66 Wissahickon," Keith, Makin, teacher and author, and Taylor, a Greek and Hebrew scholar; but the masses could barely read and write. Proud describes them as mostly sober, industrial people of low or moderate fortunes, but of universal good reputation and character.”5 With a people of such ideas Penn filled his colony, and he based his first law on righteousness and justice. Every man who believed in the existence of a Deity, owned fifty acres of land costing a penny an acre, and tilled twenty of the same, was a freeman and entitled to Penn's kindness and charity. This variety of peoples and liberality of doctrine contributed greatly to the growth and prosperity of a cosmopolitan city, where a man might belong to any or no sect, and yet be regarded as a good citizen. The growth of population was fairly rapid. In 1681, there were ten rude houses in the wilderness, while in 1683 there were thirty houses on streets carefully laid out, and 5 History of Pennsylvania, Vol. 1, p. 217. These laws are more tolerant than those of any colony in New England. The disputed "Blue Laws" of Connecticut were most severe, but they probably never existed except in the mind of the Rev. Samuel Peters. By them no food or lodging could be given a Quaker or other heretic; no walking on the Sabbath, except to or from meeting was permitted; no mother could kiss her child or care for her house on this day; at no time could they make minced pies, dance, play cards or play on a musical instrument, except a trumpet, jew's-harp or drum. See History of the Colony of New Haven, by E. E. Atwater, New Haven, 1881. A General History of Connecticut by Rev. Samuel Peters, London, 1781. Virginia inflicted the torture of a bodkin through the tongue for swearing, a ducking for slander, and a fine of fifty pounds of tobacco for absence from church. Statute promulgated by Sir Thomas Gates, 1610. Massachusetts, in 1637, imposed a fine of ten shillings for selling cakes or buns except for special occasions. See Mass. Records, 1631. The Massachusetts law against the public use of tobacco was passed in 1632; that of Connecticut in 1647. With all their Quaker simplicity, witchcraft was never believed in, even though Cotton Mather and his associates in 1692 were wildly pursuing the victims at Salem. On December 27, 1683, Penn was present at the only witch-trial ever held in the colonies of Pennsylvania, when the jury said the "accused was guilty of having the common fame of being a witch, but not guilty in manner and form as she stands indicted." (See Colonial Records of Pennsylvania, Vol. 1, p. 40.) two hundred and fifty people engaged in a flourishing commerce. The equable climate, fertile soil, and good situation, added to the toleration of belief and the equitable laws, made the location attractive to emigrants; and peace with the Indians, which they enjoyed for over fifty years, made it possible for the colonists to produce a superabundance of commodities. Penn in his Great Law had an article against many sports.9 Chalkley, a leading missionary among them, denounced cards as a thing of evil consequence, drawing away the mind from heaven and heavenly things.10 He argued that music and dancing had the same tendency and should be refrained from. Although the colonists started thus strictly, they made, because of their natural cheer and happiness, their passive and liberal attitude, a place for frivolous amusements far earlier than New England. Before 1740, Philadelphia had a dancing school, a public ball-room, a pack of hounds, and a race ground. While it is true that the Quakers did not care for college or university training, thinking it' fostered pride and magnified self,' they did approve of academic teaching for all the fied self,' they did approve of elementary teaching for all the work of pagans; French and Italian, frivolous themes of 'Philadelphia was laid out by Thomas Holme, a surveyor-general, sent over by Penn for this purpose. A portraiture of the city, the earliest map during Penn's dominion, was published by Andrew Sowle, 1683. A map of the improved part of the province of Pennsylvania, showing the settled portions, was published by Holme in 1687-8. 8 In October, 1682, William Penn made an important treaty of peace and friendship with representatives of the Delawares, Mingoes, and other Susquehanna tribes of Indians, on the banks of the Delaware, at Shackamaxon, under a great elm. This gave Benjamin West the basis for one of his best pictures, now in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. Article 28 of The Great Law, December 7, 1682, reads: "Whoever shall introduce into this province or frequent such rude and riotous sports and practises as prizes, stage-plays, masks, revels, bull-baits, cock fighting and such like, shall be reputed and fined as breakers of the peace and suffer at least ten days' imprisonment at hard labour in the house of correction or forfeit twenty shillings." See Hazard's Register of Pennsylvania, Vol. 1, p. 625. 10 See Journal of Thomas Chalkley, p. 4. 1751. worldly minds. The founder early established two agencies which were to mould the next generation,—a school and a printing press. A meeting of the Council considered the great necessity of a school master for the instruction and sober education of the youth, and sent for Enoch Flower, a former Wiltshireman, who had been a teacher for twenty years in England. In 1683 he advertised these terms for a school beginning on the 26th of the 10th month: "To learn to read English, 4s by ye Quarter, to learn to read & write 6s by ye Quarter, to learn to read, Write & cast accts 8s by ye Quarter; for Boarding a Scholar, that is to say, dyet, washing, Lodging, and Schooling, Tenn pounds for one whole year." Six years later a public school was established11 and was 'forever thereafter to consist of fifteen discreet and religious persons of the people called Quakers, by the name of Overseers of the Public School, founded in Philadelphia at the request, cost, and charges of the people called Quakers.' 12 The first master was George Keith, of whom Bishop Burnet,18 a fellow student at Aberdeen, says, "Keith was the most learned man ever in the Quaker sect, well versed both in the Oriental tongues, in philosophy and mathematics." His income from the school was to be fifty pounds, a house for his family, a school house, and any school profits. After 11 Sir William Berkeley, royal governor of Virginia, 1641-1651, 1660-1676, said: "I thank God there are no free schools nor printing and I hope we shall not have these hundred years." Massachusetts (see Records 13, 2, 1635) in a general meeting provided “that our brother, Philemon Pomont, shall be intreated to become schoolmaster for the teaching and nourishing of children with us.” The first educational order from the General Court is dated 1642, although Harvard College was founded in 1636. 12 See Journal of Provincial Council, or Proud's History of Pennsylvania, Vol. I, p. 345; Preamble of the Charter of 1701. 18 See History of His Own Times by Bishop Burnet, London, 1724-34, Vol. 2, p. 248. Keith was probably the author of the English translation (1674) of Pocock's Philosophus Autodidactus, from which Barclay obtained the story of Hai Ebn Yokdan (Apology, prop. V, VI, § 27). See Dictionary of National Biography. two years, the salary was to be increased to one hundred and twenty pounds. But one year in this quiet position was enough for Keith, and we shall hear of him again as involving the peaceful society in dire perplexities. Thomas Makin (1665–1733), the chief usher of the school, clerk of the Provincial Council, and a writer of Latin verse, followed Keith as master. His Descriptio Pennsylvania, 1729, contains a notice of the school: Hic in gymnasiis linguæ docentur et artes Una schola his alias etiam supereminet omnes, He wrote an Encomium Pennsylvaniæ in 1678, which with the former production was found in manuscript along with the papers of James Logan, for whom they were composed. In both, Makin dwells on the fertility of the land, the excellence of the government, the presence of churches, etc., but his most hearty delight is in the peacefulness of his life. His fondness for nature is evinced in the following lines:14 ""Tis here the mocking bird extends his throat, And imitates the birds of ev'ry note; 'Tis here the smallest of the feather'd train, The humming bird, frequents the flow'ry plain. The last notice we have of this poet is found in the Pennsylvania Gazette, of November 28, 1733, where we read, "On Monday evening last Mr. Thomas Makin fell off a wharf into the Delaware, and before he could be taken out again, was drowned. He was an ancient man, and formerly 14 See Proud's History of Pennsylvania. lived very well in this city, teaching a considerable school; but of late years, was reduced to extreme poverty." On Penn's first visit he brought with him William Bradford of Leicester (1658–1752), an apprentice to the Quaker printer, Andrew Sowles, in whose office he had known George Fox. Fox introduced Bradford to Thomas Lloyd and the colonists, as "a sober young man, a civil young man, convinced of the Truth." In 1685 Bradford returned to England for his wife, a daughter of Sowles, and also for a press, which was set up at Kensington near the famous Treaty Tree.15 In Pennsylvania, it was four years after the settlement, in Massachusetts eighteen years, in New York seventy-three, before a printing-press was set up. In Virginia, the press of 1681 was condemned and only revived in 1729. This of Philadelphia was the first press south of New England, the third in the colonies, and it did the work for the people of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island. 17 The first work issued from the new press was the Kalendarium Pennsylvaniense16 for 1686, by Samuel Atkins,17 student in mathematics and astrology. The first tract issued was Good Order Established in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, by Thomas Budd, 1686. Only recently has it been discovered that this was from the Bradford press. 18 15 See page 5. 16 An original copy is in the Library of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 17 Knowing of the inability of the people to keep account of the days, the author wrote: "I was really troubled, and did design, according to that small knowledge that I had, to pleasure these my Countrymen with that which they wanted." The printer added an explanation: "Hereby understand that after great Charge and Trouble, I have brought that great Art and Mystery of Printing into this part of America. . . for being lately come hither, my Materials were Misplaced, and out of order, whereupon I was forced to use Figures and Letters of various sizes." Beginning with January, the eleventh month, he has the calendar, followed by remarks on weather, tides, a table of the kings of England and a few generalities. The first almanac printed in America, was in Cambridge, 1639, by Stephen Daye; the first humorous one was by John Gully, Saybrook, Connecticut, 1687. 18 See Hildebrun's Pennsylvania Press and Authors, Vol. 1, p. 4. 1885. |