the quaker colonies-第2节

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ling　in　France　with　some　of　the　people　of　the　Court。　In　the　end；　as　he　grew　older；　religious　feeling　completely　absorbed　him。　He　became　one　of　the　leading　Quaker　theologians；　and　his　very　earnest　religious　writings　fill　several　volumes。　He　became　a　preacher　at　the　meetings　and　went　to　prison　for　his　heretical　doctrines　and　pamphlets。　At　last　he　found　himself　at　the　age　of　thirty…six　with　his　father　dead；　and　a　debt　due　from　the　Crown　of　16；000　pounds　for　services　which　his　distinguished　father；　the　admiral；　had　rendered　the　Government。

Here　was　the　accident　that　brought　into　being　the　great　Quaker　colony；　by　a　combination　of　circumstances　which　could　hardly　have　happened　twice。　Young　Penn　was　popular　at　Court。　He　had　inherited　a　valuable　friendship　with　Charles　II　and　his　heir；　the　Duke　of　York。　This　friendship　rested　on　the　solid　fact　that　Penn's　father；　the　admiral；　had　rendered　such　signal　assistance　in　restoring　Charles　and　the　whole　Stuart　line　to　the　throne。　But　still　16；000　pounds　or　80；000；　the　accumulation　of　many　deferred　payments；　was　a　goodly　sum　in　those　days；　and　that　the　Crown　would　pay　it　in　money；　of　which　it　had　none　too　much；　was　unlikely。　Why　not　therefore　suggest　paying　it　instead　in　wild　land　in　America；　of　which　the　Crown　had　abundance？　That　was　the　fruitful　thought　which　visited　Penn。　Lord　Berkeley　and　Lord　Carteret　had　been　given　New　Jersey　because　they　had　signally　helped　to　restore　the　Strait　family　to　the　throne。　All　the　more　therefore　should　the　Stuart　family　give　a　tract　of　land；　and　even　a　larger　tract；　to　Penn；　whose　father　had　not　only　assisted　the　family　to　the　throne　but　had　refrained　so　long　from　pressing　his　just　claim　for　money　due。

So　the　Crown；　knowing　little　of　the　value　of　it；　granted　him　the　most　magnificent　domain　of　mountains；　lakes；　rivers；　and　forests；　fertile　soil；　coal；　petroleum；　and　iron　that　ever　was　given　to　a　single　proprietor。　In　addition　to　giving　Penn　the　control　of　Delaware　and；　with　certain　other　Quakers；　that　of　New　Jersey　as　well；　the　Crown　placed　at　the　disposal　of　the　Quakers　55；000　square　miles　of　most　valuable；　fertile　territory；　lacking　only　about　three　thousand　square　miles　of　being　as　large　as　England　and　Wales。　Even　when　cut　down　to　45；000　square　miles　by　a　boundary　dispute　with　Maryland；　it　was　larger　than　Ireland。　Kings　themselves　have　possessed　such　dominions；　but　never　before　a　private　citizen　who　scorned　all　titles　and　belonged　to　a　hunted　sect　that　exalted　peace　and　spiritual　contemplation　above　all　the　wealth　and　power　of　the　world。　Whether　the　obtaining　of　this　enormous　tract　of　the　best　land　in　America　was　due　to　what　may　be　called　the　eternal　thriftiness　of　the　Quaker　mind　or　to　the　intense　desire　of　the　British　Government　to　get　rid　of　these　peopleat　any　cost　might　be　hard　to　determine。

Penn　received　his　charter　in　1681；　and　in　it　he　was　very　careful　to　avoid　all　the　mistakes　of　the　Jersey　proprietary　grants。　Instead　of　numerous　proprietors；　Penn　was　to　be　the　sole　proprietor。　Instead　of　giving　title　to　the　land　and　remaining　silent　about　the　political　government；　Penn's　charter　not　only　gave　him　title　to　the　land　but　a　clearly　defined　position　as　its　political　head；　and　described　the　principles　of　the　government　so　clearly　that　there　was　little　room　for　doubt　or　dispute。

It　was　a　decidedly　feudal　charter；　very　much　like　the　one　granted　to　Lord　Baltimore　fifty　years　before；　and　yet　at　the　same　time　it　secured　civil　liberty　and　representative　government　to　the　people。　Penn　owned　all　the　land　and　the　colonists　were　to　be　his　tenants。　He　was　compelled；　however；　to　give　his　people　free　government。　The　laws　were　to　be　made　by　him　with　the　assent　of　the　people　or　their　delegates。　In　practice　this　of　course　meant　that　the　people　were　to　elect　a　legislature　and　Penn　would　have　a　veto；　as　we　now　call　it；　on　such　acts　as　the　legislature　should　pass。　He　had　power　to　appoint　magistrates；　judges；　and　some　other　officers；　and　to　grant　pardons。　Though；　by　the　charter；　proprietor　of　the　province；　he　usually　remained　in　England　and　appointed　a　deputy　governor　to　exercise　authority　in　the　colony。　In　modern　phrase；　he　controlled　the　executive　part　of　the　government　and　his　people　controlled　the　legislative　part。

Pennsylvania；　besides　being　the　largest　in　area　of　the　proprietary　colonies；　was　also　the　most　successful；　not　only　from　the　proprietor's　point　of　view　but　also　from　the　point　of　view　of　the　inhabitants。　The　proprietorships　in　Maine；　New　Hampshire；　New　Jersey；　and　the　Carolinas　were　largely　failures。　Maryland　was　only　partially　successful；　it　was　not　particularly　remunerative　to　its　owner；　and　the　Crown　deprived　him　of　his　control　of　it　for　twenty　years。　Penn；　too；　was　deprived　of　the　control　of　Pennsylvania　by　William　III　but　for　only　about　two　years。　Except　for　this　brief　interval　（1692…1694）；　Penn　and　his　sons　after　him　held　their　province　down　to　the　time　of　the　American　Revolution　in　1776；　a　period　of　ninety…four　years。

A　feudal　proprietorship；　collecting　rents　from　all　the　people；　seems　to　modern　minds　grievously　wrong　in　theory；　and　yet　it　would　be　very　difficult　to　show　that　it　proved　onerous　in　practice。　Under　it　the　people　of　Pennsylvania　flourished　in　wealth；　peace；　and　happiness。　Penn　won　undying　fame　for　the　liberal　principles　of　his　feudal　enterprise。　His　expenses　in　England　were　so　great　and　his　quitrents　always　so　much　in　arrears　that　he　was　seldom　out　of　debt。　But　his　children　grew　rich　from　the　province。　As　in　other　provinces　that　were　not　feudal　there　were　disputes　between　the　people　and　the　proprietors；　but　there　was　not　so　much　general　dissatisfaction　as　might　have　been　expected。　The　proprietors　were　on　the　whole　not　altogether　disliked。　In　the　American　Revolution；　when　the　people　could　have　confiscated　everything　in　Pennsylvania　belonging　to　the　proprietary　family；　they　not　only　left　them　in　possession　of　a　large　part　of　their　land；　but　paid　them　handsomely　for　the　part　that　was　taken。

After　Penn　had　secured　his　charter　in　1681；　he　obtained　from　the　Duke　of　York　the　land　now　included　in　the　State　of　Delaware。　He　advertised　for　colonists；　and　began　selling　land　at　100　pounds　for　five　thousand　acres　and　annually　thereafter　a　shilling　quitrent　for　every　hundred　acres。　He　drew　up　a　constitution　or　frame　of　government；　as　he　called　it；　after　wide　and　earnest　consultation　with　many；　including　the　famous　Algernon　Sydney。　Among　the　Penn　papers　in　the　Historical　Society　of　Pennsylvania　is　a　collection　of　about　twenty　preliminary　drafts。　Beginning　with　one　which　erected　a　government　by　a　landed　aristocracy；　they　became　more　and　more　liberal；　until　in　the　end　his　frame　was　very　much　like　the　most　liberal　government　of　the　other　English　colonies　in　America。　He　had　a　council　and　an　assembly；　both　elected　by　the　people。　The　council；　however；　was　very　large；　had　seventy…two　members；　and　was　more　like　an　upper　house　of　the　Legislature　than　the　usual　colonial　governor's　council。　The　council　also　had　the　sole　right　of　proposing　legislation；　and　the　assembly　could　merely　accept　or　reject　its　proposals。　This　was　a　new　idea；　and　it　worked　so　badly　in　practice　that　in　the　end　the　province　went　to　the　opposite　extreme　and　had　no　council　or　upper　house　of　the　Legislature　at　all。

Penn's　frame　of　government　contained；　however；　a　provision　for　its　own　amendment。　This　was　a　new　idea　and　proved　to　be　so　happy　that　it　is　now　found　in　all　American　constitutions。　His　method　of　impeachment　by　which　the　lower　house　was　to　bring　in　the　charge　and　the　upper　house　was　to　try　it　has　also　been　universally　adopted。　His　view　that　an　unconstitutional　law　is　void　was　a　step　towards　our　modern　system。　The　next　step；　giving　the　courts　power　to　declare　a　law　unconstitutional；　was　not　taken　until　one　hundred　years　after　his　time。　With　the　advice　and　assistance　of　some　of　those　who　were　going　out　to　his　colony　he　prepared　a　code　of　laws　which　contained　many　of　the　advanced　ideas　of　the　Quakers。　Capital　punishment　was　to　be　confined　to　murder　and　treason；　instead　of　being　applied　as　in　England　to　a　host　of　minor　offenses。　The　property　of　murderers；　instead　of　being　forfeited　to　the　State；　was　to　be　divided　among　the　next　of　kin　of　the　victim　and　of　the　criminal。　Religious　liberty　was　established　as　it　had　been　in　Rhode　Island　and　the　Jerseys。　All　children　were　to　be　taught　a　useful　trade。　Oaths　in　judicial　proceedings　were　not　required。　All　prisons　were　to　be　workhouses　and　places　of　reformation　instead　of　dungeons　of　dirt；　idleness；　and　disease。　This　attempt　to　improve　the　prisons　inaugurated　a　movement　of　great　importance　in　the　modern　world　in　which　the　part　played　by　the　Quakers　is　too　often　forgotten。

Penn　had　now　started　his　〃Holy　Experiment；〃　as　he　called　his　enterprise　in　Pennsylvania；　by　which　he　intended　to　prove　that　religious　liberty　was　not　only　right；　but　that　agriculture；　commerce；　and　all　arts　and　refinements　of　life　would　flourish　under　it。　He　would　break　the　delusion　that　prosperity　and　morals　were　possible　only　under　some　one　particular　faith　established　by　law。　He；　would　prove　that　government　could　be　carried　on　without　war　and　without　oaths；　and　that　primitive　Christianity　could　be　maintained　without　a　hireling　ministry；　without　persecution；　without