The Children of Peace

Between 1825 and 1832, a series of buildings was constructed on the farm, the most notable of which is the Sharon Temple, an architectural symbol of their vision of a society based on the values of peace, equality and social justice, which is now part of an open-air museum that was in 1990 designated as National Historic Site of Canada.

[3] Through their support of William Lyon Mackenzie, and by ensuring the elections of both "fathers of responsible government", Robert Baldwin and Louis LaFontaine, they played a critical role in the development of democracy in Canada.

[4] The group is primarily associated with the community of Hope (now Sharon) in East Gwillimbury, York Region, Ontario, where they built their meeting houses (places of worship) and the Temple.

Although they never numbered more than 350 members, Reform politician and Rebellion leader William Lyon Mackenzie noted, "they afford ample proofs, both in their village and in their chapels, that comparatively, great achievements may be accomplished by a few when united in their efforts and persevering in their habits.

The Children of Peace, having fled a cruel and uncaring English "pharaoh," viewed themselves as the new Israelites lost in the wilderness of Upper Canada; here they would rebuild God's kingdom on the principle of charity.

Willson was particularly concerned with taking up the Society's peace testimony "from where George Fox left it, and raise it so high, that all the Kingdoms of the Earth should see it.

The new church or chapel of the Children of Peace is certainly calculated to inspire the beholder with astonishment; its dimensions - its architecture - its situation - are all so extraordinary.

The Children of Peace were never communal like many of the other new religious movements then sprouting up in the United States (like the Shakers, the early Mormons or the Oneida Perfectionists).

The Children of Peace viewed trade as a necessarily moral act; in selling their wheat they were not concerned simply with obtaining the "highest market price."

David Willson urged the members of his sect not to bargain at all, but to seek a fixed price that represented their own needs, rather than the highest amount the market would bear.

[9] Soon after they completed their temple and began collecting alms there, members of the Children of Peace complained that the remainder of the unspent Charity Fund was "a loss of interest obstructing to benevolence and makes money useless like the misers' store.

Since they controlled the loan process themselves, they could ensure that terms were manageable, that no one was denied credit, and that the repayment of the principal remained flexible in difficult times.

He had, for example, suggested the "General Convention of [Reform] Delegates," which was then held in February 1834 to nominate candidates for the four ridings of the County of York.

[12] This was the foundation on which the Canadian Alliance Society (the first political party in the province) was erected; these candidates were required to pledge in advance to fight for a democratic reform platform in the House.

The events and consequences of the rebellion are well known: the skirmish at Montgomery's Tavern, the hanging of Samuel Lount, Lord Durham's Report, political reform and Responsible Government (Cabinet rule).

During the 1840s, Willson continued his association with the Reform Party; he was, for example, the campaign manager in the area for both Robert Baldwin and Louis LaFontaine, the "Fathers of Responsible Government" and first elected premiers of the province.

[16] The Temple is calculated to inspire the beholder with astonishment; its dimensions—its architecture—its situation—are all so extraordinary.Most of the meeting houses of the Children of Peace are attributed to Master Builder Ebenezer Doan.

The building was three stories high; the first was an auditorium, built without a pulpit, and the second floor was a musician's gallery reached by a curved staircase, "Jacob's Ladder."

This building was painted a light yellow with green facings, and had a large room upstairs for Sabbath Schools, and band rehearsals.

[17] As an offshoot of the Society of Friends, the Children of Peace shared most Quaker belief, especially in the innate presence of God (the "inner light") in every person.

Willson was to boast, "I never repeat one communication twice over, nor sing one old hymn in worship: bread from heaven is our lot - descending mercies.

Thus, when David Willson's vision commanded him to "ornament the Church with all the glory of Israel," the sect had to turn to an outsider, Richard Coates, for guidance.

Coates, a former British Army Bandmaster, exerted tremendous influence on the art and music by which the Children of Peace came to be known outside their community.

Coates was commissioned by the Children of Peace to build the first of their organs — said, in fact, to be the first built in Ontario; it sat on an elevated platform in the first meeting house.

[23] It was at this time that Coates gave lessons to the Children of Peace in the rudiments of musical performance, teaching members how to play the instruments of a brass band.

The musical accompaniment provided by the choir, band and organs was in large part responsible for the fame — or infamy — which accrued to the Children of Peace.

One Anglican clergyman in nearby Thornhill scathingly described them in the early 1830s: "King David (Willson) frequently goes to a great distance, in order to edify the people of other townships by his music and eloquence...

The music of his sacred band is considered curious; and the oddity of his manner, and his condemnation of the Established Church, and of the government, are approved by many.

"[24] In 1846, the Children of Peace hired Daniel Cory, a music teacher from Boston, to teach them the unison singing style of the mainstream, and Willson produced three books of hymns for the members.

It stands about fourteen feet (4.3 m) high, housed in an impressive case assembled in three towers; to the front are three semi-circles of gilded dummy pipes which hide the wooden pipework within.