The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-04-25
ENTERED ON ADVENTURE
WITH APLOMB and CHEER
(By C. w. WHITMORE, in Baltimore
Sunday Sum-

Maryland undoubtedly has a unique
flavor. Some dislike it so heartily
that they would read US out of the
Union. Others like it so we'll that
they would reverse the process and
eliminate all the other States, leav-
ing the Maryland (somewhat) Free
State alone.
1t is not all in the cuisine Shore
dinners, to be sure, have helped. But
this is not the whole story. Maryland's
spell comes up from the roots. If
Maryland is today, as she is in gen.
eral, in spite of irritating exceptions,
tolerant, gracious, leisurely, compare
lively free and wholesomely merry, it
is because such qualities were planted
here by the founders and early set
tiers of the colony.
Maryland was not settled by Pill
grims, unless it be by such delectable
pilgrims as Chaucer sang. There were
gentlemen adventurers" and their
irresponsible, rollicking retainers;
peasants with a wholesome determina-
ton to own land; bawdy millers; a
"goodly parsoun;" hardy laborers es-
Gaping servitude; debtors escaping
prison, rich men; poor men; Catholic
and Protestant; pious and profane;
all sorts and conditions of men out of
an adventure that was something
more than lark, but which their high
spirits refused to permit to degen-
crate into a deadly solemn crusade.
They were seeking their fortunes and
they preferred to have a good time
doing it. They weren't even going to
make a solemn business of Business.
If this seems sordid or frivolous as
a motive for founding a colony let it
be noted that these sordid mercenaries
or frivolous playboys did not kill
witches, Danish those who differed
from them or massacre Indians. They
created a commonwealth free alike Of
starving times" and bigotry. They
set up an abundant life free of gloom
and solemn pretense. There were
brawls, horse racing, cock-fighting,
and gaming. Coarse fellows drank
liquor noisily at Jelly's Tavern. Cen
tlemen and ladies drank wine and
Jamaica rum quitely at home. Naugh-
ty young folk and others not so young
loved and laughed while the colony
grew in grace without anyone's smit-
ing his breast. Colonial Maryland, in
short, was a decent and interesting
place to live, a land of sanctuary in
deed; sanctuary from boredom and
hypocracy.
How did it get that way?
The answer is-George Calvert.
The founder of Maryland was no cru
sader. He was tolerant, gracious,
kindly, capable man of affairs with
deep human sympathies and under
standing, coupled with a taste and
talent for colonization. He was no
saint; neither was he a tyrant; he
had occasional lapses and bad mo-
ments, just as Maryland has now.
The story really begins with futile
bit of royal matchmaking. Calvert,
son of that rarest form of human life,
a prosperous farmer, had won instant
favor and rapid advance in the State
Department, which he entered after
his graduation from Oxford. His
hearty support of King James in the
kings favorite but highly unpopular
project of a Spanish and Catholic
marriage for Prince Charles captured
the royal heal and secured his pro
motion from an under secretaryship
to clerk of the Privy Council and then
Secretary of State.
Money was needed to support this
promising political career, for in
England high office has always been a
luxury for the rich. Accordingly,
James granted Calvert a large estate
in Ireland to which the title Baron of
Baltimore was later added. In the
meantime Calvert had embarked on
his colonization career as a member OF
the Council upon Virginia Affairs. In
1920 he purchased on his own account
as an investment a large piece of land
in Newfoundland and in 1923 he pc
titioned the king to add to it by royal
grant. The kings response was gen
erous in the extreme.
The entire southeastern peninsula
of Newfoundland, known as Avalon
was granted to Lord Baltimore as {
palantinate. AS proprietor he was
given regal power and what seemed tc
be the assurance of legal income. AT
this point Calvert took a step which
threatened to wreck both his career
and his fortune. Hitherto he had beer
a member of the Church of England
but had aroused considerable suspic.
ion among the Puritans by displaying
a marked sympathy with Roman
Catholics, and in 1924 he announced
his conversion to that church. A:
his fellow-communicants were at the
time suffering under legal disabilities
ba fa1t constrained to RESIGN his office