OF THE SADDLE AND SIRLOIN CLUB 319 



A PROPAGANDIST OF PEACE 



125. Possibly the first man to recognize in a practical way the 

 utter absence of a divine right to homage was William Penn, 

 founder of Pennsylvania, constructive proponent of the Quakers, 

 and just administrator of the rights of the American Indian. 

 Of aristocratic descent, his sire successively being lieutenant, 

 captain, rear-admiral, vice-admiral and admiral of the British 

 navy, he found in his collegiate days at Oxford ample oppor- 

 tunity to display a rugged plebeianism by opposing what he 

 considered to be popish usages, the wearing of student gowns 

 and the display of honorary vestments. Thereafter, despite a 

 punishment that involved his flight to France, he fought a con- 

 tinuous battle wjthin himself, pitting his sturdy spirit as dis- 

 played in his numerous published defenses of the Quakers, 

 against the more insidious acceptance of the honors and pastimes 

 that were his by heritage and by his wide acquaintance among 

 blooded families. A personal friend and ardent supporter of 

 Robert Spencer, John Locke, George Fox and Algernon Sid- 

 ney, he lived in the favor of Charles II and James II of Eng- 

 land, and Louis XIV of France, while his personal courage earned 

 him respect in the court of the austere William of Orange. 



William Penn was born October 14, 1644, in London, Eng- 

 land. Owing to the sea-faring pursuits of his father, he spent 

 his young life under his mother's tutelage, and from her received 

 his strong religious faith. Part of his childhood was spent in 

 Shenagarry, County Cork, his father's Irish estate. His education 

 was thorough, the Oxford foundations being supplemented by 

 discipleship under MosES Amyrault, one of France's ablest scho- 

 lars, and a member of the Reformed Church. 



His literary talents led to an early recognition of his religious 

 convictions. The turning point in his life was reached in Cork, 

 Sept. 3, 1667, when in company with the entire congregation he 

 was arrested for listening to the Quaker teachings of his old 



