"Poor boys!" I said. But pondering

What was, and might have been

(What I am in the sere leaf,

And they were in the green),

I pitied my dead no longer;

I did not dare to. No.

They went when they were summoned; Before, they could not go.

When we know what Life and Death are, We shall then know which is best; Meanwhile we live and labor :

Their labor done, they rest.

The earth lies heavy on them,
But they do not complain;
They do not miss the sunshine,
They do not feel the rain.

If they are ever conscious,

In that long sleep of theirs,

It is when, past the winter,

We feel the first spring airs.

When the birds from tropic countries
Come back again to ours,

And where of late were snowdrifts,
The grass is thick with flowers-

Such flowers as will to-morrow
Be scattered where they lie,
The blue and gray together,
Beneath the same sweet sky;

No stain upon their manhood,
No memory of the Past,
Except the common valor
That made us One at last!

R. H. STODDARD.

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS

PETITION TO THE EARL OF BELLOMONT IN 1698

A CURIOUS DOCUMENT, IN GOOD PRESERVATION

[Among the papers of Rev. Dr. Derick Romeyn, contributed by Mrs. Pierre Van Cortlandt.]

To his Excelly Richard Earl of Bellom
Capt! Gen!! and Governor in Chief of his
Majtes Province of New Yorke, &c &c,

The humble Remonstance of the Minister and Elders of the Dutch Church within the City of New Yorke.

May it Please your Lordship

The underwritten Minister and Elders of the Dutch-Church within this Citty of New-Yorke, being unexpectedly Troubled and Disturbed by a Certaine Protest without any dates signed by Mess' Samuell States, Johannis De Peyster and Johannis Kersbeye the coppy whereof is hereunto annexed, having just taken the advice of the Consestory of the ffrench Church within this Citty cannot but informe & Remonstrate to your Excelly how deeply we and our Church are troubled by the Said Protest whereby wee are hindered in the Execution of our office, and

Our Consistory has in the feare of God drawne up a Beroys brief or call for a Second Minnister one D' Hironemus Verduere Minnister at Bruynesse in Zealand or any other in cause of his death or Refusal to be sent over to us by the Classes of Amsterdam--according to the orders and bills of Exchange sent to that purpose

This my Lord has been undertaken and done after Syyslicating the Name of God and Examination & Sryserserytion of the Princypall men and members of our Church--according to our Charter and the Rueles & Cannons of our Netherdutch

Church.

And Because this our Beroeps or call should not meeth with any Difficulty or hindrance it was Judged Advisable by our Consestory Imediatly after that to send the same with Circular Letters to all the Netherdutch Churches throughout this Province, which have all approved of it (except Kingstowne) and have declared the Same to bee according to the Rules and orders of the Nationall Sinode and the Custumes of the Netherdutch Church, and was signed by the Minnisters Elders and Deacons of the Churches of Christ at Albany, Schnegtede, Flatbosch, Flatlands,

Brucklen, New Utregt Bergen and haerlam to the number of Forty one Ecclesiasticale Persons, besides those of New-York

My Lord if anything more than this could have beene desired to the Performance of this pious call, wee sent for and Desired all the old and Late Elders and Deacons of our Church with our Present Consistory to take to, and Examin if there was any thing or any person to gainsay this call made as above mentioned and was Impossible to be spoke against for it was (Nemine Contradicente) approved of and conformed, all with one consent and without the least contradiccon and also sent to the Revend Classes of Amsterdam who wee are accostamed and obliged to send all things to. My Lord Now there is complained in the Afore-mentioned Protest that more the underwritten Minnister should (in case of Equall Votes) have taken upon him a new Pretended Right (as they call itt) to deside the Choice by his owne vote as President which allsoo hee now has done to name Capt Jacobis Cortlandt to be his Elder and whome (according to the Testimony of the Protestors themselves) they have nothing to say against; This Costume as well in Millitary as in Civill affaires is Better knowne to your Lordship than to us and therefore wee can appeal to your Excell'y and the whole world whether what concerned our Church either by Consistorial Classicall or Synodeall meetings this (in case of Equall voates) may not be decided by the President who hath his choice either to vote or order the Lott to bee cast for the decision without the Least prejudice to his Ecclesiastecall Right; Butt My Lord not to go farther or beyond the Limitt of our Church it happened about four years since that the Honble Stephanus Van Cortlandt, Collonel and one of his Majties Councell and M' Isaacq De Riemer (having their Equall votes and where one of the Protestors was there present and Rejoyced at it) were after this mannor chosen and never spoken against, then accepted of and approved of, now Rejected and Protested against, and when the beforenamed Cap Cortlandt was chosen and sent for and desired to accept the Service of an Elder, all Persons then Present did (none excepted) welcome him, Giving him the hand and wishing him all hapynesse in the said service, a signe of a generall approbation.

As to the Last which is a matter so small nor worthy to trouble your Lordship with;

My Lord when our Church was built and Church masters were to be chosen, ffredrick Phillipes Esq! being Church Master did then vote with our Consistory and with one consent were chosen Cap! Johannis Kys, Cap! Brandt Schuyler & Cap! Tuenis deKey without any contradiction. Last yeare when Mr. Isaacq De Riemer was Chosen Church-Master the Late Deacons being then out of the Service of the Church did vote along with the said Consistory, then without any Contradiction, Butt must the Consistory now bee so stricktly Limmitted that they alone are to Chues Church Masters. Is this against the expresse Letter of their Corpiration, whereby wee and our Church are Priveledged from time to time to make Sûch

VOL. XX.-No. 2.-11

Rules to order, Constitute and Recall as shall bee Judged most and Best for the welfare of our church, Now wee considering that the Gentlemen, Church Masters Receive no Sallarie and that they oucht to bee esteemed more than as Sextons and Messengers that are payd, that in regard of their Persons and offece they ought to bee admitted to have their vote in the Consistory in the Choice of theire Successors as Church masters and after this mannor were chosen Coll° Charlis Lodwick and M: Abraham Kipp honest and pious Persons and these being also Sent for and being come were wellcomed with giving of the hands and wishing of happinesse in our meeting which allso was a Signe of approbation. In fine it Griefs our Church that we act with open doors-The Gentlemen Protestors aforenamed have written without our knowledge to the Reverend Classes of Amsterdam both by the Last Ships from hence and by the way of Boston and other places and that they should have done this in the name and by the order of your Excellency; also this was first made knowne to us after the departure of the Ships, in the meane while wee hope the Lord God will provide in this matter and that his Royall Majestie will defend us, and also that your Excelly (seeing now the contrary) write in favour of us and our call to the Reverend Classes of Amsterdam with Recomendations that the same may not be hindered which done etc.

To the Reverend D' henricus Selyus, Minnister and the further members of the Consistory of this Citty

Doe shew with Submission for our Selves and in the Name of the Greatest part of the Members of y! Communion. Whereas wee could not obtain the Last yeare to bee heard in the presence of the old Church Counsel, uppon our humble Petition and many friendly desires of what wee had to say Butt that notwithstanding all this, D' Selyns with six of his Church Counsells have presumed to call a second Minister without first Conveaning the old Church Councell and Principale Members with them, according to Anscient practises, upon a pretended clause in the Corporation. Wee were therefor necessitated to make our address to his Excell' the Earl of Bellomont our Governur not to Submit our Church affairs to his Excelly but to hinder by his mediation the increase of this Quarrell or that otherwise wee should be necessitated to write to the Reverend Classes of Amsterdam, whereupon his Excell' has promised to give his helping hand, but is hindered by his Sicknesse and Indisposition. In meanetime it is happened that two ships which were reddy to Sayle are departed with the Letters for calling a second Minnister without giving notice therof to his Excell' according to former Costumes, And therefore hath his Excell' comanded to write in his Lordships name to the honorable Classes of Amsterdam which wee have accordingly dune by those Ships and other Ways that the honorable Classes would bee pleased not to proceed with the precipitant calling, Butt to stay till they have his Excell and one writing which his Excell doubtlesse

would write to the honble Classes wth the Ship Debtfort that is to depart from Boston for England which accordingly will be done in few days, In the meantime it has happened that D' Selyns and some of his Church Councell have againe committed another fault which is where two persons are chosen to bee Elders and have Equale votes. Lotts ought to be cast to find out who ought to stand according to Anscient practice, in stead of dowing this D Selyns by a new Pretended Right Saith it belonged to him to Chuese one of the two, and hath accordingly done the same and although wee have nothing to object to either of these two Persons, as D! Selyns by his actions doth shew, Notwithstanding wee do Protest against his unseemely Mannor of Dowing and Desire that the Lotts may be cast over this otherwise wee wilnot acknowledge this Proclaimed Elder.

And Secondly another mistake hath been considered wch is that two Persons are appointed to bee Church Masters by the Old Church Masters and Church Councill against the Expresse letter of the Corporation, which wee therefore neither can nor will owne nor acknowledge for such.

Wee desire then for ourselves that wee may without delay be heard in Church Councill, there to set forth our Grievances before a Second Proclamation bee done from the Pulpitt of said Persons, that all offence and dissention may be taken away which God Knowes is alreddy to mutch in the Church.

Sam" States

Jo. De Peyster
Johannes Kerfbeÿe