The Washington herald., 1915-05-01

a Nd SO 1t turned out that West Jer.
A sey was bouSht-so Tar as MI
& u Penn and those who thought Win
him among the new proprietors We're
concerned-to be a refuge and place OF
peace for the Ouakers 1t was the Quak-
ers who principally crowded into the new
province and gave ii its prosperity ana
it's sober way in affairs. But Mr.. Penn S
plans widened as his thought became en-
gagged in this great matter. mere
share in the ownership of West Jersey
did not satisfy him. He determined TO
have a province of his own, q Quaker
colony upon a great scale. Inc outcome
Of that purpose WAS the founding OF
PENNSYLVANIA, whose peaceful story of
orderly government and quick prosperity
reads like the incidents. almost. Of an
idvl amidst the confused annals Oc col
onial affairs in that day OF change. Sir
William Penn had died i'll 1870. and had
left to his son. among other items OF
an ample fortune. claim Tor Al'"o
against the crown. The young Quaker
asked for a grant Of land in America i'll
satisfaction of the claim, and the King
readily enough consented, glad t" I.case
an old friends son and De quit OF an
obligation SD easily. Penn asked for and
obtained the land Lying north of Mary
land, on the east bounded with Della
ware River. OH the west limited as Mary
land is. and northward to extend as far
as plantable" into the unclaimed Indian
country: and the King pleased his own
fancy by calling the grant 'PennSyl-
vania" in honor Of the old admiral whose
claim against the crown he was thus
paying off. The grant WAS dated March
4 1fSl.
There were. when he set up his gentle
rule scarcely .IH white men. all tnld
settled within the territory Charlie. had
given him: "A few tiny Swedish hamcts.
few Quaker families who had crossed
ne river from West Jersey. straSSlcra
here and there. looking for good lands. In
August I6S.. Mr.. Penn added to his
first grant from the King the lands lying
about New Castle and below, by pur-
chase from the Duke of York. to whom
they had passed with the rest of New
Nctherland when the Dutch were oustcd f.
and a few hundred more We're thereby
added to the number of his ColnnistS.
Dutch as well as SwedeS, and a few
score scattered groups of lonely settlers.
The very month of that new grant, Aug
ust, l62. he himself took ship for his
province. with goodly company Of
Quakers. to begin the real planting of
the new region. He reached the colony
in October: and during that autumn
and tine winter which followed G6S2-lGSl)
no fewer than twenty-three ships came
into the Delaware bringing immigrants;
to be followed presently by other ships
seeking trade.
Within but A little more than single
year of his coming. Mr.. Penn could boast.
Il have led the greatest colony into
America that ever any man did upon
private credit, and the most pros
h..ry mi, har n
are to be found among u.s. BY 1855
there were more than 1000 settlers there.
The chief town of the province was
established at the confluence of the two
fine rivers Delaware and Schuylkill and
Mr.. Penn named il Philadelphia. wish
ing it to be place of peace and good
will. BY the end of the year l6SG there
were no fewer than 80 dwellings built
frail and cheap enough, no doubt. but
sufficient until stone and brick could be
had. and time in which 10 build with
them. The change came very soon. Be
fore Mr.. Penn sailed for home. in 1854.
there were already $50 houses erected.
some of them several stories high. bull
with cellars and decorated with balcO-
mics. outside the central town, with its
busy 200 COlOnists. there We're quite
nifty hamlets in the thriving province.
Government did not go quite so easily
after Mr.. Penn returned to England. The
government was liberal in all things. and
very simple in its make-up-upon the
familiar model of deputy governor. Coun-
Gil. and assembly. For one thing. IL
kept peace with the Indians as its neigh
bOrS could not. The Quakers everywhere
seemed to win the confidence of the rcd
men upon the instant. as RNr"- Will
Jams had won ii. whose doctrines and
principles of life we're 50 Ike their own.
They won it by loving justice and keep
Ing faith, and Mr.. Penn set them an
example which neither they nor any
others who heard of ii were likely to
forget. He scrupulously purchased the
land he occupied of It's native owners.
The New Englanders had sought to he
Just with the redmen: but the Quakers
sought TO add gentle kindness to
justice. and their peace was more last
ing than that of the English in the
north.
Col Dongan. the new governor of
New York. had been instructed to
play very different role In the in
ternal government of his province
from that which Andres had played
Despite the very liberal measures
adopted and the sound public spirit
to, it was not in English nature TO
be satisfied for twenty years together
without such an assembly to speak
and act for the people as every other
colony had, north and south. En-
phatic protests and n strong appeal
crossed the sea close upon the heels
ing not so much discomfort with the