The conditions were the same whether in the Plymouth or in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  And yet how brave—­how pathetically brave—­was the colonial woman under every affliction.  In hours when a less valiant womanhood would have sunk in despair these wives and mothers strengthened one another and praised God for the humble sustenance He allowed them.  The sturdy colonist, Edward Johnson, in his Wonder Working Providence of Zions Saviour in New England, writing of the privations of 1631, the year after his colony had been founded, pays this tribute to the help-meets of the men: 

“The women once a day, as the tide gave way, resorted to the mussels, and clambanks, which are a fish as big as horse-mussels, where they daily gathered their families’ food with much heavenly discourse of the provisions Christ had formerly made for many thousands of his followers in the wilderness.  Quoth one, ’My husband hath travelled as far as Plymouth (which is near forty miles), and hath with great toil brought a little corn home with him, and before that is spent the Lord will assuredly provide.’  Quoth the other, ’Our last peck of meal is now in the oven at home a-baking, and many of our godly neighbors have quite spent all, and we owe one loaf of that little we have.’  Then spake a third, ’My husband hath ventured himself among the Indians for corn, and can get none, as also our honored Governor hath distributed his so far, that a day or two more will put an end to his store, and all the rest, and yet methinks our children are as cheerful, fat and lusty with feeding upon these mussels, clambanks, and other fish, as they were in England with their fill of bread, which makes me cheerful in the Lord’s providing for us, being further confirmed by the exhortation of our pastor to trust the Lord with providing for us; whose is the earth and the fulness thereof.’”

It is a genuine pleasure to us of little faith to note that such trust was indeed justified; for, continued Johnson:  “As they were encouraging one another in Christ’s careful providing for them, they lift up their eyes and saw two ships coming in, and presently this news came to their ears, that they were come—­full of victuals....  After this manner did Christ many times graciously provide for this His people, even at the last cast.”

If we will stop to consider the fact that many of these women of the Massachusetts Bay Colony were accustomed to the comfortable living of the middle-class country people of England, with considerable material wealth and even some of the luxuries of modern civilization, we may imagine, at least in part, the terrifying contrast met with in the New World.  For conditions along the stormy coast of New England were indeed primitive.  Picture the founding, for instance, of a town that later was destined to become the home of philosopher and seer—­Concord, Massachusetts.  Says Johnson in his Wonder Working Providence: