the quaker colonies-第23章

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f　New　York　to　have　any　of　those　pretty　little　aristocracies　with　bright　colored　clothes；　and　coaches　and　four；　flourishing　within　her　boundaries。　There　seems　to　have　been　a　faint　suggestion　of　such　social　pretensions　under　Governor　Franklin　just　before　the　Revolution。　He　was　beginning　to　live　down　the　objections　to　his　illegitimate　birth　and　Toryism　and　by　his　entertainments　and　manner　of　living　was　creating　a　social　following。　There　is　said　also　to　have　been　something　a　little　like　the　beginning　of　an　aristocracy　among　the　descendants　of　the　Dutch　settlers　who　had　ancestral　holdings　near　the　Hudson；　but　this　amounted　to　very　little。

Class　distinctions　were　not　so　strongly　marked　in　New　Jersey　as　in　some　other　colonies。　There　grew　up　in　southern　Jersey；　however；　a　sort　of　aristocracy　of　gentlemen　farmers；　who　owned　large　tracts　of　land　and　lived　in　not　a　little　style　in　good　houses　on　the　small　streams。

The　northern　part　of　the　province；　largely　settled　and　influenced　by　New　Englanders；　was　like　New　England　a　land　of　vigorous　concentrated　town　life　and　small　farms。　The　hilly　and　mountainous　nature　of　the　northern　section　naturally　led　to　small　holdings　of　land。　But　in　southern　Jersey　the　level　sandy　tracts　of　forest　were　often　taken　up　in　large　areas。　In　the　absence　of　manufacturing；　large　acreage　naturally　became；　as　in　Virginia　and　Maryland；　the　only　mark　of　wealth　and　social　distinction。　The　great　landlord　was　looked　up　to　by　the　lesser　fry。　The　Quaker　rule　of　discountenancing　marrying　out　of　meeting　tended　to　keep　a　large　acreage　in　the　family　and　to　make　it　larger　by　marriage。　A　Quaker　of　broad　acres　would　seek　for　his　daughter　a　young　man　of　another　landholding　Quaker　family　and　would　thus　join　the　two　estates。

There　was　a　marked　difference　between　East　Jersey　and　West　Jersey　in　county　organization。　In　West　Jersey　the　people　tended　to　become　planters；　their　farms　and　plantations　somewhat　like　those　of　the　far　South；　and　the　political　unit　of　government　was　the　county。　In　East　Jersey　the　town　was　the　starting　point　and　the　county　marked　the　boundaries　of　a　collection　of　towns。　This　curious　difference；　the　result　of　soil；　climate；　and　methods　of　life；　shows　itself　in　other　States　wherever　South　and　North　meet。　Illinois　is　an　example；　where　the　southern　part　of　the　State　is　governed　by　the　county　system；　and　the　northern　part　by　the　town　system。

The　lumberman；　too；　in　clearing　off　the　primeval　forest　and　selling　the　timber；　usually　dealt　in　immense　acreage。　Some　families；　it　is　said；　can　be　traced　steadily　proceeding　southward　as　they　stripped　off　the　forest；　and　started　sawmills　and　gristmills　on　the　little　streams　that　trickled　from　the　swamps；　and　like　beavers　making　with　their　dams　those　pretty　ponds　which　modern　lovers　of　the　picturesque　are　now　so　eager　to　find。　A　good　deal　of　the　lumbering　in　the　interior　pines　tract　was　carried　on　by　persons　who　leased　the　premises　from　owners　who　lived　on　plantations　along　the　Delaware　or　its　tributary　streams。　These　operations　began　soon　after　1700。　Wood　roads　were　cut　into　the　Pines；　sawmills　were　started；　and　constant　use　turned　some　of　these　wood　roads　into　the　highways　of　modern　times。

There　was　a　speculative　tinge　in　the　operations　of　this　landed　aristocracy。　Like　the　old　tobacco　raising　aristocracy　of　Virginia　and　Maryland；　they　were　inclined　to　go　from　tract　to　tract；　skinning　what　they　could　from　a　piece　of　deforested　land　and　then　seeking　another　virgin　tract。　The　roughest　methods　were　used；　wooden　plows；　brush　harrows；　straw　collars；　grapevine　harness；　and　poor　shelter　for　animals　and　crops；　but　were　the　Virginia　methods　any　better？　In　these　operations　there　was　apparently　a　good　deal　of　sudden　profit　and　mushroom　prosperity　accompanied　by　a　good　deal　of　debt　and　insolvency。　In　this；　too；　they　were　like　the　Virginians　and　Carolinians。　There　seem　to　have　been　also　a　good　many　slaves　in　West　Jersey；　brought；　as　in　the　southern　colonies；　to　work　on　the　large　estates；　and　this　also；　no　doubt；　helped　to　foster　the　aristocratic　feeling。

The　best　days　of　the　Jersey　gentlemen　farmers　came　probably　when　they　could　no　longer　move　from　tract　to　tract。　They　settled　down　and　enjoyed　a　very　plentiful；　if　rude；　existence　on　the　products　of　their　land；　game；　and　fish；　amid　a　fine　climatewith　mosquitoes　enough　in　summer　to　act　as　a　counterirritant　and　prevent　stagnation　from　too　much　ease　and　prosperity。　After　the　manner　of　colonial　times；　they　wove　their　own　clothes　from　the　wool　of　their　own　sheep　and　made　their　own　implements；　furniture；　and　simple　machinery。

There　are　still　to　be　found　fascinating　traces　of　this　old　life　in　out…of…the…way　parts　of　southern　Jersey。　To　run　upon　old　houses　among　the　Jersey　pines　still　stored　with　Latin　classics　and　old　editions　of　Shakespeare；　Addison；　or　Samuel　Johnson；　to　come　across　an　old　mill　with　its　machinery；　cogwheels；　flywheels；　and　all；　made　of　wood；　to　find　people　who　make　their　own　oars；　and　the　handles　of　their　tools　from　the　materials　furnished　by　their　own　forest；　is　now　unfortunately　a　refreshment　of　the　spirit　that　is　daily　becoming　rarer。

This　condition　of　material　and　social　self…sufficiency　lasted　in　places　long　after　the　Revolution。　It　was　a　curious　little　aristocracya　very　faint　and　faded　one；　lacking　the　robustness　of　the　far　southern　type；　and　lacking　indeed　the　real　essential　of　an　aristocracy；　namely　political　power。　Moreover；　although　there　were　slaves　in　New　Jersey；　there　were　not　enough　of　them　to　exalt　the　Jersey　gentlemen　farmers　into　such　self…sufficient　lords　and　masters　as　the　Virginian　and　Carolinian　planters　became。

To　search　out　the　remains　of　this　stage　of　American　history；　however；　takes　one　up　many　pleasant　streams　flowing　out　of　the　forest　tract　to　the　Delaware　on　one　side　or　to　the　ocean　on　the　other。　This　topographical　formation　of　a　central　ridge　or　watershed　of　forest　and　swamp　was　a　repetition　of　the　same　formation　in　the　Delaware　peninsula；　which　like　southern　Jersey　had　originally　been　a　shoal　and　then　an　island。　The　Jersey　watershed；　with　its　streams　abounding　in　wood　duck　and　all　manner　of　wild　life；　must　have　been　in　its　primeval　days　as　fascinating　as　some　of　the　streams　of　the　Florida　cypress　swamps。　Toward　the　ocean；　Wading　River；　the　Mullica；　the　Tuckahoe；　Great　Egg；　and　on　the　Delaware　side　the　Maurice；　Cohansey；　Salem　Creek；　Oldman's；　Raccoon；　Mantua；　Woodberry；　Timber；　and　the　Rancocas；　still　possess　attraction。　Some　of　them；　on　opposite　sides　of　the　divide；　are　not　far　apart　at　their　sources　in　the　old　forest　tract；　so　that　a　canoe　can　be　transported　over　the　few　miles　and　thus　traverse　the　State。　One　of　these　trips　up　Timber　Creek　from　the　Delaware　and　across　only　eight　miles　of　land　to　the　headwaters　of　Great　Egg　Harbor　River　and　thence　down　to　the　ocean；　thus　cutting　South　Jersey　in　half；　is　a　particularly　romantic　one。　The　heavy　woods　and　swamps　of　this　secluded　route　along　these　forest　shadowed　streams　are　apparently　very　much　as　they　were　three　hundred　years　ago。

The　water　in　all　these　streams；　particularly　in　their　upper　parts；　owing　to　the　sandy　soil；　is　very　clean　and　clear　and　is　often　stained　by　the　cedar　roots　in　the　swamps　a　clear　brown；　sometimes　almost　an　amber　color。　One　of　the　streams；　the　Rancocas；　with　its　many　windings　to　Mount　Holly　and　then　far　inland　to　Brown's　Mills；　seems　to　be　the　favorite　with　canoemen　and　is　probably　without　an　equal　in　its　way　for　those　who　love　the　Indian's　gift　that　brings　us　so　close　to　nature。

The　spread　of　the　Quaker　settlements　along　Delaware　Bay　to　Cape　May　was　checked　by　the　Maurice　River　and　its　marshes　and　by　the　Great　Cedar　Swamp　which　crossed　the　country　from　Delaware　Bay　to　the　ocean　and　thus　made　of　the　Cape　May　region　a　sort　of　island。　The　Cape　May　region；　it　is　true；　was　settled　by　Quakers；　but　most　of　them　came　from　Long　Island　rather　than　from　the　settlements　on　the　Delaware。　They　had　followed　whale　fishing　on　Long　Island　and　in　pursuit　of　that　occupation　some　of　them　had　migrated　to　Cape　May　where　whales　were　numerous　not　far　off　shore。

The　leading　early　families　of　Cape　May；　the　Townsends；　Stillwells；　Corsons；　Leamings；　Ludlams；　Spicers；　and　Cresses；　many　of　whose　descendants　still　live　there；　were　Qua