74 Singing Valleys 



The holding of all property in common was a basic tenet of 

 the Separatists' faith and appeared as such in the Plymouth 

 charter. It was this, some felt, which gave them a spiritual ad- 

 vantage over the profit-taking members of the Church of Eng- 

 land and the Romanists. It placed them with the disciples 

 who followed Jesus of Nazareth, and with the early Christians. 



But, argued the ardent advocates of individualism, neither 

 the disciples nor the early Christians were alone in a desperate 

 wilderness. They dwelt in cities, ringed round with cultivated 

 farmlands, and where men among them with trades like Paul 

 were able to ply their trades and draw their custom from the 

 unenlightened heathen to the benefit of the holy few. Given 

 such circumstances, communism might work, though it was 

 noticeable that even the early Christians had abandoned it. 

 But in a raw, new, lonely country it would not work. 



Finally, the Governor and Council struck out that clause of 

 the constitution which decreed against private ownership of 

 land. A parcel of land was apportioned to each family, accord- 

 ing to the size of the family, not for inheritance, or for di- 

 vision, but only for their present use. 



Bradford leaves us in no doubt as to the results of this step 

 toward individualism: 



This had very good success, for it made all hands very indus- 

 trious, so as much more corne was planted than other waise 

 would have bene by any means the Governor or any other could 

 use, and saved him a great deall of trouble, and gave farr better 

 contents. 



The women now wente willingly into the field and tooke their 

 litle-ons with them to set corne, which before would aledge week- 

 ness, and inabilities; whom to have compelled would have bene 

 thought great tiranie and oppression. . . . 



The experience that was had in this commone course and con- 

 dition tried sundrie years and that amongst godly and sober men, 

 may well evince the vanities of that conceit of Plato's and other 

 ancients, applauded by some of later times, that the taking away of 

 propertye and bringing in communitie into a comone wealth, would 

 make them happy and flourishing as if they were wiser than God. 



