the quaker colonies-第6章

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　Church　of　England　people。　They　may　have　come　not　so　much　from　a　desire　to　flee　from　persecution　as　to　build　up　a　little　Welsh　community　and　to　revive　Welsh　nationalism。　In　their　new　surroundings　they　spoke　their　own　Welsh　language　and　very　few　of　them　had　learned　English。　They　had　been　encouraged　in　their　national　aspirations　by　an　agreement　with　Penn　that　they　were　to　have　a　tract　of　40；000　acres　where　they　could　live　by　themselves。　The　land　assigned　to　them　lay　west　of　Philadelphia　in　that　high　ridge　along　the　present　main　line　of　the　Pennsylvania　Railroad；　now　so　noted　for　its　wealthy　suburban　homes。　All　the　important　names　of　townships　and　places　in　that　region；　such　as　Wynnewood；　St。　Davids；　Berwyn；　Bryn　Mawr；　Merion；　Haverford；　Radnor；　are　Welsh　in　origin。　Some　of　the　Welsh　spread　round　to　the　north　of　Philadelphia；　where　names　like　Gwynedd　and　Penllyn　remain　as　their　memorials。　The　Chester　Valley　bordering　the　high　ridge　of　their　first　settlement　they　called　Duffrin　Mawr　or　Great　Valley。

These　Welsh；　like　so　many　of　the　Quakers；　were　of　a　well…to…do　class。　They　rapidly　developed　their　fertile　land　and；　for　pioneers；　lived　quite　luxuriously。　They　had　none　of　the　usual　county　and　township　officers　but　ruled　their　Welsh　Barony；　as　it　was　called；　through　the　authority　of　their　Quaker　meetings。　But　this　system　eventually　disappeared。　The　Welsh　were　absorbed　into　the　English　population；　and　in　a　couple　of　generations　their　language　disappeared。　Prominent　people　are　descended　from　them。　David　Rittenhouse；　the　astronomer；　was　Welsh　on　his　mother's　side。　David　Lloyd；　for　a　long　time　the　leader　of　the　popular　party　and　at　one　time　Chief　Justice；　was　a　Welshman。　Since　the　Revolution　the　Welsh　names　of　Cadwalader　and　Meredith　have　been　conspicuous。

The　Church　of　England　people　formed　a　curious　and　decidedly　hostile　element　in　the　early　population　of　Pennsylvania。　They　established　themselves　in　Philadelphia　in　the　beginning　and　rapidly　grew　into　a　political　party　which；　while　it　cannot　be　called　very　strong　in　numbers；　was　important　in　ability　and　influence。　After　Penn's　death；　his　sons　joined　the　Church　of　England；　and　the　Churchmen　in　the　province　became　still　stronger。　They　formed　the　basis　of　the　proprietary　party；　filled　executive　offices　in　the　Government；　and　waged　relentless　war　against　the　Quaker　majority　which　controlled　the　Legislature。　During　Penn's　lifetime　the　Churchmen　were　naturally　opposed　to　the　whole　government；　both　executive　and　legislative。　They　were　constantly　sending　home　to　England　all　sorts　of　reports　and　information　calculated　to　show　that　the　Quakers　were　unfit　to　rule　a　province；　that　Penn　should　be　deprived　of　his　charter；　and　that　Pennsylvania　should　be　put　under　the　direct　rule　of　the　King。

They　had　delightful　schemes　for　making　it　a　strong　Church　of　England　colony　like　Virginia。　One　of　them　suggested　that；　as　the　title　to　the　Three　Lower　Counties；　as　Delaware　was　called；　was　in　dispute；　it　should　be　taken　by　the　Crown　and　given　to　the　Church　as　a　manor　to　support　a　bishop。　Such　an　ecclesiastic　certainly　could　have　lived　in　princely　state　from　the　rents　of　its　fertile　farms；　with　a　palace；　retinue；　chamberlains；　chancellors；　feudal　courts；　and　all　the　appendages　of　earthly　glory。　For　the　sake　of　the　picturesqueness　of　colonial　history　it　is　perhaps　a　pity　that　this　pious　plan　was　never　carried　out。

As　it　was；　however；　the　Churchmen　established　themselves　with　not　a　little　glamour　and　romance　round　two　institutions；　Christ　Church　for　the　first　fifty　years；　and　after　that　round　the　old　College　of　Philadelphia。　The　Reverend　William　Smith；　a　pugnacious　and　eloquent　Scotchman；　led　them　in　many　a　gallant　onset　against　the　〃haughty　tribe〃　of　Quakers；　and　he　even　suffered　imprisonment　in　the　cause。　He　had　a　country　seat　on　the　Schuylkill　and　was　in　his　way　a　fine　character；　devoted　to　the　establishment　of　ecclesiasticism　and　higher　learning　as　a　bulwark　against　the　menace　of　Quaker　fanaticism；　and　but　for　the　coming　on　of　the　Revolution　he　might　have　become　the　first　colonial　bishop　with　all　the　palaces；　pomp；　and　glory　appertaining　thereunto。

In　spite　of　this　opposition；　however；　the　Quakers　continued　their　control　of　the　colony；　serenely　tolerating　the　anathemas　of　the　learned　Churchmen　and　the　fierce　curses　and　brandished　weapons　of　the　Presbyterians　and　Scotch…Irish。　Curses　and　anathemas　were　no　check　to　the　fertile　soil。　Grist　continued　to　come　to　the　mill；　and　the　agricultural　products　poured　into　Philadelphia　to　be　carried　away　in　the　ships。　The　contemplative　Quaker　took　his　profits　as　they　passed；　enacted　his　liberalizing　laws；　his　prison　reform；　his　charities；　his　peace　with　the　savage　Indians；　allowed　science；　research；　and　all　the　kindly　arts　of　life　to　flourish；　and　seemed　perfectly　contented　with　the　damnation　in　the　other　world　to　which　those　who　flourished　under　his　rule　consigned　him。

In　discussing　the　remarkable　success　of　the　province；　the　colonists　always　disputed　whether　the　credit　should　be　given　to　the　fertile　soil　or　to　the　liberal　laws　and　constitution。　It　was　no　doubt　due　to　both。　But　the　obvious　advantages　of　Penn's　charter　over　the　mixed　and　troublesome　governmental　conditions　in　the　Jerseys；　Penn's　personal　fame　and　the　repute　of　the　Quakers　for　liberalism　then　at　its　zenith；　and　the　wide　advertising　given　to　their　ideas　and　Penn's；　on　the　continent　of　Europe　as　well　as　in　England；　seem　to　have　been　the　reasons　why　more　people；　and　many　besides　Quakers；　came　to　take　advantage　of　that　fertile　soil。

The　first　great　increase　of　alien　population　came　from　Germany；　which　was　still　in　a　state　of　religious　turmoil；　disunion；　and　depression　from　the　results　of　the　Reformation　and　the　Thirty　Years'　War。　The　reaction　from　dogma　in　Germany　had　produced　a　multitude　of　sects；　all　yearning　for　greater　liberty　and　prosperity　than　they　had　at　home。　Penn　and　other　Quakers　had　made　missionary　tours　in　Germany　and　had　preached　to　the　people。　The　Germans　do　not　appear　to　have　been　asked　to　come　to　the　Jerseys。　But　they　were　urged　to　come　to　Pennsylvania　as　soon　as　the　charter　was　obtained；　and　many　of　them　made　an　immediate　response。　The　German　mind　was　then　at　the　height　of　its　emotional　unrestraint。　It　was　as　unaccustomed　to　liberty　of　thought　as　to　political　liberty　and　it　produced　a　new　sect　or　religious　distinction　almost　every　day。　Many　of　these　sects　came　to　Pennsylvania；　where　new　small　religious　bodies　sprang　up　among　them　after　their　arrival。　Schwenkfelders；　Tunkers；　Labadists；　New　Born；　New　Mooners；　Separatists；　Zion's　Brueder；　Ronsdorfer；　Inspired；　Quietists；　Gichtelians；　Depellians；　Mountain　Men；　River　Brethren；　Brinser　Brethren；　and　the　Society　of　the　Woman　in　the　Wilderness；　are　names　which　occur　in　the　annals　of　the　province。　But　these　are　only　a　few。　In　Lancaster　County　alone　the　number　has　at　different　times　been　estimated　at　from　twenty　to　thirty。　It　would　probably　be　impossible　to　make　a　complete　list；　some　of　them；　indeed；　existed　for　only　a　few　years。　Their　own　writers　describe　them　as　countless　and　bewildering。　Many　of　them　were　characterized　by　the　strangest　sort　of　German　mysticism；　and　some　of　them　were　inclined　to　monastic　and　hermit　life　and　their　devotees　often　lived　in　caves　or　solitary　huts　in　the　woods。

It　would　hardly　be　accurate　to　call　all　the　German　sects　Quakers；　since　a　great　deal　of　their　mysticism　would　have　been　anything　but　congenial　to　the　followers　of　Fox　and　Penn。　Resemblances　to　Quaker　doctrine　can；　however；　be　found　among　many　of　them；　and　there　was　one　large　sect；　the　Mennonites；　who　were　often　spoken　of　as　German　Quakers。　The　two　divisions　fraternized　and　preached　in　each　other's　meetings。　The　Mennonites　were　well　educated　as　a　class　and　Pastorius；　their　leader；　was　a　ponderously　learned　German。　Most　of　the　German　sects　left　the　Quakers　in　undisturbed　possession　of　Philadelphia；　and　spread　out　into　the　surrounding　region；　which　was　then　a　wilderness。　They　and　all　the　other　Germans　who　afterwards　followed　them　settled　in　a　half　circle　beginning　at　Easton　on　the　Delaware；　passing　up　the　Lehigh　Valley　into　Lancaster　County；　thence　across　the　Susquehanna　and　down　the　Cumberland　Valley　to　the　Maryland　border；　which　many　of　them　crossed；　and