Show z Z t The First Prophet of r r 1 ij iri ra raf f r S b r w L G R Fr Fi l C t iap ae aei i 1 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON HE HD various arlous tercentenary celebrations which hale e been he held In Massachusetts this year ha hate ha e re- re reh re revived tired h ed public Interest inthe In Inthe Inthe the historical hI e events e ot of long ago and have brought again to the 1 attention of ot Americ ins IDS the names of ninny men o are all but forgotten Some one has suggested that the State might well round out Its tercentenary tercel with v Ith one more celebration of nn an Important event ent which hick too took place sears ears cars ago ngo Such a n celebration would oud be held next r I ebru for It was HIS In I ebl uary 1031 tint that a m in in 10 named Roger Hoger Williams armed urn ed in Bos Boston Boston ton from I she he only trouble with Ith that tha t suggestion suggestion tion Is that Roger Hoger 11 Illiams Is a man whom horn Massachusetts is little likely v to honor with ith an any special Een E en though it would seem that after three centuries had pissed passed all nil ancient prejudices should be dispelled and the harsh judgments of those fat fai oil off days s considerably softened At least one might logically draw such a conclusion Lion slOn from these facts In 1635 the Greit and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colon wrote rote upon Its records the following 1 herens Mr Ir Roger Hoger Williams Illiams one ot of the elders of ot the church of Salem hath bath broached and divulged dh ers new and dangerous opinions against the authority of and also writ letters of defamation both of the magistrates and churches here and that before any conviction and yet the same without any re- re retraction traction FK-traction traction It Is therefore ordered that the said Mr Sir Williams Illiams shall depart out of this jurisdiction within six weeks no none now ne nert nett t evening e which if he neglect to perform it shall be lawful for th the gO and two of the magistrates to send him to some place out of this juri jurisdiction not to return any an more without license from the court In 1028 1928 the Massachusetts house of es as accepted without de debate debate bate a report bv by the Judiciary commit committee committee committee tee recommending lease Iel to withdraw on on a n bill bv bt Representative John Jolin W IV to re 01 e a the sentence of banishment of Ho Roger er 11 I ilia inS Thus the Bay State tate pasted passed up its chance to tomake male make a n graceful gesture gestur which show that the spirit of Intolerance which once characterized characterised ette the colour had hafl been succeeded b by a more generous spirit In ll n the state and it ml ed ed on an opportunity to utter r e even esen en this tills small smallest t thanks for II sen service Ice when hen at atthe atthe the greatest risk to himself he u ailed the Narragansett Indians from joinIng In the Pequot war ar against the colony which had e expelled him from Its borders But Hut quite aside from this question or of whether or not the Ia Massachusetts or of today Is likely to pas pa belated hon honOr honor honor Or to the man whom hom the Moss 1 of years ears ago considered oue feared and sent into exile Is true the ques question lion tion which one ono might logically ask ash U as the result of or recalling the n ime of t a aman man mun who Lugo ho has been gone from the American scene the these e 2 t vein ears ears- hy II hy by Is the arrival al of ot Roger Hoger II on the shores of I ew tint enough to justify a celt sears 5 ears cars later The answer to that question may be found in these words Roger Hoger II Illiams aas as the first prophet of fl freedom In America the land of or the free a II man who whose e liberalism was wac not confined to religion alone but who silio stood staunch I lv v for tor ch civil U liberty as ns well ell Surely In these days when Americans are be co coning beco concerned about the liberties gu them In the foundation fiton stone of our Republic the Constitution to know som something of such a 0 man Is worth orth while hUe Hecen Recently tI v ther there has hal ap pear appeared appear d a n biography of him brings out strongly the Importance of this man In American hIstory It Is Us Koier Roi Williams Prophet and Pio neer written b bv I aston aeton and published hell by b the 1 compans compall If It Roger Hoger Il had been no more than the pioneer he would still be In interesting ind worthy orthy of stud But It ItIs itIs Itis Is In Ro Ho Lr r II the prophet of freedom that our main Interest lies and with Ith him In this role his Ills ne new bl Is chiefly concerned Tile The vir of his hIe birth is uncertain It as probably 1302 or IGO The scene w Ie In London on the edge of Smithfield Where here were ere held hotly both the fairs ind the executions e of the div day d 1 Ills llis father fathel was as a merchant tailor but young J oung Hog flog Hoger Roger er does not seem to hue hive lied Ind Jn d any do de desIre sIre to follow In his Ills father faller s footsteps lIe begin began the study stud of stenography and became an adept at writing short shorthand shorthand hort hand taking down n sel sermons mons at SaInt Sepulchre s church and speeches s In Inthe inthe the stir star chamber the esome 1 and terrible court it at II Westminster hlll hall where offenders ag the crown here ere summarily and secretly tried II Williams tal talent nt tile the atten lion of Sir Dd I I Coke Cole the great Judge and leader r of the Puritans oho ho saw to it that the boy bos was admitted to tire the Charter house school choo In 16 0 he received ed his degl degree ee from Pembroke college Cambridge and became ch lp ip aln in the country house of Sir II II Ilam Masham 1 a free think thinker er he allied himself with the most mosi ex tl theme erne of the Puritans Belief in the separation of church and state pre H rented Ills Ids t eking a parish in I 1 and he lie resolved td to come conic to lie arrived ed In Boston on February 5 1631 but soon found that he was no better off ocr in n ew e England Ingland than In Old England So he went ent to Plymouth the pioneer settlement The Pl PI month people could not agree ree with his str strange opinions so he went ent to S Ilem where here he lie was as re summoned and ind finally ban banIshed banIshed banIshed It was In January 1636 that Roger noer Ro cr IllIams was as compelled to lease leive lel e Iris Ills wife Ife and babies and tramp through the thc snow sno CO covered ered forests lIe He w is sand through the lire aid of to to and anI whom he had ever eer n assumed j a I 1 and generous attitude altitude Chief Ma Massasoit of the Pol iol Indians ga gave gate I him a tract of land lind on Seekonk river riser rh er here he w is joined b old friends from Salem Salim and a sit Ll dement started But Hut upon In friendly hints tint that compile sere ere to arise with the 11 Ply month co col Oll he mo moved moed ed to the lie pre pro ent site of Iro R n I 1 and In June IG started the settlement tint drat w s is des destined tined Lured to become Rhode island The I mid there w ss is given gisen hi b Iris hb hi old friends s C US rind s of till the II Williams soon SOlin hid had a chance to re return return return turn good for evil L II for such w is us his hb influence 0 over er the Nan Hurt 1 IJ ett that he ea cash easily pre prevailed sailed upon this tills pu el ful tribe not to Join the I 1 under as in heir plan to destroy destro ill the English settlements lt In tint that part of th the country countr II Williams In III l lb tS 10 S as assisted ted John Juhn Clarke and I III Ill im nn l Coddin ton in pur purchasing purchasing purchasing chasing 01 of Rhode from the Indian He lie saw to it thud the Indians were ere not swindled s but lib rally paid for thor holdings In 18 16 he went to tu ind and ob turned the charter for tire tile lie l eute and Rhode Island Ilind settlements settlement II bile there he blos blossomed forth as nn flU author ot of some of the best sellers diers producing In ing Key Gey Into Language of America rhe rue Blody Tenet of Persecution for Cause of Con Conscience and Mr Ir Cot Cotton Cotton Cotton ton s Letter r and Ans Williams made such sIKh a hit lilt in that eral e members of parliament gale ga him a n letter which was virtually a pl passport Port through Massachusetts up upon upon upon on his return In 1044 14 In 1 1651 1 he was as obliged to again a u dill visit England in 01 order older der to obtain the re 01 e- e ement e ement e ment of the commission of or I illiam Coddington as fiS gO governor of Rhode Is Island Island laud land and Connecticut He ire not only got what he went after afar nf r but found r V Vw Vr VC Vc w r G C c 0 0 oa c KOG R T some sonic time to du lIu seine bume more He lIe d home In Gi- Gi Giand IG 4 and par participated In the I of tile the colonial colon I ll bO eminent and the presidency pi e of the colony colon which lie he held until IS IG-IS In Ins Ills administratIOn he obtained toleration for the er who ho were then thell coming lo to r- r New Act Ln En land It seems a some h It strange e p pira do do tint that t the settlers eWer Massachusetts of who ho lied from Crom Ln lan to secure e re liberty hbert should become so 0 In Intolerant Intolerant Intolerant tolerant to toward arll others whose la se religious Ideas aid lid Id not agree with theirs But It mu must t t also be admitted that the Quakers give gate e 1 them plenty of pro oca provocation tion for unlike the gentle peaceful pel persons sons whom we e Ire are accustomed to associate with the Idea heu of the Society SOlety ot of f 1 today the Quakers of true tha thaSe Se Seventeenth century were ere firebrands and disturbers of the peace here er they went 11 Williams himself had little more use for them thin than did the Puritans Jews Jess and Turks lurks 1 Protestants and with Ith all of which I hale ha comer conser ed he wrote I never ne met with Ith such cuth a Judging censuring re II Ing spirit as Is the spirit of ot tire the er ers But though he disliked them Ire he would not den deli deny them the right to as tires pleased an any any more than lie Ite would deny that right to any othel others s who were dl h cn out ont of a because of their beliefs I Island h hid id very en little trouble with Ith the Quakers for the simple reu rea reason son on that they the were ere allowed cd to talk nil then the wanted to hence the thov hid had little desire delle to cause a disturbance disturb ucc Ju Just t the opposite was wis true tile case cace in Massa chusett lire 1 he more the woe Ie per pers s ended thel there e and und their right of free 1 I h suppressed the more deter determined determined mined milled tires th were to exploit their sieve le les s here I Is fool for foi thou thought ht In those facts In considering considering- some sonic pre pros ent diy day problems In III America Not r-ot only d dd d ems stand firm for religious lOu liberty In iris Ills colony but for Cor ch civil chit II liberty is 8 well lIe He had re- re resorted re revolted sorted thi lie theocracy ruled I At N w is and In rev re Ire he r rebelled against the magistrates ns as aswell aswell well ell a as t true the cler clergy cleres I I years lr rifer II Cu he had founded his hb Islet of dell tat int freedom he could boast In Ina inu ina u a litter letter t to t Sir Ir Henry lane e Ile e lu hale lue e not tilt felt It the new ne chains of the terlan t I nils nor In III till tills colt colln ni louse hu e hern consumed with Ith tine the 0 o nver er ous lire Hie of the sit si 0 sailed called Jodl godly Chris Ilan magistrates Sir SIre Sirve tie ve fine h e 1 not 1 1110 11 now n It wint i ii It nn un cle c escle c moms means we wi hose hl II III unit 0 t for ot tin Ita t tI lilts t h ire lre J yen yenor en enor or fine tn tn es either In to church chinch or common commonwealth A new lIew duller chatter 11 ir In 1663 I iris Ills charter e tuh lisped cuth liberal republican ern bO mint lint the Revolution Resolution In 1770 made madeI madeno madeno madeno I no change In it and It was not super superceded superceded ceded until 18 1 18 2 lor 1 or the next n 1 cars curCI he was as actively engaged In pub public lic II life fe 1 he de deith ith of this remarkable Amul American can pioneer was us announced In Uric quaint fashion In 11 II letter written 11 tat 10 Ir 3 by John Jolin Thorndyke I-e I of ot Pro 1 dence Bence to Rev lies Samuel Hubbard fhe fire Lord huth hath arrested by bs death our art dent and find approved ed friend Mr Ir II with divers others othere here he W C by W New mw eT Union |