CHAPTER V. THE ENGLISH IN AMERICA. II. Dissen'ters. The name applied in Děp'uty. A deputy acts in the Schuylkill (skool'kil). A name given by the Dutch. Kill, which frequently is found in the ending of names in New York, as Catskill, Peekskill, means "creek." Schuyl finds its nearest English word in "skulk"; and Schuylkill means thus, "hid- Lenni Lenape (len'ni lěn-ä'pá) Susquehanna (sus'kwe-hǎn'a). Whitefield (whĭt'field). = When the Puritans were 51. George Fox and the Quakers. coming into power in England, a man named George Fox went about the country, preaching to the people. He interrupted the preacher in the pulpit and the magistrate on the bench. He rebuked them for their sins. He spoke like one of the ancient prophets, and was without fear of man. He taught that there was no church except in the meeting together of friends, who spoke as each thought himself or herself moved by the spirit of God. Thus there would be no bishops, or priests; no taxes for their support, and no sacraments. The only law was to be the law of love in their hearts. He taught, also, that there was no difference between men in rank; and thus he would not take off his hat to another, no, not if it were Cromwell himself, because that would be a sign that he was a servant of Cromwell. Neither would he call any man by a title. Other men might address Cromwell as Your Highness"; he would use the plain "Oliver." like manner he dressed himself with great plainness. He would not, by his clothes, seem to be richer or greater than other men. Since each man was to do what was right, as God might tell him, it would be wrong to force any one to obey; and that would make an end of all wars, and armies, and prisons. Friends and Quakers. These doctrines seemed to many like light let in upon the confusion of the time. They declared that Fox was right, and began to adopt his way of dress and speech. They called themselves Friends; but others called them Quakers, because, in his preaching, Fox was wont to bid the people quake and tremble at the word of God. Persecution of the Friends. Neither the Church-of-England nor the Dissenters could tolerate the Friends. If the Friends were right, they were all wrong; and so they persecuted Fox and his associates, shutting them up in prison, or driving them from the country. When the Friends came to New England, the magistrates and ministers imprisoned them, beat them, drove them away, and even hanged some of them. The more the Friends were persecuted, the more their number grew, and the more determined were they to bear witness to the truth. They never resisted the force which was used against them, and they constantly put themselves in the way of punishment. Wherever they believed the Lord sent them to preach their doctrines, thither they went fearlessly. 52. William Penn. who were Friends. - It was not poor and plain people alone Some were rich. Indeed, the very lives which the Friends led-lives of temperance and moderation and industry — kept them from being poor. Some even were of high rank; and among these the most notable was William Penn. He was the son of an admiral in the English navy, and his early life was spent among noblemen, and at court. But he became a convert to the doctrines of the Friends. He adopted their dress and ways, spoke in their meetings, and used his pen in their defense. Like Fox and others, he was fined and imprisoned. He was, however, a rich man, for his father had died and left him a great estate. He had many friends at court and in places of power. Thus he was of more importance than most Quakers, and not so easily persecuted. He was, besides, very wise in his dealings with others, and, being very generous, he constantly befriended his poorer brethren. 53. New Jersey. An opportunity occurred by which he became interested in affairs in America. When the Duke of York took possession of New Netherland, he gave the southern district to two Englishmen, who named it New Jersey, since one of them had defended the island of Jersey, in the English Channel, in a recent war. A number of people, both from New England and from England, settled there. Among them were some Quakers. Two of these, large landowners, had a dispute and agreed to lay the matter before William Penn. Penn settled the dispute, and when one of the parties got into debt, he bought out his rights, in company with other creditors. The Occupation of New Jersey. The result of this purchase was that West New Jersey, or West Jersey, as it was commonly called, came into the hands of Penn and a few other influential Friends. In 1677 they began to send out colonies of Friends to occupy it. The colonists landed at Newcastle on the Delaware, moved up the river, and made their first settlement at Burlington. Five years later, when new difficulties arose, the West Jersey proprietors bought the territory of East Jersey. 1682. 1688.. New Jersey and New York. But when the King of England withdrew the charter from New England, and sent Sir Edmund Andros to be governor of New England and New York, he took possession of New Jersey also. In 1702 New Jersey and New York were formed into one province, under one governor, although each colony had its own assembly. This continued for thirty-six years, when New Jersey was separated from New York, and had its own governor. 1738. 54. The Founding of Pennsylvania. When William Penn inherited his father's estate, he came into possession of a claim for a large sum of money which his father held against the crown. Penn proposed to the government that he should be paid, not in money, but in a grant of land in America. He intended to send there colonies of Friends. The English colonies in America were all having difficulties with the Indians, and some members of the government looked with great contempt upon the proposal to send out these non-resisting Quakers to face the savage Indians. But Penn prevailed and 1681. obtained a charter and a large tract of land. This tract consisted of forty thousand square miles lying west of the Delaware for five degrees of longitude, and extending north. and south for three degrees of latitude. Penn wished to call it Sylvania, or Woodland; but the king insisted on calling it Pennsylvania, in honor of Penn's father. Immigration invited. -The owner of this vast farm at once set about his experiments in government. He invited the aid of all who were ready to work with him. He offered to sell portions of his land to families who should emigrate, and he advertised his purpose far and wide. He was known beyond the borders of England; and, among others, a company of Germans bought a large tract. One of their first settlements was called Germantown. The Friends could only preach their doctrines in England. Here they meant to put them all in practice. Penn declared that every peaceful citizen was to be free to come and go, to worship God as he thought right, and to have a part in making the laws. When a person was tried for an offense, he was to be tried by a jury; and if the offender were an Indian, he was to have six of his race on the jury. There was to be no punishment by death except for murder or treason. Lying was to be punished. As far as possible, disputes were to be settled by laying the matter before friends, and not by going into a court of justice. The Rights of Indians. - Penn meant himself to live there and manage his great property. He was to be governor, with |