The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-07-31
Whipping ouakeresses.

the question of the tyrannical and
ruthless religious prosecutions of our
New England forefathers. That some
popular misapprehensions of this mat
ter should prevail, is not to be mar
veled at when we consider the multi
tude of newspaper, magazine, and
quasi-historical, writers, who, recreant
to the principles, faith and morals of
their Puritan ancestors, if such ances-
tors they had, have dipped their pens
in the gall of cordial apostacy from
them. But among well-read, candid
and ingenious persons it has always
been deemed one of the grossest of
ISLANDERS upon our New England IA
thers, that they prosecuted Quakers, or
any other persons, or in any way mall
treated or oppressed them, for their
mere opinions sake. On the other
hand, it was solely for their turbu-
lent, disorderly, riotons erternal be-
haeior. by which they boldly threw
off the restraints of law, vitupefously
assailed magistrates, and threatened
to break up the entire civil and social
order of the infant colonies, so put
ting their very existence in peril, that
the Puritans proceeded against them
az ct dTnais. 1t was a procedure of
absolute necessity with our fathers
Any other course would have simply
been their colonial suicide. In doing
as they did, our fathers saved both
themselves and as. On the other tack,
they would have wreGked their ship.
If any of my readers wish to test
the validity of these views, let them
read-not the production of those
lawless fanatics who published them
selves to the world as martyrs to con-
science-nor the pseudo histories of
our day, which glory in calumniating
those remarkable men who laid the
foundation of our noble nation-but
rather the histories, narratives, annu-
ais, and journals of our fathers them
selves, or of other credible writers
who closely succeeded them. They
will find there that Sthese sectaries
were prosecuted not because of their
opinions, but, as the expression his
torically occurs, because they were
the t'i51ce12diGTIeS. of the cannon
9Cedltb." See Mass. Hist. Collections,
Second Series, 1, 2l0.
Never, for mere opinions sake, did
our fathers proceed against any one.
They were accused of that in their
own day. Bot hear the reply of the
General Court, holden at Boston,
Nov. 4, 1916: 1.-THE truth is" they
say, Fthe great trouble we have been
put to, and hazard also, by such spir-
its, whose conscience and religion
hath been only to set forth themselves
and raise contentious i'll the country,
did provoke us to provide for our.
safety by law that all such should
take notice how unWelcome they
should be unto us, either coming or
staying. But for such as differ from
us only in Judgment i, e. doctrine,)
and live peaceably amongst us, with
out occasioning disturbance,-such
have no cause to complain for it hath
never as yet been put into execution
against any of them, although such
are known to live amongst us. Hutch
inson's State Papers p. ZIG.
Let the reader also turn to Hub
bard's History, McClure's Memories,
Palfey's History, and a recent volume
ofelectures upon the Early Massachu-
setts History, by a number of Boston
gentlemen. Let him also read the
address of the Hon. Josiah Quincy,
LID, to the citizens of Boston, de-
livered at the second centenary of
the settlement of that place. To that
let him add the Address of JHoN
QUINCY ADAMS, delivered before the
Massachusetts Historical Society, in
1913. If from all these readings he
can rise aud yet believe that our New
England fathers perseeuted the Qua
kers simply because they were Qua
kers, i. E. because of their conscien-
tious sentiments in religion, they viii
only thereby 81 w themselves
examples of an intellectual, if not
moral. obtuseness that is, to say the
least, not to be envied.
The special public statement, on
recent Sabbath, that brought me to
my feet, was as follows: ''The idea
is preposterous that the past, with all
its narroWness, and darkness and big
otry, should be repeated. The Church
has made astonishing progress. Not
more than two hundred years ago, a
great tyranny ruled in this country,
by the best of men; tyr |
amy not over their bodies merely, !
but over their minds. Not longer |
ago than that, recent mother. with |
her babe in her arms, was tied to the |
post, on Boston Common,
and lashed nearly to death. And for
what reason? Because she. qCdS q |
On the supposition that such case |
II
ment would be as follows: "Two |
hundred years ago, disorderly and |
indecent woman was whipped on
Boston Common, and the woman was
/ Quakeress." That is all there is of |
t. A few years ago Massachusetts
aung Prof. John w. Webster; and he !
ne was an Unitarian. But he was not
lnng because he was an Unitarian
Ehe U. S. Government will be obliged /
% coeree a certain people in Utah |
Territory to order, and they are Nor
mons bat is this coercion to be be-
,qaSe they are Mormons9 No, but
because they, being MoFmons, will
lot conform to the United States
avs. r5ss5..
Hear the Historian Mcclure speak
If it: "Among other instances we
cad of the whipping of two Quaker
women at Salem. Upon this our hearts
re ready to ache that these .hapless
emales should thus suffer merely for
But how was it? Were
hey. scourged for merely cherlshing
Quaker principles? By no means;
tut for appearing in the Church in
,pen day, wholly divested of APPAREL
The poor misguided creatures pro-
essed to be acting prophetically, un-
ler special divine inspiration, as a
ign of the naked truth, and as a sign
# the nakedness of the land.n
What! Our New England fore
athers, from whom we have been
that we have received such a
inheritance, alike of Church
nd State, tying a woman witha new
'orn babe in her arms, to whipping
'ost and lashing her almost to. death,
imply because She 9cdS q QHdkereSS!
E xuhaf a Iomi tIa 1xyrotnboo fhav, !