the quaker colonies-第8章

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of　their　days　and　years。　They　paid　little　attention　to　the　laws　of　the　province；　which　were　difficult　to　enforce　on　the　distant　frontier；　and　they　administered　a　criminal　code　of　their　own　with　whipping　or　〃laced　jacket；〃　as　they　called　it；　as　a　punishment。　They　were　Jacks　of　all　trades；　weaving　their　own　cloth　and　making　nearly　everything　they　needed。　They　were　the　first　people　in　America　to　develop　the　use　of　the　rifle；　and　they　used　it　in　the　Back　Country　all　the　way　down　into　the　Carolinas　at　a　time　when　it　was　seldom　seen　in　the　seaboard　settlements。　In　those　days；　rifles　were　largely　manufactured　in　Lancaster；　Pennsylvania；　and　there　were　several　famous　gunsmiths　in　Philadelphia。　Some　of　the　best　of　these　old　rifles　have　been　preserved　and　are　really　beautiful　weapons；　with　delicate　hair　triggers；　gracefully　curved　stocks；　and　quaint　brass　or　even　gold　or　silver　mountings。　The　ornamentation　was　often　done　by　the　hunter　himself；　who　would　melt　a　gold　or　silver　coin　and　pour　it　into　some　design　which　he　had　carved　with　his　knife　in　the　stock。

The　Revolution　offered　an　opportunity　after　the　Ulstermen's　heart；　and　they　entered　it　with　their　entire　spirit；　as　they　had　every　other　contest　which　involved　liberty　and　independence。　In　fact；　in　that　period　they　played　such　a　conspicuous　part　that　they　almost　ruled　Philadelphia；　the　original　home　of　the　Quakers。　Since　then；　spread　out　through　the　State；　they　have　always　had　great　influence；　the　natural　result　of　their　energy；　intelligence；　and　love　of　education。

Nearly　all　these　diverse　elements　of　the　Pennsylvania　population　were　decidedly　sectional　in　character。　The　Welsh　had　a　language　of　their　own；　and　they　attempted；　though　without　success；　to　maintain　it；　as　well　as　a　government　of　their　own　within　their　barony　independent　of　the　regular　government　of　the　province。　The　Germans　were　also　extremely　sectional。　They　clung　with　better　success　to　their　own　language；　customs；　and　literature。　The　Scotch…Irish　were　so　clannish　that　they　had　ideas　of　founding　a　separate　province　on　the　Susquehanna。　Even　the　Church　of　England　people　were　so　aloof　and　partisan　that；　though　they　lived　about　Philadelphia　among　the　Quakers；　they　were　extremely　hostile　to　the　Quaker　rule　and　unremittingly　strove　to　destroy　it。

All　these　cleavages　and　divisions　in　the　population　continue　in　their　effects　to　this　day。　They　prevented　the　development　of　a　homogeneous　population。　No　exact　statistics　were　taken　of　the　numbers　of　the　different　nationalities　in　colonial　times；　but　Franklin's　estimate　is　probably　fairly　accurate；　and　his　position　in　practical　politics　gave　him　the　means　of　knowing　and　of　testing　his　calculations。　About　the　year　1750　he　estimated　the　population　as　one…third　Quaker；　one…third　German；　and　one…third　miscellaneous。　This　gave　about　50；000　or　60；000　to　each　of　the　thirds。　Provost　Smith；　of　the　newly　founded　college；　estimated　the　Quakers　at　only　about　40；000。　But　his　estimate　seems　too　low。　He　was　interested　in　making　out　their　numbers　small　because　he　was　trying　to　show　the　absurdity　of　allowing　such　a　small　band　of　fanatics　and　heretics　to　rule　a　great　province　of　the　British　Empire。　One　great　source　of　the　Quaker　power　lay　in　the　sympathy　of　the　Germans；　who　always　voted　on　their　side　and　kept　them　in　control　of　the　Legislature；　so　that　it　was　in　reality　a　case　of　two…thirds　ruling　one…third。　The　Quakers；　it　must　be　admitted；　never　lost　their　heads。　Unperturbed　through　all　the　conflicts　and　the　jarring　of　races　and　sects；　they　held　their　position　unimpaired　and　kept　the　confidence　and　support　of　the　Germans　until　the　Revolution　changed　everything。

The　varied　elements　of　population　spread　out　in　ever　widening　half　circles　from　Philadelphia　as　a　center。　There　was　nothing　in　the　character　of　the　region　to　stop　this　progress。　The　country　all　the　way　westward　to　the　Susquehanna　was　easy　hill；　dale；　and　valley；　covered　by　a　magnificent　growth　of　large　forest　treesoaks；　beeches；　poplars；　walnuts；　hickories；　and　ashwhich　rewarded　the　labor　of　felling　by　exposing　to　cultivation　a　most　fruitful　soil。

The　settlers　followed　the　old　Indian　trails。　The　first　westward　pioneers　seem　to　have　been　the　Welsh　Quakers；　who　pushed　due　west　from　Philadelphia　and　marked　out　the　course　of　the　famous　Lancaster　Road；　afterwards　the　Lancaster　Turnpike。　It　took　the　line　of　least　resistance　along　the　old　trail；　following　ridges　until　it　reached　the　Susquehanna　at　a　spot　where　an　Indian　trader；　named　Harris；　established　himself　and　founded　a　post　which　subsequently　became　Harrisburg；　the　capital　of　the　State。

For　a　hundred　years　the　Lancaster　Road　was　the　great　highway　westward；　at　first　to　the　mountains；　then　to　the　Ohio；　and　finally　to　the　Mississippi　Valley　and　the　Great　West。　Immigrants　and　pioneers　from　all　the　New　England　and　Middle　States　flocked　out　that　way　to　the　land　of　promise　in　wagons；　or　horseback；　or　trudging　along　on　foot。　Substantial　taverns　grew　up　along　the　route；　and　habitual　freighters　and　stage　drivers；　proud　of　their　fine　teams　of　horses；　grew　into　characters　of　the　road。　When　the　Pennsylvania　Railroad　was　built；　it　followed　the　same　line。　In　fact；　most　of　the　lines　of　railroad　in　the　State　follow　Indian　trails。　The　trails　for　trade　and　tribal　intercourse　led　east　and　west。　The　warrior　trails　usually　led　north　and　south；　for　that　had　long　been　the　line　of　strategy　and　conquest　of　the　tribes。　The　northern　tribes；　or　Six　Nations；　established　in　the　lake　region　of　New　York　near　the　headwaters　of　the　Delaware；　the　Susquehanna；　and　the　Ohio；　had　the　advantage　of　these　river　valleys　for　descending　into　the　whole　Atlantic　seaboard　and　the　valley　of　the　Mississippi。　They　had　in　consequence　conquered　all　the　tribes　south　of　them　as　far　even　as　the　Carolinas　and　Georgia。　All　their　trails　of　conquest　led　across　Pennsylvania。

The　Germans　in　their　expansion　at　first　seem　to　have　followed　up　the　Schuylkill　Valley　and　its　tributaries；　and　they　hold　this　region　to　the　present　day。　Gradually　they　crossed　the　watershed　to　the　Susquehanna　and　broke　into　the　region　of　the　famous　limestone　soil　in　Lancaster　County；　a　veritable　farmer's　paradise　from　which　nothing　will　ever　drive　them。　Many　Quaker　farmers　penetrated　north　and　northeast　from　Philadelphia　into　Bucks　County；　a　fine　rolling　and　hilly　wheat　and　corn　region；　where　their　descendants　are　still　found　and　whence　not　a　few　well…known　Philadelphia　families　have　come。

The　Quaker　government　of　Pennsylvania　in　almost　a　century　of　its　existence　largely　fulfilled　its　ideals。　It　did　not　succeed　in　governing　without　war；　but　the　war　was　not　its　fault。　It　did　succeed　in　governing　without　oaths。　An　affirmation　instead　of　an　oath　became　the　law　of　Pennsylvania　for　all　who　chose　an　affirmation；　and　this　law　was　soon　adopted　by　most　American　communities。　It　succeeded　in　establishing　religious　liberty　in　Pennsylvania　in　the　fullest　sense　of　the　word。　It　brought　Christianity　nearer　to　its　original　simplicity　and　made　it　less　superstitious　and　cruel。

The　Quakers　had　always　maintained　that　it　was　a　mistake　to　suppose　that　their　ideas　would　interfere　with　material　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；　st