james otis the pre-revolutionist-第30章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




STAMPS　AND　THE　STAMP　ACT。

During　Robert　Walpole's　administration　＇1732＇；　a　stamp　duty　was　proposed。　　He　said　〃I　will　leave　the　taxation　of　America　to　some　of　my　successors；　who　have　more　courage　than　I　have。〃

Sir　William　Keith；　governor　of　Pennsylvania；　proposed　a　tax　in　1739。　Franklin　thought　it　just；　when　a　delegate　in　the　Colonial　Congress　at　Albany；　in　1754。　　But　when　it　was　proposed　to　Pitt　in　1759　the　great　English　statesman　said：　　〃I　will　never　burn　my　fingers　with　the　American　stamp　act。〃


THE　STAMPS。

The　stamps　were　upon　blue　paper；　and　were　to　be　attached　to　every　piece　of　paper　or　parchment；　on　which　a　legal　instrument　was　written。　　For　these　stamps　the　Government　charged　specific　prices；　for　example；　for　a　common　property　deed；　one　shilling　and　sixpence。


THE　MINUTE…MAN　OF　THE　REVOLUTION。

The　Minute…man　of　the　Revolution！　He　was　the　old；　the　middle…aged；　and　the　young。　　He　was　Capt。　Miles；　of　Concord；　who　said　that　he　went　to　battle　as　he　went　to　church。　　He　was　Capt。　Davis；　of　Acton；　who　reproved　his　men　for　jesting　on　the　march。　　He　was　Deacon　Josiah　Haynes；　of　Sudbury；　80　years　old；　who　marched　with　his　company　to　the　South　Bridge　at　Concord；　then　joined　in　the　hot　pursuit　to　Lexington；　and　fell　as　gloriously　as　Warren　at　Bunker　Hill。　　He　was　James　Hayward；　of　Acton；　22　years　old；　foremost　in　that　deadly　race　from　Concord　to　Charlestown；　who　raised　his　piece　at　the　same　moment　with　a　British　soldier；　each　exclaiming；　〃You　are　a　dead　man！〃　　The　Briton　dropped；　shot　through　the　heart。

James　Hayward　fell　mortally　wounded。　　〃Father；〃　he　said；　〃I　started　with　forty　balls；　I　have　three　left。　　I　never　did　such　a　day's　work　before。　　Tell　mother　not　to　mourn　too　much；　and　tell　her　whom　I　love　more　than　my　mother；　that　I　am　not　sorry　I　turned　out。〃George　W。　Curtis。


THE　BOSTON　COMMON　SCHOOLS。

The　Boston　Common　Schools　were　the　pride　of　the　town。　　They　were　most　jealously　guarded；　and　were　opened　each　day　with　public　prayer。

They　were　the　nurseries　of　a　true　democracy。　　In　them　the　men　who　played　the　most　important　part　in　the　Revolutionary　period　received　their　early　education。

The　Adamses；　Chancey；　Cooper；　Cushing；　Hancock；　Mayhew；　Warren；　and　the　rest　breathed　their　bracing　atmosphere。


ENGLAND　AND　AMERICA。

I　have　already　dwelt　on　the　significance　of　the　way　in　which　the　Pilgrim　Fathers；　driven　out　of　England；　begin　this　compact；　with　which　they　begin　their　life　in　this　new　world；　with　warm　professions　of　allegiance　to　England's　King。

Old　England；　whose　King　and　bishops　drove　them　out；　is　proud　of　them　to…day；　and　counts　them　as　truly　her　children　as　Shakespeare　and　Milton　and　Vane。

As　the　American　walks　the　corridors　and　halls　of　the　Parliament　House　at　Westminster；　he　pays　no　great　heed　to　the　painted　kings　upon　the　painted　windows；　and　cares　little　for　the　gilded　throne　in　the　gilded　House　of　Lords。　　The　Speaker's　chair　in　the　Commons　does　not　stir　him　most；　nor　the　white　form　of　Hampden　that　stands　silent　at　the　door；　but　his　heart　beats　fastest　where；　among　great　scenes　from　English　triumphs　of　the　days　of　Puritanism　and　the　revolution；　he　sees　the　departure　of　the　Pilgim　Fathers　to　found　New　England。

England　will　not　let　that　scene　go　as　a　part　of　American　history　only；　but　claims　it　now　as　one　of　the　proudest　scenes　in　her　own　history；　too。

It　is　a　bud　of　promise；　I　said；　when　I　first　saw　it　there。　　Shall　not　its　full　unfolding　be　some　great　reunion　of　the　English　race；　a　prelude　to　the　federation　of　the　world？

Let　that　picture　there　in　the　Parliament　House　at　Westminster　stay　always　in　your　mind；　to　remind　you　of　the　England　in　you。　　Let　the　picture　of　the　signing　of　the　compact　on　the　〃Mayflower〃　stay　with　it；　to　remind　you　of　progress　and　greater　freedom。　　That；　I　take　it；　is　what　AmericaNew　England；　now　tempered　by　New　Germany；　New　Ireland；　New　Francethat；　I　take　it；　is　what　America　stands　for。Edwin　D。　Mead。


THE　UNIVERSITIES　AND　THE　MEN　OF　THE　REVOLUTION。

You　may　perhaps　remember　how　Wendell　Phillips；　in　his　great　Harvard　address　on　〃The　Scholar　and　the　Republic〃　reproached　some　men　of　learning　for　their　conservatism　and　timidity；　their　backwardness　in　reform。　　And　it　is　true　that　conservatism　and　timidity　are　never　so　hateful　and　harmful　as　in　the　scholar。　　〃Be　bold；　be　bold；　and　evermore　be　bold；〃　those　words　which　Emerson　liked　to　quote；　are　words　which　should　ever　ring　in　the　scholar's　ear。

But　you　must　remember　that　Roger　Williams　and　Sir　Harry　Vane；　the　very　men　whom　Wendell　Phillips　named　as　〃two　men　deepest　in　thought　and　bravest　in　speech　of　all　who　spoke　English　in　their　day；〃　came；　the　one　from　Cambridge；　the　other　from　Oxford；　and　that　Sam　Adams　and　Jefferson；　the　two　men　whom　he　named　as　preeminent；　in　the　early　days　of　the　republic；　for　their　trust　in　the　people；　were　the　sons　of　Harvard　and　William　and　Mary。　　John　Adams　and　John　Hancock　and　James　Otis　and　Joseph　Warren；　the　great　Boston　leaders　in　the　Revolution；　were　all　Harvard　men；　like　Samuel　Adams；　and　you　will　remember　how　many　of　the　great　Virginians　were；　like　Jefferson；　sons　of　William　and　Mary。

And　never　was　a　revolution　so　completely　led　by　scholars　as　the　great　Puritan　Revolution　which　planted　New　England　and　established　the　English　commonwealth。

No。　　Scholars　have　often　enough　been　cowards　and　trimmers。

But　from　the　days　when　Moses；　learned　in　all　the　wisdom　of　the　Egyptians；　brought　his　people　up　out　of　bondage；　and　Paul；　who　had　sat　at　the　feet　of　Gamaliel；　preached　Christ；　and　Wyclif　and　Luther　preached　Reformation；　to　the　time　when　Eliot　and　Hampden　and　Pym　and　Cromwell　and　Milton　and　Vane；　all　scholars　of　Oxford　and　Cambridge；　worked　for　English　commonwealth；　to　the　time　of　Jefferson　and　Samuel　Adams　and　the　time　of　Emerson　and　Sumner　and　Gladstone；　scholars　have　been　leaders　and　heroes　too。Edwin　D。　Mead。


EARL　PERCY　AND　YANKEE　DOODLE。

Earl　Percy　was　the　son　of　the　Duke　of　Northumberland。　　When　he　was　marching　out　of　Boston；　his　band　struck　up　the　tune　of　Yankee　Doodle；　in　derision。

He　saw　a　boy　in　Roxbury　making　himself　very　merry　as　he　passed。

Percy　inquired　why　he　was　so　merry。

〃To　think；〃　said　the　lad；　〃how　you　will　dance　by　and　by　to　Chevy　Chase。〃

Percy　was　much　influenced　by　presentiments；　and　the　words　of　the　boy　made　him　moody。　　Percy　was　a　lineal　descendant　of　the　Earl　Percy　who　was　slain　in　the　battle　of　Chevy　Chase；　and　he　felt　all　day　as　if　some　great　calamity　might　befall　him。


STORY　OF　JAMES　OTIS。　FOR　A　SCHOOL　OR　CLUB　PROGRAMME。

Each　numbered　paragraph　is　to　be　given　to　a　pupil　or　member　to　read；　or　to　recite　in　a　clear；　distinct　tone。

If　the　school　or　club　is　small；　each　person　may　take　three　or　four　paragraphs；　but　should　not　be　required　to　recite　them　in　succession。

1。　James　Otis　was　born　in　West　Barnstable；　near　the　center　of　Massachusetts；　February　5；　1725。　　　　2。　His　ancestors　were　of　English　descent。　　The　founder　of　the　family　in　America；　John　Otis；　came　from　Hingham；　in　Norfolk；　England；　and　settled　in　Hingham；　Massachusetts；　in　the　year　1635。


3。　His　grandson；　John　Otis；　was　born　in　1635。　　He　removed　from　Hingham　to　Barnstable；　where　he　became　a　prominent　man　and　held　several　important　positions。　　For　eighteen　years　he　was　Colonel　of　Militia；　for　twenty　years　Representative；　for　twenty…one　years　member　of　the　Council；　for　thirteen　years　Chief　Justice　of　common　pleas；　and　Judge　of　Probate。　　

4。　His　two　sons；　John　and　James；　became　distinguished　in　public　life。　James；　the　father　of　the　subject　of　this　sketch；　was　an　eminent　lawyer。　　He；　like　his　father；　became　Colonel　of　Militia；　Chief　Justice　of　common　pleas；　and　Judge　of　Probate。　　

5。　James　Otis；　Jr。　thus　by　inheritance；　derived　his　legal　bent　and　love　for　political　life。　　

6。　His　mother's　name　was　Mary　Allyne；　or　Alleyne；　of　　Wethersfield；　Conn。；　daughter　of　Joseph　Allyne；　of　Plymouth。　　She　was　connected　with　the　founders　of　Plymouth　colony；　who　arrived　in　the　Mayflower　in　1620。　　

7。　James　was　the　oldest　of　thirteen　children；　several　of　whom　died　in　infancy。　　Others　lived　to　attain　distinction。　　

8。　He　was　fitted　for　College　by　the　Rev。　Jonathan　Russell　of　Barnstable；　and　was　so　industrious　in　his　studies　that　he　was　ready　in　his　f