The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-05-22

their persecution in England still con-
tinued 1t is said that in 1865 there were
over 1000 Quakers m English prisons, 800
of them being In London. -l
A few had tried Virginia, but laws
were also passed against them there,
and in 1868 John Burgess was expelled
from the Assembly for being ''well
affected TO the Quakers." In Rhode
Island and New Jersey they were better
used and yet it seemed as though no
suitable place of refuge had been found
by them. Fortunately for the Quakers
it happened at the time of their deepest
affiictiOn, that a young man was con-
verified to their belief who few years
after proved to them second Moses to
lead them from the land of bondage.
William Penn was the son of an emf
nent English admiral of the same name
who had won both honor and fortune in
| fighting his country's battles. When
young Penn became Quaker old Penn
was so angry that he gave his son beat
| ing and turned him out of doors. After
he had become somewhat reooncil6d, he
again disOwned the obstinate young man
for refusing to removing his hat in the
presence of the king, the Duke of York,
and the admiral himself. But through
his mothers influence William was
again allowed to return home, and when
the old admiral died he left to this only
son valuable estate, including a claim
against the government of e16,000. But
his wealth did not save the Quaker from
being several times imprisoned, for
preaching, refusing to take an oath, pub
fishing a book called s'The Sandy Found
alton Shaker" and performing other
acts which his conscience told him were
right and proper such as attending
meetings, etc. When cast into prison he
kept right on doing all that he could to
propagate the doctrines of his sect by
writing books, among which mo Cross
no Crown" "Innocency with her Open
Face" and 1.-THE Great Cause of Liberty
of Conscience" became the most famous
and popular. ''' -
In 1851 the continued persecution of
| Quakers and the need of some place to
which they could go for refuge led Penn
to turn his attention to America. His
claim against the government had never
been satisfied, SO he applied to the king,
Charles ii, for its payment, and told
him that he would accept, instead of the
GIG, 900 and the interest due thereon, a
grant of the moccupied territory which
lay between New York and Maryland
The king accepted the proposal, granted
him the land and greatly against his
wish, insisted that the word Penn should
be prefixed to the name Sylvania which
the Quaker had proposed.
Much has been said in history about
the little band of Pilgrims that crossed
the ocean in the Mayflower in 1920, but
very little about that other band which
came in the Welcome in 1882. The num-
bers at starting were almost exactly the
same. One hundred and two passengers
sailed from England, on the Mayf1Ower
and one hundred and three reached Ply
mouth, one having died and two having
been born upon the ocean. One humid
red Quakers sailed from the town of
Deal upon the Welcome, but only seven
ty landed at the little village of Upland
on the Delaware. .'.-,
That frightful disease of smallpox had
taken thirty of them in the eight weeks
that they were upon the ocean, and their
bodies had been consigned to watery
graves. Penn was among the survivors
that landed on the 9th of October, and
a few days after within the present limits
of the ''city of brotherly love- of which
he was the founder, he made that famous
treaty with the Indians which was writ
ten only on the heart. SIT was never
sworn to and never broken. While Penn
lived not drop of Quaker blood was
shed by an Indian"
The subsequent history of this Quaker
colony is well known to all Americans,
and need not write it here. will say
that, unlike the Puritan settlers of New
England, the Quakers never prosecuted
the members of any denomination that
saw fit to settle among them. Much as
they detested "hireling priests and
''steep houses" and the manners and
customs of the worlds people," all
were allowed perfect freedom to worship
God in their own way, or to neglect His
worship if they chose that course.
The first Quaker, George Fox, died i'll
London in 1891, just ten years after his
disciple, Penn, provided for his much
abused followers that home which must
have seemed to them as welcome as was
Canaan to the Israelites after their bond
age in Egypt and their wanderings in the
wildeTness.-J. W. Hardness in Pldtts-
burgh Republican. ' .s. ..