The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1856-03-06
Mr.. Macaaiay ON George Tox and shs
Quakers.

T.. Quakers.
Mr.. NAcArLAY, in his new volume, 10 severe
than ever upon VIZ, PENN. The following
the great historians description Of GSoKoI
For. the founder Of Quakerism
"Whiie London WAS agita,ed with the newl
that plot had been discovered, George Fox
the founder OF the sect OF Quakers, died.
More than forty years bad elapsed since Fo,
had begun 10 see visions and cast out devils
lie was then youth Of pure morals and grav,
department, with peryerse temper. with th,
education Of laboring man. and with an intel
leet In the most unhappy Of all sta,es--tbat !.
to say too much disordered for liberty, and moi
sufficiently disordered tbr beilam. The circam
stances 10 which be was placed were such q,
could scarcely fail to bring out in The strongest
form the constitutional disease Of his mind
At that time, when his faculties were ripening
Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Independents and
Baptists were striving for mastery. and were
| in every corner OF the realm, reiuting and re-
wiling each other. He wandered from congre-
CATION TO congregation be heard Priests har-
angue against Puritans--he heard Purtans
harangue against Priests; and he in vain sp
piled for spiritual direction and consolation TO
| doctors Of both parties. Ooe Jolly old clergy.
man OF the Anglican communion told him "a
smoke tobacco and sing psalms! another ad
viscd him TO go aud loose some blood. The
young inquirer turned with disgust from these
advisers to the Dissenters, and found them also
hlir! guides-. = &C.: snpe time he camc 10 the
conclusion that no human being was competent
to instruct him in divine things. and that the
truth had been communicated TO him by direct
inspiration from Heaven. lie argued that as
the deyision OF languages began Mt Babel, and
! as the prosecutors Of Christ put on the cross
nm inscription in Latin, Greek. and Hebrew.
the knowledge Of languages, and more especial
ly Of Latin. Greek, aud Hebrew, must be use
less to Chsistian minister. Indeed, he was
so far from knowing many languaues, that he
knew none ; nor can the most corrupt passage
In Hebrew be more uninteigiblc TO unlearncd
than his English often is to the most acute and
attentive reader. One OF the precious truths
which were divincly revealed to this new apos-
tie was, that il was falsehood and adulation TO
use the second person singular. Another was,
that 10 talk OF the month oI March was 10 wor
ship the blood-thirsty Mars, and that TO talk OF
Monday was TO pay idolatrous homage TO the
moon. To say good morning or good evening
was highly rcprehensible. for those phrases cvi-
IDENTIFY imported that God had made bad days
and nights. A Christian was bound TO face
death itself rather than touch his hat To the
greatest OF mankind. When Fox WAS chal-
legged to produce any scriptural authority for
this dogma, he cited the passage in which II is
written that Shadrach. Mcshech and Abclne-
90 were thrown into the frey furnace with their
bats on; and. if his own narrative may bc trust
ed, the Chief Justice Of England was atogeth-
or unable TO answer this argument except by
crying out, Take him away, iailor."
Fox insisted much ON the not less weighty
argument that the Turks never show their bare
heads to their superiors; and he asked, with
great animation. whether those who bore the
noble name Of Christian ought not TO surpass
the Turks In virtue Bowibg he strictly pro-
hibi,ed, and indeed seemed TO considers it ms the
effect Of satnnical influence tor. rs he observed,
the woman in the Gospel, while she had q spirit
OF iudrmity, was bowed together, and ceased to
bow rs soon as Divine power had liberated her
from the tyranny Of the evil one. His exposi'
tons Of the sacred writings were OF very pc
culiar kind. Passages which had been, in the
| apprehension of oil the readers Of the Gospels
during sixteen centuries fgurative, he con
strucd literally passages which no human be-
| ing before him had ever understood IN any 9TH
or than literal sense, he construed, 6guratiye-
| " Thus, from those rh torical expressions in
which the duty Of patience under ipjuriDs " en-
joined. hndedaced the doctrine that sclfdeicnce
against pirates and assassins is unlawful. On
the other hand, the plain commands TO baptize
with water, and TO partake of bread and wine
| In commemoration Of the redemption OF man
kind. he pronounced 10 be allegorical Hclong
wandered from place 10 place. teaching this
strange theology, shaking like an aspen leaf IN
/ hs paroxysms OF fanstical excitement, forcing
| his way into churches which he nieknamed
! steeplc house. interrupting prayers and ser
mons with clamor and scurrilty and pe-icring
rectors and justices with epistles much re.em
bling burlesques oi those sublime odcs in which
| the Hebrew prophets fprctold the cslamities
! of Babylon aud Tyre lie soon acquired Rr,a'
/ notoriety Wy these teats. His strange ince, h,'
strange chant, his immoTablc hat and Bis leath
or breaches. we're known all over the country
and he boasts tina, as s0on NJ the rumnr wa'
heard. " the man IN leather breecbes "a coming,
terror seizsd the b, pocrit,cai professors, ana
hircIing priests made haste TO get on, Of hi.
way He was repeatedly imprisoned aod pu
in the stocks. sometin~s Justly for disturbing
the public worship Of congregations and some
I times unjustly, for merely talking Donsense.-
H. soon gathered around him bdy Of disci
piles. some Of whom went beyond him 10 absnr
dity. tie has told Va that one Of his friend
walked naked through SkiptOwn declaring tn
truth. and ,ha, another was divioeiy moved q
go naked during several years, 10 nsrket pia
ces and 10 the houses 81 gentlemen and clergy
men. Fox complains bitterly that tbcse p'ou
acts, prompted by TIE Holy spirit, were re
quilted by an untoward generation wih boot
ing. peltng. coach whipping. ond hnr--wh,p
ping bat though h. applandeSl tbe 1eai Of tb'
snfrers, b. did not go quite TO their lengths
lie sometimes, indeed was impeilesi 70 .'r'l
himself partially. TINS he puIid on his shof
and walked barefoot throagh Litchfesd. cryinI
|, -" Woe TO ,he bloody city" But y dos no
appear tha, be ever thought il his daiy to Or
. pear before the public without that decen' sa'
ment from which his popular appeilstion va