the quaker colonies-第29节

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rk　and　to　take　part　in　the　free　popular　government　of　William　Penn　in　Pennsylvania。　They　became　magistrates　and　officials；　members　of　the　council　and　of　the　legislature。　They　soon　found　that　all　their　avenues　of　trade　and　life　were　quickened。　They　passed　from　mere　farmers　supplying　their　own　needs　to　exporters　of　the　products　of　their　farms。

Descendants　of　the　Swedes　and　Dutch　still　form　the　basis　of　the　population　of　Delaware。*　There　were　some　Finns　at　Marcus　Hook；　which　was　called　Finland；　and　it　may　be　noted　in　passing　that　there　were　not　a　few　French　among　the　Dutch；　as　among　the　Germans　in　Pennsylvania；　Huguenots　who　had　fled　from　religious　persecution　in　France。　The　name　Jaquette；　well　known　in　Delaware；　marks　one　of　these　families；　whose　immigrant　ancestor　was　one　of　the　Dutch　governors。　In　the　ten　or　dozen　generations　since　the　English　conquest　intermarriage　has　in　many　instances　inextricably　mixed　up　Swede；　Dutch；　and　French；　as　well　as　the　English　stock；　so　that　many　persons　with　Dutch　names　are　of　Swedish　or　French　descent　and　vice　versa；　and　some　with　English　names　like　Oldham　are　of　Dutch　descent。　There　has　been　apparently　much　more　intermarriage　among　the　different　nationalities　in　the　province　and　less　standing　aloof　than　among　the　alien　divisions　of　Pennsylvania。

*　Swedish　names　anglicized　are　now　found　everywhere。　Gostafsson　has　become　Justison　and　Justis。　Bond　has　become　Boon；　Hoppman；　Hoffman；　Kalsberg；　Colesberry；　Wihler；　Wheeler；　Joccom；　Yocum；　Dahlbo；　Dalbow；　Konigh；　King；　Kyn；　Keen；　and　so　on。　Then　there　are　also　such　names　as　Wallraven；　Hendrickson；　Stedham；　Peterson；　Matson；　Talley；　Anderson；　and　the　omnipresent　Rambo；　which　have　suffered　little；　if　any；　change。　Dutch　names　are　also　numerous；　such　as　Lockermans；　Vandever；　Van　Dyke；　Vangezel；　Vandegrift；　Alricks；　Statts；　Van　Zandt；　Hyatt；　Cochran　（originally　Kolchman）；　Vance；　and　Blackstone　（originally　Blackenstein）。


After　the　English　conquest　some　Irish　Presbyterians　or　Scotch…Irish　entered　Delaware。　Finally　came　the　Quakers；　comparatively　few　in　colonial　times　but　more　numerous　after　the　Revolution；　especially　in　Wilmington　and　its　neighborhood。　True　to　their　characteristics；　they　left　descendants　who　have　become　the　most　prominent　and　useful　citizens　down　into　our　own　time。　At　present　Wilmington　has　become　almost　as　distinctive　a　Quaker　town　as　Philadelphia。　〃Thee〃　and　〃thou〃　are　frequently　heard　in　the　streets；　and　a　surprisingly　large　proportion　of　the　people　of　prominence　and　importance　are　Quakers　or　of　Quaker　descent。　Many　of　the　neat　and　pleasant　characteristics　of　the　town　are　distinctly　of　Quaker　origin；　and　these　characteristics　are　found　wherever　Quaker　influence　prevails。

Wilmington　was　founded　about　1731　by　Thomas　Willing；　an　Englishman；　who　had　married　into　the　Swedish　family　of　Justison。　He　laid　out　a　few　streets　on　his　wife's　land　on　the　hill　behind　the　site　of　old　Fort　Christina；　in　close　imitation　of　the　plan　of　Philadelphia；　and　from　that　small　beginning　the　present　city　grew；　and　was　at　first　called　Willingtown。*　William　Shipley；　a　Pennsylvania　Quaker　born　in　England；　bought　land　in　it　in　1735；　and　having　more　capital　than　Willing；　pushed　the　fortunes　of　the　town　more　rapidly。　He　probably　had　not　a　little　to　do　with　bringing　Quakers　to　Wilmington；　indeed；　their　first　meetings　were　held　in　a　house　belonging　to　him　until　they　could　build　a　meeting　house　of　their　own　in　1738。

*　Some　years　later　in　a　borough　charter　granted　by　Penn；　the　name　was　changed　to　Wilmington　in　honor　of　the　Earl　of　Wilmington。


Both　Shipley　and　Willing　had　been　impressed　with　the　natural　beauty　of　the　situation；　the　wide　view　over　the　level　moorland　and　green　marsh　and　across　the　broad　river　to　the　Jersey　shore；　as　well　as　by　the　natural　conveniences　of　the　place　for　trade　and　commerce。　Wilmington　has　ever　since　profited　by　its　excellent　situation；　with　the　level　moorland　for　industry；　the　river　for　traffic；　and　the　first　terraces　or　hills　of　the　Piedmont　for　residence；　and；　for　scenery；　the　Brandywine　tumbling　through　rocks　and　bowlders　in　a　long　series　of　rapids。

The　custom　still　surviving　in　Wilmington　of　punishing　certain　classes　of　criminals　by　whipping　appears　to　have　originated　in　the　days　of　Willing　and　Shipley；　about　the　year　1740；　when　a　cage；　stocks；　and　whipping…post　were　erected。　They　were　placed　in　the　most　conspicuous　part　of　the　town；　and　there　the　culprit；　in　addition　to　his　legal　punishment；　was　also　disciplined　at　the　discretion　of　passers…by　with　rotten　eggs　and　other　equally　potent　encouragements　to　reform。　These　gratuitous　inflictions；　not　mentioned　in　the　statute；　as　well　as　the　public　exhibition　of　the　prisoner　were　abolished　in　later　times　and　in　this　modified　form　the　method　of　correction　was　extended　to　the　two　other　counties。　Sometimes　a　cat…o'nine…tails　was　used；　sometimes　a　rawhide　whip；　and　sometimes　a　switch　cut　from　a　tree。　Nowadays；　however；　all　the　whipping　for　the　State　is　done　in　Wilmington；　where　all　prisoners　sentenced　to　whipping　in　the　State　are　sent。　This　punishment　is　found　to　be　so　efficacious　that　its　infliction　a　second　time　on　the　same　person　is　exceedingly　rare。

The　most　striking　relic　of　the　old　Swedish　days　in　Wilmington　is　the　brick　and　stone　church　of　good　proportions　and　no　small　beauty；　and　today　one　of　the　very　ancient　relics　of　America。　It　was　built　by　the　Swedes　in　1698　to　replace　their　old　wooden　church；　which　was　on　the　lower　land；　and　the　Swedish　language　was　used　in　the　services　down　to　the　year　1800；　when　the　building　was　turned　over　to　the　Church　of　England。　Old　Peter　Minuit；　the　first　Swedish　governor；　may　possibly　have　been　buried　there。　The　Swedes　built　another　pretty　chapelGloria　Dei；　as　it　was　calledat　the　village　of　Wicaco；　on　the　shore　of　the　Delaware　where　Philadelphia　afterwards　was　established。　The　original　building　was　taken　down　in　1700；　and　the　present　one　was　erected　on　its　site　partly　with　materials　from　the　church　at　Tinicum。　It　remained　Swedish　Lutheran　until　1831；　when；　like　all　the　Swedish　chapels；　it　became　the　property　of　the　Church　of　England；　between　which　and　the　Swedish　Lutheran　body　there　was　a　close　affinity；　if　not　in　doctrine；　at　least　in　episcopal　organization。*　The　old　brick　church　dating　from　1740；　on　the　main　street　of　Wilmington；　is　an　interesting　relic　of　the　colonial　Scotch…Irish　Presbyterians　in　Delaware；　and　is　now　carefully　preserved　as　the　home　of　the　Historical　Society。

*　Clay's　〃Annals　of　the　Swedes〃；　pp。　143；　153…4。


After　Delaware　had　been　eighteen　years　under　the　Duke　of　York；　William　Penn　felt　a　need　of　the　west　side　of　the　river　all　the　way　down　to　the　sea　to　strengthen　his　ownership　of　Pennsylvania。　He　also　wanted　to　offset　the　ambitions　of　Lord　Baltimore　to　extend　Maryland　northward。　Penn　accordingly　persuaded　his　friend　James；　the　Duke　of　York；　to　give　him　a　grant　of　Delaware；　which　Penn　thereupon　annexed　to　Pennsylvania　under　the　name　of　the　Territories　or　Three　Lower　Counties。　The　three　counties；　New　Castle；　Kent；　and　Sussex；*　are　still　the　counties　of　Delaware；　each　one　extending　across　the　State　and　filling　its　whole　length　from　the　hills　of　the　Brandywine　on　the　Pennsylvania　border　to　the　sands　of　Sussex　at　Cape　Henlopen。　The　term　〃Territory〃　has　ever　since　been　used　in　America　to　describe　an　outlying　province　not　yet　given　the　privileges　of　a　State。　Instead　of　townships；　the　three　Delaware　counties　were　divided　into　〃hundreds；〃　an　old　Anglo…Saxon　county　method　of　division　going　back　beyond　the　times　of　Alfred　the　Great。　Delaware　is　the　only　State　in　the　Union　that　retains　this　name　for　county　divisions。　The　Three　Lower　Counties　were　allowed　to　send　representatives　to　the　Pennsylvania　Assembly；　and　the　Quakers　of　Delaware　have　always　been　part　of　the　Yearly　Meeting　in　Philadelphia。

*　The　original　names　were　New　Castle；　Jones's；　and　Hoerekill；　as　it　was　called　by　the　Dutch；　or　Deal。


In　1703；　after　having　been　a　part　of　Pennsylvania　for　twenty　years；　the　Three　Lower　Counties　were　given　home　rule　and　a　legislature　of　their　own；　but　they　remained　under　the　Governor　of　Pennsylvania　until　the　Revolution　of　1776。　They　then　became　an　entirely　separate　community　and　one　of　the　thirteen　original　States。　Delaware　was　the　first　State　to　adopt　the　National　Constitution；　and　Rhode　Island；　its　fellow　small　State；　the　last。　Having　been　first　to　adopt　the　Constitution；　the　people　of　Delaware　claim　that　on　all　national　occasions　or　ceremonies　they　are　entitled　to　the　privilege　of　precedence。　They　have　every　reason　to　be　proud　of　the　representative　men　they　sent　to　the　Continental　Congress；　and　to　the　Senate　in　later　times。　Agriculture　has；　of　course；　always　been　the　principal　occupation　on　the　level　fertile　land　of　Delaware；　and　it　is　agriculture　of　a　high　class；　for　the　soil；　especially　in　certain　localities；　is　particularly　adapted　to　wheat；　corn；　and　timothy　grass；　as　well　as　small　fruits。　That　section　of　land　crossing　the　State　in　the　region　of　Delaware　City　and　Middleton　is　one　of　the　show　regions　in　America；　for　crops　of　wheat　and　corn。　Farther　south；　grain　growing　is　combined　with　small　fruits　and　vegetables　with　a　success　seldom　attained　elsewhere。　Agriculturally　there　is　no　division　of　land　of　similar　size　quite　equal　to　De