The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-12-16
BOOK STORE CHAT.
Samuel Gorton, Warwick's First Settler
An Entertaining Bit OF Fiction--A Book
OF Minor Verse.

the narrative OF the beginnings CT the
Common wealth OF Rhode Island" 1t is
moreover an important chapter Ia the
history of the beginnings of our nationa I
life. Mr.. James seems to have look ea
into the life OF the founder OF the town
OF warwick as nobody else has looked
into 1t and he IL rewarded for his re-
searches by finding remarkable career
and most inspiriting character. In tn o
process. Mr.. james reaches conclusions
which may or may not be endorsed by
students OF Rhode Island history but at all
events they furnish material for awakened
interest aud controversy which can but
be profitable
Go'ton was an educated man aud afler
the fashion OF the higher education OF his
day his chief text hook was the Bible
which he could read in the original. He
was one of the class OF Puritsps that Ed
ward Eggleston eiucidates with particular
ciearle7s In his recently published work,
"lho Beginners OF Nation" having a
strong affection for bis mother Church
OF England while his mind assimiiated
the spirit of the Puritan revolt against
1 AiS WAS u DusllltSS man as
well rs scholar, but Mr.. James does not
consider it important to inquire into his
| apparent business failures in England,
holding thst he carried his religious prin-
cipies into the affairs OF every day life
and that, IL he left London ia debt, the
! chief reason for his emf gration was to
ENJOY liberty Of conscience In respect to
faith in God ana to no other end. Cor
ton arrived in Boston in Ma-ct, 1887.
Roger Williams was already bansshed.
Failing to find all the liberty for his
conscience that he sought, Gorton went
TO Plymouth where ho met Williams.
Ho was banished from Plymouth
colony, SO tho tale goes. beca SO no de-
fendsd the right and the overt act If one
OF bis housenold to smile /, meeting.
SO In December, 1888 he found him self
on the Island of Aquidneck where the fol-
lowers Of Anne Hutchinson hac ostsb- |
lished themselves. lie held out against
tao uniting of the two settlements on the |
Island under Coddington and the Newport |
magistrates and as a result of one of hi, !
controversies he was sgain han ished and |
with little company of followers he
came TO Providence, where he contiu-
ued to keep himself in trouble so that
Williams Is reported to have accused MIN
of "bew itching and bomaddening poor
Providcuce." Indeed Gortop appeared
to dearly like controversy even il he
he'd not something OF the spirit of a sea
lawfer. he held that the self constitutes
colonial government was not loyal, but
that tho towns should look to the mot her
country FOR their lava. 81 Go-to,
"moved on" once more, and ait,r a bries
residence ia Piwtuxos he bought land
then known by the Indian name OF
Shawome. and set up community for
himself.
The Gortonisti were still pursued. how
ever, and II Eslly attacked With arms and
take, prisoners to Boston, charged with
blasphemg. The quesiio rs ask cd CT Gorton
on his answer to which his iifs was to
depend, were questions of creed. To
the majority OF the judges sitting In this
Puritan inGuisition his replies were not
satisfactory, as they could not hivo been
expected to be. But popular opinion was
against tho punishment by death and
from the jurisdiction of Massachusetts,
which was meant 10 include the Shaw
omet land. Butt ths series of deals and
lntrigues that ensuec, Gorton finally
came into possession of his lands and
blocked the movements of Massachusetts
bay for tao control OF the Nara gansett ,
Town government was SIT up,
he settlement being named after its
patron, the Earl of Warwick, ard there
lfter SlmuelI Gort on was free to engage
ctiveiy In the development of his town
nd the commonwealth. Roger Willis ms, @
We are tcld, having come around TO ,
lis ideas OF how to run things formerly
n controversy between these two inde-
,ardent spirits. @
Mr.. James consiruss II that In his con- Il
roversios with local government Gorton II
on,ended for the rights of the minority y
8 against the majority, based on appeal =
4 the individual to the mother country.
te rnairt iaed the right of "souI liberty" II
ndepeCdent of civil authority. Because c
is religious convictions nave been but .'
cantily treated of by the historian, Mr..
anes has given especial attention to
hem and finds calculation in paper
'om Gorton's own hand, a running COM
,entsry on the Lords Prayer. His ''
onclusions are that he was an advanced
hinker, not orthodox, but surely not
n atheist. Mr.. James furnishes n most
,,eresting chapter upon this matter.
1deed the whole subject is exhanstively "
nd entertsiningIy treated. 1t is pub p
shed In the "Rhode island Series," by m
reston and Rounds, neatly bound in fe
9th, l2mo Volume at the price OF 81,
Gorton: a forgotten founder of p,
rr liberties, first settler OF Warwick, u,
/. H." re
A valuable reference list and index al
,nplete the book. la
To the well regulated mind ii IL easily In
,nceiva BILE thgt no human being is Who'll W