched to the gate. It was shut, but the wicket was open. The sentry snapped a fusee at him. The Americans rushed into the fort, darted upon the guards, and raising the Indian war whoop, such as had not been heard there since the days of Montcalm, formed on the parade in hollow square, to face each of the barracks. One of the sentries, after wounding an officer and being slightly wounded himself, cried out for quarter and showed the way to the apartment of the commanding officer. " Come forth instantly, or I will sacrifice the whole garri- son," cried Allen, as he reached the door. At this, Dela- place, the commander, came out, half dressed, with some of his clothes in his hand. " Deliver to me the fort instantly," said Allen. " By what authority .''" asked Delaplace. "In the name of the great Jehovah and the Continental Congress ! " answered Allen. Delaplace began to speak again, but was perempto- rily interrupted ; and, at sight of Allen's drawn sword near his head, he gave up the garrison, ordering his men to be paraded without arms. Thus was Ticonderoga taken, in the gray of the morn- ing of the loth of May, 1775. What cost the British nation eight millions sterling, a succession of campaigns, and many lives, was won in ten minutes by a few undisciplined men, without the loss of life or limb. Ethan Allen 1789] THE REVOLUTION 89 BUNKER HILL George H. Calvert Biographical Note. George H. Calvert (i 803-1 889) was the great grandson of the founder of Maryland. He wrote much verse of various kinds. Historical Note. General' Gage had himself planned to fortify Bunker Hill in Charlestown, but hearing of the scheme, the com- mander of the provincial army sent Colonel Prescott to throw up earth- works. On the morning of June 17, 1775, when the British looked across at the peninsula, they discovered that they had been outwitted. Breed's Hill was the point chosen, and lines of earthworks covered its slope. Gage immediately sent three thousand troops under Howe across the river to dislodge the Americans. Not until the third assault was the attack successful. Many famous officers were on the field. Colonel Stark, Captain Knowlton, General Pomeroy, General Putnam, and General Warren moved about among the provincial troops, encouraging and inspir- ing them. The soldiers were forbidden to fire until they could see the vvliites of the enemy's eyes, and perfect discipline prevailed. Notwithstanding their first successes the patriots were finally forced by lack of ammunition to fall back and leave the field in the hands of the British. " Not yet, not yet ; steady, steady ! " On came the foe, in even line : Nearer and nearer to thrice paces nine. We looked into their eyes. " Ready ! " A sheet of flame ! A roll of death ! They fell by scores ; we held our breath ! Then nearer still they came ; Another sheet of flame ! And brave men fled who never fled before. Immortal fight ! Foreshadowing flight Back to the astounded shore. 90 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [itto- Quickly they rallied, reenforced. Mid louder roar of ship's artillery, And bursting bombs and whistling musketry And shouts and groans, anear, afar, All the new din of dreadful war, Through their broad bosoms calmly coursed The blood of those stout farmers, aiming For freedom, manhood's birthrights claiming. Onward once more they came ; Another sheet of deathful flame ! Another and another still : They broke, they fled : Again they sped Down the green, bloody hill. Howe, Burgoyne, Clinton, Gage, Stormed with commander's rage. Into each emptied barge They crowd fresh men for a new charge Up that great hill. Again their gallant blood we spill : That volley was the last : Our powder failed. On three sides fast The foe pressed in ; nor quailed A man. Their barrels empty, with musket-stocks They fought, and gave death-dealing knocks. Till Prescott ordered the retreat. Then Warren fell ; and through a leaden sleet. From Bunker Hill and Breed, Stark, Putnam, Pomeroy, Knowlton, Read, 1789] THE REVOLUTION 9I Led off the remnant of those heroes true, The foe too shattered to pursue. The ground they gained ; but we The victory. The tidings of that chosen band Flowed in a wave of power Over the shaken, anxious land, To men, to man, a sudden dower. From that stanch, beaming horn- History took a fresh higher start ; And when the speeding messenger, that bare The news that strengthened every heart, Met near the Delaware Riding to take command, The leader, who had just been named. Who was to be so famed, The steadfast, earnest Washington With hand uplifted cries. His great soul flashing to his eyes, " Our liberties are safe ; the cause is won." A thankful look he cast to heaven, and then His steed he spurred, in haste to lead such noble men. SIGNING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE George Lippard Biographical Note. George Lippard was an American author whose fervid writings were popular in the middle of the last century. Historical Note. By the end of June, 1776, the members of the Continental Congress had brought in the sanction of their colonies that the resolution proposed by Lee on June 7, that the colonies 92 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1770- ought to be free, should be carried into effect. Twelve out of the thirteen colonies had given voice to the wish for independence. On the 1st of July the debate was begun, on the 2d the resolution was carried, and on the 4th the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Congress. The bell on the Pennsylvania State House, which was rung to announce that Congress had passed the measure, bore the words upon it : " Proclaim liberty throughout the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof " (Leviticus xxv. 10). It is a cloudless summer day ; a clear blue sky arches and smiles above a quaint edifice rising among giant trees in the center of a wide city. That edifice is built of plain red brick, with heavy window frames and a massive hall door. Such is the State House of Philadelphia in the year of our Lord 1776. In yonder wooden steeple, which crowns the summit of that red brick building, stands an old man with snow-white hair and sunburnt face. He is clad in humble attire, yet his Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, ^Y^ gleams as it is fixed Philadelphia on the ponderous outline (It was cracked in 1835, while tolling for the of the bell Suspended in the death of Chief Justice Marsliall) Steeple there. By his side, gazing into his sunburnt face in wonder, stands a flaxen- haired boy with laughing eyes of summer blue. The old man ponders for a moment upon the strange words written 1789] THE REVOLUTION 93 upon the bell, then, gathering the boy in his arms, he speaks : " Look here, my child. Will you do this old man a kindness ? Then hasten down the stairs and wait in the hall below till a man gives you a message for me ; when he gives you that word, run out into the street and shout it up to me. Do you mind?" The boy sprang from the old man's arms and threaded his way down the dark stairs. Many minutes passed. The old bell keeper was alone. " Ah ! " groaned the old man ; " he has forgotten me." As the word was upon his lips a merry, ringing laugh broke on his ear. And there, among the crowds on the pavement, stood the blue-eyed boy, clapping his tiny hands, while the breeze blew his flaxen hair all about his face. Then, swell- ing his little chest, he raised himself on tiptoe and shouted the single word, " Ring ! " Do you see that old man's eye fire ? Do you see that arm so suddenly bared to the shoulder .'' Do you see that withered hand grasping the iron tongue of the bell.-* That old man is young again. His veins are fill- ing with a new life. Backward and forward, with sturdy strokes, he swings the tongue. The bell peals out ; the crowds in the street hear it, and burst forth in one long shout. Old Delaware hears it, and gives it back in the cheers of her thousand sailors. The city hears it, and starts up, from desk and workbench, as if an earthquake had spoken. 94 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i770- SONG OF MARION'S MEN William Cullen Bryant Biographical Note. William Cullen Bryant (i 794-1878) was a great American poet. For many years he was editor of the New York Evening Post. He is often called the father of American verse. Historical Note. General Marion, whose epitaph truly says that he lived without fear and died without reproach, was one of the great generals of the Revolutionary War. With other South Carolina lead- ers he found refuge in the great swamps of the state, whence they kept up an incessant warfare against the enemy. Their night marches, their surprises, and their hard-fought battles make one of the most interesting and dramatic chapters of the Revolution. Our band is few, but true and tried, Our leader frank and bold ; The British soldier trembles When Marion's name is told. Our fortress is the good greenwood, Our tent the cypress tree ; We know the forest round us, As seamen know the sea. We know its walls of thorny vines, It glades of reedy grass, Its safe and silent islands Within the dark morass. Woe to the English soldiery That little dread us near ! On them shall light at midnight A strange and sudden fear ; When, waking to their tents on fire. They grasp their arms in vain, imq THE REVOLUTION 95 And they who stand to face us Are beat to earth again ; And they who fly in terror deem A mighty host behind, And hear the tramp of thousands Upon the hollow wind. Then sweet the hour that brings release From danger and from toil ; We talk the battle over, And share the battle's spoil. The woodland rings with laugh and shout, As if a hunt were up, And woodland flowers are gathered To crown the soldier's cup. With merry songs we mock the wind That in the pine top grieves, And slumber long and sweetly On beds of oaken leaves. Well knows the fair and friendly moon The band that Marion leads — The glitter of their rifles, The scampering of their steeds. ' Tis life to guide the fiery barb Across the moonlight plain ; ' Tis life to feel the night wind That lifts his tossing mane. A moment in the British camp — A moment — and away Back to the pathless forest, Before the peep of day. 96 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i770- Grave men there are by broad Santee, Grave men with hoary hairs ; Their hearts are all with Marion, For Marion are their prayers. And lovely ladies greet our band With kindliest welcoming, With smiles like those of summer, And tears like those of spring. For them we wear these trusty arms, And lay them down no more Till we have driven the Briton Forever from our shore. NATHAN HALE Francis M. Finch Biographical Note. Francis Miles Finch was born in 1827. He has. distinguished himself in the legal profession. His best-known poem is the famous lyric " The Blue and the Gray." Historical Note. In 1776, after the retreat from Long Island, Washington asked for some discreet officer who would ascertain the strength of the enemy's camp. Hale volunteered for this difficult and dangerous service. On his return he was captured, and, by order of Sir William Howe, the British commander in chief, was hanged. The young hero's last words were, " I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." To drum-beat and heart-beat A soldier marches by : There is color in his cheek, There is courage in his eye — Yet to drum-beat and heart-beat In a moment he must die. 1789] THE REVOLUTION 97 By starlight and moonlight He seeks the Briton's camp. He hears the rustling flag, And the armed sentry's tramp ; And the starlight and moonlight His silent wanderings lamp. With slow tread and still tread He scans the tented line, And he counts the battery guns By the gaunt and shadowy pine ; And his slow tread and still tread Gives no warning sign. The dark wave, the plumed wave, It meets his eager glance ; And it sparkles 'neath the stars Like the glimmer of a lance — A dark wave, a plumed wave, On an emerald expanse. A sharp clang, a steel clang, And terror in the sound ! For the sentry, falcon-eyed. In the camp a spy hath found : With a sharp clang, a steel clang. The patriot is bound. With calm brow, steady brow. He listens to his doom : In his look there is no fear. Nor a shadow-trace of gloom ; 98 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1770- iS^^^:^;*.' I.r- ^ *-- But with calm brow and steady brow He robes him for the tomb. 'Neath the bhie morn, the sunny morn, He dies upon the tree ; And he mourns that he can lose But one life for liberty : And in the blue morn, the sunny morn, His spirit-wings are free. 1789] THE REVOLUTION 99 From Fame-leaf and Angel-leaf, From monument and urn, The sad of earth, the glad of heaven. His tragic fate shall learn ; And on Fame-leaf and Angel-leaf The name of Hale shall burn. WASHINGTON'S INAUGURAL JOURNEY Washingtok Irving Historical Note. At the close of the war the present Constitution of the United States was adopted. This went into effect in 1789, and Washington was unanimously elected President. On the 14th of April he received a letter from the President of Congress, duly notifying him of his election, and he prepared to set out immediately for New York, the seat of government. An entry in his diary, dated the i6th, says : " About ten o'clock I bade adieu to Mount Vernon, to private life, and to domestic felicity ; and with a mind oppressed with more anxious and painful sensations than I have words to express, set out for New York with the best disposition to render service to my country in obedience to its call, but with less hope of answering its expectations." His progress to the seat of government was a continual ovation. Old and young, women and children, thronged the highways to bless and welcome him. Deputations of the most respectable inhabitants from the principal places came forth to meet and escort him. At Baltimore, on his arrival and departure, his carriage was attended by a numerous cavalcade of citizens, and he was saluted by the thunder of artillery. lOO AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i770- At Chester, where he stopped to breakfast, there were preparations for a pubHc entrance into Philadelphia. Cav- alry had assembled from the surrounding country, a superb white horse was led out for Washington to mount, and a grand procession set forward, with General St. Clair of Revolutionary notoriety at its head. It gathered numbers as it advanced, passed under triumphal arches entwined with laurel, and entered Philadelphia amid the shouts of the multitude. We question whether any of these testimonials of a nation's gratitude affected Washington more sensibly than those he received at Trenton. It was on a sunny after- noon when he arrived on the banks of the Delaware, where twelve years before he had crossed in darkness and storm, through clouds of snow and drifts of floating ice, on his daring attempt to strike a blow at a triumphant enemy. Here at present all was peace and simshine, the broad river flowed placidly along, and crowds awaited him on the opposite bank, to hail him with love and transport. We will not dwell on the joyous ceremonials with which he was welcomed, but there was one too peculiar to be omitted. The reader may remember Washington's gloomy night on the banks of the Assunpink, which flows through Trenton, — the camp fires of Cornwallis in front of him, the Delaware full of floating ice in the rear, and his sudden resolve on that midnight retreat which turned the fortunes of the campaign. On the bridge crossing that eventful stream the ladies of Trenton had caused a triumphal arch to be erected. It was entwined with evergreens and laurels, and bore the inscription, " The defender of the mothers will be the protector of the daughters." At this bridge the George Washington 1789] THE REVOLUTION lOI matrons of the city were assembled to pay him reverence ; and as he passed under the arch a number of young girls, dressed in white and crowned with garlands, strewed flowers before him, singing an ode expressive of their love and gratitude. Never was ovation more graceful, touching, and sincere ; and Washington, tenderly affected, declared that the impression of it on his heart could never be effaced. In respect to his reception at New York, Washington had signified in a letter to Governor Clinton that none could be so congenial to his feelings as a quiet entry devoid of ceremony ; but his modest wishes were not complied with. At Elizabethtown Point a committee of both Houses of Congress, with various civic functionaries, waited by appointment to receive him. He embarked on board of a splendid barge constructed for the occasion. It was manned by thirteen branch pilots, masters of vessels, in white uni- forms, and commanded by Commodore Nicholson. Other barges, fancifully decorated, followed, having on board the heads of departments and other public officers, and several distinguished citizens. . . . He approached the landing-place of Murray's wharf amid the ringing of bells, .the roaring of cannon, and the shout- ing of multitudes collected on every pier head. On landing he was received by Governor Clinton. ... At this junc- ture an officer stepped up and requested Washington's .orders, announcing himself as commanding his guard. Washington desired him to proceed according to the direc- tions he might have received in the present arrangements, but said that for the future the affection of his fellow- citizens was all the guard he wanted. From John Fiske's Irving's Life of Washi>igton I02 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE Selections from Prose and Poetry The Boston Tea Party. — Holmes. Paul Reveie's Ride. — Longfellow. Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill. — Holmes. The Psalm of the West (Battle of Lexington). — Lanier. The Green Mountain Boys. — Bryant. Warren's Address. — Morgan. The Old South. • — Whittier. Burgoyne's Surrender. — Pitt. Under the Washington Elm. — Lowell. Yorktown. — Whittier. Books for Children The Boston Tea Party. — Watson. The Boys of '76. — Coffin. The Boston Boys of 1775.- — Otis. From Colony to Commonwealth. — Tiffany. The Boys of Fort Schuyler. — Otis. Camps and Firesides of the Revolution. — Hart. In the Hands of the Redcoats. — Tomlinson. The Minute Boys of Lexington. — Strathmeyer. When Boston Braved the King. — Barton. Three Little Daughters of the Revolution. — Perry. George Washington. — Scudder. Grandfather's Chair. — Hawthorne. Teacher's List The American Revolution. — Fiske. The American Revolution. — Lodge. Conciliation with the American Colonies. — Burke. Washington. — Irving. George Washington. — Lodge. Adams and Jefferson. — Webster. Richard Carvel. — Churchill. Hugh Wynne. — Mitchell. The Virginians. — Thackeray. CHAPTER V THE UNION Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute. — Pinckney There never was a good war or a bad peace. — Franklin One country, one constitution, one destiny. — Webster First in peace, first in war, first in the hearts of his country- men. — Lee Don't give up the ship ! — Lawrence We have met the enemy and they are ours. — Perry Be sure you are right, then go ahead. — Crockett If we fail, let us fail like men, lash ourselves to our gallant tars, and expire together in one common struggle, fighting for Free Trade and Seaman's Rights. — Clay When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property. — Jefferson Here's to all the good people, wherever they be, Who have grown in the shade of the liberty tree. — Holmes Westward the star of empire takes its way. — Bancroft America ! half-brother of the world ! with something good and bad of every land. — Bailey Columbia, Columbia, to glory arise. The queen of the world and the child of the skies. — Dwight I04 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i798- HAIL COLUMBIA Joseph Hopkinson Biographical Note. Joseph Hopkinson (i 770-1842) was the son of Francis Hopinkson, one of the signers of the Declaration of Inde- pendence. Both father and son were distinguished lawyers. Historical Note. " Hail Columbia" was first sung at the Chestnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, in i 798, when war with France seemed probable. Hail, Columbia ! happy land ! Hail, ye heroes ! heaven-born band ! Who fought and bled in Freedom's cause. Who fought and bled in Freedom's cause, And when the storm of war was gone, Enjoyed the peace your valor won. Let independence be our boast, Ever mindful what it cost ; Ever grateful for the prize, Let its altar reach the skies. Chorus Firm, united, let us be, Rallying round our Liberty ; As a band of brothers joined. Peace and safety we shall find. Immortal patriots ! rise once more : Defend your rights, defend your shore : Let no rude foe, with impious hand. Let no rude foe, with impious hand. 1830] THE UNION 105 Invade the shrine where sacred lies Of toil and blood the well-earned prize. While offering peace sincere and just, In Heaven we place a manly trust That truth and justice will prevail, And every scheme of bondage fail. — Cho. Sound, sound the trump of Fame ! Let Washington's great name Ring through the world with loud applause. Ring through the world with loud applause ; Let every clime to Freedom dear Listen with a joyful ear. With equal skill and godlike power He p-overned in the fearful hour o Of horrid war ; or guides with ease The happier times of honest peace. — Cho. Behold the chief who now commands, Once more to serve his country, stands — The rock on which the storm will beat. The rock on which the storm will beat ; But, armed in virtue firm and true, His hopes are fixed on Heaven and you. When hope was sinking in dismay. And glooms obscured Columbia's day, His steady mind, from changes free, Resolved on death or liberty. — Cho. I06 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i798- THE CONSTITUTION AND THE GUERRIERE Historical Note. England had a magnificent navy of a thousand ships. America had twelve ! One of the twelve was the ConstitJition, commanded by Captain Isaac Hull. While cruising off the coast of Nova Scotia, August 19, 18 12, she encountered the British man-of- war Guerriere. In twenty minutes after the fight opened, the Guer- riere surrendered, a hopeless wreck. I often have been told That the British seamen bold Could beat the tars of France neat and handy O ; But they never found their match, Till the Yankees did them catch, For the Yankee tars for fighting are the dandy O. Oh, the Guerriere so bold On the foaming ocean rolled, Commanded by Dacres the grandee O ; For the choice of British crew That a rammer ever drew Could beat the Frenchmen two to one quite handy O. When the frigate hove in view, " Oh," said Dacres to his crew, " Prepare ye for action and be handy O ; On the weather gauge we '11 get her." And to make his men fight better, He gave to them gunpowder and good brandy O. Now this boasting Briton cries, "Make that Yankee ship your prize; You can in thirty minutes do it handy O, •The Constitution" 1830] THE UNION 107 Or twenty-five; I'm sure You '11 do it in a score ; I will give you a double share of good brandy O. " When prisoners we 've made them, With switchel we will treat them, We will treat them with 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' O" ; The British balls flew hot, But the Yankees answered not, Until they got a distance that was handy O. *' Oh," cried Hull unto his crew, We '11 try what we can do ; If we beat those boasting Britons we're the dandy O." The first broadside we poured Brought the mizzen by the board. Which doused the royal ensign quite handy O. Oh, Dacres he did sigh, And to his officers did cry, " I did not think these Yankees were so handy O." The second told so well That the fore and main mast fell. Which made this lofty frigate look quite handy O. "Oh," says Dacres, "we're undone," So he fires a lee gun. Our drummer struck up ' Yankee Doodle Dandy ' O ; When Dacres came on board To deliver up his sword, He was loath to part with it, it looked so handy O. I08 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i798- " You may keep it," says brave Hull. " What makes you look so dull ? Cheer up and take a glass of good brandy O ; O Britons, now be still, Since we 've hooked you in the gill, Don't boast upon Dacres the grandee O." Old Ballad THE SURRENDER AT QUEENSTON HEIGHTS Benson John Lossing Biographical Note. Benson John Lossing, an American historian and engraver, was born in 1813. He published numerous illustrated works. Historical Note. On the breaking out of the War of 18 12, Win- field Scott, afterwards one of the most famous of American generals, was ordered to the Canadian frontier, where he succeeded General Van Rensselaer, who had been severely wounded. Notwithstanding Scott's heroic example and the bravery of his men, he was forced to surrender to General Sheaffe, the commander of the British forces. At this moment Lieutenant-Colonel Scott appeared upon Queenston Heights. He was dressed in full uniform and commanded the attention and admiration of all the soldiers. He was six feet five inches in height, with the finest manly proportions of figure and dignity of bearing. As superior to all others upon the field in rank, he assumed the com- mand of the regulars. Reenforcements having arrived at about this time, Scott found himself in command of three hundred and fifty regulars. 1830] THE UNION 109 General Sheaffe arrived with his reenforcements late in the afternoon. Very few of the militia had come over from Lewiston during the day. A pressing demand was now made for them. It was a critical moment. Scott had not more than three hundred effective men, while Sheaffe had at least thirteen hundred. Scott looked anxiously toward Lewiston, but not a single boat was seen in motion. Indeed, there were few there. A panic had seized the militia. The commands and pleadings of General Van Rensselaer were equally vain. Not a company would cross the river! This fact was communicated to Scott when the strong foe was maneuvering cautiously with the intention of striking fatally. Retreat and succor were equally impossi- ble at that moment, so the gallant commander resolved to fight as long as battle should be possible. He mounted a log in front of his wearied band, and said: "The enemy's balls begin to thin our ranks. His numbers are overwhelming. In a moment the shock must come, and there is no retreat. We are in the beginning of a national war. Let us then die, arms in hand. Our country demands the sacrifice. The example will not be lost. The blood of the slain will make heroes of the living. Those who follow will avenge our fall and their country's wrongs. W/io dare to stand f " All ! " was the cry from every lip. The shock soon came. For a while the Americans stood firm. They finally gave way as the enemy began to sur- round them, and they fell back to the brow of the high bank overlooking their landing place. Some let themselves down by clinging to the bushes, and escaped. It was speedily agreed to surrender, and messengers with offers of submission were sent, but never returned. The Indians no AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i798- were between the American and the British lines, and mur- dered or captured those who were sent on the humiliating errand. Scott determined to carry a flag of truce himself. He fastened his white handkerchief upon his sword, and, accompanied by Captains Totten and Gibson, went out to seek a parley with Sheaffe. They kept close along the edge of the river, under shelter of the bank, until they reached a road leading up to the village. There they were con- fronted by two powerful Indians, who attempted to seize Scott. In an instant the blades of his attendants came from their scabbards, and the menace was met first by rifle shots from the Indians and then by their knives and hatchets. At that critical moment a British officer and some soldiers appeared, and Scott and his companions were con- ducted in safety to General Sheaffe. Terms of capitulation were soon agreed upon, and Scott and his little band of less than three hundred were surrendered with the honors of war. From Lossing's Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812 1830] THE UNION III THE SHANNON AND THE CHESAPEAKE Thomas Tracy Bouve Biographical Note. Thomas Tracy Bouve was born in 1875. He has contributed several poems to current literature. Historical Note. On June i, 181 3, the American frigate Chesa- peake encountered the British frigate Shannon at the mouth of Boston Harbor. Captain Lawrence of the Chesapeake was mortally wounded and his vessel was captured. He had been in command only a few days, and had an undisciplined crew. The captain of the Shannon came sailing up the bay, A reehng ,wind flung out behind his pennons bright and gay ; His cannon crashed a challenge ; the smoke that hid the sea Was driven hard to windward and drifted back to lee. The captain of the Shannon sent word into the town : Was Lawrence there, and would he dare to sail his frigate down And meet him at the harbor's mouth and fight him gun to gun For honor's sake, with pride at stake, until the fight was won .'' Now long the gallant Lawrence had scoured the bitter main ; With many a scar and wound of war his ship was home again. His crew, relieved from service, were scattered far and wide. And scarcely one, his duty done, had lingered by his side. 112 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i798- But to refuse the challenge ? Could he outlive the shame ? Brave men and true, but deadly few, he gathered to his fame. Once more the great ship Chesapeake prepared her for the fight,— "I'll bring the foe to town in tow," he said, "before to-night ! " High on the hills of Hingham that overlook the shore, To watch the fray and hope and pray, — for they could do no more, — The children of the country watched the children of the sea When the smoke drove hard to windward and drifted back to lee. "How can he fight," they whispered, "with only half a crew. Though they be rare to do and dare, yet what can brave men do .'' " But when the CJiesapeake came down, the Stars and Stripes on high. Stilled was each fear, and cheer on cheer resounded to the sky. The captain of the Sha7i7ion, he swore both long and loud : " This victory, where'er it be, shall make two nations proud ! Now onward to this victory or downward to defeat ! A sailor's life is sweet with strife, a sailor's death as sweet." 1830] THE UNION I 13 And as when lightnings rend the sky and gloomy thunders roar, And crashing surge plays devil's dirge upon the stricken shore, With thunder and with sheets of flame the two ships rang with shot, And every gun burst forth a sun of iron crimson hot. And twice they lashed together and twice they tore apart, And iron balls burst wooden walls and pierced each oaken heart. Still from the hills of Hingham men watched with hopes and fears. While all the bay was torn that day with shot that rained like tears. The tall masts of the Chesapeake went groaning by the board ; The SJia)inc7is spars were weak with scars when Broke cast down his sword : " Now woe," he cried, "to England, and shame and woe to me ! " The smoke drove hard to windward and drifted back to lee. "Give them one breaking broadside more," he cried, " before we strike ! " But one grim ball that ruined all for hope and home alike Laid Lawrence low in glory ; yet from his pallid lip Rang to the land his last command : " Boys, don't give up the ship ! " 114 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i798- The wounded wept like women when they hauled her ensign down. Men's cheeks were pale as with the tale from Hingham to the town They hurried swift in silence, while toward the eastern night The victor bore away from shore and vanished out of sight. Hail to the great ship Chesapeake ! Hail to the hero brave Who fought her fast, and loved her last, and shared her sudden grave ! And glory be to those that died, for all eternity ; They lie apart at the mother-heart of God's eternal sea. THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER Francis Scott Key Biographical Note. Francis Scott Key (i 779-1 843), best known as the author of " The Star-Spangled Banner," was born in Maryland. He practiced law for many years in Washington, D.C., where he died. Historical Note. The poem was written on an old envelope while the author was a prisoner on board the British fleet bombarding Fort McHenry, in Baltimore Harbor, in 1 814. All night he watched the attack anxiously, and when " the morning's first beam " disclosed his country's flag still flying from the fort, his joy was expressed in this stirring lyric. Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming — Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the clouds of the fight. O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.? 1830] THE UNION 115 And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting hi air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ? On that shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep, Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses ? Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected now shines on the stream ; 'T is the star-spangled banner ; oh, long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ! And where is that band who so vauntingly swore That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion A home and a country should leave us no more ? Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave ; And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved homes and the war's desolation ! Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just. And this be our motto, — " In God is our trust'': And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. Il6 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i798- THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY Edward Everett Hale Biographical Note. Dr. Edward Everett Hale (1822- ) is a famous Boston minister and author. His influence as a writer and as a worker for humanity has been strongly felt. Historical Note. The Man without a Country has been called the best short story in American literature. This brief selection gives only a hint of the power of the original. Philip Nolan was as fine a young officer as there was in the " Legion of the West." When Aaron Burr made his first dashing expedition down to New Orleans in 1805, he met this gay young fellow, and induced him to turn traitor to his country, Nolan was brought before the courts in the great trea- son trial at Richmond, and was proved guilty enough ; yet we should never have heard of him but that, when the president of the court asked him whether he wished to say anything to show that he had always been faithful to the United States, he cried out : " Curse the United States ! I wish I may never hear of the United States again ! " The judge was terribly shocked. If Nolan had com- pared George Washington to Benedict Arnold, or had cried, "God save King George!" he would not have felt worse. He called the court into his private room, and returned in fifteen minutes, with a face hke a sheet, to say : " Prisoner, hear the sentence of the Court ! The Court decides, subject to the approval of the President, that you never hear the name of the United States again." He never did hear her name but once again. From that moment, September 2^, 1807, till the day he died, May 1 1, 1830] THE UNION 117 1863, he never heard her name again. The Secretary of the Navy was requested to put Nolan on board a govern- ment vessel bound on a long cruise, and to direct that he should be only so far confined there as to make certain that he never saw or heard of the country. There was no going home for him, even to a prison. . . . According to the size of the ship, you had him at your mess more or less often at dinner. His breakfast he ate in his own room, which was where a sentinel or somebody on the watch could see the door. Sometimes, when the marines or sailors had any special jollification, they were permitted to invite "Plain-Buttons," as they called him. Then Nolan was sent with some officer, and the men were forbidden to speak of home while he was there. They called him " Plain-Buttons " because, while he always chose to wear a regulation army uniform, he was not permitted to wear the army button, for the reason that it bore either the initials or the insignia of the country he had disowned. As he was almost never permitted to go on shore, even though the vessel lay in port for months, his time at the best hung heavy ; and everybody was permitted to lend him books, if they were not published in America and made no allusion to it. He had almost all the foreign papers that came into the ship, sooner or later ; only some- body must go over them first, and cut out any advertise- ment or stray paragraph that alluded to America. This was a Httle cruel sometimes, when right in the midst of one of Napoleon's battles poor Nolan would find a great hole, because on the back of that paper there had been an advertisement of a packet for New York, or a scrap from the President's message. Il8 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i798- Among the books lent to him was a copy of TJie Lay of the Last Minstrel. Nobody thought there could be any risk of anything national in that. So Nolan was permitted to join the circle one afternoon when some of us were sit- ting on deck, and took his turn in reading aloud. Nobody in the circle knew a line of the poem, only that it was all magic and chivalry and was hundreds of years ago. Poor Nolan read steadily through the fifth canto, stopped a minute, and then began, without a thought of what was coming, — Breathes there the man with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, • — This is my own, my native land ! Then they all saw that something was the matter, but he expected to get through, I suppose, turned a little pale, but plunged on, — Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned, As home his footsteps he hath turned From wandering on a foreign strand ? If such there breathe, go, mark him well, — By this time the men were all beside themselves, wish- ing there was any way to make him turn over two pages ; but he had not quite enough presence of mind for that ; he gagged a little, colored crimson, and staggered on, — For him no minstrel raptures swell ; High though his titles, proud his name. Boundless his wealth as wish can claim, Despite those titles, power, and pelf, The wretch, concentered all in self, — 1830] THE UNION 119 and here the poor fellow choked, could not go on, but started up, swung the book into the sea, and vanished into his stateroom. I first came to understand something about "the man without a country" one day when we overhauled a dirty little schooner which had slaves on board. An ofificer was sent to take charge of her, and after a few minutes he sent back his boat to ask that some one might be sent him who could speak Portuguese. Nolan stepped out and said he should be glad to in- terpret, if the captain wished, as he understood the lan- guage. The captain thanked him, fitted out another boat with him, and in this boat it was my luck to go. " Tell them they are free," said Vaughan. Nolan explained it in such Portuguese as they could un- derstand. Then there was such a yell of delight, clinching of fists, leaping, dancing, and kissing of Nolan's feet ! "Tell them," said Vaughan, well pleased, "that I will take them all to Cape Palmas." This did not answer so well. Cape Palmas was practi- cally as far from the homes of most of them as New Orleans or Rio Janeiro was. Vaughan was rather disap- pointed at this result of his liberality, and asked Nolan eagerly what they said. The drops stood on poor Nolan's white forehead as he hushed the men down and said : " They say, ' Not Palmas.' They say, ' Take us home ; take us to our own country ; take us to our own house ; take us to our own pickaninnies and our own women.' " " Tell them yes, yes, yes ; tell them they shall go to the Mountains of the Moon, if they will. If I sail the schooner through the Great White Desert, they shall go home." 120 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i798- And after some fashion Nolan said so. And then they all fell to kissing him again. But Nolan could not stand it long, and getting Vaughan to say he might go back, he beckoned me down into our boat. As we lay back in the stern sheets and the men gave way, he said to me : " Youngster, let that show you what it is to be without a family, without a home, and without a country. And if you are ever tempted to do a thing that shall put a bar between you and your family, your home, and your country, pray God in his mercy to take you that instant home to his own heaven. " Stick by your family, boy ; forget that you have a self, while you do everything for them. Think of your home, boy ; write and send and talk about it. Let it be nearer and nearer to your thought the farther you have to travel from it ; and rush back to it when you are free, as that poor black slave is doing now. "And for your country, boy," and the words rattled in his throat, "and for that flag," and he pointed to the ship, " never dream but of serving her as she bids you, though the service carry you through a thousand hells. No matter what happens to you, no matter who flatters you or abuses you, never look at another flag, never let a night pass but you pray God to bless that flag. " Remember, boy, that behind all these men you have to do with, behind officers and government and people even, there is the Country herself, your Country, and that you belong to her as you belong to your own mother." Adapted 1830] THE UNION 121 OLD IRONSIDES Oliver Wendell Holmes Biographical Note. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894), the poet and wit of Boston, was also a noted physician, professor, and prose writer. He was the author of a series of delightful books, be- ginning with Tlie Aiitocrat of the Breakfast-Table, and ending with Over the Teacups. Historical Note. The following lines, written in 1830, were called forth by a rumor that the frigate Constitution was about to be broken up as unfit for service. Ay, tear her tattered ensign down ! Long has it waved on high, And many an eye has danced to see That banner in the sky ; Beneath it rung the battle shout, And burst the cannon's roar ; The meteor of the ocean air Shall sweep the clouds no more. Her deck, once red with heroes' blood, Where knelt the vanquished foe. When winds were hurrying o'er the flood, And waves were white below, No more shall feel the victor's tread. Or know the conquered knee ; The harpies of the shore shall pluck The eagle of the sea. Oh, better that her shattered hulk Should sink beneath the wave ; Her thunders shook the mighty deep. And there should be her grave. 122 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE Nail to the mast her holy flag, Set every threadbare sail, And give her to the god of storms, The lightning and the gale. Selections from Prose and Poetry The Warship of 1812. — Poetry of the People. The Embargo. — Bryant. Lewis and Clark. — Irving. Eulogy on Washington. — Lee. Character of Henry Clay. — Seward. The American Flag. — Drake. Books for Children The Conquest of the Old Northwest. — Baldwin. On Fighting Decks in 181 2. — Costello. The Man without a Country. — Hale. Two Years before the Mast. — Dana. The Redskins. — Cooper. Teacher's List The Old Northwest. — Hinsdale. The Critical Period. — Fiske. The Making of a Nation. — Walker. The Louisiana Purchase. — Hitchcock. The War of 1S12. — Roosevelt. Lewis and Clark. — Lighton. Paul Jones. — Hapgood. The Choir Invisible. — Allen. Old Kaskaskia. — Catherwood. Margaret. — Judd. Hamilton. — Lodge. Jefferson. — Morse. CHAPTER VI KEEPING THE UNION Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable. Webster The people's government, made for th« people, made by the people, and answerable to the people. — Webster The Law : It has honored us ; may we honor it ! — Webster Our Federal Union : it must be preserved. — Jackson The time has arrived when the progress of nullification must be arrested, or the hopes of permanent union surrendered. — Webster I am a man and you are another. — Black Hawk (to President Jackson) But there is a higher law than the Constitution. — Seward Sir, I had rather be right than President. — Clay I have heard something about allegiance to the South. I know no South, no North, no East, no West, to which I owe any allegiance. Clay That is best blood that hath most iron in 't To edge resolve with, pouring without stint For what makes manhood dear. — Lowell Fifty-four forty or fight ! — Allen General Taylor never surrenders. — Crittenden Come, listen all unto my song ; it is no silly fable ; 'T is all about the mighty cord they call the Atlantic Cable. Bold Cyrus Field he said, says he, "I have a pretty notion That I can run a telegraph across the Atlantic Ocean." — Saxe Free soil, free men, free speech, Fremont ! — Party Cry of ''48. 123 124 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [isna- AMERICA Samuel Francis Smith Biographical Note. Samuel Francis Smith was a Baptist clergy- man who was born in Boston, in 1808, and died in Bridgeport, Con- necticut, in 1895. He was the author of several famous hymns. Historical Note. "America " was written in 1832. It was sung for the first time on the Fourth of July, 1832, by five hundred children in Park Street Church, Boston, Mass. My country, 't is of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing ; Land where my fathers died, Land of the Pilgrims' pride, From every mountain side Let freedom ring. My native country, thee, Land of the noble free, Thy name I love ; I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills ; My heart with rapture thrills Like that above. Let music swell the breeze, And ring from all the trees, Sweet freedom's song ; Let mortal tongues awake, Let all that breathe partake, Let rocks their silence break, — The sound prolong. 1852] KEEPING THE UNION 125 Our fathers' God, to thee, Author of hberty, To thee I sing ; Long may our land be bright With freedom's holy light ; Protect us by thy might, Great God our King. A NEW ENGLAND SABBATH Lucy Larcom Biographical Note. Lucy Larcom was born in Beverly, Mas- sachusetts, in 1826, and died in 1893. She was employed in the mills at Lowell ; afterwards she became assistant editor of Our Young Folks. Her books include sketches in prose and some excellent verse. Historical Note. The observance of Sunday in early times in New England was marked by great strictness. Children stood in awe of the tithingman (referred to by the author as " the tidy-man "), whose business it was to keep order in the meetinghouse. The Sabbath mornings in those old times had a peculiar charm. They seemed so much cleaner than other morn- ings ! The roads and the grassy footpaths seemed fresher, and the air itself purer and more wholesome than on week days. Saturday afternoon and evening were regarded as part of the Sabbath (we were taught that it was heathenish to call the day Sunday) ; work and playthings were laid aside and every body, as well as every thing, was subjected to a rigid renovation. Sabbath morning would not have seemed like itself without a clean house, a clean skin, and tidy and spotless clothing. The Saturday's baking was a great event, the brick oven being heated to receive the flour bread, the flour-and-Indian 126 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i832- and the rye-and- Indian bread, the traditional pot of beans, the Indian pudding, and the pies; for no further cooking was to be done until Monday. We smaller girls thought it a great privilege to be allowed to watch the oven till the roof of it should be " white hot," so that the coals could be shoveled out. Then it was so still, both out of doors and within ! We were not allowed to walk anywhere except in the yard or garden. I remember wondering whether it was never Sab- bath day over the fence, in the next field ; whether the field was not a kind of heathen field, since we could only go into it on week days. The wild flowers over there were perhaps Gentile blossoms. Only the flowers in the garden were well-behaved Christians. It was Sabbath in the house, and possibly even on the doorstep; but not much farther. The town itself was so quiet that it scarcely seemed to breathe. The sound of wheels was seldom heard in the streets on that day; if we heard it, we expected some unusual explanation. I liked to go to meeting, — not wholly oblivious to the fact that going there sometimes implied wearing a new bonnet and my best white dress and musHn "vandyke," of which adornments, if very new, I vainly supposed the whole congregation to be as admiringly aware as I was myself. But my Sabbath-day enjoyment was not wholly without drawbacks. It was so hard, sometimes, to stand up through the "long prayer," and to sit still through the "ninthly," and "tenthly," and "finally" of the sermon! It was im- pressed upon me that good children were never restless in meeting, and never laughed or smiled, however their big 1852] KEEPING THE UNION 12/ brothers tempted them with winks or grimaces. And I did want to be good. I was not tall enough to see very far over the top of the pew. I think there were only three persons that came within range of my eyes. One was a dark man with black curly hair brushed down in "bangs" over his eyebrows, who sat behind a green baize curtain near the outside door, peeping out at me, as I thought. I had an impres- sion that he was the "tidy-man," though that personage had become mythical long before my day. He had a drag- onish look, to me; and I tried never to meet his glance. But I did sometimes gaze more earnestly than was polite at a dear, demure little lady who sat in the corner of the pew next ours, her downcast eyes shaded by a green calash, and her hidden right hand gently swaying a long-handled Chinese fan. She was the deacon's wife, and I felt greatly interested in her movements and in the expression of her face, because I thought she represented the people they called " saints," who were, as I supposed, about the same as first cousins to the angels. The third figure in sight was the minister. I did not think he ever saw me; he was talking to the older people. He seemed to me so very good that I was very much afraid of him. I was a little afraid of my father, but then he sometimes played with us children ; and besides, my father was only a man. I thought the minister belonged to some different order of beings. Up there in the pulpit he seemed to me so far off — oh! a great deal farther off than God did. His distance made my reverence for him take the form of idolatry. If any one had told me that the minister ever did or thought anything that was wrong, I should have 128 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i832- felt as if the foundations of the earth under me were shaken. I wondered if he ever did laugh. Perhaps it was wicked for a minister even to smile. One day, when I was very little, I met the minister in the street ; and he, probably recognizing me as the child of one of his parishioners, actually bowed to me! His bows were always ministerially profound, and I was so overwhelmed with surprise and awe that I forgot to make the proper response of a "curtsey," but ran home as fast as I could go, to proclaim the wonder. It would not have astonished me any more, if one of the tall Lombardy pop- lars that stood along the sidewalk had laid itself down at my feet. From A New England Girlhood TO ARMS Park Benjamin Biographical Note. Park Benjamin was born in British Guiana in 1809, and died in New York in 1864. He was a journalist and lec- turer, and wrote many popular poems. Historical Note. The war with Mexico was brought on by a dispute concerning the western boundary of Texas. There is no doubt that the American soldiers were sent, in General Grant's words, " to pro- voke a fight." It was a war of which we have little reason to be proud. In February, 1847, the battle of Buena Vista, in the mountains of Mexico, was won by the United States troops. Awake ! arise, ye men of might ! The glorious hour is nigh, — Your eagle pauses in his flight, And screams his battle-cry. 1852] KEEPING THE UNION 129 From North to South, from East to West : Send back an answering cheer, And say farewell to peace and rest, ' And banish doubt and fear. Arm ! arm ! your country bids you arm ! Fling out your banners free — Let drum and trumpet sound alarm. O'er mountains, plain, and sea. March onward from th' Atlantic shore, To Rio Grande's tide — Fight as your fathers fought of yore ! Die as your fathers died ! Go ! vindicate your country's fame. Avenge your country's wrong ! The sons should own a deathless name. To whom such sires belong. The kindred of the noble dead As noble deeds should dare : The fields whereon their blood was shed A deeper stain must bear. To arms ! to arms ! ye men of might ; Away from home, away ! The first and foremost in the fight Are sure to win the day ! I30 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1832- THE ANGELS OF BUENA VISTA John G. Whittier Biographical Note. John Greenleaf Whittier (i 807-1892), the Quaker poet of New England, was well known for his liberal spirit and for the high moral character of his poems. First Sister. Speak and tell us, our Ximena, looking north- ward far away, O'er the camp of the invaders, o'er the Mexican array. Who is losing } who is winning .'' are they far or come they near .'' Look abroad, and tell us, sister, whither rolls the storm we hear } Second Sister {Ximena). Down the hills of Angostura still the storm of battle rolls ; Blood is flowing, men are dying ; God have mercy on their souls ! First. Who is losing } who is winning .'' Second. Over hill and over plain, I see but smoke of cannon clouding through the mountain rain. ... First. Look forth once more, Ximena ! Second. Ah ! the smoke has rolled away ; And I see the Northern rifles gleaming down the ranks of gray. Hark ! that sudden blast of bugles ! there the troop of Mifion wheels; There the Northern horses thunder, with the cannon at their heels. 1852] KEEPING THE UNION 131 Nearer came the storm and nearer, rolling fast and f right- fid on : First. Speak, Ximena, speak and tell us, who has lost, and who has won ? Second. Alas ! alas ! I know not ; friend and foe together fall, O'er the dying rush the living : pray, my sisters, for them all! Lo ! the wind the smoke is lifting. Blessed Mother, save my brain ! I can see the wounded crawling slowly out from heaps of slain. Now they stagger, blind and bleeding ; now they fall, and strive to rise ; Hasten, sisters, haste and save them, lest they die before our eyes ! O my heart's love! O my dear one ! lay thy poor head on my knee ; Dost thou know the lips that kiss thee .? Canst thou hear me .'' canst thou see .-* O my husband, brave and gentle ! O my Bernal, look once more On the blessed cross before thee ! Mercy ! mercy ! all is o'er ! Third Sister. Dry thy tears, my poor Ximena ; lay thy dear one down to rest ; Let his hands be meekly folded, lay the cross upon his breast ; 132 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i832- Let his dirge be sung hereafter, and his funeral masses said ; To-day, thou poor bereaved one, the living ask thy aid. Close beside her, faintly inoajiing, fair and young, a soldier lay, Torn with shot and pierced zvith lances, bleeding slow his life azvay ; But, as tenderly before him the lorn Ximena knelt, She sazv the Northern eagle shining on his pistol-belt. With a stifled cry of horror straight she turned azvay her head ; With a sad and bitter feeling looked she back npon Jier dead; But she Jieard the youth's lozv moaning, ajul his struggling breath of pain, And she raised the cooling zvatcr to his parching lips again. Whispered lozv the dying soldier, pressed her hand and faintly smiled : Was that pitying face his mothers? did she zvatch beside her child ? All his stranger zvords zvith meaning her zvomaiis Jieart supplied ; With Iter kiss upon his forehead, ''Mother!" murmured he, and died ! Second. A bitter curse upon them, poor boy, who led thee forth, From some gentle, sad-eyed mother, weeping, lonely, in the North ! 1852] KEEPING THE UNION 1 33 Spake the mournful Mexic ivoman, as she laid him witJi her dead, And turned to soothe the living, and bind the wounds zvJiich bled. First. Look forth once more, Ximena ! Second. Like a cloud before the wind Rolls the battle down the mountains, leaving blood and death behind ; Ah ! they plead in vain for mercy ; in the dust the wounded strive ; Hide your faces, holy angels ! O thou Christ of God, for- give ! Third. Sink, O Night, among thy mountains ! let the cool, gray shadows fall ; Dying brothers, fighting demons, drop thy curtain over all! Through the thickejting winter tivi light, wide apart the battle rolled, In its sheath the saber rested, and the camion s lips grew cold. But the noble Mexic women still their holy task pursued, Thi'ough that long, dark night of sorrozv, zvorn and faint and lacking food ; Over zveak and sujfering brothers, zvith a tender care they hung, And the dying foemen blessed them in a strange and North- ern tofisrue. 134 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1832- JOHN CALDWELL CALHOUN Historical Note. The following selection is taken from A Short Notice of the Death and Character of Calhoun, which was published in Philadelphia in 1S50, over the pseudonym " Temple." • Mr. Calhoun's ambition was of the noblest, most inspirit- ing kind. It always sought great public ends through noble means. . . . His mind was formed to lead in great affairs; to go to the top. It was at the top always that he found his natural element. His erect form at that day, his fine eye, his constant energy and buoyant spirit, blended with a personal courtesy intrinsically and delightfully attractive, — who that witnessed all this in him (and there are those of us who did) can ever forget it, or fail, now that his spirit is fled, to exalt to the proper height his manly bearing, de- voted patriotism, and the whole bright galaxy of his merits .'' He did honor to Carolina. He was one of the props of the Union. The times were dark. Britain was our foe; her for- midable armies were upon our shores, just fresh from victory over Napoleon's troops in Spain. Some among our friends quailed, and there were hosts of our own people against us. The vindication of the national rights fell upon the Southern and Middle states — the new-born West cooper- ating. The North, as states, with splendid exceptions indi- vidually, protested against firing a gun. This is history. The gallant South stood up for the whole Union, on an indis- criminate estimate of duty to the whole, under the unpar- alleled aggressions of that day. Comparatively, she had scarcely a ship to be plundered or a seaman to be impressed. Calhoun never faltered. His fidelity to his country's honor, his exertions in her cause, were intense and unremitting. John C. Calhoun 1852] KEEPING THE UNION 1 35 THE STORY OF THE ATLANTIC CABLE Cyrus W. Field Biographical Note. Cyrus W. Field (i 819-1892) was an American merchant who successfully opened telegraphic communication between Europe and America. For many years he devoted his time and fortune to this end. Historical Note. In 1846 a telegraphic message was sent under the Hudson River by means of a wire covered with gutta-percha. This proved that it was practicable to send messages under water. The next step, very naturally, was an attempt to link the continents of Europe and America. In 1853 an interesting scheme was brought to my atten- tion. It was to carry a line of telegraph to Newfoundland, — including a cable across the Gulf of St. Lawrence, — and at St. John's to connect with a line of steamers to Ire- land, by which the time of communication might be reduced to five days. The project did not seem to me very formidable. It was no more difificult to carry a line to St. John's on this side than to some point on the Irish coast. But was this all that could be done ? Beside me in the library was a globe which I began to turn over to study the relative positions of Newfoundland and Ireland. Suddenly the thought flashed upon me, " Why not carry the line across the Atlantic .-* " That was the first moment that the idea ever entered my mind. It came as a vision of the night, and never left me until, thirteen years after, the dream was fulfilled. The first thing we had to do was to build a line of tele- graph four hundred miles through an uninhabited country, 136 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i832- cutting our way through the forests, cHmbing hills, plun- ging into swamps, and crossing rivers. When we came to the Gulf of St. Lawrence we had our first experience in laying a submarine cable. It was but a short line, less than a hundred miles long, and yet we failed even in that ; and the attempt had to be renewed the fol- lowing year, when it was successful. Of course we felt a great satisfaction that we had got so far. We had crossed the land, but could we cross the sea ? As we stood upon the cliffs of Newfoundland and looked off upon the great deep, we saw that our greatest task was still before us. For this we had been preparing by preliminary investi- gations. Before we could embark in an enterprise of which there had been no example, we must know about the ocean itself, into which we were to venture. We had sailed over it, but who knew what was under it ? The cable must be on the bottom ; and what sort of bottom was it ? Smooth and even, or rugged as Switzerland, now sinking into deep abysses, and then rising in mountain chains over which the cable must hang suspended, to be swept to and fro by the deep undercurrents of the ocean ? Fortunately just then careful soundings by English and American navigators showed that the ocean bed was one vast plain, broader than the steppes of Siberia or the prairies of America, reaching nearly from shore to shore ; and in their surprise and joy the discoverers christened it the "telegraphic plateau," so much did it seem like a special conformation of the globe for the service of man. To make such a cable as we required, and to lay it at the bottom of the sea, would cost six hundred thousand 1852] KEEPING THE UNION 137 pounds sterling, — three millions of dollars ! Where was all that money to come from ? Who would invest in such an enterprise ? I went from city to city, addressing chambers of com- merce and other financial bodies in England and the United States. All listened with respect, but such was the general incredulity that men were slow to subscribe. To show my faith by my works, I took one fourth of the whole capital myself. And so at last, with the help of a few, the necessary sum was secured and the work began. The year 1857 saw the cable on board of two ships furnished by the governments of England and the United States ; but these ships were hardly more than three hundred miles from the coast of Ireland when the cable broke and they had to return. So ended the first expedition. The next year we tried again and thought we could diminish the difficulty and the danger by beginning in the middle of the Atlantic and there splicing the cable, when the two ships should sail eastward and westward till they should land the two ends on the opposite shores. This plan was carried out. They reached mid ocean, and, splicing the cables together, the ships bore away for Ire- land and Newfoundland, but had not gone a hundred The Atlantic Cable 138 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1832- miles before the cable broke. Several times we tried it with the same result. Then a storm arose, in which one of the ships, the Agamemnon, came near foundering ; and at last all were glad to get safely back again mto the shel- ter of an English port. Again the ships put to sea, but there was little enthusi- asm, for there were few in either hemisphere who expected anything but a repetition of our former experience. Such was the state of the public mind when, on the 5th of August, 1858, it was suddenly flashed over the country that the Niagara had reached Newfoundland, while the Agamemnon had reached Ireland, so that the expedition was a complete success. The revulsion of feeling was all the greater from the previous despondency, and for a few weeks everybody was wild with excitement. Then the mes- sages grew fewer and fainter, till at last they ceased alto- gether. The voices of the sea were dumb. Then came a reaction. Many felt that they had been deceived, and that no messages had ever crossed the Atlantic. Others, while admitting that there had been a few broken messages, yet concluded from the sudden fail- ure that a deep-sea cable must be subject to such interrup- tions that it could never be relied upon as a means of communication between the continents. In the next seven years ocean telegraphy made great progress. Other facilities we found that we had not before. The Great Eastern, which from- its enormous bulk had proved too unwieldy for ordinary commerce, was the only ship afloat that could carry the heavy cable ; the whole was coiled within her sides, and with the mighty burden of twenty thousand tons she put to sea. 1H52J KEEPING THE UNION 139 Never had there been such a prospect of success. For twelve hundred miles she rode the sea in triumph, till in a sudden lurch of the ship the cable snapped, and once more all our hopes were In the deep bosom of the ocean buried. For one whole month we hung over the spot, trying to raise the cable, but in vain ; and again we took our " mel- ancholy way" back across the waters which had been the scene of so many failures. This last disaster upset all our calcu- lations. Our cable was broken and our money was gone, and we must begin all over again. Fresh capital had to be raised to the amount of six hundred thousand pounds. That single lurch of the ship cost us millions of dollars and the delay of another year. But time brings round all things, and the next year, 1866, the Great Eastern, laden with a new burden, once more swung her mighty hulk out on the bosom of the Atlantic. For fourteen days she bore steadily to the west, while we kept up our communication with the old world that we had left behind. Toward the end of the voyage we watched for the land as Columbus watched for the first sign of a new world. Great Eastern 140 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i832- At length, on the twenty-seventh day of July, we cast anchor in Trinity Bay in the little harbor of Heart's Con- tent, that seemed to have been christened in anticipation of the joy of that hour. All the ship's crew joined to lift the heavy shore end out of the Great Eastern into the boats, and then to drag it up the beach to the telegraph house, where every signal was answered from Ireland, not in broken utterances, as with the old cable, but clearly and distinctly, as a man talks with his friend ; and we knew that the problem was solved, and that telegraphic communication was firmly established between the old world and the new. DANIEL WEBSTER John D. Long Biographical Note. John D. Long was born in Maine in 1838. He is an eminent lawyer and statesman, who has served his country in many capacities and always with distinction. Historical Note. Daniel Webster was born in New Hampshire in 1782. He was educated at Exeter Academy and Dartmouth Col- lege, graduating in 180 1. In 1805 he was admitted to the bar and soon became interested in politics. After serving both as representa- tive and senator, Webster became Secretary of State in 1850. Two years later he died. This address was delivered in 1882, on the hundredth anniversary of Webster's birth. A great man touches the heart of the people as well as their intelligence. They not only admire, they also love him. It sometimes seems as if they sought in him some weakness of our common human nature, that they might chide him for it, then forgive it, and so endear him to themselves the more. Massachusetts had her friction with Daniel Wehster 1852] KEEPING THE UNION 141 the younger Adams only to lay him away with profounder honor, and to remember him devotedly as the defender of the right of petition and " the old man eloquent." She for- gave the overweening conceit of Sumner ; she revoked her unjust censure of him, and now points her youth to him in his high niche as the unsullied patriot, without fear and without reproach, who stood and spoke for equal rights, and whose last great service was to demand and enforce his country's just claims against the dishonorable trespass of the cruisers of that England he had so much admired. Massachusetts smote and broke the heart of Webster, her idol, and then broke her own above his grave, and to-day writes his name highest upon her roll of statesmen. It seems disjointed to say that, with such might as his, the impression that comes from his face upon the wall, as from his silhouette upon the background of our history, is that of sadness, — the sadness of the great deep eyes, the sad- ness of the lonely shore he loved and by which he sleeps. But the story of Webster from the beginning is the very pathos of romance. A minor chord runs through it like the tenderest note in a song. What eloquence of tears is in that narrative, which reveals in this giant of intellectual strength the heart, the single, loving heart of a child, and in which he describes the winter sleigh ride up the New Hampshire hills, when his father told him that, at whatever cost, he should have a college education, and he, too full to speak, laid his head upon his father's shoulder and wept ! The greatness of Webster and his title to enduring gratitude have two illustrations. He taught the people of the United States, in the simplicity of common under- standing, the principles of the constitution and government 142 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [1832- of the country; and he wrought for them, in a style of matchless strength and beauty, the literature of statesman- ship. From his lips flowed the discussion of constitutional law, of economic philosophy, of finance, of international right, of national grandeur, and of the whole range of high public themes, so clear and judicial that it was no longer discussion, but judgment. To-day, and so it will be while the republic endures, the student and the legislator turn to the full fountain of his statement for the enunciation of these principles. What other authority is quoted, or holds even the second or third place .-' Even his words have imbedded themselves in the common phraseology, and come to the tongue like passages from the Psalms or the poets. I do not know that a sentence or a word of Sum- ner's repeats itself in our everyday parlance. The exquisite periods of Everett are recalled like the consummate work of some master of music, but no note or refrain sings itself over and over again to our ears. The brilliant eloquence of Choate is like the flash of a bursting rocket, lingering upon the retina indeed after it has faded from the wings of night, but as elusive of our grasp as spray-drops that glisten in the sun. The fiery enthusiasm of Andrew did, indeed, burn some of his heart beats forever into the sentiment of Massachusetts ; but Webster made his language the very household words of a nation. They are the library of a people. They inspired and still inspire patriotism. They taught and still teach loyalty. They are the schoolbook of the citizen. They are the inwrought and accepted fiber of American politics. If the temple of our republic shall ever fall, they will " still live " above the ground, like those great foundation stones in ancient ruins which remain in 1852] KEEPING THE UNION 143 lonely grandeur, unburied in the dust that over all else springs to turf, and make men wonder from what rare quarry and by what mighty force they came. To Webster almost more than to any other man, — nay, at this distance, and in the generous spirit of this occasion, it is hard to dis- criminate among the lustrous names which now cluster at the gates of heaven as golden bars mass the west at sun- set, — yet to Webster especially of them all is it due that to-day, wherever a son of the United States, at home or abroad, " beholds the gorgeous ensign of the republic, now known and honored throughout the earth, still full high advanced, its arms and trophies streaming in their original luster, not a stripe erased or polluted, not a sin- gle star obscured," he can utter a prouder boast than " Civis Romanus sum." For he can say, " I am an Amer- ican citizen." Selections from Prose and Poetry Bonneville's Adventure. — Irving. The Uncommercial Traveler. — Dickens. Kansas. — Sumner. Speeches. — Webster. Speeches. — Calhoun. John Brown of Ossawatomie. — Whittier. The Hunter of the Prairie. — Bryant. The Defence of the Alamo. — Miller. Far West Sketches. — Fremont. Books for Children Dred. — Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin. — Stowe. Antislavery Poems. — Whittier. Uncle Remus. — Harris. A New England Girlhood ^ — Larcom. 144 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE Teacher's List The Middle Period. — Burgess. Tlie Winning of the West. — Roosevelt. Building the Nation. — Coffin. Andrew Jackson. — Brown. Lincoln. — Schurz. Travels. — Dwight. American Notes. — Dickens. The Making of the Great West. — Drake. Hot Ploughshares. — Tourgee. Biglow Papers. — Lowell. Webster. — Lodge. Astoria. — Irving. The Hoosier Schoolmaster. — Eggleston. CHAPTER VII THE CIVIL WAR I believe that ffeedoin — free action, free enterprise, free compe- tition — will be found to be the best of auspices for every kind of human success. — Dewey. One flag, one land, one heart, one hand. One nation, evermore. — Holmes On to Richmond ! — Warren I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer. — Grant A star for every state, and a state for every star. — Winthrop Hold the fort. I am coming. — Sherman No other terms tlian unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. — Grant I retain these negroes as contraband of war. — Butler See, there is Jackson, standing like a stone wall ! — Bee That this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that the government of the people, by the i^eople, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. — Lincoln With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right. — Lincoln For what avail the plough or sail, Or land or life, if freedom fail ? — Emerson 145 146 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [186I- Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State! Sail on, O Union, strong and great ! Humanity with all its fears, With all the hopes of future years, Is hanging breathless on thy fate ! — Longfellow Assassination has never changed the history of the world. DlSRAEH THE CAVALRY CHARGE 1 George Parsons Lathrop Biographical Note. George Parsons Lathrop was born in the Hawaiian Islands in 1851, and died in New York in 1898. He mar- ried the daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Mr. Lathrop was a novel- ist as well as a poet. Historical Note. This desperate charge, undertaken with full knowl- edge of its danger, occurred at the battle of Chancellorsville, May 2, 1863. The battle lasted for two days, and in the end was a dearly- bought triumph to the Confederates, for it was in this engagement that Stonewall Jackson fell. " Cavalry, charge ! " Not a man of them shrank. Their sharp, full cheer, from rank on rank, Rose joyously, with a willing breath — Rose like a greeting hail to death. Then forward they sprang, and spurred and clashed ; Shouted the ofificers, crimson-sashed ; Rode well the men, each brave as his fellow, In their faded coats of the blue and yellow ; And above in the air, with an instinct true. Like a bird of war their pennon flew. With clank of scabbards and thunder of ste,eds, And blades that shine like sunlit reeds, 1 From Dreams and Days. Copyright, 1892, by Charles Scribner's Sons. 1865] THE CIVIL WAR I47 And strong, brown faces bravely pale For fear their proud attempt shall fail, Line after line the troopers came To the edge of the wood that was ringed with flame ; Rode in and sabered and shot — and fell ; Nor came one back his wounds to tell. Line after line — ay, whole platoons, Struck dead in their saddles, of brave dragoons By the maddened horses were onward borne And into the vortex flung trampled and torn. But over them, lying there, shattered and mute, What deep echo rolls ? 'Tis a death-salute From the cannon in place ; for, heroes, you braved Your fate not in vain : the army was saved ! From Keena)i's Charge DEDICATION OF GETTYSBURG CEMETERY Abraham Lincoln Biographical Note. Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky in 1809. His childhood was one of toil and hardship, but he gradually rose to the highest position in the land. He stands next to Washing- ton in the memory of the American people. Lincoln was assassinated in 1865. Historical Note. In June, 1863, General Lee entered Pennsylvania, Intending to capture Harrisburg and Philadelphia. He was defeated at Gettysburg in one of the most important battles of the war. On November 1 9, 1863, the battlefield was dedicated as a national cemetery. Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. 148 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [I86I- Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly ad- vanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion ; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain ; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of free- dom ; and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. Abraham Lincoln 1865] THE CIVIL WAR 149 LITTLE GIFFEN OF TENNESSEE Francis O. Ticknor Biographical Note. Dr. Francis O. Ticknor (i 822-1874) was a physician of Columbus, Georgia. He wrote several poems of the Civil War. Out of the focal and foremost fire, Out of the hospital walls as dire, Smitten of grapeshot and gangrene, (Eighteenth battle, and Jic sixteen !) Specter such as you seldom see, Little Giffen of Tennessee ! " Take him — and welcome ! " the surgeons said ; " Little the doctor can help the dead ! " So we took him and brought him where The balm was sweet in the summer air ; And we laid him down on a wholesome bed — Utter Lazarus, heel to head ! And we watched the war with abated breath, — Skeleton Boy against skeleton Death, Months of torture, how many such ! Weary weeks of the stick and crutch ! And still a glint of the steel-blue eye Told of a spirit that would n't die, And didn't. Nay, more, in death's despite • The crippled skeleton learned to write ! " Dear mother," at first, of course ; and then, " Dear captain," inquiring about " the men." Captain's answer : " Of eighty and five, Giffen and I are left alive ! " I50 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [186I- Word of gloom from the war, one day ; Johnston pressed at the front, they say. Little Giffen was up and away ; A tear, his first, as he bade good-by. Dimmed the glint of his steel-blue eye. " I '11 write, if spared." There was news of the fight, But none of Giffen. He did not write. I sometimes fancy that were I king Of the princely knights of the Golden Ring, With the song of the minstrel in mine ear, And the tender legend that trembles here, I 'd give the best, on his bended knee. The whitest soul of my chivalry. For Little Giffen of Tennessee ! O CAPTAIN ! MY CAPTAIN ! Walt Whitman Biographical Note. Walt Whitman (1819-1892) is usually counted among the greatest American poets, though there are many who do not share this opinion. Historical Note. The death of Lincoln by an assassin's bullet, April 14, 1865, was a blow from which the whole nation suffered. O Captain ! my Captain ! our fearful trip is done ; The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won ; The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While foUow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring ; 1865} THE CIVIL WAR 151 But O heart ! heart ! heart ! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain Hes, Fallen cold and dead. O Captain ! my Captain ! rise up and hear the bells ; Rise up — for you the flag is flung — for you the bugle trills ; For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths — for you the shores acrowding ; For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning ; Here Captain ! dear father ! This arm beneath your head ! It is some dream that on the deck You 've fallen cold and dead. My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still ; My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will ; The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done, — From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won ; Exult O shores, and ring O bells ! But I with mournful tread. Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. 152 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [186I- THE BLUE AND THE GRAY Francis M. Finch Historical Note. At Columbus, Mississippi, on Memorial Day, 1867, flowers were strewn upon the graves of both Northern and Southern soldiers. By the flow of the inland river, Wlience the fleets of iron have fled, Where the blades of the grave grass quiver, Asleep are the ranks of the dead : Under the sod and the dew, Waiting the judgment day ; Under the one, the Blue, Under the other, the Gray. These in the robings of glory, Those in the gloom of defeat, All with the battle-blood gory. In the dusk of eternity meet : Under the sod and the dew, Waiting the judgment day ; Under the laurel, the Blue, Under the willow, the Gray. From the silence of sorrowful hours The desolate mourners go. Lovingly laden with flowers Alike for the friend and the foe : Under the sod and the dew. Waiting the judgment day ; Under the roses, the Blue, Under the lilies, the Gray. 1865] THE CIVIL WAR 153 So with an equal splendor The morning sun-rays fall, With a touch impartially tender, On the blossoms blooming for all : Under the sod and the dew, Waiting the judgment day ; Broidered with gold, the Blue, Mellowed with gold, the Gray. So, when the summer calleth. On forest and field of grain, With an equal murmur falleth The cooling drip of the rain : Under the sod and the dew. Waiting the judgment day ; Wet with the rain, the Blue, Wet with the rain, the Gray. Sadly, but not with upbraiding. The generous deed was done ; In the storm of the years that are fading, No braver battle was won : Under the sod and the dew, Waiting the judgment day ; Under the blossoms, the Blue, Under the garlands, the Gray. No more shall the war-cry sever, Or the winding rivers be red ; They banish our anger forever When they laurel the graves of our dead ! 154 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i86l- Under the sod and the dew, Waiting the judgment day ; Love and tears for the Blue, Tears and love for the Gray. UNION AND LIBERTY Oliver Wendell Holmes Flag of the heroes who left us their glory, Borne through their battlefields' thunder and flame, Blazoned in song and illumined in story, Wave o'er us all who inherit their fame ! Up with our banner bright, Sprinkled with starry light. Spread its fair emblems from mountain to shore ; While through the sounding sky Loud rings the Nation's cry, — Union and Liberty ! — one evermore ! Light of our firmament, guide of our nation, Pride of her children, and honored afar. Let the wide beams of thy full constellation Scatter each cloud that would darken a star ! Empire unsceptered! what foe shall assail thee. Bearing the standard of Liberty's van ? Think not the God of thy fathers shall fail thee. Striving with men for the birthright of man ! 1865J THE CIVIL WAR 1 55 Lord of the universe ! shield us and guide us, Trusting thee always, through shadow and sun ! Thou hast united us, who, shall divide us ? Keep us, oh keep us the Many in One ! THE REPUBLIC Henry W. Longfellow Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State ! Sail on, O Union, strong and great ! Humanity with all its fears, With all the hopes of future years, Is hanging breathless on thy fate ! We know what Master laid thy keel. What Workmen wrought thy ribs of steel, Who made each mast, and sail, and rope, What anvils rang, what hammers beat, In what a forge and what a heat Were shaped the anchors of thy hope ! Fear not each sudden sound and shock, 'Tis of the wave and not the rock ; 'Tis but the flapping of the sail, ^ And not a rent made by the gale ! In spite of rock and tempest's roar. In spite of false hghts on the shore. Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea ! Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee. Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears. Our faith triumphant o'er our fears, Are all with thee, — are all with thee ! From The Building of the Ship 156 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE Selections from Prose and Poetry Battle Hymn of the Republic. — Howe. Jonathan to John. — Lowell. The Cumberland. — Longfellow. Kearney at Seven Pines. — Stedman. Barbara Frietchie. — Whittier Sheridan's Ride. — Read. High Tide at Gettysburg. — Thompson. Gettysburg. — Stedman. Hymn after the Emancipation Proclamation. — Holmes. The Flag Restored on Sumter. — Beecher. The Reveille. — Harte. Dixie. — Pike. Commemoration Ode. — Lowell. Books for Children Boys of '61. — Coffin. Hospital Sketches. — Alcott. Winning his Way. — Coffin. Stories of the War. — Hale. On the Plantation. — Harris. The Lost Army. — Knox. Two Little Confederates. — Page. Following the Flag. — Coffin. Sailor Boys of '61. — Soley. Cudjo's Cave. — Trowbridge. Romance of the Civil War. — Hart. Teacher's List Lincoln. — Morse. History of United States. — Schuyler. History of United States. — Rhodes. Story of the Civil War. — Rope. The Crisis. — Churchill. The Red Badge of Courage. — Crane. Flower de Hundred. — Harrison. The Thinking Bayonet. — Hosmer. U. S. Grant. — Allen. CHAPTER VIII THE GROWTH OF THE NATION I know no method to secure the repeal of bad or obnoxious laws so effectual as their strict construction. — Grant Look up and not down, Look forward and not back, Look out and not in, — And lend a hand. — H.'vle He serves his party best who serves his country best. — Hayes Unnecessary taxation is unjust taxation. — Hewitt The public offices are a public trust. — Crapo A true American sentiment recognizes the dignity of labor and the fact that honor lies in honest toil. — Cleveland I have considered the pension list of the republic a roll of honor. Cleveland The Constitution in all its provisions looks to an indestructible Union composed of indestructible States. — Chase The eternal principle of justice which must control us is that government exists for the benefit of the governed Abbott It is not in the power of any people upon earth much to harm us, except our own people. — Harrison We shall continue as we have begun, — to make these people whom Providence has brought within our jurisdiction feel that it is their liberty and not our power, their welfare and not our gain, we are seeking to enhance. Our flag has never waved over any com- munity but in blessing. — McKinley 157 158 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i87i- THE CHICAGO FIRE M. A. Shorey Historical Note. On the evening of October 9, 1871, a fire broke out in a stable in Cliicago. Aided by a high wind, the flames rapidly gained headway and for two days raged through the finest parts of the city. More than three square miles were burned over, and about a hundred thousand people were left homeless. Mrs. M. A. Shorey, a contributor to the Old and New ^ was an eyewitness of the great fire. Up Clark Street, silent and almost deserted, we drove. Still on, — and soon we passed the Michigan Southern Station, looming up more grandly beautiful than ever against the background of flames upon the western sky. North again on La Salle Street we came in sight of Adams Street bridge, — its western viaduct was smoking, — while southwest of the old armory there was the fire, well under way on the east side of the south branch ! All the engines were on the other side of the river, and a gale from the southwest was catching up the burning brands and hurling them in a thick shower over the fairest busi- ness buildings of the city. Amazed, awe-struck, we looked in one another's faces. The streets through which we were passing were still quiet and comparatively empty. As we approached the Cham- ber of Commerce the cinders fell thicker and thicker about our horse's feet. Why were people not out upon the roofs protecting them } Why, indeed! except that most of those interested were quietly sleeping miles away in the suburbs, utterly unconscious of the wild ruin with which the hour was teeming. . . . Up the dark staircases and through the dim corri- dors and halls we toiled. Out under the open sky the gale 1905] THE GROWTH OF THE NATION 159 nearly took me from my feet. Hastily clinging to the near- est structure for support, I turned my face to the northwest. No words can suggest to the most vivid imagination the grandeur of that scene. Of all the hundreds of noble build- ings lying in that direction not one was distinguishable. Broad and far before us stretched only that mighty ocean of fire. From its seething bosom huge billows, tossing, surging, swelling, went leaping on, on, as far as the eye could reach. Like uncaged monsters they seemed as they tore madly on with wild roar and rumble. What hand could stay their work ? Our position was by no means a comfortable one. The air was dense with smoke and sand ; the cinders, falling thick about our feet, were beaten out the instant they fell, but were liable to catch at any moment. The deafening roar of the gale, the hissing crackling of the flames, and the heavy thud of falling walls made conversation almost impossible. " Let us go," I said. The pain and horror of the scene had already conquered my sense of its beauty. Slowly, with hushed voices, we crept through the dark corridors and down the stairs. . . . Men stood about gazing at the progress of the fire as if paralyzed in helpless despair. In front of the Palmer House the street was blocked with teams, and the sidewalk with baggage and people. The fire had passed that point three hours before on its way north, but now seemed creep- ing back. Women and children were rushing with arms full of clothing and bedding across the avenue to the lake front. ... Early in the afternoon of Monday word came that the fire was arrested in its southward course; but Tuesday l6o AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i87i- morning found us still weary and anxious, for every hour brought to our ears sad tales of horror and suffering. Until noon of Tuesday we were ignorant of what was being done in our behalf, and the question, " How can we feed the hungry in our streets ? " was pressing on our hearts. Then came its answer in the form of unheard- of contributions of hundreds of car loads of cooked food from our sister cities, and eyes that had been dry through all the suffering and despair of the previous hours grew moist with gratitude. Of these charities no one to-day can adequately speak. Future historians will tell their story and future philoso- phers will point to them as proof that in the year 1871 the lesson of human brotherhood was learned at last. WELCOME TO THE NATIONS^ Oliver Wendell Holmes Historical Note. The following poem was written by Dr. Holmes for the Centennial Exposition and was sung at Philadelphia, July 4, 1876. Bright on the banners of lily and rose, Lo, the last sun of our century sets ! Wreathe the black cannon that scowled on our foes, All but her friendships the Nation forgets — All but her friends and their welcome forgets ! These are around her ; but where are her foes .'' Lo, while the sun of her century sets. Peace with her garlands of lily and rose ! 1 Sung at Philadelphia, July 4, 1876. 1905] THE GROWTH OF THE NATION l6l Welcome ! a shout like the war trumpet's swell Wakes the wild echoes that slumber around ; Welcome! it quivers from Liberty's bell; Welcome ! the walls of her temple resound ; Hark ! the gray walls of her temple resound ; Fade the far voices o'er hillside and dell ; Welcome ! still whisper the echoes around; Welcome ! still trembles on Liberty's bell. Thrones of the Continents ! Isles of the Sea ! Yours are the garlands of peace we entwine ; Welcome, once more, to the land of the free, Shadowed alike by the palm and the pine ; Softly they murmur, the palm and the pine, " Hushed is our strife, in the land of the free "; Over your children their branches entwine, Thrones of the Continents ! Isles of the Sea ! HOW THE CHILDREN RANG THE BELL George. W, Cable Biographical Note. George W. Cable, a well-known novelist, was born in New Orleans in 1844. His stories of life in his native city are full of poetic charm. Historical Note. The Nova Scotian exiles from Acadia settled in large numbers in Louisiana. Their descendants came to be known as quiet, shy, self-respecting people, with no special ambitions or ability. Into this region, according to Mr. Cable's story, there comes a young Creole school-teacher, on fire with enthusiasm for learning and the new spirit of American progress. Where the fields go wild and grow into brakes, and the soil becomes fenny, on the northwestern edge of Grande l62 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i87i- Pointe, a dark, slender thread of a bayou moves loiteringly northeastward into a swamp of huge cypresses. On a bank of this bayou, no great way from Grande Pointe, but with the shadow of the swamp at its back and a small, bright prairie of rushes and giant reeds stretching away from the opposite shore, stood, more in the water than on the land, the palmetto-thatched fishing and hunting lodge and only home of a man who on the other side of the Atlantic you would have known for a peasant of Normandy, albeit he was born in this swamp. In years he was but thirty-five ; but he was a widower, and the one son who was his only child and companion would presently be fourteen. "Claude," he said, as they rose that evening from their hard supper in the light and fumes of their small kerosene lamp, " We must go to bed." " Why ? " asked the sturdy lad. " Because," replied the father in the same strange French in which he had begun, "at daybreak to-morrow, and every day thereafter, you must be in your dugout on your way to Grande Pointe to school. My son, you are going to learn how to read ! " So came it that, until their alphabetical rearrangement, the first of all the thirty-five names on the roll was Claude St. Pierre. But even before the first rough roll was made he was present, under the little chapel tower, when for the first time its bell rang for school. The young master was there, and all the children ; so that really there was nothing to ring the bell for. They could, all together, have walked quietly across the village green to the forlorn tobacco shed 1905J THE GROWTH OF THE NATION 163 that served for a schoolhouse, and begun the session. Ah ! say not so ! It was good to ring the bell. A few of the stronger lads would even have sent the glad clang abroad before the time, but the schoolmaster restrained them. For one thing, there must be room for every one to bear a hand. So he tied above their best reach three strands of cord to the main rope. Even then he was not ready. " No, dear chil'run ; but grasp hold, every one, the ropes, the cawds, — the shavvt chil'run reaching up shawtly, the long chil'run the more longly." Few understood his words, but they quickly caught the idea, and yielded themselves eagerly to his arranging hand. The highest grasp was Claude's. There was a little empty space under it, and then one only of Sidonie's hands, timid, smooth, and brown. And still the master held back the word. " Not yet ! not yet ! The pear is not ripe ! " He stood apart from them, near the chapel door, where the light was strong, his silver watch open in his left hand, his form erect, his right hand lifted to the brim of his hat, his eyes upon the dial. "Not yet, dear chil'run. Not yet. Two minute mo'. — Be ready ! — Not yet ! — One minute mo' ! — Have the patience: — Hold every one in his aw her place. Be ready ! Have the patience." But at length, when the little ones were frowning and softly sighing with the pain of upheld arms, their waiting eyes saw his dilate. "Be ready!" he said, with low intensity. " Be ready ! " He soared to his tiptoes, the hat flounced from his head and smote his thigh, his eyes turned upon them blazing, and he cried, " Ring, chil'run, ring ! " 164 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i87l- The elfin crew leaped up the ropes and came crouching down. The bell pealed ; the master's hat swung round his head. His wide eyes were wet, and he cried again, " Ring ! ring! for God, light, liberty, education!" He sprang toward the leaping, sinking mass ; but the right feeling kept his own hands off. And up and down the children went, the bell answering from above, peal upon peal ; when just as they had caught the rhythm of Claude's sturdy pull, and the bell could sound no louder, the small cords gave way from their fastenings, the little ones rolled upon their backs, the bell gave one ecstatic double clang and turned clear over, the swift rope straightened upward from its coil, and Claude and Sidonie, her hands clasped upon each other about the rope and his hands upon hers, shot up three times as high as their finest leap could have carried them. For an instant they hung ; then with another peal the bell turned back and they came blushing to the floor. A swarm of hands darted to the rope, but Bonaventure's was on it first, "'Tis sufficient!" he said, his face all triumph. From George W. Cable's Bonaventure. Published by Charles Scribner's Sons. Copyright, 1887, 1888. A MODERN OBSERVATORY Edward S. Holden Biographical Note. Edward S. Holden, the distinguished astrono- mer, was born in St. Louis in 1846. For ten years he was director of the Lick Observatory. Historical Note. The famous observatory was built by Mr. Lick in one of the best situations in the world, — on the top of Mount Hamilton, in California. The Great Telescope of the Lick Observatory 1905] THE GROWTH OF THE NATION 165 The great Lick telescope was mounted in 1888, and was then the largest in the world. The object glass is three feet in diameter, and the tube is fifty-seven feet long. The telescope and mounting weigh thirty-seven tons, and the parts that move weigh nearly four tons. The highest mag- nifying power used on stars is about five thousand times. It is so arranged that photographs can be taken with it. The meridian circle can view a star only for the brief moments while the star is passing from east to west across the meridian. The instant it has left the field of view it is lost to sight until the next day, and then, again, it can be seen only for a moment. But some stars we wish to exam- ine for a long time continuously ; this is especially true of planets. We wish to point a telescope at them shortly after they rise in the east, and study their appearances during the whole of a long night, until they have sunk low in the west. To do this we must contrive a suitable mounting for our telescope. The small telescope-stands with three legs, such as every one has seen, will do for this purpose, but a much better form is the equatorial mounting, as it is shown in the pictures of the great telescope at Mount Hamilton. Here the telescope is directly attached to the latitude axis. Near the end of this axis is a divided circle, and the latitude of the star you wish to find is set off on this circle by moving the telescope. You are now pointed to the right latitude. The inclined axis just above the heavy iron stand is the longitude axis, and it also is provided with a circle. By turning the whole telescope, latitude axis and all, around this, the right longitude can be reached, and the star is seen in the eyepiece. l66 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i87i- But the star is constantly moving from east to west, from rising to setting, and the telescope must also be moved to follow it. There is a provision for this too. There is a powerful clock in the uppermost section of the iron pier of the telescope mounting. If we start this clock and attach it, by merely turning a handle, to the telescope, we can make it drive the whole tube slowly from east to west, from rising to setting. If, for instance, the telescope is pointed to the sun about sunrise, and if the clock is kept wound up, the telescope will, of itself, follow the sun all day and will point directly to it at sunset. And it will do this accurately for any star. This is an enormous convenience in making visual obser- vations, for it saves the observer the trouble of moving the whole telescope to follow the star, which is continually moving from rising to setting. When we come to photographing the stars the clock is a still greater convenience. We want each star to make a neat round dot on the photographic plate, even if the exposure is quite long, — several hours, for instance. Hence it is absolutely essential to have the telescope and the photographic plate follow the star precisely during the whole exposure. 1905] THE GROWTH OF THE NATION 167 THE X-RAYS Ray Stannard Baker Biographical Note. Ray Stannard Baker was born in Michigan in 1870. His contributions to current literature are well known. The following extracts from his Boy^s Book of Invoitions are self-ex- planatory. Historical Note. The second half of the nineteenth century wit- nessed the greatest advance in scientific knowledge the world has ever known. The United States can claim a large share of the great works accomplished by scientists, among whom Thomas Edison stands foremost. Edison, the greatest of American inventors, took up the work [of developing X-rays] with great enthusiasm ; and he shortly invented a curious but simple device by means of which one may actually see the bones of the hand or foot through the flesh. He called it a fluoroscope. . . . By holding this box between one's eyes and a Crookes tube, and placing one hand on the sensitive cardboard, the X-rays will readily pierce the flesh, and the dark shadow of the skeleton hand may be seen. One of the strangest uses to which X-rays have been put was in the instance of a Philadelphia woman. She had been traveling in Egypt, and had brought home what she believed to be the hand of a mummy. But some of her friends told her how Egyptian curiosities are likely to be manufactured and sold to unsuspecting travelers as genuine relics. One friend, himself a great traveler, assured her that she had bought a mere mass of pitch, plaster of Paris, and refuse mummy cloth, not a hand. For a long time there was no way of deciding the question, until at last the l68 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i87i- owner of the relic had an X-ray photograph taken. And lo, and behold ! there in the picture was the complete skele- ton of the hand of some ancient Egyptian ; the relic was genuine, after all. THE PHONOGRAPH *' I remember," John Ott told me, "that Edison had been working at his bench in the laboratory nearly all day. . . . Quite suddenly he jumped up and said with some excite- ment : . . . ' I can make a talking machine ! ' Then he sat down again and drew the designs of his proposed machine on a slip of yellow paper. I don't think it took him above ten minutes altogether." On the margin of that design Edison marked " $8," and handed it to his foreman, John Kruesi. '< My men all worked by the piece in those days," Mr. Edison told me, "and when I wanted a model made I always marked the price on it. . . . Kruesi went to work at it the same day, and I think he had it completed within thirty-six hours. We used to try all sorts of things, and most of them were failures ; so that I did n't expect much from the new model, at least at first, although I knew it was correct in principle." But Kruesi fitted the tin foil on the cylinder and brought the machine to Mr. Edison. The inventor turned the handle and spoke into the mouthpiece : "Mary had a little lamb. Its fleece was white as snow, And everywhere that Mary went The lamb was sure to go." J905] THE GROWTH OF THE NATION 169 Then he set the recorder back to the starting place and began to turn the cyhnder. At the very best he had not expected to hear more than a burring confusion of sounds, but to his astonishment and awe the machine began to repeat in a curious, metalhc, distant voice : " Mary had a little lamb ..." And thus the first words ever spoken by a phonograph were the four simple lines of a nursery rhyme. LIQUID AIR Liquid air has many curious properties. It is nearly as heavy as water and quite as clear and limpid, although when seen in the open air it is always muffled in the dense white mist of evaporation which wells up over the edge of the receptacle in which it stands, and rolls out along the floor in beautiful billowy clouds. . . . It is a curious thing to see liquid air placed in a teapot boiling vigorously on a block of ice ; but it must be remem- bered that ice is nearly as much warmer than liquid air as a stove is warmer than water, so that it makes liquid air boil just as the stove makes water boil. If this same teapot is placed over a gas flame, a thick coating of ice will at once collect on the bottom between the kettle and the blaze, and no amount of heat seems enough to melt it. . . . " The time is certainly coming," says Mr. Tripler, " when every great packing house, every market, every hospital, every hotel, and many private houses will have plants for making liquid air. ... In the future hotel, guests will call for cool rooms in summer with as much certainty of getting I/O AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i87i- them as they now call for warm rooms in winter. . . . Think of the value of a * cold ward ' in a hospital, where the air could be kept absolutely fresh, and where nurses and friends could visit the patient without fear of infection." From TJie Boys Book of hiveiitions THE FLAG Charles F. Dole Biographical Note. The Rev. Charles F. Dole is a Massachusetts preacher and writer who has taken special pains to bring high ideals of citizenship before young readers. Men like to have some sort of sign or emblem of the things which they believe in. If they belong to a society, they often wear a badge or a pin. The cross for Christians is a sign of their common religion. It is only a sign, but it reminds men of ideas and their faith. So with the flags of the nations. The flag reminds us of the common country, of its liberties and its laws, of the men, our forefathers or our friends, who have laid down their lives for it. The traveler in distant lands sees the American flag floating over a building in a foreign city and he knows by that token that there is a friend — possibly an officer of his government, a consul or a minister — with whom he can speak a common language. The sailor boy from the coast of Maine or Cape Cod, crossing the ocean or sailing into the port of Hamburg or Liverpool, picks out the American flag and knows where other American sailors are. Boys and girls see the flag floating over their schoolhouses and know by that sign that they are as one with other school children out in California or down in Alabama. There is 1905] THE GROWTH OF THE NATION 171 no East and West, North and South, separate from each other, but all the people under the flag are one. We do not learn by this to hate and despise the other flags of Englishmen and Germans and Dutch. We do not imagine that our flag is the only flag that looks beautiful to the children under it. We learn rather how the other peoples feel about their flags. They have ideas also of a common country ; they have their memories of brave and true men. We know precisely how they feel, because we have felt the same. We like and respect them for their loyal feeling to their different flags. We should be sorry if they had no love for their country. Because we love our own flag and could not bear to see it injured, we want to see no insult done to any flag that floats over loyal hearts. We who love the flag of our Union are not separate from other peoples ; we are all the nearer to them, and we wish them well. CAPTAIN ALLYN CAPRON OF THE ROUGH RIDERS^ Theodore Roosevelt Biographical Note. Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, was born in 1858. His life has been a series of successes won by his courage, determination, and ability. Historical Note. At the beginning of the war with Spain, in 1898, Theodore Roosevelt, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, resigned his office in order to raise a force of volunteer cavalrv. This regi- ment was known as the " Rough Riders." Captain Allyn Capron was on the whole the best soldier in the regiment of the Rough Riders. He was the ideal of 1 From The Rough Riders, pp. 18, 19, 95. Copyright, 1S99, by Charles Scribner's Sons. 1/2 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i87i- what an American regular army officer should be. He was the fifth in descent from father to son who had served in the army of the United States, and in body and mind alike he was fitted to play his part to perfection. Tall and lithe, a remarkable boxer and walker, a first-class rider and shot, with yellow hair and piercing blue eyes, he looked what he was, the archetype of the fighting man. He had under him one of the two companies from the Indian Territory ; and he so soon impressed himself upon the wild spirit of his followers that he got them ahead in discipline faster than any other troop in the regiment. His ceaseless effort was so to train them, care for them, and inspire them as to bring their fighting efficiency to the highest possible pitch. He required instant obedience, and tolerated not the slightest evasion of duty ; but his mastery of his art was so thorough, and his performance of his own duty so rigid, that he won at once not merely their admiration but that soldierly affection so readily given by the man in the ranks to the superior who cares for his men and leads them fearlessly in battle. At the very outset of active service Captain Capron, leading the advance guard in per- son, displaying equal coolness and courage in the way that he handled them, was struck, and died a few minutes afterwards, as gallant a man as ever wore uniform. 1905] THE GROWTH OF THE NATION 173 SCHOOL CHILDREN IN THE PHILIPPINES Adeline R. Knapp Biographical Note. Adeline R. Knapp is an American journalist and writer. Miss Knapp went to the Philippines in 1901 and spent six months traveling in the islands. Historical Note. One of the chief aims of the United States in the Philippines has been to establish good schools. Many American teachers were sent out to introduce American methods and ideals. The children who attend these schools are much like other school children. The Filipinos are a very dignified people ; indeed, their dignity is greater than that of the Americans, and the children are almost as dignified as their elders. They are very polite, and it is pleasant to see 174 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i87i- their cheerful greeting of the teachers when they come to school in the morning. They bring offerings of fruit and flowers, just as American children do. They study and are lazy, they whisper and are naughty, very much after the manner of American children. When closing time comes they are as eager as children everywhere to be off and out of doors to play. But they are quick to learn. It is wonderful to note their progress in Enghsh. One of the American teachers, a few months after her arrival in Manila, collected a few books and started a small circulating library among her boys. They had been studying English for four months. One boy, about twelve years old, just an average Manila boy of the middle class, came to her one morning with the book he had been reading. " Three stories of these I have read, teacher, and I enjoy them very much," he said. The book was that one dear to so many American boys, — Ten Boys on the Road from Long Ago to Nozv. It is good to learn that the Filipino boys' hearts are so like our own. In Manila and several other cities normal schools have been opened. These are well attended by young Filipino men and women, who will in time be able to fill the places of the American teachers. Many of them were school- teachers in and about the cities, under the old rule. They realize, however, that they are not well prepared for their work. It is a very good sign that they are willing to go to school again and fit themselves to teach their people. 190.-,] THE GROWTH OF THE NATION 175 INAUGURAL ADDRESS Theodore Roosevelt Historical Note. The address from vvhicli the following selection is taken was delivered on March 4, 1905. My fellow-citizens : No people on earth have more cause to be thankful than ours, and this is said reverently, in no spirit of boastfulness in our own strength, but with gratitude to the Giver of good, who has blessed us with the conditions which have enabled us to achieve so large a measure of well-being and of happiness. To us as a people it has been granted to lay the foundations of our national life in a new continent. We are the heirs of the ages, and yet we have had to pay few of the penalties which in old countries are exacted by the dead hand of a bygone civiUzation. We have not been obliged to fight for our existence against any alien race ; and yet our life has called for the vigor and effort without which the manlier and hardier virtues wither away. Under such conditions it would be our own fault if we failed ; and the success which we have had in the past, the success which we confidently believe the future will bring, should cause in us no feeling of vainglory, but rather a deep and abiding realization of all which life has offered us ; a full acknowledgment of the responsibility which is ours ; and a fixed determination to show that under a free government a mighty people can thrive best, alike as regards the things of the body and the things of the soul. . . . Our relations with the other powers of the world are important ; but still more important are our relations among ourselves. Such growth in wealth, in population, and in 176 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE [i87i- power as this nation has seen during the century and a quarter of its national life is inevitably accompanied by a like growth in the problems which are ever before every nation that rises to greatness. Power invariably means both re- sponsibility and danger. Our forefathers faced certain perils which we have outgrown. We now face other perils the very existence of which it was impossible that they should foresee. Modern life is both complex and intense, and the tremendous changes wrought by the extraordinary indus- trial development of the half-century are felt in every fiber of our social and political being. Never before have men tried so vast and formidable an experiment as that of ad- ministering the affairs of a continent under the forms of a democratic republic. The conditions which have told for our marvelous material well-being, which have developed to a very high degree our energy, self-reliance, and individual initiative, also have brought the care and anxiety inseparable from the accumulation of great wealth in industrial centers. Upon the success of our experiment much depends, not only as regards our own welfare, but as regards the welfare of mankind. If we fail, the cause of free self-government throughout the world will rock to its foundations ; and there- fore our responsibility is heavy, to ourselves, to the world as it is to-day, and to the generations yet unborn. There is no good reason why we should fear the future, but there is every reason why we should face it seriously, neither hiding from ourselves the gravity of the problems before us nor fearing to approach these problems with the unbending, unflinching purpose to solve them aright. Yet, after all, though the problems are new, though the tasks set before us differ from the tasks set before our 1905] THE GROWTH OF THE NATION 177 fathers who founded and preserved this repubhc, the spirit in which these tasks must be undertaken and these prob- lems faced, if our duty is to be well done, remains essen- tially unchanged. We know that self-government is difficult. We know that no people needs such high traits of char- acter as that people which seeks to govern its affairs aright through the freely expressed will of the free men who com- pose it. But we have faith that we shall not prove false to the memories of the men of the mighty past. They did their work ; they left us the splendid heritage we now enjoy. We in our turn have an assured confidence that we shall be able to leave this heritage unwasted and enlarged to our children and our children's children. To do so, we must show, not merely in great crises but in the everyday affairs of life, the qualities of practical intelligence, of courage, of hardihood and endurance, and above all the power of devo- tion to a lofty ideal, which made great the men who founded this republic in the days of Washington, which made great the men who preserved this republic in the days of Abraham Lincoln. Selections from Prose and Poetry The Death of Grant. — Bierce. General Grant. — Abbey. The Chicago Fire. — Whittier. Civil Service Reform. — Schurz. Unguarded Gates. — Aldrich. Mannahatta. — Whitman. Robert E. Lee. — Trent. Autobiography of Seventy Years (Vol. II). — Hoar. 178 AMERICAN HISTORY IN LITERATURE Books for Children Plantation Pageants. — Harris. The Log of a Cowboy. — Adams. Boys of '98. — Otis. The Hero of Manila. — Johnson. The Armed Ship of America. — Otis. Off Santiago with Sampson. — Otis. When Dewey came to Manila. — Otis. Marching with Gomez. — Flint. Teacher's List History of the United States.— Schouler. The 19th Century. — McKenzie. History of the Last Quarter Century. — Andrews. Reconstruction Period. — Burgess. A Fool's Errand. — Tourgee. Bricks without Straw. —Tourgee. Red Rock. — Page. Ramona. — Jackson. Campaigning in Cuba. — Ken nan. The Rough Riders. — Roosevelt. Cuban and Porto Rican Campaigns. — Davis. The End of an Era. — Wise. Army Life in a Black Regiment. — Higginson. Voyage of the Jeannette. — De Long. The Land of Little Rain. — Austin. Our National Parks. — MuiR. Picturesque Alaska. — Woodman.