Show by ELMO SCOTT WATSON HE various tercentenary celebrations which have been held in massachusetts this year have revived public interest in the historical events of long ago and have brought again to the attention of americans the names of many men who are all but forgotten some one has suggested that the cay state might well round out its tercentenary program with one more celebration of an important event which took place years ago such a celebration would be held next february for it was in february 1631 that a man named roger williams arrived in bos ton from england the only trouble with that alon Is that roger williams Is a man whom massachusetts Is little likely to lionor with any special ceremonies even though it would seem that after three centuries had passed all ancient prejudices should be dispelled and the harsh judgments of those far off days considerably softened at least one might logically draw such a ion from these facts in 1635 the great and general court of the massachusetts bay colony wrote upon its records the following whereas mr roger williams one of the elders of the church of salem hath broached and divulged divers new and dangerous opinions against the authority of magistrates and also writ letters of defamation both of the magistrates and churches here and that before any conviction and yet the same without any ro it la therefore ordered that the said mr williams shall depart out of this jurisdiction within six weeks now next evening which if he neglect to perform it shall be lawful for the governor and two of the magistrates to bend him to some place out of this jurisdiction not to return any more without license from the court in 1928 the massachusetts house of representatives accepted without debate a report by the judiciary committee recommending leave to withdraw on a bill by representative john W hawking to revoke the sentence of banishment of roger williams thus the bay state passed up its chance to make a graceful gesture which would chow that the spirit of intolerance which once characterized massachusetts the colony had been succeeded by a more generous spirit in massachusetts chu the state and it missed an opportunity to utter even this smallest thanks for williams service when at the greatest risk to himself he bissu abed the narragansett indians from joining in the pequot war against the colony which had expelled him from its borders but quite aside from this question of whether or not the massachusetts cf today Is likely to pay belated honor to the man whom the massachusetts of years ago considered dangerous feared and sent into exile Is the question which one might logically ask as the result of recalling the name of a man who has been gone from the american scene these years why Is the arrival of roger williams on the shores of bew england important enough to justify a celebration SOO years later the answer to that question may be found in these words roger williams was the first prophet of freedom in america the land of the tree a man whose liberalism was not confined to religion alone but who stood staunchly for civil liberty as well surely in these days when americans are be coming concerned about the liberties guaranteed them in the foundation stone of our republic the constitution to enow something of such a man Is worth while recently there has appeared a biography of him which brings out strongly the importance of this man in american history it laa a wellams WUll ams prophet and plo t neer written by emily easton and published by the houghton mifflin company it roger williams had been no more than the pioneer be would still be interesting te and worthy of study but it Is in roger williams the prophet of freedom that our main interest lies and with him in this role his new b ogra pher Is chiefly concerned the year of his birth Is uncertain it was probably or the scene was in london on the edge of where were held both the fairs and the executions of the day his father was a merchant tailor but young rog er does not seem to have had any desire to follow in his fathers footsteps he began the study of stenography and became an adept at writing shorthand taking down sermons at saint sepulchres chres church and speeches in the star chamber the awesome and terrible court at westminster hall where offenders against the crown were summarily and secretly tried williams talent attracted the atten alon of sir edward coke the great judge and leader of the puritans who saw to it that the boy was admitted to the charter house school in 1020 he received his degree from pembroke college cambridge and became chap lain in the country house of sir wll masham naturally a free thinker he allied himself with the mosi extreme of the puritans belief in the separation of church and state prevented his taking a parish in england and he resolved to come to america he arrived in boston on february 5 1631 but soon found that he was no better off in new england than in old england so be went to plymouth the pioneer settlement the plymouth people could not agree with his strange opinions so he went to salem where he was repeatedly peat edly summoned and finally ban dished it was in january 1636 that roger williams was compelled to leave his wife and babies and tramp through the snow covered forests was saved through the aid of indians toward whom he had ever assumed a kindly and generous attitude chief massasoit of the indians gave him a tract of land on seekonk river where he was joined by old friends from salem and a settlement started but upon receiving friendly hints that complications were liable to arise with the plymouth colony he moved to the present site of providence R I 1 and in june started the settlement that was des lined to become rhode island the land there was given by his old friends canonicus and MIan sachems of the ts williams soon had a chance to return good for evil tor such was his influence over the ts that he easily prevailed upon this powerful tribe not to join the under Sas in their plan to destroy all the english settlements in that part of the country williams in 1638 assisted john cearle and william coddington in purchasing or rhode island from the indians he saw to it that the indians were not swindled but liberally paid for their holdings in he went to england and ob bained the charter for the providence and rhode island settlements while there he blossomed forth as an author of some of the best sellers prodoc ing key into language of america the blody tenet of persecution tor cause of conscience and mr cottons letter examined and answered williams made such a hit in england that several members of parliament gave him a letter which was virtually a passport through massachusetts up on his return in 1644 in ho was obliged to again visit england in order to obtain the woke ment of the commission of william coddington as governor of rhode island and connecticut he not only got what be went after but found some time to do some more writing returned home in 1654 and participated in the reorganization of the colonial government and accepted the presidency of the colony which he held until 1658 in his administration he obtained toleration for the quakers who were then coming to new eng land it seems a somewhat strange paradox that the settlers of massachusetts who fled from angland to secure religious liberty should become so intolerant toward others whose religious ideas ud not agree with theirs but it must also be admitted that the quakers gave them plenty of provocation for unlike the gentle peaceful persons whom we are accustomed to with the idea of the society of friends today the quakers of the seventeenth century were firebrands fire brands and disturbers disturb ers of the peace wherever they went williams himself had little more use for them than did the puritans amongst jews and turks protestants and pagans with all of which I 1 have conversed be wrote 1 I never met with such a judging censuring reviling spirit as is the spirit of the quakers but though he disliked them he would not deny them the right to worship as they pleased any more than he would deny that right to any others who were driven out of massachusetts chu because of their beliefs rhode island bad very little trouble with the quakers for the simple reason that they were allowed to talk all they wanted to hence they had little desire to cause a disturbance just the opposite was the case in massachusetts chu the more they were persecuted there and their right of free speech suppressed the more determined they were to exploit their views there Is food for thought in those facts in considering some pres problems in america 1 not only did williams stand firm for religious liberty in his colony but for civil liberty well ue had revolted against the theocracy which ruled new england and in revolting he rebelled against the magistrates as well as against the clergy eighteen years after he had founded islet of defiant freedom he could boast in a tetter to sir henry yane we have not felt the new chains of the presbyterian tyrants nor in this colony have we been consumed with the over zealous fire of the 80 called godly christian magistrates sir we have not known what an excise means we have almost forgotten what tithes are yea or taxes either to church or common wealth A new charter was granted rhode island in this charter established such liberal republican government that the revolution in 1770 made no change in it and it wag not super ceded until 1842 the next 14 years he was actively engaged in nub lie life the death of this remarkable ameri can pioneer was announced in this quaint fashion in a letter written mav 10 by john thorndyke of providence to rev samuel cubbard the lord hath arrested by death our an dent and approved friend mr roge williams with divers others hea 0 by union |