The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-04-26

ed In protest, that this country
which they call Virginia, Is contain
ed within the limits Of the Grown OF
Castillo" and that according TO this
and other considerations which were
OF special importance, 1t was thought
proper that with all necessary forces
this plan of the English should be pre-,
vented, and that 1t should not be per,
mitted In any way that foreign ma,
tions should occupy this country, be
cause 1t Is, rs has been said, a dis,
covery and Part Of the territory Of
the Crown Of Castillo; and because
Its contiguity increases the vigilance
which It Is necessary to bestow upon
all OF the Indies and their commerce
and this all them ore so, II they should
establish. there the religion and the
liberty Of conscience which they pro
fess, which of Itself already Is what
most obliges us TO defend 1t even he
yond the reputation which is SO grley
ously je%opardized," etc.
September 22d, 1907. Zunlga, the
Spanish Ambassador at London, re
ferring to the English colonization
wrote the King of Spain that such q
bad project should be ~"uproOted now
while 1t can bedone easily"
In the month of April, 1909. Zunga
writes His Majesty, the King o.
Spain, as follows: "Much as have
written to your Majesty Of the deter
mination they have formed here to &C
to Virginia, 1t seems to me that | still
fall short of the reality. since the
preparations that are made here arc
the most energetic that can be made
here. for they have actually made the
ministers in their sermons dwell upon
the Importance of filling the worlt
with their religion, aud demand tllal
all make an effort to give what the,
have to such a grand enterprise. Thu:
they get together Il good sun of mon
ey and make a great effort to carry
masters and workmen there to bullt
ships. Your Majesty will see The
great Importance Of this mater 70,
your royal service, and thus will civ.
order, | hope, to have these insolen
people quickly annihilated."
The feeling in England on TIT
change Of the charter. In 1909, ha!
been well described. Not Il ycare j
a domaine;jubile, noe nor the Ethnlcli
Queene Of Ephesus, can be said t
nave been followed with more heat
and zeale: the discourse and vista
ton OF It took up all meetings, times
terms, all Agrees, all purses, am
such throngs and concourse Of per
sonal undertakes, as the aire seem
cd not to have more lights than tina
hole cause lnllnmed Spirits TO par
take with 1t. Almost every religion!
subject that stood sound indeed 4
the Coare within the Lolaltie and |,
the profession, Of the present Faitl
brought his Free.will.offering, an,
~professed then to throw his bread upo,
the waters"
We therefore conclude that one .
the primal objects Of English colonial
ton in America was the establishment
of religious freedom as claimed b,
the Rcformers in England at that la
and which was largely the outgrowu
of the Reformation. How well thl
principle has been preserved by thei
descendants In America, we need no
logn dwell upon; for, with all OIL
boosted American progress, surely W
have received no principle from tn
Mother Country which has been NOR
generously fostered or more BROAD.
developed than that Of religious free
dom.
II cannot be denied, as is so ofte,
the case in the history Of such move
ments, that the pendulum at time
swung far In the opposite direction
or that startling Inconsistencies ma
not be found In the pathway Of IL
development; but, still the struggl
went on. For example, without dwell
Ing on others, we find that In som
of the colonies laws were passed con
polling the citizen to attend the SCI
vices of the church, and to support til
pastor under penalty OF fine and In
prisonment. The dogmatism and II
tolerance which drove them to Amel
lea was sometimes written into lal
by themselves as Objectionable as tina
from which they had tiei, and 70
the overthrow Of which they iaad\ vii
llngly spilled their blood. The Lahl