Ann Hutchinson Essay Research Paper Anne Hutchinson — страница 2

  • Просмотров 352
  • Скачиваний 9
  • Размер файла 19
    Кб

herself the effects of Bridget?s private recipes for nurturing the family back to health from the herbal secrets. When acting as a midwife Anne found herself cast into the almost god like role of Mother Natures earthly agent. She was responsible for delivering a miniature human being from the body of a still living mother. Mothers-to-be, wrathing with labor pains and in the grasps of death repeatedly put themselves in Anne?s steady and capable hands counting on her to call on skill rather than superstition or mumbo jumbo. Anne went out among the sick because her sympathy and her active temperament drove her to do it. It was not a pleasant job nursing in all those ill-headed, ill-ventilated, ill-equipped houses. This was no matter for daintiness but for hand to hand grappling with

all the unsavory details of personal service under the most inconvenient and distasteful circumstances. The large and ever growing number of women who became Anne?s devoted followers attested to her conspicuous success in her chosen calling. John Cotton himself remarked that she was a ?well beloved in England a Alford in Lincolnshire.? Soon there were not enough hours in a week for Anne. She switched from one demanding role to another: wife, mother, nurse, midwife, and preacher. The new preacher who was destined to exert great influences over her family was John Cotton. At first it was likely that Anne was too closely occupied with her home to pay much attention to the reports of John Cotton?s preaching. It was not long before her curiosity was aroused. Always a keen student of

the bible, and brought up in an atmosphere of theological discussions. What she had heard of the Boston Vicar promised her the intellectual and spiritual food that she craved in her rural home. A trip to Boston with William was surely a frequent occurrence for a businessman like William who had plenty of connections in Boston. So may we imagine Anne riding on Stilton behind her husband bound to spend the weekend in Boston? They would be gone for at least one week. They would spend three days for travel and four to five days in Boston where Anne could listen to John Cotton?s supplemental sermons. The communion of her spirit of God meant more to her than doctrine. By the spirit she lived. The Hutchinson?s set sail for America in the summer of 1643 on the same ship vessel that had

brought John Cotton the year before. They felt safer because the good ship Griffen had proved a safe carrier for so many of their friends. She was of three hundred tons burden and could accommodate about two hundred passengers. On this trip the Griffen and her companion ship together brought only two hundred passengers. They brought a hundred heads of cattle that John Winthrop had asked to be sent over. The trip was inconvenient and inspite of the cramped quarters all on board had a blessed sense of freedom. The whole long trip usually took from fifty to seventy days. Among the whole company no one talked more brilliantly than Anne Hutchinson or expressed more convictions. She soon found herself the center of a little court that stimulated her quick tongue to voice what ever her

quick mind conceived. Thus one day in June of 1635 eleven ships arrived and news came from England in intervals perhaps a week during the good weather. The Hutchinson?s were well known when they landed and entered Boston society under the wing of John Cotton. William Hutchinson was promptly admitted to membership in the Boston Church. To surprise of both William and Anne her admission to the Church of Boston was delayed, though only for one week. On Nov 2, her name was also inscribed on the role of the Boston Church. Inside of two years Anne found herself at the center of everything that was happening in Boston. She was the most popular woman in the Colony. She was more resorted to for counsel and advice than any of the Ministers. The reason for her popularity came from both

within and without. The fact that the right person introduced her into the society of the village capital made all the difference in her popularity. Anne, the new comer was sponsored by John Cotton and enjoying not only his partial courtesies and his personal friend ship was sure to receive plenty of attention from those who considered themselves the best people in the town. It must be noted, however, that there was always an important morality that did not come under Anne?s spell such as John Winthrop, father of the colony was not enthusiastic about her. Reverend John Wilson, Pastor of Boston Church also remained outside the circle of her influence. Perhaps he listened to Zechariah Symms or that he was hurt by her outspoken devotion to his associate John Cotton. More likely the