ours, until a general cloudiness
overspread the sky. This was followed that night by a gentle shower,
which was renewed again and again, with intervals of sunshine,
throughout a fortnight. The planting was saved, to the astonishment of
the Indians and the deep gratitude of the Christian community. Famine
fled for ever. And as the spared crop matured, a Day of Thanksgiving was
ordered by the Governor and concurring Council, a season which has been
observed annually ever since, and finally throughout the nation.

Bradford did not show favor to the industrial policy of holding all
things in common, which was at first attempted and which, because of its
early apostolic connection, was supposed to be under divine sanction. If
he tolerated the idea at first, he gives no sign of approval; and when
it was abandoned he observed: "The experience that was had in this
comone course and condition, tried sundrie years, and that amongst godly
and sober men, may well evince the vanitie of that conceite of Plato &
other ancients, applauded by some of later times; that y^e taking away
of propertie, and bringing in comunitie into a comone wealth, would make
them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser then God."

This farsighted judgment applied equally to the communistic concept of
that time and the present idea of a short working day, a living wage
whether earned or not, and an absolute democratic control over all
individual rights, which is the perversion of civil liberty, and more
potent than despotism because imposed by a multitude.

Under private ownership of land, which superseded the common stock plan,
there was better incentive to toil, and the Governor with pleasure
observed that even the women and children went willingly afield.
Assignments came to be made of one acre to a family, near the palisaded
hamlet for convenience and better security. But on petition of the
planters, Bradford directed that the allotments should be for continuous
use, rather than for one year as heretofore. This encouraged those who
had achieved good success on their area, to go forward still in their
agricultural accomplishments. They raised the more, as soon as numbers
and strength allowed, because they found a corn market among the
half-hundred fishing vessels which annually visited the northern coasts.

The story is familiar, how the distressed new-comers at first smoothed
the graves of their plague-smitten members, to hide the number of death