THE PURITANS COME TO MASSACHUSETTS

While north of Plymouth Rock, where those Pilgrims did dock,

There settled some more of that brave English stock.

Puritans by name, they gamely traveled the ocean

To sow the New World with hard work and devotion.

A religious order as well, a new group or sect,

Of Protestant Christians, they did quite keenly respect

The words of the Bible, its teachings and call,

Living simply and sternly, putting prayer above all.

And amid fields of New England they decided to stay,

Building churches and towns in The Massachusetts Bay.

And with faith as their guide, they summoned the will

To build in God’s name a bright City on a Hill.

And to live right by God and to serve a high purpose,

Six days of the week were for toil and service.

Their glorious task: a model society,

Which brought them great fame for moral sobriety.

And with John Winthrop to lead, the Puritans thrived,

As Boston town grew rich and large numbers arrived.

With good farming and fishing and the trading of furs,

New England soon boomed for her cheerful keepers.

Ah, but quandaries arose for this pious group,

As more and more people, not part of their loop,

Took part in the commerce and in the town life,

Protesting their rules, causing discord and strife.

Indeed, the Puritan way made small room for fun,

Holding pleasures as sinful, save for church-going ones.

Yet the success of hard work, the fruits of their labor,

Meant more wealth to enjoy, more leisure to savor!

And, little by little, their strictness gave way

To a more balanced sense of good order and play.

Yes, work is still honored and discipline prized,

-- But all joy and high spirits need not be despised.