The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-04-05
AND TOLERATION
Some Additional Data Highly In Praise of Cecil Calvert

can, up to the founding of Maryland,
point to a similar record. Their calen-
dars are crowded with examples of in
tolerance. Thomas Dudley, Governor
of Massachusetts, expressed the senti-
ment of more than one form of faith
when he aimed the following verses
at Roger Williams:
Let men of God in courts and churches
watch,
Ger such as do federation hatch,
Lest that i'll egg bring forth a cocka-
trice,
To poison all with heresy and vice.
Again, excellent circumstantial evil
dence is to be found in the character
and conduct of George and Cecil Cal
vert, respectively the protector and
/ the founder of Maryland
In the case of the former the evil
dence points to an attitude of toler-
ance and charity throughout his
career. We find this in his record as
an original adherent of the Church of
England and finally of the Church of
Rome. AS member of the court fac
ton in the Virginia (colonization)
Company, his political standpoint may
rightly be regarded as "reactionary,"
but we are now concerned with his
attitude toward religious observances,
in which he was a liberal.
The same liberal attitude with re-
gard to the religious viewpoint is to
be found in all the related acts and
expressions of Cecil Calvert, who, ex-
cept for a period of approximately
ten years, had control of the policies
and proceedings of the Province from
1882, the date of the issuing of the
charter, to 1875, the date of his death.
The Constructions" which Cecil Cal
vert gave to the settlers point in every
instance to the encouragement of
charity, tolerance and neighborly
goodwill In this respect he did all
that anyone could in that age. Since
his published expressions of intention
could be used to his hurt, he let his
actions exceed his promises. At the
beginning he gave out long list Of
religious groups and urged that, in
the very mention of these names,
when one group referred to another
that they should never use any one of
the terms by way of reproach.
Incidentally it would appear that
the Protestants were always greatly
in the majority, which statement is
supported by a cloud of witnesses,
from Father White to Charles Calvert.
Happily, it is to the lasting credit of
the greatest part of this majority
that they supported the Lord Proprie-
tor. By formal declarations" duly
signed, these Protestants sought to
uphold the Calvert regime against the
state control, threatened first by the
Puritan element and later by the An
glicans. Without this support from
the liberal element of various relig-
ious groups against the bigoted or
fanatical in each Lord Baltimore must
have failed.
1t has been said often that Lord
Baltimore was under imperative con-
straint to act tolerantly, and the cor
responding inference is made that,
had he dared, he would have developed
in Maryland the religious despotism
so long exercised by his own church
elsewhere.
Probably we all agree that there is
no way of presenting absolute proof
of mans motives. We have to Judge
him by his acts and in less degree,
by his expressions.
Cecil Calvert's policy may have been
of the earth, earthly. 1t may, indeed,
have also been good business" just
as one may insist upon honesty as the
best policy.
1t has been said that Lord Balti-
more was in need of settlers who
would, by their rents, contribute to
his revenues. This also is an infer
ence that may properly be drawn; for,
no doubt, practical ideas were asso-
ciated with his spiritual principles
The record of his father points to the
same idea when, as Secretary of State,
he was interested in securing colonists
from Europe for the expansion of the
British empire in America.
Then again it may be said that the
Massachusetts Puritans were under
similar constraint but they set up d
theocracy and demanded conformity
to their form of faith in defiance of
the state-established church of the
mother country.
Perhaps the strongest evidence of
Cecil Calvert's sincerity in establish
ing religious liberty lies in the fact
that one of his severest struggles-a
bitter contention to the claims of a
powerful order of his own faith
Established in Maryland the priests
of this order promptly claimed for
themselves age-old ecclesiastical i'm
munities from civil control and civic