The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1881-06-09
Penn's Remains.

lam Penn have lain at rest in the
little Quaker hamlet OF the dead
near Chalfont st. Giles in Buckiug.
hamshire. After stormy life spent
in warning for the fullest religious
liberty he has slept over his first
centennial, and is pushing hard on
TO bis second in the grave.
Until very recent years the world
has never thought to break his
slumber Now it has entered into
the minds OF men TO d. this thing,
and there has opened controversy
which stirs two nations 10 their
deptbs. II is not new thing, this
yearning after The homes OF man OF
great ma,k. Tie Old World is foil
OF the sacred relic Of its heroes, its
martyrs aud it's saints. o! some Of
the most popular there are bones
enough to ct the lamented together
again several times over which on .
ly shows the gre at demand for this
kind OF thing and the noble deter
mination Of enterprising localities
that whatever might come they
would not be left in these several
particulars. This liberal spirit not
only brought the sightseeing
stranger to the sbrines, but it
thwarted the designs of speculating
men by preventing frequent corners
in the bone market.
The life work of the Founder and
Prsorietdry Governor should COM
mand for his remains any and every
honor which mny slow n veperation
Of bis memory. Pai ticulaily ought
we Penns ylvaniaps to be greatful
because he founded us on a basis Of
the largest religious liberty-the
Guiding priucip lie Of Lis career.
Whether it was stripping the gowns
from the Oxford students, refusing
10 stand uncovered in court, or do.
clining to burebcad himself before
his Admiral father the Duke of York,
on Majesty itself, be was alike OPP
posed to the tran mels of set forms
aud the intoleraut foe Of tyrannical
intolerance. Any people might be
pardoned for desiring to to stand
guard over the handful OF dust which
remains Of 40 conspicn Gus figure
in tho worlds history-above all.
the dwellers in the city which he
founded almost two eyentful cen-
turies ago.
III there were any assurance that
the Founder would desire the re,
moval Of bis ash 4, s at oil hazards.
the State which bea rs his name and
was the cradle of the fecoDd birth
of that liberty whic h Le proclaimed,
would Of itself fit out an expedition
to overcome at the loyonet's point
the narrow, nsular prejudice which
now conserves with jealous care
what it has never paid any special
attention to and which in Penn's
own day cited him for treason,
tried him for conspiracy, took away
his proprietary right and twice threw
him into the Tower Of gloomy mem.
ories. No spirit has come back from
the other world to tell us that the
first Governor wishes his remains
removed.
Reasoning by analogy, we infer
that he prefers to remain in the
grave with his wife Hannah, hard
by the tomb Of bis wife Gulielma
Maria. We propose to renter him
with ponp aud circumstances,
against which he protested all his
life. Penn never showed any par-
entail weakness for bis own Pennsyl-
vania. On his first visit tv his pos
sessions he remained two years,
bought the ground for his city like
man, made with the Indians the
only treaty never swore to and
never broken," and sailed away to
be gone seventeen years. His se-
cond visit was shorter than the first,
Is it likely that he who cared so lit
tie to live here would have burning
desire to be spaded mp after all
these years and transported to q
land which to him never was
home /? We feel inspired to say
that Penn doesn't want to como
here. lIe wants to be let alone. He
is content with the status quo aud
would feel a good deal cut up if it
wers disturbed.
Mr. Littleboy and the other gen
tlemen who are standing guard over
the bones Of contention may he sole
ly selfish, but they are in possession,