Our Valley’s library collection never ceases to amaze. It is filled with volumes of important texts collected over the years by dedicated members who placed great value on education and the preservation of documents of crucial import.

This latest discovery is a first edition pamphlet authored by the legendary political activist William Penn (1644–1718) and printed in London in 1687: The reasonableness of toleration, and the unreasonableness of penal laws and tests wherein is prov’d by Scripture, reason and antiquity, that liberty of conscience is the undoubted right of every man, and tends to the flourishing of kingdoms and commonwealths, and that persecution for meer religion is unwarrantable, unjust, and destructive to humane society, with examples of both kinds.

The London-born Penn was the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonial era in 1681. He was a philosopher and a staunch (and controversial) advocate of freedom of religion and democracy. He is known for writings that called for the unification of the English colonies.

For a quick study of Penn, see: “William Penn

English Quaker leader and colonist,” Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Penn-English-Quaker-leader-and-colonist

What kinds of treasures will you find in your lodge or Valley archives and libraries?

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