But still, as a man, a colonist, a governor, and a friend of the race,
we owe to William Penn great honor and respect, and his arrival here
is amply worthy of our grateful commemoration. The location and
framing of this goodly city, and a united and consolidated
Pennsylvania established finally in its original principles of common
rights and common freedom, are his lasting monument. If he was not
the spring of our colonial existence, he was its reinforcement by a
strong and fortunate stream, which more fully determined the channel
of its history. If the doctrine of liberty of conscience and religion,
the principles of toleration and common rights, and the embodying of
them in a free state open to all sufferers for conscience' sake, did
not originate with him, he performed a noble work and contributed a
powerful influence toward their final triumph and permanent
establishment on this territory. And his career, taken all in all,
connects his name with an illustrious service to the cause of freedom,
humanity, and even Christianity, especially in its more practical and
ethical bearings.