the quaker colonies-第8节

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aterial　prosperity　and　happiness；　and　they　certainly　proved　their　contention　in　Pennsylvania。　To　Quaker　liberalism　was　due　not　merely　the　material　prosperity；　but　prison　reform　and　the　notable　public　charities　of　Pennsylvania；　in　both　of　which　activities；　as　in　the　abolition　of　slavery；　the　Quakers　were　leaders。　Original　research　in　science　also　flourished　in　a　marked　degree　in　colonial　Pennsylvania。　No　one　in　those　days　knew　the　nature　of　thunder　and　lightning；　and　the　old　explanation　that　they　were　the　voice　of　an　angry　God　was　for　many　a　sufficient　explanation。　Franklin；　by　a　long　series　of　experiments　in　the　free　Quaker　colony；　finally　proved　in　1752　that　lightning　was　electricity；　that　is　to　say；　a　manifestation　of　the　same　force　that　is　produced　when　glass　is　rubbed　with　buckskin。　He　invented　the　lightning　rod；　discovered　the　phenomenon　of　positive　and　negative　electricity；　explained　the　action　of　the　Leyden　jar；　and　was　the　first　American　writer　on　the　modern　science　of　political　economy。　This　energetic　citizen　of　Pennsylvania　spent　a　large　part　of　his　life　in　research；　he　studied　the　Gulf　Stream；　storms　and　their　causes；　waterspouts；　whirlwinds；　and　he　established　the　fact　that　the　northeast　storms　of　the　Atlantic　coast　usually　move　against　the　wind。

But　Franklin　was　not　the　only　scientist　in　the　colony。　Besides　his　three　friends；　Kinnersley；　Hopkinson；　and　Syng；　who　worked　with　him　and　helped　him　in　his　discoveries；　there　were　David　Rittenhouse；　the　astronomer；　John　Bartram；　the　botanist；　and　a　host　of　others。　Rittenhouse　excelled　in　every　undertaking　which　required　the　practical　application　of　astronomy；　He　attracted　attention　even　in　Europe　for　his　orrery　which　indicated　the　movements　of　the　stars　and　which　was　an　advance　on　all　previous　instruments　of　the　kind。　When　astronomers　in　Europe　were　seeking　to　have　the　transit　of　Venus　of　1769　observed　in　different　parts　of　the　world；　Pennsylvania　alone　of　the　American　colonies　seems　to　have　had　the　man　and　the　apparatus　necessary　for　the　work。　Rittenhouse　conducted　the　observations　at　three　points　and　won　a　world…wide　reputation　by　the　accuracy　and　skill　of　his　observations。　The　whole　community　was　interested　in　this　scientific　undertaking；　the　Legislature　and　public　institutions　raised　the　necessary　funds；　and　the　American　Philosophical　Society；　the　only　organization　of　its　kind　in　the　colonies；　had　charge　of　the　preparations。

The　American　Philosophical　Society　had　been　started　in　Philadelphia　in　1743。　It　was　the　first　scientific　society　to　be　founded　in　America；　and　throughout　the　colonial　period　it　was　the　only　society　of　its　kind　in　the　country。　Its　membership　included　not　only　prominent　men　throughout　America；　such　as　Thomas　Jefferson；　who　were　interested　in　scientific　inquiry；　but　also　representatives　of　foreign　nations。　With　its　library　of　rare　and　valuable　collections　and　its　annual　publication　of　essays　on　almost　every　branch　of　science；　the　society　still　continues　its　useful　scientific　work。

John　Bartram；　who　was　the　first　botanist　to　describe　the　plants　of　the　New　World　and　who　explored　the　whole　country　from　the　Great　Lakes　to　Florida；　was　a　Pennsylvania　Quaker　of　colonial　times；　farmer　born　and　bred。　Thomas　Godfrey；　also　a　colonial　Pennsylvanian；　was　rewarded　by　the　Royal　Society　of　England　for　an　improvement　which　he　made　in　the　quadrant。　Peter　Collinson　of　England；　a　famous　naturalist　and　antiquarian　of　early　times；　was　a　Quaker。　In　modern　times　John　Dalton；　the　discoverer　of　the　atomic　theory　of　colorblindness；　was　born　of　Quaker　parents；　and　Edward　Cope；　of　a　well…known　Philadelphia　Quaker　family；　became　one　of　the　most　eminent　naturalists　and　paleontologists　of　the　nineteenth　century；　and　unaided　discovered　over　a　third　of　the　three　thousand　extinct　species　of　vertebrates　recognized　by　men　of　science。　In　the　field　of　education；　Lindley　Murray；　the　grammarian　of　a　hundred　years　ago；　was　a　Quaker。　Ezra　Cornell；　a　Quaker；　founded　the　great　university　in　New　York　which　bears　his　name；　and　Johns　Hopkins；　also　a　Quaker；　founded　the　university　of　that　name　in　Baltimore。

Pennsylvania　deserves　the　credit　of　turning　these　early　scientific　pursuits　to　popular　uses。　The　first　American　professorship　of　botany　and　natural　history　was　established　in　Philadelphia　College；　now　the　University　of　Pennsylvania。　The　first　American　book　on　a　medical　subject　was　written　in　Philadelphia　by　Thomas　Cadwalader　in　1740；　the　first　American　hospital　was　established　there　in　1751；　and　the　first　systematic　instruction　in　medicine。　Since　then　Philadelphia　has　produced　a　long　line　of　physicians　and　surgeons　of　national　and　European　reputation。　For　half　a　century　after　the　Revolution　the　city　was　the　center　of　medical　education　for　the　country　and　it　still　retains　a　large　part　of　that　preeminence。　The　Academy　of　Natural　Sciences　founded　in　Philadelphia　in　1812　by　two　inconspicuous　young　men；　an　apothecary　and　a　dentist；　soon　became　by　the　spontaneous　support　of　the　community　a　distinguished　institution。　It　sent　out　two　Arctic　expeditions；　that　of　Kane　and　that　of　Hayes；　and　has　included　among　its　members　the　most　prominent　men　of　science　in　America。　It　is　now　the　oldest　as　well　as　the　most　complete　institution　of　its　kind　in　the　country。　The　Franklin　Institute；　founded　in　Philadelphia　in　1824；　was　the　result　of　a　similar　scientific　interest。　It　was　the　first　institution　of　applied　science　and　the　mechanic　arts　in　America。　Descriptions　of　the　first　2900　patents　issued　by　the　United　States　Government　are　to　be　found　only　on　the　pages　of　its　Journal；　which　is　still　an　authoritative　annual　record。

Apart　from　their　scientific　attainments；　one　of　the　most　interesting　facts　about　the　Quakers　is　the　large　proportion　of　them　who　have　reached　eminence；　often　in　occupations　which　are　supposed　to　be　somewhat　inconsistent　with　Quaker　doctrine。　General　Greene；　the　most　capable　American　officer　of　the　Revolution；　after　Washington。　was　a　Rhode　Island　Quaker。　General　Mifflin　of　the　Revolution　was　a　Pennsylvania　Quaker。　General　Jacob　Brown；　a　Bucks　County　Pennsylvania　Quaker；　reorganized　the　army　in　the　War　of　1819。　and　restored　it　to　its　former　efficiency。　In　the　long　list　of　Quakers　eminent　in　all　walks　of　life；　not　only　in　Pennsylvania　but　elsewhere；　are　to　be　found　John　Bright；　a　lover　of　peace　and　human　liberty　through　a　long　and　eminent　career　in　British　politics；　John　Dickinson　of　Philadelphia；　who　wrote　the　famous　Farmer's　Letters　so　signally　useful　in　the　American　Revolution；　Whittier；　the　American　poet；　a　Quaker　born　in　Massachusetts　of　a　family　converted　from　Puritanism　when　the　Quakers　invaded　Boston　in　the　seventeenth　century；　and　Benjamin　West；　a　Pennsylvania　Quaker　of　colonial　times；　an　artist　of　permanent　eminence；　one　of　the　founders　of　the　Royal　Academy　in　England　and　its　president　in　succession　to　Sir　Joshua　Reynolds。

Wherever　Quakers　are　found　they　are　the　useful　and　steady　citizens。　Their　eminence　seems　out　of　all　proportion　to　their　comparatively　small　numbers。　It　has　often　been　asked　why　this　height　of　attainment　should　occur　among　a　people　of　such　narrow　religious　discipline。　But　were　the　Quakers　really　narrow；　or　were　they　any　more　narrow　than　other　rigorously　self…disciplined　people：　Spartans；　Puritans；　soldiers　whose　discipline　enables　them　to　achieve　great　results？　All　discipline　is　in　one　sense　narrow。　Quaker　quietude　and　retirement　probably　conserved　mental　energy　instead　of　dissipating　it。　In　an　age　of　superstition　and　irrational　religion；　their　minds　were　free　and　unhampered；　and　it　was　the　dominant　rational　tone　of　their　thought　that　enabled　science　to　flourish　in　Pennsylvania。



Chapter　V。　The　Troubles　Of　Penn　And　His　Sons

The　material　prosperity　of　Penn's　Holy　Experiment　kept　on　proving　itself　over　and　over　again　every　month　of　the　year。　But　meantime　great　events　were　taking　place　in　England。　The　period　of　fifteen　years　from　Penn's　return　to　England　in　1684；　until　his　return　to　Pennsylvania　at　the　close　of　the　year　of　1699；　was　an　eventful　time　in　English　history。　It　was　long　for　a　proprietor　to　be　away　from　his　province；　and　Penn　would　have　left　a　better　reputation　if　he　had　passed　those　fifteen　years　in　his　colony；　for　in　England　during　that　period　he　took　what　most　Americans　believe　to　have　been　the　wrong　side　in　the　Revolution　of　1688。

Penn　was　closely　tied　by　both　interest　and　friendship　to　Charles　II　and　the　Stuart　family。　When　Charles　II　died　in　1685　and　his　brother；　the　Duke　of　York；　ascended　the　throne　as　James　II；　Penn　was　equally　bound　to　him；　because　among　other　things　the　Duke　of　York　had　obtained　Penn's　release　in　1669　from　imprisonment　for　his　religious　opinions。　He　became　still　more　bound　when　one　of　the　first　acts　of　the　new　King's　reign　was　the　release　of　a　great　number　of　people　who　had　been　imprisoned　for　their　religion；　among　them　thirteen　hundred　Quakers。　In　addition　to　preaching　to　the　Quakers　and　protecting　them；　Penn　used　his　influence　with　James　to　secure　the　return　of　several　political　offenders　from　exile。　His　friendship　with　James　raised　him；　indeed；　to　a　position　of　no　little　importance　at　Court。　He　was　constantly　consulted　by　the　King；　in　whose　political　policy　he　gradually　became　more　and　more　involved。

James　was　a　Roma