Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Why don't you speak for yourself, John?

Priscilla Mullins said these famous words to John Alden. John was proposing to her that she marry his friend Miles Standish. All three of them had been fellow passengers on the Mayflower. John and Miles had been room mates. Miles had been an English Army officer and was hired by the Pilgrims to be their military advisor for their settlement in America. He filled that position for the rest of his life.


Miles was a tough soldier and not too good with the words for proposing marriage. So he asked John to do the proposing to Priscilla for him. Which John agreed to do. But Priscilla had other ideas, hence the famous question. WHY DON'T YOU SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, JOHN?  She and John were later married and had ten children. I guess that Priscilla did have other ideas.


The poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, is one their descendants and wrote the historical poem "The Courtship of Miles Standish".He says all of the events in the poem actually happened. His poem was later made into a play.

Guess what? When I was in the Sixth Grade the school put on the play. I was chosen to play Miles Standish. My teacher said that I was chosen for the role because I was tall and stood straight like a soldier! After 80 years I remember her remark. I remember most compliments. I remember several events from the Sixth Grade. That year stands out in my memory. 

1 comment:

  1. Great story. I was in the 6th grade spelling bee (against my wishes, but my teacher begged me). I was in the third chair in order. My first word .."absence"... iNCORRECT!
    But later, in high school, I was in my 2nd year of Latin..and I won the small, in-class Latin spelling bee .
    You sure you aren't remembering your story from 80 yrs ago?

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