beauty.

[Illustration: NYE'S CHARTER OAK.]

Roger Williams now settled at Providence Plantation, where he was joined
by Mrs. Hutchinson, who also believed that the church and state should
not be united, but that the state should protect the church and that
neither should undertake to boss the other. It was also held that
religious qualifications should not be required of political aspirants,
also that no man should be required to whittle his soul into a shape to
fit the religious auger-hole of another.

This was the beginning of Rhode Island. She desired at once to join the
New England Colony, but was refused, as she had no charter. Plymouth
claimed also to have jurisdiction over Rhode Island. This was very much
like Plymouth.

Having banished Roger Williams and Mrs. Hutchinson to be skinned by the
Pequods and Narragansetts over at Narragansett Pier, they went on about
their business, flogging Quakers, also ducking old women who had
lumbago, and burning other women who would not answer affirmatively when
asked, "Be you a witch?"

Then when Roger began to make improvements and draw the attention of
Eastern capital to Rhode Island and to organize a State or Colony with a
charter, Plymouth said, "Hold on, Roger: religiously we have cast you
out, to live on wild strawberries, clams, and Indians, but from a
mercantile and political point of view you will please notice that we
have a string which you will notice is attached to your wages and
discoveries."

[Illustration: DUCKING OLD WOMEN.]

Afterwards, however, Roger Williams obtained the necessary funds from
admiring friends with which to go to England and obtain a charter which
united the Colonies yet gave to all the first official right to liberty
of conscience ever granted in Europe or America. Prior to that a man's
conscience had a brass collar on it with the royal arms engraved
thereon, and was kept picketed out in the king's grounds. The owner
could go and look at it on Sundays, but he never had the use of it.

With the advent of freedom of political opinion, the individual use of
the conscience has become popularized, and the time is coming when it
will grow to a great size under our wise institutions and fostering
skies. Instead of turning over our consciences to the safety deposit
company of a great political party or religious organization and taking
the key in our pocket, let us have individual charge of this useful
little instrument and be able finall