Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-07-01
IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS.

Religious federation in Rhode Island and
MaryIand Established by the Fathers.
There are but two of the early colonies
of which the claim can be seriously made
that they we're founded on any principle
of religious freedom. These are Rhode
Island and Maryland. 1t was said of the
first by Roger Williams, its spiritual found
er, that "a permission of the most pagan
ish, Jewish, Turkish, or anti-Christian con-
science" should be there granted ''to all
men of all nations and countries" Ac
cordingly, the colony spread such shelter
on very wide scale. 1t received Anne
Hutchinson after she had set the state as
we'll as the church in a turmoil in Boston,
and had made popular elections turn on
her opinions. It not only sheltered but
gave birth to Jemima Wilkinson, prophet
ess of the Cumberland Zea-
lots" who might under the slim
illus of less tolerant community have
expanded into Joanna Southcote or
Mother Ann Lee. It protected Samuel
Gorton, man of the Savonarola temper
ament, of whom his last surviving disciple
said in 1771: "My master wrote in heaven,
and none can understand his writing but
those who live in heaven while on EARTH"
1t cost such an effort to assimilate these
exciting ingredients that Roger Williams
described Gorton, in 1910, as Overwhelming
and bemadding poor Providence,' and the
grand jury of that city was compelled to
indict him as a nuisance in the same year,
on this count, among others ''that Samuel
Gorton contumellously reproached the
magistrates, calling them just-asses."
Nevertheless, all these, and such as these,
were at last disarmed and made harmless
by the wise policy of Rhode Island. guided
by Roger Williams, after he had out
grown the superfuous antagonisms
of his youth and learned to
be conciliatory in action as
we'll as comprehensive in doctrine. Yet
even he had so much to undergo in keep
ing the peace with all these heterogeneous
materials that he recoiled at last from
such an infinite liberty of conscience"
and declared that in the case of Quakers
ga due and moderate restraint and punish
ment of these incivilities' was not only no
persecution, but was "a duty and command
of God"
Maryland has shared with Rhode Island
the honor of having established religious
freedom, and this claim is largely based
upon the noble decree passed by its gen
eral assembly in 1919:
mo person whatsoever in this province
protesting to believe in Jesus Christ shall
henceforth be any way troubled or mo-
Tested for his or her religion, or in the free
exercise thereof, or any way compelled to
the belief or exercise of any other religion
against his or her consent"
But it is never hard to evade a statute
that seems to secure religious liberty, and
this decree did not prevent the Maryland
colony from afterward enacting that if any
person should deny the holy trinity he
should first be bored through the tongue
and fined or imprisoned then, for the
second offense, should be branded as bias
phemer, the letter 'B'' being stamped on
his forehead and for the third offense
should die. This was certainly very linn
tied liberation and, granting that it has
partial value, it remains an interesting
question who secured it. Cardinal Man
ming and others have claimed this measure
of liberation as due to the Roman Catholics,
but Mr.. E. D. Neill has conclusively shown
that the Roman Catholic element was orig
inally much smaller than was supposed !;
that the 1.-TWO hundred Catholic
gentlemen usually claimed as founding
the colony we're really some twenty gentle
men and three hundred laboring men;
that of the latter twelve died on shipboard,
of whom only two confessed to the priests,
thus giving a clew to the probable opin-
ions of the rest, and that of the assembly
which passed the resolutions the majority
were Protestants, and even Puritans. But
granting Maryland place next to Rhode
Island in religions freedom, she paid like
| that other colony, what has been the price
of freedom, and l must dwell moment
| on this.
In those days religious liberty brought a
| heterogeneous and often reckless popula-
ton; it usually involved the absence of a
highly educated ministry; and this implied
the want of settled system of education,
and of an elevated standard of public duty.
These Deficiencies left both in Rhode Is
land and Maryland certain results which
are apparent to this day.
| There is nothing more extraordinary
L the Massachusetts, and Connecticut col
onies than the promptness with which they
| entered on the work of popular education.
| These little communities, just struggling
for existence marked out an educational
| system which had then no parallel in the
| European world. In the Massachusetts
Bay colony, Salem had free school IL
1910, Boston in 1912 or earlier, Cambridge
about the same time, and the state, in
| 1647. marked out an elaborate system OF
common and grammar schools for every
township-a system then without pre-
cedent, so far as 1 know, in Europe. Thus
run the essential sentences of this noble
document, held ups to the admiration OF
all England by Lord Macaulay in parIia-
ment.
sgt learning may not be buried in ye
grave Of our fathrs in ye church and com
onwealth, the Lord assisting or endeavors
1t is therefore ordred, vt evry township
in this Jurisdiction, afr ye Lord beth in
creased YIN to ye number of so house
houlds, shall then forthwith appoint one
within their towne to teach all such chill