Is it a little thing that, in addition, New memories as a sound of sweet music, and Year's Day should now be a day on which a fragrance of flowers.

And well it may we all acknowledge ourselves members of 80 dwell with them ; for many a burdened a circle wider than our interests and our heart bas borne its burden more lightly intimacies, and stretch out our bands to through all these months, and many a tronthe mere acquaintance in recognition of bled spirit has been more calm for the his simple human social value ?

In listening to her execation of that de- mind, then we cannot, for the life of us, see licious air, in the first act, Forse lui, you why the sorrows and the suffering of a forget that anybody had ever objected to “ Dame aux Camelias" offer less legitimate the morale of the heroine she personated, materials to the dramatic artist, than the and, in begring her duo with her lover, in Borrows and the sufferings of a perjured the last seno, you forget that the physi- priestess or a false favorite. cians bad given her up, and that sbe was Certainly, then, it is at least quite as itpassing away like the fabled swan In ting to present them upon the stage in the fact, the absurdities and the improprieties garb of passionate and pathetic music, as alike of the lyric drama, are always easily it is to produce, in the bald and cynio reforgiven, and ought to be easily forgiven; ality of prose, such pictures of life in our for the greater includes the less, and own world as bave been given us at Ming when you completely abandon the idea of Laura Keene's pretty theatre, in the come adherence to nature, as you do in the very dy of “Young New York.” When our theory of the opera, it becomes a matter dramatists teach us that in this city, and of comparatively slight importance how among the better classes of our people, it far you violate nature in details.

“Com

is possible for a son to be a generous and paratively'' slight, we say ; for we cannot manly youth after he has utterly abdicated approve of anything so terribly out of even the outward semblance of flial respect probability as the representation of Vio and decency-and that a daughter can letta in the last act of the “ Traviata!" command our sympathies when she accomdying of consumption by inches-and yet panies her inevitable disobedience to the singing through the whole register of a will of her parents with superfluous jeers, soprano voice. That this supernatural and faunting, rebellious violence—when power sometimes comes to the langs of these things are told us of ourselves, it is persons 80 afilicted just before dissolution time that we should cease looking for may be true ; but even the knowledge of scandals in song, and turn our attention that fact will not carry our intelligence intensely to the simple substance of our comfortably through the spectacle of an everyday life. exeoution, supposed to be continued for “Young New York" is not a picture of the space of half a day.

the life which it professes to paint. PerSo much for the physical objections to sons much as are represented in that clever the role of Violetta. The criticisms made but melancholy comedy do not constitute apon the morale of that character would the fashionable and flourishing world. But deserve more attention were they more im. how can we say that they do not exist, or, partial in their tone and in their scope. If we at least, that there is nothing to justify the may be made to sympathize with a priesters representation of such traits or characteror'a princess in her sinful sorrows, why may istics of a part of our now-world society, we not be brought near to the heart of a when we see the performance of such "anMagdalen in her sorrowful sinfulness? tics before high Heaven as should make the Grant (which is not true) that everybody angels weep" applauded with laughter by in the opera-house understands the nature pit, and gallery, and boxes! In no Counof the plot wrought out upon the stage try in which the order of the bousehold life grant this and what follows ? Is the story was not in some measure corrupted, could of Violetta, as developed in the opera, one such a play be tolerated by an audience 80 fascinating and so full of happiness that of the people. They would condemn it most of the young lady-listeners in the instantly, as a libel on all the finer qualiparquette are likely to be carried away by ties of the buman heart, and all the better it into those paths of Parisian profligacy realities of human life. That it should that end in the silence of the wintry Seine pass before u bere as a light, amusing and the chill horror of the Morgue, or in trifle, is a sad sigo-a bigo similar in sigPère-la-Chaise, and artificial wreaths de. nificance to and not leus sad than the signs pocited upon an early grave!

which the daily papers are continually If the morale of a play is to be judged giving ns, in the public indifference to according to the old standard of Aristotle crime and dishonor of every sork -if that is a good play which moves us, Such themes too darkly cloud the openthrough pity or terror, to tears and a bettering of our New Year. Let us not, bow

m

ever, forget them, though it be well for these creations of the crayon as in the letus to turn aside, in bonor of the season, ter-press wbich accompanies them the to more festive thoughts and pleasanter mirror with the light, to make the illuimages.

mination doubly brilliant. Such come before us when we recall tbat And, enjoying them, we shall not do charming morning concert which M. Thal- such injustice to the art, of whose triumpbs berg gave to the children at Niblo's Sa- they are a part, as to neglect a sister art loon. Of all tbe wreaths he ever won and whereof another noble native votary bas wore, wbat one will be lovelier in the art- now come before us. ist's memory than the garland of rosy Our readers ought to remember a paper smiles wbich was that morning put about contributed to Maga some time since, in him? Hundreds of happy young faces, which mention was authentically made of over whose fresh young beauty the waves an American cutter of stone at Albany, of melody went rapturously, as the sunshine wbo had carved his stone into marble, and over fields of flowers, and the pleasant his crude thoughts into conceptions, and noise of hundreds of small white hands re- so had climbed the Alps without crossing warded the great pianist for this generous the sea, and found the spirit of Florence and graceful tribute to the dignity of his on tbe banks of the Hudson. art, and the worth of music.

Mr. Palmer has brought bis precious We should be glad to believe that the gifts to us now, and we have but to turn time bad come when an appreciation as aside from our daily walks for one modeep and wide awaited the other arts in ment to make them our own. America as bas been vouchsafed already to An Indian girl contemplating the cross-tbis divinest art of music. But we can & Peri sleeping folded in her loveliness bardly indulge ourselves iu such a pleasure, and her wings-dreamy visions of the wben we see how comparatively uomoved evening and of the morning-busts that the public is by such appeals of genius as almost breatbe, of woman in her prime, Mr. Darley bas just made to us in his and babybood serene with its "royal digcbarining illustrations of “ Margaret.” nities"—such are the offerings he has Never bave the subtler and sadder traits brought out of the rich world of a thoughtof the New England cbaracter, and rarely ful artist's spirit into an external world have its keen and bumorous qualities been that is forever crying aloud for something more clearly appreciated or more deftly new and good. reproduced than by Mr. Judd, in this queer,

Will the world bave the kindness to confused, but powerful novel of “Marga- go and see wbat is here set before

And certainly the artist's pencil it? We give the world a goodly month has not been less true and vigorous than in which to avail itself of this opthe writer's pen. Mr. Darley, of whose portunity, and we shall then bave some transcendent merits as a draugbtsman we private conversation with the world and bave not seldom spoken before, has more with Mr. Palmer himself, as to the why tban equaled our expectations in the ban

and the wbereunto of the new ways of dling of his subjects, while his conception art in wbich he has resolved to walk. of them adds a new felicity to the poet's In the old, simple ways, the engravers fancies, and a new fidelity to his portrait- and the painters persist to walk, and we ures. If you wish to bave the genius of have little to say of them just now. The New England incarnated, that you may newest and prettiest American print of the study it on paper, as you might in real Leason is Mr. Welford's engraving from Mr. life, then get Mr. Darley's book, and read Wandesforde's picture of Florence Nightit as a book of such pictures ought to be ingale," drawn for the subscribers of the read Pictures to the Egyptian and the “ Albion." It is a pensive figure of that Assyrian were books, why should they not noble woman seated beneath a portico, be so to us? Have the old primæval per. and overlooking the still waters of the ceptions been killed in us by our famili- “Golden Horn." Pleasant as a picture, it arity with the tamer symbols of the is profitable as a true likeness of a face on alphabet ?

which many a dying man has looked as If they have not been so killed, we shall upon the smile of heaven-a face which it is find as good matter for mental reflection in good to see for the soul's sake that is in it.

ret."

PUTNAM'S MONTHLY.
A I Magazine of Literature, Science, and Art.

VOL. IX.-FEBRUARY, 1857.—NO. L.

NEW ENGLAND MILITARY WORTHIES OF THE OLDEN TIME.

MYLES STANDISH.

sur

THE
THE institutions of infant New Eng. lands and livings," which being

land, by which the character of reptitiously detained" from him, he was adolescent and full-grown New Eng. obliged to seek his living as he might. land has chiefly been moulded, were the Like so many other adventurous young town organizations, the church organ- Englishmen of that age, he served for izations, the colleges and free schools, some time in the Dutch armies, in the and the military establisbment. Of this long war which Holland carried on for military establishment, which, though 80 many years against Spain, and which not less influential, has attracted much resulted at last in the establishment of less attention than the other three, we Dutch independence. have given a brief outline in a prece- A suspension of hostilities having ding number of this magazine, in an ar- taken place, by the truce of 1609, ticle on the military array of New Eng Standish settled with the English land in the olden time. That outline Brownist refugees, who had about that we propose partially to fill out, in this time established themselves, with John and succeeding numbers, by sketches of Robinson as their pastor, and William the lives and exploits of some of the Brewster as their ruling elder, at more notable commanders who figured Loyden; and when this company, some in this sphere of action.

ten years later, broached the plan of In the list of early military worthies 'emigrating to America, though not a of New England, MYLES STAND- meinber of their church, he volunteered ISII comes first. He was born in the

to accompany them. He and his wifo year 1684 (as recent investigations ap- Rose, whom he had married in the Isle pear to have established), in Lanca. of Man, were two of the famous comshire, England, of a good family, of pany of pilgrims who embarked in the which there were two branches long Mayfluwer, and wh to the number of established in that county-the Stand- one hundred and two persons (women ishes of Standish, and the Standishes and children included), entered Cape of Duxbury. Nathaniel Morton, secre- Cod harbor on the 11th of November, tary and historian of the Plymouth colo- 1620, old style. ny, says of him, and, indeed, Standish

Captain Standish was made command himself sets forth in his will, that he was er of the first exploring party of sixheir-apparent of “a great estate of teen men, sent out hy land to examine

the country, and also of the company but Corbitant, one of his inferior saafterwards sent by water to explore the chems, who inhabited the district which coast of Cape Cod bay. Plymouth barbor now forms the town of Swanzey (on (which Captain John Smith had previ. Narragansett bay, about forty miles west ously visited and laid down on his map of Plymouth), soon fell under suspicion, of New England) was entered by Cap. from threatening the lives of the two tain Standish and his company on the friendly Indians, who acted as interpret11th of December, old style, correspond- ers. Upon information of this act of ing to December 21st of the new style.* hostility, Standish marched at the head

Shortly after the colonists had estab- of an army of fourteen men, guided by lished themselves at New Plymouth, one of these friendly Indians, who had Standish was regularly chosen their mi. fed to Plymouth. Corbitant's village litary captain. Of the nineteen families was beset, and some of his people into which the whole company was ar- were wounded. Squanto, the interpretranged, he was at the head of one. In er, who was supposed to have been the winter that followed, half the colo- killed, had, it turned out, suffered no nists perished of the scurvy contracted harm. Corbitant himself was not to be in their long voyage, and aggravated by found; but, soon after, he sued for their diet of salt provisions and by their peace, and, in company with eight other cold and uncomfortable lodgings. At petty sachems, came to Plymouth, one time there were but six or seven where they all put their marks to a paable to attend the sick. Of these, Stand- per acknowledging the sovereign auish was one, and his zeal and assiduity thority of King James of England. on this occasion are much commended Shortly after this submission, in the by Bradford, who acknowledges, in his autumn of 1627, Standish was sent with history, that he himself, among many a sballop and ton men, and Squanto, for others, profited by Standish's services. his guide and interpreter, to explore In this sickness, Standish lost his wife Massachusetts bay, some forty miles to Rose; but, as we shall see, it was not the northward. This bay, which Smith long before he repaired the loss. had entered, and already well known

Little, fortunately, during this time to the fishermen on the coast, was found of sickness, was seen or heard of the na- to terminate inland in a spacious barbor, tives; but, early in the spring, through studded with some fifty islands, and entwo Indians, who had picked up a little compassing the three-crested peninsula English from communication with the of Shawmut-site of the present city fishermen and other adventurers on the of Boston. Towards the southwest, coast, an intercourse was opened with the Blue Hills were visible, from whose Massasoit, head sachem of the Pocano- Indian designation, signifying, it is said, kets, otherwise called the Wampanoags, a hill in the form of an arrow-head, the inhabiting tho country west of New name Massachusetts is derived. Two Plymouth; and Massasoit having been or three rivers entered the bay; seveinduced to visit the colonists, a league ral peninsulas projected into it. Its of peace and friendship was formed shores offered so many favorable posiwith him. Captain Standish commanded tions, that Standish and his men could the military escort which attended Gov- not help wishing that the Plymouth eror Carver on this important occasion. colonists had settled here. They found It consisted of a drum, a trumpet and near by a few Indians, ander a sachem half a dozen musketeers. Massasoit named Obattinewat-if, indeed, by a became the fast friend of the colonists; mistake, very common in all Indian nar

* From want of a correct knowledge, when the annual celebration of this event, under the name of “ Forefathers'-day," was first commenced, of the relations between the old and the new style, the 22nd of the new style was supposed to be the anniversary, and still continues to be celebrated as such.

+ The Rev. Dr. Young, in a note to one of Robinson's letters, given in the “ Chronicle of the Pilgrims" observes: “It was certainly a remarkable providence that, out of the twenty-one men"—tho others were women and children—"who died the first winter, so few were among the leaders of the expedition. With the exception of Carver"—the first Governor" most of the prominent men were spared. How different might have been the fate of the colony, bud Bradford, Winslow, Standish and Allerton been cut off.” It is natural for a clergyman to see here a special providence—the philosophic bistorien will see in it only the well-established phy. siological fact, that the power of endurance depends quite as much on mental energy as on bodily strength, indeed, much more.