Show the first prophet et m of or A e are A ic ry JL e idin AM pg 4 X rj LI POW N A F abe T 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 0 long ago and have brought again to the attention 0 of americans the names of many men who are all but forgotten some one has suggested that the bay state might well round out its tercentenary program with one more celebration ot of an important event which took place years ago such a celebration would be held next february for it was in february 1631 that it a roan man named roger williams arrived in boston from england the only trouble with that suggestion Is that roger williams Is a man whom massachusetts Is little likely to honor with any special ceremonies even though it would seem that after three centuries had bad 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 conclusion 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 ot of salem hath bath 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 some same without any retraction it Is therefore ordered that the said mr williams shall depart out of this jurisdiction within six fix weeks now next evening which if he neglect to perform it shall be lawful tor for the governor and two of the magistrates to send him to some gome place out of this jurisdiction not to return any more without license from the court in 1828 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 jobs W hawkins to revoke the sentence of banishment of roger williams thus the day bay state passed up its cliance chance to make a graceful gesture which would show chow that the spirit of intolerance which once characterized massachusetts the colony had bad 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 dissuaded 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 of 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 la Is the arrival of roger williams on the shores abores of new england important enough to justify a celebration years later the answer to that question may be found in these words roger williams was wag the first prophet of freedom in america the land of the free a man whose liberalism was not confined to religion alone but who stood staunchly for civil liberty as well surely in ID these days when americans are becoming concerned about the liberties guaranteed them in the foundation stone of our republic the constitution to know 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 is roger williams prophet and plo neer written by emily easton and published by the houghton company it if roger williams had beon been no more than the pioneer lie he would still be interesting te and worthy of study but it it Is in roger williams the prophet of 0 freedom that our main interest lies and with him in this role his new dew biographer ogra pher Is chiefly concerned the year of 0 his birth Is uncertain it was probably 1602 or 1003 the scene was in london on the edge of Smith Beld eld where were held hoth both tie tahe fairs and the executions of the day his father was a merchant tallor tailor but young roger does not seem to have had find any desire to follow in his fathers footsteps he began the study of stenography and became an adept at writing sho shorthand rt taking down sermons at sal saint t sepulchres chres church and speeches spee clies in n the star chamber the awesome and d terrible court at westminster hall 1 where offenders against the crown were summarily and secretly tried williams talent attracted the attention 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 1626 he be received his degree from pembroke college cambridge and became chaplain in the country house of sir william masham naturally a free thinker tie he allied himself with the mosi extreme of the puritans belief in the separation of church and state prevented its his taking a parish tn in england and he resolved to come to america he arrived in boston on february 5 1631 but soon found that he be was no better oft off in new england than in old england so he went to ny plymouth mouth the pioneer settlement the plymouth people could not agree with his strange opinions so he be went to salem where he was repeatedly peat edly summoned and finally banished it was in january 1630 1636 that roger williams was compelled to leave his bis wife and babies and tramp through the snow covered forests he was saved through the aid of indians toward whom he had ever assumed a kindly and generous attitude chief massasoit Massa of the indians gave him a tract of land on seekonk river where he was joined by old salem and a settlement started but upon receiving friendly hints that complications were liable to arise with mith the plymouth ply month colony lie moved to the present site of providence R L I 1 and to in june 1636 started the settlement that was destined to become rhode island the land there was given by his bis old friends canonicus and MIan sachems of the ts williams soon had a chance to return good tor for evil ell tor for such was lihi his influence oer the that ti lat 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 pan of the country williams in assisted john aulm clarke and william coddington in pur chasing or rhode bland from the indians he saw to it that the indians were not swindled but liberally paid tor for their holdings in 1648 he went to england and obtained b the charter for the Provi device and rhode island settlements title there more he blossomed forth as an author of tome some of the best sellers producing key into language of america the blody tenet of persecution for cause of conscience and mr cottons letter examined and answered williams made uch such a hit tn in en england gland that several members of parliament gave him a letter which was virtually a passport through ugh massachusetts upon his return in lm 1044 in 1651 he was obliged to again visit england in order to obtain the of the commission of william coddington as governor of rhode island and connecticut lie he not only got what lie he went after but found 0 0 some time to do some more writing ne lie returned houie home in 1654 16 4 and participated in the lie reorganization of the colonial government and accepted the presidency of the colony which he held until 1658 ak 8 in his administration he obtained toleration for the quakers who were then coming to new england it seems a somewhat strange paradox do that the settlers of massachusetts who led fled from england to secure religious liberty should become so intolerant toward others whose religious ideas ald id 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 associate 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 pence peace wherever they went williams himself had bad little more use for them than did the puritans amongst jews and turks protestants and pagans with all of which I 1 have conversed he 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 nort 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 had 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 ent day problems in americal america not only did williams stand firm tor for religious liberty in his colony but for civil liberty as well he had revolted against the theocracy which ruled new england and in revolting tins lie he rebelled against the magistrates as well as against the clergy eighteen years after he had founded tits his islet of defiant freedom he be could boast in a letter to sir henry vane we have not felt the new chains of the presbyterian tyrants nor in this colony have me ie been enn ron umed with the over zeal ous lire fire of the so sn called godly christian sir we me have not known what an excise means we have forgotten what tithes are yea or taxes either to church or commonwealth A view new charter ans grunted granted rhode island in this charter established such liberal republican government that the revolution lution in 1776 made oo no change in it it and it wax was not super ceded until 1842 for the next 14 years he be was actively engaged in pub tie lie life the death of this bernar remarkable life amerl can pioneer was announced in tills this quaint fashion in a letter written may 10 1683 by john thorndyke of provi dence to rev samuel hubbard the lord hath bath arrested by death our an dent clent and approved friend mr williams with divers others hero hefe 6 b by western New newspaper union |