Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-12-31
ANNE HUTCHINSON.
A Sad Picture Of the somber Side OF Pu
rltan Life.

rItan Life.
Miss Beaston recently leotured on "AnDei
Hutchinson" !" and to understand her story
properly, Miss Beaston said, she must be
set in the Boston of her time, with its mar
row streets, in which theological bitterness
and narrowness were pent up; its frame
houses, and its 1000 hardworking inhab-
iants, who had nothing in the world 10
occupy their minds outside Of working
hours but religion. :
Anne's house stood at the corner ot
Washington and School streets, where tho
corner bookxore now is It had a large,
old fashioned drawing room, in which the
first lecture by an American woman was
delivered. This woman was Miss Beaston's
ancestor. and In metaphorical sense may
be considered the foremother Of the hum
dreds of American women who now MAIN
tain themselves in this way.
at all came about in this way" said
Miss Beaston. "There were always a
number Of people in the town who were
unable to get to church on Sundays, and
for their benefit Anne began to give little
Wednesday evening talks on whatever SUBJ
jects the ministers had treated in their
Sunday sermons This was very harmless
certainly, and we would probably never
have heard Of 1t If Anne had contentedl
herself with simply repeating the words Of
these good men. But instead Of that she
tore their sermons to pieces, and when, In
accordance with the custom of that time,
they spoke of themselves as worms Of the
dust, unworthy to stand before God or
man, she expressed her entire agreement
with them.
Moreover, she considered herself COM
petent to decide whether or not "a particu-
lar preacher rested under the covenant OF
grace or The covenant Of works. She
didn't know how she knew, but It was
nevertheless a fact, she asserted, that as
soon as she laid her eyes on minister she
could place him under the proper category,
and the Boston clergy-she had no man.
,, ner of doubt-were under the covenant OF
works, with the two exceptions of John
! Cotton and John Wheelwright. Finally
she declared that the spirit of GOD was
upon her, and this was too much for the
ministers, for, II there was any spirit Of
God to spare, the Puritan parson thought
1t ought to be given to him.
| "The lectures naturally created great
sensation and have been called the event
of the first Boston social season.. The au-
diences grew rapidly, and where at first
only women had attended the men began
to come in crowds. They left everything
for the sake of hearing Anne Hutchinson,
and she was more resorted to for counsel
than were all the ministers put together.
"In theocracy like Boston such state
of affairs as this manifestly would not do.
The ministers, who were magistrates as
we'll as priests, held meeting after meeting,
but 1t was difficult to decide what to do,
for the offender was very popular wom-
an, noted for her charity and good works
At last, on Nov. 5, 1887, she was sum-
moned to appear in Cambridge church
before a council of 40, which included
ministers from all over the country. Gov
ernor Winthrop, whom we have already
known as the tender lover of Margaret
Tindale, presided, and, I regret to say,
showed her no mercy, for 1T was not q
thing tolerable, In his opinion, 'or comely
in the sight of God for woman to speak
in public or to criticise the ministers
am glad to be able to add, however, that
when Anne was brought up for trial again
in the spring he redeemed himself to a
certain extent, for when he saw how pale
and Ill she looked he said that she must sill
down, and he gave her glass Of water.
"The end of 1t all was that poor Anne
was communicated, which meant In
those days that she was made sooia
pariah. She took refuge, with her hus
band, who stood by her through all hel
trials, on an island in Narragansett bay
but was driven from 1t in few years b.
the malignity Of the Boston ministers
Then she came to He'll Gate and was M
sooner settled there than she was taken oui
of this evil world. The Indians descended
upon the family, and all but one chili
were scalped and messacred- New Yori
Tribune.