AND THE REV. JOHN WHITE. 93 



emigrants from Dorset and the Western Counties. When 

 she was ready to leave Plymouth, John White was on the spot 

 to speed the Pilgrims on their way. Although the commercial 

 aspect of the emigration was not forgotten, the religious 

 character of the movement was always kept in view. A proof 

 of this is the fact that before leaving these shores the Pilgrims 

 on the Mary and John selected their pastors, and organized 

 themselves as a Christian Church. One of the passengers 

 has left on record that " a solemn day of fasting and prayer 

 was held, and that Mr. John White of Dorchester was present 

 and did preach unto us the Word of God; the people did 

 solemnly make choice of and call those godly ministers to be 

 their officers, so also the Rev. Mr. Warham and Mr. Maverick 

 did accept thereof, and expressed the same." 



Two hundred and fifty years after this scene was enacted, 

 two great religious gatherings took place in The First Church 

 and Parish, Dorchester, Mass., on 31st March, and 17th June, 

 1880, to commemorate the gathering of the Church at 

 Plymouth (just mentioned), and the arrival of the Dorset 

 Colonists in America. The celebration was an important 

 event, the Governor of the State being present, with his staff, 

 and also the pastors of the Dorchester and Boston Churches 

 and many descendants of the early settlers. An address was 

 delivered by Rev. Dr. Hale, an authority on the early history 

 of New England, who pronounced with no uncertain voice 

 the debt they owed to John White. He said : 



" If we build statues to our heroes and founders, it would be 

 to John White of Dorchester, the founder of Massachusetts, 

 that we should build the first. Let him be clad in his 

 ministerial robes and bands, as when he spoke his farewell to 

 the colonists. Let him bear in his hand the Sacred Book he 

 was so fond of illustrating. So let us show who conceived the 

 idea of this free State, and who was the very hero who called 

 this free State into existence. Do not think simply of 

 Dorchester. Let us remember that it is the birth of Mass- 

 achusetts that we are celebrating. It is the birth of the 

 Colony of the Bay that we are celebrating. The hero of the 



