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In Conclusion |
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In Conclusion It was with a feeling of profound satisfaction that the audience turned homeward. Important as the work of dedication appeared to all lovers of Rehoboth, and to any who regarded the event from an antiquarian point of view, the exercises left nothing either for local pride or historical criticism to demand. The occasion marks an era in Rehoboth history. The erection of such a beautiful Memorial ; the utterances of the distinguished men at its dedication; the contribution to Rehoboth history made by the complete and accurate record of this volume, all will serve to win for Rehoboth a rightful recognition as one of the most historic places in the Old Bay State. As the names of John Myles, Samuel Newman, William Black-stone, Thomas Willett and others become properly identified with its history; as the careers of its sons in letters, arms, science and jurisprudence become better known, men will be as proud to trace their lineage to Historic Rehoboth as to name the revered Plymouth or far-famed Lexington as their birth-place.Indeed, Rehoboth holds as distinguished a relation to the annals of Indian warfare, as Plymouth to the inception of the colonies, or Lexington to the Revolutionary struggle. It was the frontier town during King Philip’s war. The first blood of a contest which menaced the very life, and |
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130 HISTORIC REHOBOTH not alone the liberty of the colonies, was shed-in its original boundaries, while within its present limits, the last triumphant strategy of that struggle was consummated. If to stand on the confines of savage territory and defend the hearths and homes that lie behind is patriotism, Myles’ Bridge is as truly historic ground as Lexington Common. Standing as the narrative of these pages does, midway between the Ancient Rehoboth that was and the New Rehoboth that is to be, it aims to inspire reverence for the one and aspiration for the other. May we, its readers, appreciate the measure of responsibility which rests upon us, and to our fidelity, in the words of the immortal Burke, "Let us attest the retiring generations ; let us attest the advancing generations; between which, as a link in the great chain of eternal order, we stand !"
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