On receiving the volume, Governor Wolcott, addressing Mr. Bayard, spoke
as follows: I thank you, sir, for the diligent and faithful manner in
which you have executed the honorable trust imposed upon you by the
decree of the Consistorial and Episcopal Court of London, a copy of
which you have now placed in my hands. It was fitting that one of your
high distinction should be selected to perform so dignified an office.
The gracious act of international courtesy which is now completed will
not fail of grateful appreciation by the people of this Commonwealth and
of the nation. It is honorable alike to those who hesitated not to
prefer the request and to those whose generous liberality has prompted
compliance with it. It may be that the story of the departure of this
precious relic from our shores may never in its every detail be
revealed; but the story of its return will be read of all men, and will
become a part of the history of the Commonwealth. There are places and
objects so intimately associated with the world's greatest men or with
mighty deeds that the soul of him who gazes upon them is lost in a sense
of reverent awe, as it listens to the voice that speaks from the past,
in words like those which came from the burning bush, "Put off thy shoes
from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."
On the sloping hillside of Plymouth, that bathes its feet in the waters
of the Atlantic, such a voice is breathed by the brooding genius of the
place, and the ear must be dull that fails to catch the whispered words.
For here not alone did godly men and women suffer greatly for a great
cause, but their noble purpose was not doomed to defeat, but was carried
to perfect victory. They stablished what they planned. Their feeble
plantation became the birthplace of religious liberty, the cradle of a
free Commonwealth. To them a mighty nation owns its debt. Nay, they have
made the civilized world their debtor. In the varied tapestry which
pictures our national life, the richest spots are those where gleam the
golden threads of conscience, courage and faith, set in the web by that
little band. May God in his mercy grant that the moral impulse which
founded this nation may never cease to control its destiny; that no act
of any future generation may put in peril the fundamental principles on
which it is based,--of equal rights in a free state, equal privileges in
a free church and equal opportunities in a free school.
In this precious volume which I hold in my hands--the gift of England to
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts--is told the noble, simple story "of
Pli[~m]oth Plantation." In the midst of suffering and privation and
anxiety the pious hand of William Bradford here set down in ample detail
the history of the enterprise from its inception to the year 1647. From
him we may learn "that all great and honourable actions are accompanied
with great difficulties, and must be both enterprised and overcome with
answerable courages."
The sadness and pathos which some might read into the narrative are to
me lost in victory. The triumph of a noble cause even at a great price
is theme for rejoicing, not for sorrow, and the story here told is one
of triumphant achievement, and not of defeat.
As the official representative of the Commonwealth, I receive it, sir,
at your hands. I pledge the faith of the Commonwealth that for all time
it shall be guarded in accordance with the terms of the decree under
which it is delivered into her possession as one of her chiefest
treasures. I express the thanks of the Commonwealth for the priceless
gift. And I venture the prophecy that for countless years to come and to
untold thousands these mute pages shall eloquently speak of high
resolve, great suffering and heroic endurance made possible by an
absolute faith in the over-ruling providence of Almighty God.