The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-07-26
Vancouver Independent.
OFFICIAL PAPER OF CRY AND COUNTY.
Vancouver. Clarke County, Washington
Territory.
Religious liberation in Rhode Island
and Maryland.

There are buttwo OF the early Colonies
OF which the claim can be seriously
made that they were founded on any
principle OF religious freedom. These
two are Rhode Island and Maryland. 1t
was said OF the first by Roger Williams,
its spiritual founder, that "a permission
of the most paganish, Jewish, Turkish,
or anti. Christian conscience" should be
there granted "to all men of all NATIONS
and countries" Accordingly, the colony
spread such shelter on very wide SCALE
It received Anne Hutchinson after she
had set the state as we'll as church in a
turmoil at Boston, and had made popu
lar elections turn on her opinions. 1t
not only sheltered but gave birth to
Jemi ma Wilkinson, prophecies of the
Cumberland Zealots,'' who might
under the stimulus Of less tolerant
community have expanded into Joanna
Southcote or Mother Ann Lee. 1t pro-
tected Samuel Gorton, q man of the
Savonarola temperament, OF whom his
last surviving disciple said, in III,
my master wrote in heaven, and none
can understand his writings 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, Us
bewitching and bemadding poor Provi-
dence," and the grand Jury of that city
was compelled to indict him as nui-
sance in the same year, on this count,
among others, that Samuel Gorton con-
tumptiously 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 outgrown the su
perAuous 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 heterogen-
eous materials that he recoiled at last
from "such an infinite liberty of con-
science" and declared that in the case of
Quakers - due and moderate restraint
and punishment of these incivilities"
was not only no persecution. but was a
duty and command of God"
Maryland shared with Rhode Island
the honor of having established relig-
ious freedom, and this claim is largely
based upon the noble decree passed by
its General Assembly in 1919. No per-
son whatsoever in this province profess
ing to believe in Jesus Christ shall from
henceforth be any way troubled or mo-
Tested for his or her religion, or in the
free exercise thereof, or any way com
PEELED to the belief or exercise of any
other religion against his or her con-
sent."
But it is never hard to evade statute
that seems to secure religious liberty,
and this decree did not prevent tine Mary
land colony from sfterward enacting that
II any person should deny the Holy
Trinity ne should first be bored through
the tongue and fined or imprisoned; then
for the second offense, should be brand
cd as blssphemer, the letter ''B" being
stamped on his forehead; and for the
third offense should die. This was GER
tainly q very limited liberation; and
granting that it has partial value, it
remains an interesting question who Sc
cured it. Cardinal Manning 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 orIgi-
nally much smaller than was supposed,
that the 1.-TWO hundred Catholic gentle
men" usually claimed as founding the
colony we're really some twenty gentle
men and three hundred lsboring men !;
that of the latter twelve died on ship
board. of whom only two confessed to
the priests, thus giving Q clew to the
probable opinions of the rest; and that
Of the assembly which passed the reso-
lutions the majority we're professionals.
and even puritAns. But granting to
Maryland place next to Rhode Island
in religious freedom, she paid. like that
other COLONY. what was the penalty of
freedom, and I must dwell . moment on
this.
In those days religious liberty
brought Heterogeneous and often reck-
less population It usually involved the
absence of highly educated ministry /;
and this implied the want of = settled
system of education, and of an elevated
standard of public duty. These def
ciencies left both in Rhode Islsnd and
Maryland certain results which are APP
parent to this day. There is pothing
more extraordinary in the Massachusetts,
and COnpecticut Colonies 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 then had NO parallel in the
European world. In the 1aseach usetts
Bay Colony, Salem had free school in
1910, Boston in 1642, or earlier, Cam
bridge about the same time, and the
State. in l6A7. marked out an elaborate