,i 7,,of #c7999999 available by the ,bibliothque nationale de ,france 7,bn,f_/,gallica7 at http3_/_/gallica4bnf4fr4 ,a ,,portraiture ,,of ,,quakerism1 ,,volume ,i ,taken from a ,view of the ,education and ,discipline1 ,social ,manners1 ,civil and ,political ,economy1 ,religious ,principles and ,character1 of the ,society of ,friends by ,,thomas ,,clarkson1 ,m4,a4 #ahjf4 ,illustration3 ,,thomas ,,clarkson1 ,a4,m4 ,,contents ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,volume4 ,,introduction ,,prefatory ,,arrangements ,,and ,,remarks ,,moral ,,education4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,amusements distinguishable into useful and hurtful--the latter specified and forbidden4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,sect4 ,i4--,games of chance forbidden--history of the origin of some of these4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4--,forbidden as below the dignity of the intellect of man1 and of his christian character4 ,,sect4 ,,iii4--,as producing an excitement of the passions1 unfavourable to religious impressions--historical anecdotes of this excitement4 ,,sect4 ,,iv4--,as tending to produce1 by the introduction of habits of gaming1 an alteration in the moral character4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,sect4 ,i4--,music forbidden--instrumental innocent in itself1 but greatly abused--the use of it almost inseparable from its abuse at the present day4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4--,quakers cannot learn instrumental on the usual motives of the world--nor consider it as a source of moral improvement1 or of solid comfort to the mind--but are fearful that1 if indulged in1 it would interfere with the ,christian duty of religious retirement4 ,,sect ,,iii4--,quakers cannot learn vocal1 because1 on account of its articulative powers1 it is capable of becoming detrimental to morals--its tendency to this1 as discoverable by an analysis of different classes of songs4 ,,sect ,,iv4--,the preceding the arguments of the early ,quaker--but the new state of music has produced others--these explained4 ,,sect ,v4--,an objection stated to the different arguments of the ,quakers on this subject--their reply4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,sect ,i4--,the ,theatre forbidden--short history of its origin--and of its state and progress4 ,,sect ,,ii4--,manner of the drama objected to by the ,quakers--as it personates the characters of others--and it professes to reform vice4 ,,sect ,,iii4--,contents of the drama objected to--as they hold our false sentiments--and weaken the sinews of morality4 ,,sect ,,iv4--,theater considered by the ,quakers to be injurious to the happiness of man1 as it disqualifies him for the pleasure of religion4 ,,sect ,v4--,to be injurious to the happiness of man1 as it disqualifies him for domestic enjoyments4 ,,sect ,,vi4--,opinions of the early ,christians on this subject4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,sect4 ,i4--,dancing forbidden--light in which this subject has been viewed both by the ancients and the moderns--,quakers principally object to it1 where it is connected with public assemblies--they conceive it productive1 in this case1 of a frivolous levity1 and of an excitement of many of the evil passions4 ,,sect4 ,,ii--,these arguments of the ,quakers1 on dancing1 examined in three supposed cases put to a moral philosopher4 ,,sect4 ,,iii4--,these arguments further elucidated by a display of the ,ball-room4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,novels forbidden--considered by the ,quakers as producing an affectation of knowledge--a romantic spirit--and a perverted morality4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,sect4 ,i--,diversions of the field forbidden--general thoughtlessness upon this subject--sentiments of some of our best poets--law of the ,quakers concerning it4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4--,consistency of this law examined by the morality1 which is inculcated by the ,old ,testament4 ,,sect4 ,,iii4--,examined by the morality of the ,new--these employments1 if resorted to as diversions1 pronounced1 in both cases1 to be a breach of a moral law4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,objections to the preceding system1 which includes these different prohibitions1 as a system of moral education4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,sect4 ,i4--,reply of the ,quakers to these objections4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4--,further reply of the ,quakers on the same subject4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,discipline4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,sect4 ,i4--,outlines of the discipline of the ,quakers4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4--,manner of the administration of this discipline4 ,,sect4 ,,iii4--,charges usually brought against the administration of it--observations in answer in these charges4 ,,sect4 ,,iv4--,the principles of this discipline applicable to the discipline of larger societies1 or to the criminal codes of states--beautiful example in ,pennsylvania4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,monthly court or meeting of the ,quakers for the purposes of their discipline--nature and manner of the business transacted there4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,quarterly court or meeting for the same purposes--nature and manner of the business there4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,annual court or meeting for the same purposes--nature and manner of the business there--striking peculiarities in this manner--character of this discipline or government4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,excommunication or disowning--nature of disowning as a punishment4 ,,peculiar ,,customs4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,sect4 ,i4--,dress--extravagance of the dress of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries--plain manner in which the grave and religious were then habited--the ,quakers sprang out of these4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4--,quakers carried with them their plain dresses into their new society--extravagance of the world continuing1 they defined the objects of dress as a ,christian people--at length incorporated it into their discipline--hence their present dress is only a less deviation from that of their ancestors1 than that of other people4 ,,sect4 ,,iii4--,objections of the world to the ,quaker dress--those examined--a comparison between the language of ,quakerism and of ,christianity on this subject--opinion of the early ,christians upon it4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,furniture--the ,quakers use plain furniture--reasons for their singularities in this respect4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,sect4 ,i4--,language--,quakers have altered the common language--substitution of ,thou for ,you--reasons for this change--opinions of many learned men concerning it4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4--,various other alterations made--as in titled of address--and of honour--reasons for these changes4 ,,sect4 ,,iii4--,another alteration--as in the names of the days and the months--reasons for this change--various new phrases also introduced4 ,,sect4 ,,iv4--,objections by the world against the alteration of ,thou for ,you4 ,,sect4 ,v4--,against that of titles of address and honour4 ,,sect4 ,,vi4--,against that of the names of the days and months4 ,,sect4 ,,viii4--,advantages and disadvantages of these alterations by the ,quaker language4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,address--common personal gestures or worldly ceremonies of address forbidden--no exception in favour of royalty--reasons against the disuse of these4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,manners and conversation--hospitality and freedom in ,quakers' houses--their conversation more limited than that of others--subjects of conversation examined in our towns--and in the metropolis--extraordinary circumstance that takes place occasionally in the company of the ,quakers4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,customs before meals--ancients made an oblation to ,vesta--moderns have substituted grace--account of a ,quaker-grace4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,customs at and after meals--,quakers never drink healths or toasts--various reasons for their disuse of these customs--and seldom allow women to retire after dinner and leave the men drinking--,quakers a sober people4 ,,introduction4 ,,motives ,,for ,,the ,,undertaking--,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,name ,,of ,,quakers--,,george ,,fox1 ,,the ,,founder ,,of ,,the ,,society-,,short ,,history ,,of ,,his ,,life4 ,from the year #aghg1 when ,i began to devote my labours to the abolition of the slave trade1 ,i was thrown frequently into the company of the people1 called ,quakers1 these people had been then long unanimous upon this subject4 ,indeed they had placed it among the articles of their religious discipline4 ,their houses were of course open to me in all parts of the kingdom4 ,hence ,i came to a knowledge of their living manners1 which no other person1 who was not a ,quaker1 could have easily obtained4 ,as soon as ,i became possessed of this knowledge1 or at least of so much of it1 as to feel that it was considerable1 ,i conceived a desire of writing their moral history4 ,i believed ,i should be able to exhibit to the rest of the world many excellent customs1 of which they were ignorant1 but which it might be useful to them to know4 ,i believed too1 that ,i should be affording to the ,quakers themselves1 some lessons of utility1 by letting them see1 as it were in a glass1 the reflection of their own images4 ,i felt also a great desire1 amidst these considerations1 to do them justice2 for ignorance and prejudice had invented many expressions concerning them1 to the detriment of their character1 which their conduct never gave me reason to suppose1 during all my intercourse with them1 to be true4 ,nor was ,i without the belief1 that such a history might afford entertainment to many4 ,the ,quakers1 as every body knows1 differ more than even many foreigners do1 from their own countrymen4 ,they adopt a singular mode of language4 ,their domestic customs are peculiar4 ,they have renounced religious ceremonies1 which all other christians1 in some form or other1 have retained4 ,they are distinguished from all the other islanders by their dress4 ,these differences are great and striking4 ,and ,i thought therefore that those1 who were curious in the development of character1 might be gratified in knowing the principles1 which produced such numerous exceptions from the general practices of the world4 ,but though ,i had conceived from the operation of these sentiments upon my mind1 as long ago as ,i have stated1 a strong desire to write the moral history of the ,quakers1 yet my incessant occupations on the subject of the slave-trade1 and indisposition of body afterwards1 in consequence of the great mental exertions necessary in such a cause1 prevented me from attempting my design4 ,at length these causes of prevention ceased4 ,but when1 after this1 the subject recurred1 ,i did not seem to have the industry and perseverance1 though ,i had still the inclination left1 for the undertaking4 ,time1 however1 continued to steal on1 till at length ,i began to be apprehensive1 but more particularly within the last two years1 that1 if ,i were to delay my work much longer1 ,i might not live to begin it at all4 ,this consideration operated upon me4 ,but ,i was forcibly struck by another1 namely1 that1 if ,i were not to put my hand to the task1 the ,quakers would probably continue to be as little known to their fellow-citizens1 as they are at present4 ,for ,i did not see who was ever to give a full and satisfactory account of them4 ,it is true indeed1 that there are works1 written by ,quakers1 from which a certain portion of their history1 and an abstract of their religious principles1 might be collected2 but none1 from whence their living manners could be taken4 ,it is true also that others1 of other religious denominations1 have written concerning them2 but of those authors1 who have mentioned them in the course of their respective writings1 not one1 to my knowledge1 has given a correct account of them4 ,it would be tedious to dwell on the errors of ,mosheim1 or of ,formey1 or of ,hume1 or on those to be found in many of the modern periodical#a publications4 ,it seemed1 therefore1 from the circumstance of my familiar intercourse with the ,quakers1 that it devolved upon me particularly to write their history4 ,and ,i was the more confirmed in my opinion1 because1 in looking forward1 ,i was never able to foresee the time when any other cause would equally1 with that of the slave-trade1 bring any other person1 who was not of the society1 into such habits of friendship with the ,quakers1 as that he should obtain an equal degree of knowledge concerning them with myself4 ,by this new consideration ,i was more than ordinarily stimulated1 and ,i began my work4 ,footnote #a3 ,i must except ,dr4 ,toulmin's revision of ,neal's history of the ,puritans4 ,one or two publications have appeared since1 written1 in a liberal spirit1 but they are confined principally to the religious principles of the ,quakers4 ,it is not improbable but some may imagine from the account already given1 that this work will be a partial one1 or that it will lean1 more than it ought to do1 in favour of the ,quakers4 ,i do not pretend to say1 that ,i shall be utterly able to divest myself of all undue influence1 which their attention towards me may have produced1 or that ,i shall be utterly unbiased1 when ,i consider them as fellow-labourers in the work of the abolition of the slave-trade2 for if others had put their shoulders to the wheel equally with them on the occasion1 one of the greatest causes of human misery1 and moral evil1 that was ever known in the world1 had been long ago annihilated1 nor can ,i conceal1 that ,i have a regard for men1 of whom it is a just feature in their character1 that1 whenever they can be brought to argue upon political subjects1 they reason upon principle1 and not upon consequences2 for if this mode of reasoning had been adopted by others1 but particularly by men in exalted stations1 policy had given way to moral justice1 and there had been but little public wickedness in the world4 ,but though ,i am confessedly partial to the ,quakers on account of their hospitality to me1 and on account of the good traits in their moral character1 ,i am not so much so1 as to be blind to their imperfections4 ,quakerism is of itself a pure system1 and1 if followed closely1 will lead towards purity and perfection2 but ,i know well that all1 who profess it1 are not ,quakers4 ,the deviation therefore of their practice from their profession1 and their frailties and imperfections1 ,i shall uniformly lay open to them1 wherever ,i believe them to exist4 ,and this ,i shall do1 not because ,i wish to avoid the charge of partiality1 but from a belief1 that it is my duty to do it4 ,the society1 of which ,i am to speak1 are called#b ,quakers by the world1 but are known to each other by the name of friends1 a beautiful appellation1 and characteristic of the relation1 which man1 under the christian dispensation1 ought uniformly to bear to man4 ,footnote #b3 ,justice ,bennet of ,derby gave the society the name of ,quakers in the year #afej1 because the founder of it ordered him1 and those present with him1 to tremble at the word of the ,lord4 ,the ,founder of the society was ,george ,fox ,he was born of honest and sufficient parents1 at ,drayton in ,leicestershire1 in the year #afbd4 ,he was put out1 when young1 according to his own account1 to a man1 who was a shoe-maker by trade1 and who dealt in wool1 and followed grazing1 and sold cattle4 ,but it appears from ,william ,penn1 who became a member of the society1 and was acquainted with him that he principally followed the country-part of his master's business4 ,he took a great delight in sheep1 an employment1 says ,penn1 that very well suited his mind in some respects1 both for its innocency and its solitude1 and was a just figure of his after ministry and service4 ,in his youth he manifested a seriousness of spirit1 not usual in persons of his age4 ,this seriousness grew upon him1 and as it encreased he encouraged it1 so that in the year #afdc1 or in the twentieth year of his age1 he conceived himself1 in consequence of the awful impression he had received1 to be called upon to separate himself from the world1 and to devote himself to religion4 ,at this time the ,church of ,england1 as a ,protestant church1 had been established2 and many1 who were not satisfied with the settlement of it1 had formed themselves into different religious sects4 ,there was a great number of persons also in the kingdom1 who approving neither of the religion of the establishment1 nor of that of the different denominations alluded to1 withdrew from the communion of every visible church4 ,these were ready to follow any teacher1 who might inculcate doctrines that coincided with their own apprehensions4 ,thus for a way lay open among many for a cordial reception of ,george ,fox4 ,but of those1 who had formed different visible churches of their own1 it may be observed1 that though they were prejudiced1 the reformation had not taken place so long1 but that they were still alive to religious advancement4 ,nor had it taken place so long1 but that thousands were still very ignorant1 and stood in need of light and information on that subject4 ,it does not appear1 however1 that ,george ,fox1 for the first three years from the time1 when he conceived it to be his duty to withdraw from the world1 had done any thing as a public minister of the gospel4 ,he had travelled from the year #afdc to #afdf1 through the counties of ,warwick1 ,leicester1 ,northampton1 and ,bedford1 and as far as ,london4 ,in this interval he appears to have given himself up to solemn impressions1 and to have endeavoured to find out as many serious people as he could1 with a view of conversing with them on the subject of religion4 ,in #afdg he extended his travels to ,derbyshire1 and from thence into ,lancashire1 but returned to his native county4 ,he met with many friendly people in the course of this journey1 and had many serious conversations with them1 but he never joined in profession with any4 ,at ,duckenfield1 however1 and at ,manchester1 he went among those1 whom he termed the professors of religion1 and according to his own expressions1 he staid a while and declared truth among them4 ,of these some were convinced but others were enraged1 being startled at his doctrine of perfection4 ,at ,broughton in ,leicestershire1 we find him attending a meeting of the ,baptists1 at which many of other denominations were present4 ,here he spoke publicly1 and convinced many4 ,after this he went back to the county of ,nottingham4 ,and here a report having gone abroad1 that he was an extraordinary young man1 many1 both priests and people1 came far and near to see him4 ,in #afdh he confined his movements to a few counties4 ,in this year we find him becoming a public character4 ,in ,nottinghamshire he delivered himself in public at three different meetings1 consisting either of priests and professors1 as he calls them1 or professors and people4 ,in ,warwickshire he met with a great company of professors1 who were praying and expounding the scriptures1 in the fields4 ,here he discoursed largely1 and the hearers fell into contention1 and so parted4 ,in ,leicestershire he attended another meeting1 consisting of ,church people1 ,presbyterians1 ,independents1 and ,baptists1 where he spoke publicly again4 ,this meeting was held in a church4 ,the persons present discoursed and reasoned4 ,questions were propounded1 and answers followed4 ,an answer given by ,george ,fox1 in which he stated that the church was the pillar and ground of truth1 and that it did not consist of a mixed multitude1 or of an old house1 made up of lime1 stones1 and wood1 but of living stones1 living members1 and a spiritual household1 of which ,christ was the head1 set them all on fire4 ,the clergyman left the pulpit1 the people their pews1 and the meeting separated4 ,george ,fox1 however1 went afterwards to an ,inn1 where he argued with priests and professors of all sorts4 ,departing from thence1 he took up his abode for some time in the vale of ,beevor1 where he preached ,repentance1 and convinced many4 ,he then returned into ,nottinghamshire1 and passed from thence into ,derbyshire1 in both which counties his doctrines spread4 ,and1 after this1 warning ,justices of the ,peace1 as he travelled along1 to do justice1 and notoriously wicked men to amend their lives1 he came into the vale of ,beevor again4 ,in this vale it was that he received1 according to his own account1 his commission from divine authority1 by means of impressions on his mind1 in consequence of which he conceived it to be discovered to him1 among other things1 that he was to turn the people from darkness to the light4 ,by this time he had converted many hundreds to his opinions1 and divers meetings of ,friends1 to use his own expression1 had been then gathered4 ,the year #afdi was ushered in by new labours4 ,he was employed occasionally in writing to judges and justices to do justice1 and in warning persons to fulfil the duties of their respective stations in life4 ,this year was the first of all his years of suffering4 ,for it happened on a ,sunday morning1 that1 coming in sight of the town of ,nottingham1 and seeing the great church1 he felt an impression on his mind to go there4 ,on hearing a part of the sermon1 he was so struck with what he supposed to be the erroneous doctrine it contained1 that he could not help publicly contradicting it4 ,for this interruption of the service he was seized1 and afterwards confined in prison4 ,at ,mansfield again1 as he was declaring his own religious opinions in the church1 the people fell upon him and beat and bruised him1 and put him afterwards in the stocks4 ,at ,market ,bosworth he was stoned and driven out of the place4 ,at ,chesterfield he addressed both the clergyman and the people1 but they carried him before the mayor1 who detained him till late at night1 at which unseasonable time the officers and watchmen put him out of the town4 ,and here ,i would observe1 before ,i proceed to the occurrences of another year1 that there is reason to believe that ,george ,fox disapproved of his own conduct in having interrupted the service of the church at ,nottingham1 which ,i have stated to have been the first occasion of his imprisonment4 ,for if he believed any one of his actions1 with which the world had been offended1 to have been right1 he repeated it1 as circumstances called it forth1 though he was sure of suffering for it either from the magistrates or the people4 ,but he never repeated this1 but he always afterwards1 when any occasion of religious controversy occurred in any of the churches1 where his travels lay1 uniformly suspended his observations1 till the service was over4 ,george ,fox spent almost the whole of the next year1 that is1 of the year #afej1 in confinement in ,derby ,prison4 ,in #afea1 when he was set at liberty1 he seems not to have been in the least disheartened by the treatment he had received there1 or at the different places before mentioned1 but to have resumed his travels1 and to have held religious meetings1 as he went along4 ,he had even the boldness to go into ,litchfield1 because he imagined it to be his duty1 and1 with his shoes off to pronounce with an audible voice in the streets1 and this on the market-day1 a woe against that city4 ,he continued also to visit the churches1 as he journeyed1 in the time of divine service1 and to address the priests and the people publicly1 as he saw occasion1 but not1 as ,i observed before1 till he believed the service to be over4 ,it does not appear1 however1 that he suffered any interruption upon these occasions1 in the course of the present year1 except at ,york-,minster2 where1 as he was beginning to preach after the sermon1 he was hurried out of it1 and thrown down the steps by the congregation1 which was then breaking up4 ,it appears that he had been generally well received in the county of ,york1 and that he had convinced many4 ,in the year #afeb1 after having passed through the shires of ,nottingham and ,lincoln1 he came again into ,yorkshire4 ,here1 in the course of his journey1 he ascended ,pendle-,hill4 ,at the top of this he apprehended it was opened to him1 whither he was to direct his future steps1 and that he saw a great host of people1 who were to be converted by him in the course of his ministry4 ,from this time we may consider him as having received his commission full and complete in his own mind4 ,for in the vale of ,beevor he conceived himself to have been informed of the various doctrines1 which it became his duty to teach1 and1 on this occasion1 to have had an insight of the places where he was to spread them4 ,to go over his life1 even in the concise way1 in which ,i have hitherto attempted it1 would be to swell this introduction into a volume4 ,i shall therefore1 from this great period of his ministry1 make only the following simple statement concerning it4 ,he continued his labours1 as a minister of the gospel1 and even preached1 within two days of his death4 ,during this time he had settled meetings in most parts of the kingdom1 and had given to these the foundation of that beautiful system of discipline1 which ,i shall explain in this volume1 and which exists among the ,quakers at the present day4 ,he had travelled over ,england1 ,scotland1 and ,wales4 ,he had been in ,ireland4 ,he had visited the ,british ,west-,indies1 and ,america4 ,he had extended his travels to ,holland1 and part of ,germany4 ,he had written1 in this interval1 several religious books1 and had addressed letters to kings1 princes1 magistrates1 and people1 as he felt impressions on his mind1 which convinced him1 that it become his duty to do it4 ,he had experienced also1 during this interval1 great bodily sufferings4 ,he had been long and repeatedly confined in different gaols of the kingdom4 ,the state of the gaols1 in these times1 is not easily to be conceived4 ,that of ,doomsdale at ,launceston in ,cornwall1 has never been exceeded for filth and pestilential noisomeness1 nor those of ,lancaster and ,scarborough-castles for exposure to the inclemency of the elements4 ,in the two latter he was scarcely ever dry for two years2 for the rain used to beat into them1 and to run down upon the floor4 ,this exposure to the severity of the weather occasioned his body and limbs to be benumbed1 and to swell to a painful size1 and laid the foundation1 by injuring his health1 for future occasional sufferings during the remainder of his life4 ,with respect to the religious doctrines1 which ,george ,fox inculcated during his ministry1 it is not necessary to speak of them here1 as they will be detailed in their proper places4 ,i must observe1 however1 that he laid a stress upon many things1 which the world considered to be of little moment1 but which his followers thought to be entirely worthy of his spiritual calling4 ,he forbade all the modes and gestures1 which are used as tokens of obeisance1 or flattery1 or honour1 among men4 ,he insisted on the necessity of plain speech or language4 ,he declaimed against all sorts of music4 ,he protested against the exhibitions of the theatre1 and many of the accustomary diversions of the times4 ,the early ,quakers1 who followed him in all these points1 were considered by some as turning the world upside down2 but they contended in reply1 that they were only restoring it to its pure and primitive state2 and that they had more weighty arguments for acting up to their principles in these respects1 than others had for condemning them for so doing4 ,but whatever were the doctrines1 whether civil1 or moral1 or religious1 which ,george ,fox promulgated1 he believed that he had a divine commission for teaching them1 and that he was to be the ,,restorer of ,christianity2 that is1 that he was to bring people from ,jewish ceremonies and ,pagan-fables1 with which it had been intermixed1 and also from worldly customs1 to a religion which was to consist of spiritual feeling4 ,i know not how the world will receive the idea1 that he conceived himself to have had a revelation for these purposes4 ,but nothing is more usual than for pious people1 who have succeeded in any ordinary work of goodness1 to say1 that they were providentially led to it1 and this expression is usually considered among ,christians to be accurate4 ,but ,i cannot always find the difference between a man being providentially led into a course of virtues and successful action1 and his having an internal revelation for it4 ,for if we admit that men may be providentially led upon such occasions1 they must be led by the impressions upon their minds4 ,but what are these internal impressions1 but the dictates of an internal voice to those who follow them8 ,but if pious men would believe themselves to have been thus providentially led1 or acted upon1 in any ordinary case of virtue1 if it had been crowned with success1 ,george ,fox would have had equal reason to believe1 from the success that attended his own particular undertaking1 that he had been called upon to engage in it4 ,for at a very early age he had confuted many of the professors of religion in public disputations4 ,he had converted magistrates1 priests1 and people4 ,of the clergymen of those times some had left valuable livings1 and followed him4 ,in his thirtieth year he had seen no less than sixty persons1 spreading1 as ministers1 his own doctrines4 ,these1 and other circumstances which might be related1 would doubtless operate powerfully upon him to make him believe1 that he was a chosen vessel4 ,now1 if to these considerations it be added1 that ,george ,fox was not engaged in any particular or partial cause of benevolence1 or mercy1 or justice1 but wholly and exclusively in a religious and spiritual work1 and that it was the first of all his religious doctrines1 that the spirit of ,god1 where men were obedient to it1 guided them in their spiritual concerns1 he must have believed himself1 on the consideration of his unparalleled success1 to have been providentially led1 or to have had an internal or spiritual commission for the cause1 which he had undertaken4 ,but this belief was not confined to himself4 ,his followers believed in his commission also4 ,they had seen1 like himself1 the extraordinary success of his ministry4 ,they acknowledged the same internal admonitions1 or revelations of the same spirit1 in spiritual concerns4 ,they had been witnesses of his innocent and blameless life4 ,there were individuals in the kingdom1 who had publicly professed sights and prophecies concerning him4 ,at an early age he had been reported1 in some parts of the country1 as a youth1 who had a discerning spirit4 ,it had gone abroad1 that he had healed many persons1 who had been sick of various diseases4 ,some of his prophecies had come true in the lifetime of those1 who had heard them delivered4 ,his followers too had seen many1 who had come purposely to molest and apprehend him1 depart quietly1 as if their anger and their power had been providentially broken4 ,they had seen others1 who had been his chief persecutors1 either falling into misfortunes1 or dying a miserable or an untimely death4 ,they had seen him frequently cast into prison1 but always getting out again by means of his innocence4 ,from these causes the belief was universal among them1 that his commission was of divine authority2 and they looked upon him therefore in no other light1 than that of a teacher1 who had been sent to them from heaven4 ,george ,fox was in his person above the ordinary size4 ,he is described by ,william ,penn as a lusty person4 ,he was graceful in his countenance4 ,his eye was particularly piercing1 so that some of those1 who were disputing with him1 were unable to bear it4 ,he was1 in short1 manly1 dignified1 and commanding in his aspect and appearance4 ,in his manner of living he was temperate4 ,he ate sparingly4 ,he avoided1 except medicinally1 all strong drink4 ,notwithstanding the great exercise he was accustomed to take1 he allowed himself but little sleep4 ,in his outward demeanour he was modest1 and without affectation4 ,he possessed a certain gravity of manners1 but he was nevertheless affable1 and courteous1 and civil beyond the usual forms of breeding4 ,in his disposition he was meek1 and tender1 and compassionate4 ,he was kind to the poor1 without any exception1 and1 in his own society1 laid the foundation of that attention towards them1 which the world remarks as an honour to the ,quaker-character at the present day4 ,but the poor were not the only persons1 for whom1 he manifested an affectionate concern4 ,he felt and sympathized wherever humanity could be interested4 ,he wrote to the judges on the subject of capital punishments1 warning them not to take away the lives of persons for theft4 ,on the coast of ,cornwall he was deeply distressed at finding the inhabitants1 more intent upon plundering the wrecks of vessels that were driven upon their shores1 than upon saving the poor and miserable mariners1 who were clinging to them2 and he bore his public testimony against this practice1 by sending letters to all the clergymen and magistrates in the parishes1 bordering upon the sea1 and reproving them for their unchristian conduct ,in the ,west-,indies also he exhorted those1 who attended his meetings to be merciful to their slaves1 and to give them their freedom in due time4 ,he considered these as belonging to their families1 and that religious instruction was due to these1 as the branches of them1 for whom one day or other they would be required to give a solemn account4 ,happy had it been1 if these christian exhortations had been attended to1 or if those families only1 whom he thus seriously addressed1 had continued to be true ,quakers2 for they would have set an example1 which would have proved to the rest of the islanders1 and the world at large1 that the impolicy is not less than the wickedness of oppression4 ,thus was ,george ,fox probably the first person1 who publicly declared against this species of slavery4 ,nothing in short1 that could be deplored by humanity1 seems to have escaped his eye2 and his benevolence1 when excited1 appears to have suffered no interruption in its progress by the obstacles1 which bigotry would have thrown in the way of many1 on account of the difference of a persons country1 or of his colour1 or of his sect4 ,he was patient under his own sufferings4 ,to those1 who smote his right cheek1 he offered his left2 and1 in the true spirit of christianity1 he indulged no rancour against the worst of his oppressors4 ,he made use occasionally of a rough expression towards them2 but he would never have hurt any of them1 if he had had them in his power4 ,he possessed the most undaunted courage2 for he was afraid of no earthly power4 ,he was never deterred from going to meetings for worship1 though he knew the officers would be there1 who were to seize his person4 ,in his personal conversations with ,oliver ,cromwell1 or in his letters to him as protector1 or in his letters to the parliament1 or to king ,charles the second1 or to any other personage1 he discovered his usual boldness of character1 and never lost1 by means of any degrading flattery1 his dignity as a man4 ,but his perseverance was equal to his courage2 for he was no sooner out of gaol1 than he repeated the very acts1 believing them to be right1 for which he had been confined4 ,when he was forced also out of the meeting-houses by the officers of justice1 he preached at the very doors4 ,in short1 he was never hindered but by sickness1 or imprisonments1 from persevering in his religious pursuits4 ,with respect to his word1 he was known to have held it so sacred1 that the judges frequently dismissed him without bail1 on his bare promise that he would be forth coming on a given day4 ,on these occasions1 he used always to qualify his promise by the expression1 if the ,lord permit4 ,of the integrity of his own character1 as a christian1 he was so scrupulously tenacious1 that1 when he might have been sometimes set at liberty by making trifling acknowledgements1 he would make none1 least it should imply a conviction1 that he had been confined for that which was wrong2 and1 at one time in particular1 king ,charles the second was so touched with the hardship of his case1 that he offered to discharge him from prison by a pardon4 ,but ,george ,fox declined it on the idea1 that1 as pardon implied guilt1 his innocence would be called in question by his acceptance of it4 ,the king1 however1 replied1 that he need not scruple being released by a pardon1 for many a man who was as innocent as a child1 had had a pardon granted him4 ,but still he chose to decline it4 ,and he lay in gaol1 till1 upon a trial of the errors in his indictment1 he was discharged in an honourable way4 ,as a minister of the gospel1 he was singularly eminent4 ,he had a wonderful gift in expounding the scriptures4 ,he was particularly impressive in his preaching2 but he excelled most in prayer4 ,here it was1 that he is described by ,william ,penn1 as possessing the most awful and reverend frame he ever beheld4 ,his presence1 says the same author1 expressed a religious majesty4 ,that there must have been something more than usually striking either in his manner1 or in his language1 or in his arguments1 or in all of them combined1 or that he spoke in the demonstration of the spirit and with power1 we are warranted in pronouncing from the general and powerful effects produced4 ,in the year #afdh1 when he had but once before spoken in public1 it was observed of him at ,mansfield1 at the end of his prayer1 that it was then1 as in the days of the apostles1 when the house was shaken where they were4 ,in the same manner he appears to have gone on1 making a deep impression upon his hearers1 whenever he was fully and fairly heard4 ,many clergymen1 as ,i observed before1 in consequence of his powerful preaching1 gave up their livings2 and constables1 who attended the meetings1 in order to apprehend him1 felt themselves disarmed1 so that they went away without attempting to secure his person4 ,as to his life1 it was innocent4 ,it is true indeed1 that there were persons1 high in civil offices1 who1 because he addressed the people in public1 considered him as a disturber of the peace4 ,but none of these ever pretended to cast a stain on his moral character4 ,he was considered both by friends and enemies1 as irreproachable in his life4 ,such was the character of the founder of ,quakerism1 ,he was born in ,july #afbd1 and died on the thirteenth of ,november #afij1 in the sixty-seventh year of his age4 ,he had separated himself from the word in order to attend to serious things1 as ,i observed before1 at the age of nineteen1 so that he had devoted himself to the exercises and services of religion for no less a period than forty-eight years4 ,a few hours before his death1 upon some friends asking him how he found himself1 he replied never heed4 ,all is well4 ,the seed or power of ,god reigns over all1 and over death itself1 blessed be the ,lord4 ,this answer was full of courage1 and corresponded with that courage1 which had been conspicuous in him during life4 ,it contained on evidence1 as manifested in his own feelings1 of the tranquillity and happiness of his mind1 and that the power and terrors of death had been vanquished in himself4 ,it shewed also the ground of his courage and of his confidence4 ,he was full of assurance1 says ,william ,penn1 that he had triumphed over death1 and so much so1 even to the last1 that death appeared to him hardly worth notice or mention4 ,thus he departed this life1 affording an instance of the truth of those words of the psalmist1 ,behold the upright1 for the end of that man is peace4 ,,prefatory ,,arrangements ,,and ,,remarks4 ,,prefatory ,,arrangements ,,and ,,remarks4 ,,quakerism1 ,a ,,high ,,profession--,,quakers ,,generally ,,allowed ,,to ,,be ,a ,,moral ,,people--,,various ,,causes ,,of ,,this ,,morality ,,of ,,character--,,their ,,moral ,,education1 ,,which ,,is ,,one ,,of ,,them1 ,,the ,,first ,,subject ,,for ,,consideration --,,this ,,education ,,universal ,,among ,,them--,,its ,,origin--,,the ,,prohibitions ,,belonging ,,to ,,it ,,chiefly ,,to ,,be ,,considered4 99 99 99 99 99 ,george ,fox never gave1 while living1 nor left after his death1 any definition of ,quakerism4 ,he left1 however1 his journal behind him1 and he left what is of equal importance1 his example4 ,combining these with the sentiments and practice of the early ,quakers1 ,i may state1 in a few words1 what ,quakerism is1 or at least what we may suppose ,george ,fox intended it to be4 ,quakerism may be defined to be an attempt1 under the divine influence1 at practical christianity as far as it can be carried4 ,those1 who profess it1 consider themselves bound to regulate their opinions1 words1 actions1 and even outward demeanour1 by christianity1 and by christianity alone4 ,they consider themselves bound to give up such of the customs1 or fashions of men1 however general1 or generally approved1 as militate1 in any manner1 against the letter or the spirit of the gospel4 ,hence they mix but little with the world1 that they may be less liable to imbibe its spirit4 ,hence ,george ,fox made a distinction between the members of his own society and others1 by the different appellations of ,friends1 and ,people of the world4 ,they consider themselves also under an obligation to follow virtue1 not ordinarily1 but even to the death4 ,for they profess never to make a sacrifice of conscience1 and therefore1 if any ordinances of man are enjoined them1 which they think to be contrary to the divine will1 they believe right not to submit to them1 but rather1 after the example of the apostles and primitive christians1 to suffer any loss1 penalty1 or inconvenience1 which may result to them for so doing4 ,this then1 in a few words1 is a general definition of #c,quakerism4 ,it is1 as we see1 a most strict profession of practical virtue under the direction of christianity1 and such as1 when we consider the infirmities of human nature1 and the temptations that daily surround it1 it must be exceedingly difficult to fulfil4 ,but1 whatever difficulties may have lain in the way1 or however1 on account of the necessary weakness of human nature1 the best individuals among the ,quakers may have fallen below the pattern of excellence1 which they have copied1 nothing is more true1 than that the result has been1 that the whole society1 as a body1 have obtained from their countrymen1 the character of a moral people4 ,footnote #c3 ,i wish to be understood1 in writing this work1 that ,i can give no account that will be applicable to all under the name of ,quakers4 ,my account will comprehend the general practice1 or that which ought to be the practice of those1 who profess ,quakerism4 ,if the reader be a lover of virtue1 and anxious for the moral improvement of mankind1 he will be desirous of knowing what means the ,quakers have used to have preserved1 for a hundred and fifty years1 this desirable reputation in the world4 ,if we were to put the question to the ,quakers themselves for their own opinion upon it1 ,i believe ,i can anticipate their reply4 ,they would attribute any morality1 they might be supposed to have1 to the ,supreme ,being1 whose will having been discovered by means of the scriptures1 and of religious impressions upon the mind1 when it has been calm1 and still1 and abstracted from the world1 they have endeavoured to obey4 ,but there is no doubt1 that we may add1 auxiliary causes of this morality1 and such as the ,quakers themselves would allow to have had their share in producing it1 under the same influence4 ,the first of these may be called their moral education4 ,the second their discipline4 ,the third may be said to consist of those domestic1 or other customs1 which are peculiar to them1 as a society of christians4 ,the fourth of their peculiar tenets of religion4 ,in fact1 there are many circumstances interwoven into the constitution of the society of the ,quakers1 each of which has a separate effect1 and all of which have a combined tendency1 towards the production of moral character4 ,these auxiliary causes ,i shall consider and explain in their turn4 ,in the course of this explanation the reader will see1 that1 if other people were to resort to the same means as the ,quakers1 they would obtain the same reputation1 or that human nature is not so stubborn1 but that it will yield to a given force4 ,but as it is usual1 in examining the life of an individual1 to begin with his youth1 or1 if it has been eminent1 to begin with the education he has received1 so ,i shall fix upon the first of the auxiliary causes ,i have mentioned1 or the moral education of the ,quakers1 as the subject for the first division of my work4 ,of this moral education ,i may observe here1 that it is universal among the society1 or that it obtains where the individuals are considered to be true ,quakers4 ,it matters not1 how various the tempers of young persons may be1 who come under it1 they must submit to it4 ,nor does it signify what may be the disposition1 or the whim1 and caprice of their parents1 they must submit to it alike4 ,the ,quakers believe that they have discovered that system of morality1 which christianity prescribes2 and therefore that they can give no dispensation to their members1 under any circumstances whatever1 to deviate from it4 ,the origin of this system1 as a standard of education in the society1 is as follows4 ,when the first ,quakers met in union1 they consisted of religious or spiritually minded men4 ,from that time to the present1 there has always been1 as we may imagine1 a succession of such in the society4 ,many of these1 at their great meetings1 which have been annual since those days1 have delivered their sentiments on various interesting points4 ,these sentiments were regularly printed1 in the form of yearly epistles1 and distributed among ,quaker families4 ,extracts1 in process of time1 were made from them1 and arranged under different heads1 and published in one book1 under the name of #d;,advices4 ,now these advices comprehend important subjects4 ,they relate to customs1 manners1 fashions1 conversation1 conduct4 ,they contain of course recommendations1 and suggest prohibitions1 to the society1 as rules of guidance3 and as they came from spiritually minded men on solemn occasions1 they are supposed to have had a spiritual origin4 ,hence ,quaker parents manage their youth according to these recommendations and prohibitions1 and hence this book of extracts 7for so it is usually called7 from which ,i have obtained a considerable portion of my knowledge on this subject1 forms the basis of the moral ,education of the ,society4 ,footnote #d3 ,the ,book is intitled ,extracts from the minutes made1 and from the advices given1 at the yearly ,meeting of the ,quakers in ,london1 since its first ,institution4 ,of the contents of this book1 ,i shall notice1 while ,i am treating upon this subject1 not those rules which are of a recommendatory1 but those1 which are of a prohibitory nature4 ,education is regulated either by recommendations1 or by prohibitions1 or by both conjoined4 ,the former relate to things1 where there is a wish that youth should conform to them1 but where a trifling deviation from them would not be considered as an act of delinquency publicly reprehensible4 ,the latter to things1 where any compliance with them becomes a positive offence4 ,the ,quakers1 in consequence of the vast power they have over their members by means of their discipline1 lay a great stress upon the latter4 ,they consider their prohibitions1 when duly watched and enforced1 as so many barriers against vice or preservatives of virtue4 ,hence they are the grand component parts of their moral education1 and hence ,i shall chiefly consider them in the chapters1 which are now to follow upon this subject4 ,,moral ,,education ,,of ,,the ,,quakers4 ,,chap4,i4 ,moral ,education of the ,quakers--amusements necessary for youth--,quakers distinguish between the useful and the hurtful--the latter specified and forbidden4 ,when the blooming spring sheds abroad its benign influence1 man feels it equally with the rest of created nature4 ,the blood circulates more freely1 and a new current of life seems to be diffused1 in his veins4 ,the aged man is enlivened1 and the sick man feels himself refreshed4 ,good spirits and cheerful countenances succeed4 ,but as the year changes in its seasons1 and rolls round to its end1 the tide seems to slacken1 and the current of feeling to return to its former level4 ,but this is not the case with the young4 ,the whole year to them is a kind of perpetual spring4 ,their blood runs briskly throughout4 ,their spirits are kept almost constantly alive2 and as the cares of the world occasion no drawback1 they feel a perpetual disposition to cheerfulness and to mirth4 ,this disposition seems to be universal in them4 ,it seems too to be felt by us all2 that is1 the spring1 enjoyed by youth1 seems to operate as spring to maturer age4 ,the sprightly and smiling looks of children1 their shrill1 lively1 and cheerful voices1 their varied and exhilarating sports1 all these are interwoven with the other objects of our senses1 and have an imperceptible1 though an undoubted influence1 in adding to the cheerfulness of our minds4 ,take away the beautiful choristers from the woods1 and those1 who live in the country1 would but half enjoy the spring4 ,so1 if by means of any unparalleled pestilence1 the children of a certain growth were to be swept away1 and we were to lose this infantile link in the chain of age1 those1 who were left behind1 would find the creation dull1 or experience an interruption in the cheerfulness of their feelings1 till the former were successively restored4 ,the bodies1 as well as the minds of children1 require exercise for their growth3 and as their disposition is thus lively and sportive1 such exercises1 as are amusing1 are necessary1 and such amusements1 on account of the length of the spring which they enjoy1 must be expected to be long4 ,the ,quakers1 though they are esteemed an austere people1 are sensible of these wants or necessities of youth4 ,they allow their children most of the sports or exercises of the body1 and most of the amusements or exercises of the mind1 which other children of the island enjoy2 but as children are to become men1 and men are to become moral characters1 they believe that bounds should be drawn1 or that an unlimited permission to follow every recreation would be hurtful4 ,the ,quakers therefore have thought it proper to interfere on this subject1 and to draw the line between those amusements1 which they consider to be salutary1 and those1 which they consider to be hurtful4 ,they have accordingly struck out of the general list of these such1 and such only1 as1 by being likely to endanger their morality1 would be likely to interrupt the usefulness1 and the happiness1 of their lives4 ,among the bodily exercises1 dancing1 and the diversions of the field1 have been proscribed2 among the mental1 music1 novels1 the theatre1 and all games of chance1 of every description1 have been forbidden4 ,these are the principal prohibitions1 which the ,quakers have made on the subject of their moral education4 ,they were suggested1 most of them1 by ,george ,fox1 but were brought into the discipline1 at different times1 by his successors4 ,i shall now consider each of these prohibitions separately1 and ,i shall give all the reasons1 which the ,quakers themselves give1 why1 as a society of ,christians1 they have1 thought it right to issue and enforce them4 ,,chap4 ,,ii 444,,sect4 ,i4 ,games of chance--,quakers forbid cards1 dice1 and other similar amusements--also1 concerns in lotteries--and certain transactions in the stocks--they forbid also all wagers1 and speculations by a monied stake--the peculiar wisdom of the latter prohibition1 as collected from the history of the origin of some of the amusements of the times4 ,when we consider the depravity of heart1 and the misery and ruin1 that are frequently connected with gaming1 it would be strange indeed1 if the ,quakers1 as highly professing ,christians1 had not endeavoured to extirpate it from their own body4 ,no people1 in fact1 have taken more or more effectual measures for its suppression4 ,they have proscribed the use of all games of chance1 and of all games of skill1 that are connected with chance in any manner4 ,hence cards1 dice1 horse-racing1 cock-fighting1 and all the amusements1 which come under this definition1 are forbidden4 ,but as there are certain transactions1 independently of these amusements1 which are equally connected with hazard1 and which individuals might convert into the means of moral depravity and temporal ruin1 they have forbidden these also1 by including them under the appellation of gaming4 ,of this description are concerns in the lottery1 from which all ,quakers are advised to refrain4 ,these include the purchase of tickets1 and all insurance upon the same4 ,in transactions of this kind there is always a monied stake1 and the issue is dependent upon chance4 ,there is of course the same fascinating stimulus as in cards1 or dice1 arising from the hope of gain4 ,the mind also must be equally agitated between hope and fear2 and the same state of desperation may be produced1 with other fatal consequences1 in the event of loss4 ,buying and selling in the public stocks of the kingdom is1 under particular circumstances1 discouraged also4 ,where any of the members of the society buy into the stocks1 under the idea1 that they are likely to obtain better security1 or more permanent advantages1 such a transfer of their property is allowable4 ,but if any were to make a practice of buying or selling1 week after week1 upon speculation only1 such a practice would come under the denomination of gaming4 ,in this case1 like the preceding1 it is evident1 that money would be the object in view2 that the issue would be hazardous2 and1 if the stake or deposit were of great importance1 the tranquillity of the mind might be equally disturbed1 and many temporal sufferings might follow4 ,the ,quakers have thought it right1 upon the same principle1 to forbid the custom of laying wagers upon any occasion whatever1 or of reaping advantage from any doubtful event1 by a previous agreement upon a monied stake4 ,this prohibition1 however1 is not on record1 like the former1 but is observed as a traditional law4 ,no ,quaker-parent would suffer his child1 nor ,quaker-schoolmaster the children entrusted to his care1 nor any member another1 to be concerned in amusements of this kind1 without a suitable reproof4 ,by means of these prohibitions1 which are enforced1 in a great measure1 by the discipline1 the ,quakers have put a stop to gaming more effectually than others1 but particularly by means of the latter4 ,for history has shewn us1 that we cannot always place a reliance on a mere prohibition of any particular amusement or employment1 as a cure for gaming1 because any pastime or employment1 however innocent in itself1 may be made an instrument for its designs4 ,there are few customs1 however harmless1 which avarice cannot convert into the means of rapine on the one hand1 and of distress on the other4 ,many of the games1 which are now in use with such pernicious effects to individuals1 were not formerly the instruments of private ruin4 ,horse-racing was originally instituted with a view of promoting a better breed of horses for the services of man4 ,upon this principle it was continued4 ,it afforded no private emolument to any individual4 ,the by-standers were only spectators4 ,they were not interested in the victory4 ,the victor himself was remunerated not with money1 but with crowns and garlands1 the testimonies of public applause4 ,but the spirit of gaming got hold of the custom1 and turned it into a private diversion1 which was to afford the opportunity of a private prize4 ,cock-fighting1 as we learn from ,a,elian1 was instituted by the ,athenians1 immediately after their victory over the ,persians1 to perpetuate the memory of the event1 and to stimulate the courage of the youth of ,greece in the defence of their own freedom2 and it was continued upon the same principle1 or as a public institution for a public good4 ,but the spirit of avarice seized it1 as it has done the custom of horse-racing1 and continued it for a private gain4 ,cards1 that is1 ,european cards1 were1 as all are agreed1 of an harmless origin4 ,charles the sixth1 of ,france1 was particularly afflicted with the hypochondriasis4 ,while in this disordered state1 one of his subjects invented them1 to give variety of amusement to his mind4 ,from the court they passed into private families4 ,and here the same avaricious spirit fastened upon them1 and1 with its cruel talons1 clawed them1 as it were1 to its own purposes1 not caring how much these little instruments of cheerfulness in human disease were converted into instruments for the extension of human pain4 ,in the same manner as the spirit of gaming has seized upon these different institutions and amusements of antiquity1 and turned them from their original to new and destructive uses1 so there is no certainty1 that it will not seize upon others1 which may have been innocently resorted to1 and prostitute them equally with the former4 ,the mere prohibition of particular amusements1 even if it could be enforced1 would be no cure for the evil4 ,the brain of man is fertile enough1 as fast as one custom is prohibited1 to fix upon another4 ,and if all the games1 now in use1 were forbidden1 it would be still fertile enough to invent others for the same purposes4 ,the bird that flies in the air1 and the snail1 that crawls upon the ground1 have not escaped the notice of the gamester1 but have been made1 each of them1 subservient to his pursuits4 ,the wisdom1 therefore1 of the ,quakers1 in making it to be considered as a law of the society1 that no member is to lay wagers1 or reap advantage from any doubtful event1 by a previous agreement upon a monied stake1 is particularly conspicuous4 ,for1 whenever it can be enforced1 it must be an effectual cure for gaming4 ,for we have no idea1 how a man can gratify his desire of gain by means of any of the amusements of chance1 if he can make no monied arrangements about their issue4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4 ,the first argument for the prohibition of cards1 and of similar amusements1 by the ,quakers1 is--that they are below the dignity of the intellect of man1 and of his moral and christian character--sentiments of ,addison on this subject4 ,the reasons1 which the ,quakers give for the prohibition of cards1 and of amusements of a similar nature1 to the members of their own society1 are generally such as are given by other ,christians1 though they make use of one1 which is peculiar to themselves4 ,it has been often observed1 that the word amusement is proper to characterize the employments of children1 but that the word utility is the only one proper to characterize the employment of men4 ,the first argument of the ,quakers1 on this subject1 is of a complexion1 similar to that of the observation just mentioned4 ,for when they consider man1 as a reasonable being1 they are of opinion1 that his occupations should be rational4 ,and when they consider him as making a profession of the ,christian religion1 they expect that his conduct should be manly1 serious1 and dignified4 ,but all such amusements1 as those in question1 if resorted to for the filling up of his vacant hours1 they conceive to be unworthy of his intellect1 and to be below the dignity of his ,christian character4 ,they believe also1 when they consider man as a moral being1 that it is his duty1 as it is unquestionably his interest1 to aim at the improvement of his moral character4 ,now one of the foundations1 on which this improvement must be raised1 is knowledge4 ,but knowledge is only slowly acquired4 ,and human life1 or the time for the acquisition of it1 is but short4 ,it does not appear1 therefore1 in the judgment of the ,quakers1 that a person can have much time for amusements of this sort1 if he be bent upon obtaining that object1 which will be most conducive to his true happiness1 or to the end of his existence here4 ,upon this first argument of the ,quakers ,i shall only observe1 lest it should be thought singular1 that sentiments of a similar import are to be found in authors1 of a different religious denomination1 and of acknowledged judgment and merit4 ,addison1 in one of his excellent chapters on the proper employment of life1 has the following observation3 ,the next method1 says he1 that ,i would propose to fill up our time should be innocent and useful diversions4 ,i must confess ,i think it is below reasonable creatures1 to be altogether conversant in such diversions1 as are merely innocent1 and have nothing else to recommend them1 but that there is no hurt in them4 ,whether any kind of gaming has even thus much to say for itself ,i shall not determine3 but ,i think it is very wonderful to see persons of the best sense passing a dozen hours together in shuffling and dividing a pack of cards1 with no other conversation1 but what is made up of a few game-phrases1 and no other ideas1 but those of red or black spots ranged together in different figures4 ,would not a man laugh to hear any one of this species complaining that life is short8 ,,sect4 ,,iii4 ,cards on account of the manner in which they are generally used1 produce an excitement of the passions--historical anecdotes of this excitement--this excitement another cause of their prohibition by the ,quakers1 because it unfits the mind1 according to their notions1 for the reception of religious impressions4 ,the ,quakers are not so superstitious as to imagine that there can be any evil in cards1 considered abstractedly as cards1 or in some of the other amusements1 that have been mentioned4 ,the red or the black images on their surfaces can neither pollute the fingers1 nor the minds1 of those who handle them4 ,they may be moved about1 and dealt in various ways1 and no objectionable consequences may follow4 ,they nay be used1 and this innocently1 to construct the similitudes of things4 ,they may be arranged1 so as to exhibit devices1 which may be productive of harmless mirth4 ,the evil1 connected with them1 will depend solely upon the manner of their use4 ,if they are used for a trial of skill1 and for this purpose only1 they will be less dangerous1 than where they are used for a similar trial1 with a monied stake4 ,in the former case1 however1 they may be made to ruffle the temper1 for1 in the very midst of victory1 the combatant may experience defeat4 ,in the latter case1 the loss of victory will be accompanied by a pecuniary loss1 and two causes1 instead of one1 of the excitement of the passions1 will operate at once upon the mind4 ,it seldom happens1 and it is much to be lamented1 either that children1 or that more mature persons1 are satisfied with amusements of this kind1 so as to use them simply as trials of skill4 ,a monied stake is usually proposed1 as the object to be obtained4 ,this general attachment of a monied victory to cards is productive frequently of evil4 ,it generates often improper feelings4 ,it gives birth to uneasiness and impatience1 while the contest is in doubt1 and not unfrequently to anger and resentment1 when it is over4 ,but the passions1 which are thus excited among youth1 are excited also1 but worked up to greater mischief1 where grown up persons follow these amusements imprudently1 than where children are concerned4 ,for though avarice1 and impatience1 and anger1 are called forth among children1 they subside sooner4 ,a boy1 though he loses his all when he loses his stake1 suffers nothing from the idea of having impaired the means of his future comfort1 and independence4 ,his next week's allowance1 or the next little gift1 will set him right again4 ,but when a grown up person1 who is settled in the world1 is led on by these fascinating amusements1 so as to lose that which would be of importance to his present comfort1 but more particularly to the happiness of his future life1 the case is materially altered4 ,the same passions1 which harass the one1 will harass the other1 but the effects will be widely different4 ,i have been told that persons have been so agitated before the playing of the card1 that was to decide their destiny1 that large drops of sweat have fallen from their faces1 though they were under no bodily exertions4 ,now1 what must have been the state of their minds1 when the card in question proved decisive of their loss8 ,reason must unquestionably have fled4 ,and it must have been succeeded instantly either by fury or despair4 ,it would not have been at all wonderful1 if persons in such a state were to have lost their senses1 or1 if unable to contain themselves1 they were immediately to have vented their enraged feelings either upon themselves1 or upon others1 who were the authors1 or the spectators1 of their loss4 ,it is not necessary to have recourse to the theory of the human mind1 to anticipate the consequences1 that would be likely to result to grown up persons from such an extreme excitement of the passions4 ,history has given a melancholy picture of these1 as they have been observable among different nations of the world4 ,the ancient ,germans1 according to ,tacitus1 played to such desperation1 that1 when they had lost every thing else1 they staked their personal liberty1 and1 in the event of bad fortune1 became the slaves of the winners4 ,d',israeli1 in his curiosities of literature1 has given us the following account4 ,dice1 says he1 and that little pugnacious animal1 the cock1 are the chief instruments employed by the numerous nations of the east1 to agitate their minds1 and ruin their fortunes1 to which the ,chinese1 who are desperate gamesters1 add the use of cards4 ,when all other property is played away1 the ,asiatic gambler does not scruple to stake his wife1 or his child1 on the cast of a dye1 or on the strength and courage of a martial bird4 ,if still unsuccessful1 the last venture is himself4 ,in the island of ,ceylon1 cock-fighting is carried to a great height4 ,the ,sumatrans are addicted to the use of dice4 ,a strong spirit of play characterizes the ,malayan4 ,after having resigned every thing to the good fortune of the winner1 he is reduced to a horrid state of desperation4 ,he then loosens a certain lock of hair1 which indicates war and destruction to all he meets4 ,he intoxicates himself with opium1 and working himself to a fit of frenzy1 he bites and kills every one1 who comes in his way4 ,but as soon as ever this lock is seen flowing1 it is lawful to fire at the person1 and to destroy him as soon as possible4 ,to discharge their gambling debts1 the ,siamese sell their possessions1 their families1 and at length themselves4 ,the ,chinese play night and day1 till they have lost all they are worth1 and then they usually go and hang themselves4 ,in the newly discovered islands of the ,pacific ,ocean1 they venture even their hatchets1 which they hold as invaluable acquisitions1 on running matches4 ,we saw a man1 says ,cooke1 in his last voyage1 beating his breast and tearing his hair in the violence of rage1 for having lost three hatchets at one of these races1 and which he had purchased with nearly half of his property4 ,but it is not necessary to go beyond our own country for a confirmation of these evils4 ,civilized as we are beyond all the people who have been mentioned1 and living where the ,christian religion is professed1 we have the misfortune to see our own countrymen engaged in similar pursuits1 and equally to the disturbance of the tranquillity of their minds1 and equally to their own ruin4 ,they cannot1 it is true1 stake their personal liberty1 because they can neither sell themselves1 nor be held as slaves4 ,but we see them staking their comfort1 and all their prospects in life4 ,we see them driven into a multitude of crimes4 ,we see them suffering in a variety of ways4 ,how often has duelling1 with all its horrible effects1 been the legitimate offspring of gaming6 ,how many suicides have proceeded from the same source6 ,how many persons in consequence of a violation of the laws1 occasioned solely by gaming1 have come to ignominious and untimely ends6 ,thus it appears that gaming1 wherever it has been practised to excess1 whether by cards1 or by dice1 or by other instruments1 or whether among nations civilized or barbarous1 or whether in ancient or modern times1 has been accompanied with the most violent excitement of the passions1 so as to have driven its votaries to desperation1 and to have ruined their morality and their happiness4 ,it is upon the excitement of the passions1 which must have risen to a furious height1 before such desperate actions as those1 which have been specified1 could have commenced1 that the ,quakers have founded their second argument for the prohibition of games of chance1 or of any amusements or transactions1 connected with a monied stake4 ,it is one of their principal tenets1 as will be diffusively shewn in a future volume1 that the supreme ,creator of the universe affords a certain portion of his own spirit1 or a certain emanation of the pure principle1 to all his rational creatures1 for the regulation of their spiritual concerns4 ,they believe1 therefore1 that stillness and quietness1 both of spirit and of body1 are necessary for them1 as far as these can be obtained4 ,for how can a man1 whose earthly passions are uppermost1 be in a fit state to receive1 or a man of noisy and turbulent habits be in a fit state to attend to1 the spiritual admonitions of this pure influence8 ,hence one of the first points in the education of the ,quakers is to attend to the subjugation of the will2 to take care that every perverse passion be checked2 and that the creature be rendered calm and passive4 ,hence ,quaker children are rebuked for all expressions of anger1 as tending to raise those feelings1 which ought to be suppressed4 ,a raising even of their voices beyond due bounds is discouraged1 as leading to the disturbance of their minds4 ,they are taught to rise in the morning in quietness1 to go about their ordinary occupations with quietness1 and to retire in quietness to their beds4 ,educated in this manner1 we seldom see a noisy or an irascible ,quaker4 ,this kind of education is universal among the ,quakers4 ,it is adopted at home4 ,it is adopted in their schools4 ,the great and practical philanthropist1 ,john ,howard1 when he was at ,ackworth1 which is the great public school of the ,quakers1 was so struck with the quiet deportment of the children there1 that he mentioned it with approbation in his work on ,lazarettos1 and gave to the public some of its rules1 as models for imitation in other seminaries4 ,but if the ,quakers believe that this pure principle1 when attended to1 is an infallible guide to them in their religious or spiritual concerns2 if they believe that its influences are best discovered in the quietness and silence of their senses2 if1 moreover1 they educate with a view of producing such a calm and tranquil state2 it must be obvious1 that they can never allow either to their children1 or to those of maturer years1 the use of any of the games of chance1 because these1 on account of their peculiar nature1 are so productive of sudden fluctuations of hope1 and fear1 and joy1 and disappointment1 that they are calculated1 more than any other1 to promote a turbulence of the human passions4 ,,sect4 ,,iv4 ,another cause of their prohibition is1 that1 if indulged in1 they may produce habits of gaming--these habits after the moral character-they occasion men to become avaricious--dishonest--cruel--and disturbers of the order of nature--observations by ,hartley from his essay on man4 ,another reason1 why the ,quakers do not allow their members the use of cards1 and of similar amusements1 is1 that1 if indulged in1 they may produce habits of gaming1 which1 if once formed1 generally ruin the moral character4 ,it is in the nature of cards1 that chance should have the greatest share in the production of victory1 and there is1 as ,i have observed before1 usually a monied stake4 ,but where chance is concerned1 neither victory nor defeat can be equally distributed among the combatants4 ,if a person wins1 he feels himself urged to proceed4 ,the amusement also points out to him the possibility of a sudden acquisition of fortune without the application of industry4 ,if he loses1 he does not despair4 ,he still perseveres in the contest1 for the amusement points out to him the possibility of repairing his loss4 ,in short1 there is no end of hope upon these occasions4 ,it is always hovering about during the contest4 ,cards1 therefore1 and amusements of the same nature1 by holding up prospects of pecuniary acquisitions on the one hand1 and of repairing losses1 that may arise on any occasion1 on the other1 have a direct tendency to produce habits of gaming4 ,now the ,quakers consider these habits as1 of all others1 the most pernicious2 for they usually change the disposition of a man1 and ruin his moral character4 ,from generous-hearted they make him avaricious4 ,the covetousness too1 which they introduce as it were into his nature1 is of a kind1 that is more than ordinarily injurious4 ,it brings disease upon the body1 as it brings corruption upon the mind4 ,habitual gamesters regard neither their own health1 nor their own personal convenience1 but will sit up night after night1 though under bodily indisposition1 at play1 if they can only grasp the object of their pursuit4 ,from a just and equitable they often render him a dishonest person4 ,professed gamesters1 it is well known1 lie in wait for the young1 the ignorant1 and the unwary3 and they do not hesitate to adopt fraudulent practices to secure them as their prey4 ,in toxication has been also frequently resorted to for the same purpose4 ,from humane and merciful they change him into hard hearted and barbarous4 ,habitual gamesters have compassion foe neither men nor brutes4 ,the former they can ruin and leave destitute1 without the sympathy of a tear4 ,the latter they can oppress to death1 calculating the various powers of their declining strength1 and their capability of enduring pain4 ,they convert him from an orderly to a disorderly being1 and to a disturber of the order of the universe4 ,professed gamesters sacrifice every thing1 without distinction1 to their wants1 not caring if the order of nature1 or if the very ends of creation1 be reversed4 ,they turn day into night1 and night into day4 ,they force animated nature into situations for which it was never destined4 ,they lay their hands upon things innocent and useful1 and make them noxious4 ,they by hold of things barbarous1 and render them still more barbarous by their pollutions4 ,hartley1 in his essay upon man1 has the following observation upon gaming4 ,the practice of playing at games of chance and skill is one of the principal amusements of life4 ,and it may be thought hard to condemn it as absolutely unlawful1 since there are particular cases of persons1 infirm in body and mind1 where it seems requisite to draw them out of themselves by a variety of ideas and ends in view1 which gently engage the attention4--,but the reason takes place in very few instances4--,the general motives to play are avarice1 joined with a fraudulent intention explicit or implicit1 ostentation of skill1 and spleen1 through the want of some serious1 useful occupation4 ,and as this practice arises from such corrupt sources1 so it has a tendency to increase them2 and indeed may be considered as an express method of begetting and inculcating self-interest1 ill will1 envy1 and the like4 ,for by gaming a man learns to pursue his own interest solely and explicitly1 and to rejoice at the loss of others1 as his own gain1 grieve at their gain1 as his own loss1 thus entirely reversing the order established by providence for social creatures4 ,,chap4 ,,iii44444,,sect4 ,i4 ,music forbidden--general apology for the ,quakers on account of their prohibition of so delightful a science--music particularly abused at the present day--wherein this abuse consists--present use of it almost inseparable from the abuse4 ,plato1 when he formed what he called his pure republic1 would not allow music to have any place in it4 ,george ,fox and his followers were of opinion1 that it could not be admitted in a system of pure ,christianity4 ,the modern ,quakers have not differed from their predecessors on this subject2 and therefore music is understood to be prohibited throughout the society at the present day4 ,it will doubtless appear strange that there should be found people1 to object to an art1 which is capable of being made productive of so much pleasurable feeling1 and which1 if it be estimated either by the extent or the rapidity of its progress1 is gaining in the reputation of the world4 ,but it may be observed that all that glitters is not gold4 ,so neither is all1 that pleases the ear1 perfectly salubrious to the mind4 ,there are few customs1 against which some argument or other may not be advanced3 few in short1 which man has not perverted1 and where the use has not become1 in an undue measure1 connected with the abuse4 ,providence gave originally to man a beautiful and a perfect world4 ,he filled it with things necessary and things delightful4 ,and yet man has often turned these from their true and original design4 ,the very wood on the surface of the earth he has cut down1 and the very stone and metal in its bowels he has hewn and cast1 and converted into a graven image1 and worshipped in the place of his beneficent ,creator4 ,the food1 which has been given him for his nourishment1 he has frequently converted by his intemperance into the means of injuring his health4 ,the wine that was designed to make his heart glad on reasonable and necessary occasions1 he has used often to the stupefaction of his senses1 and the degradation of his moral character4 ,the very raiment1 which has been afforded him for his body1 he has abused also1 so that it has frequently become a source for the excitement of his pride4 ,just so it has been1 and so it is1 with music at the present day4 ,music acts upon our senses1 and may be made productive of a kind of natural delight1 for in the same manner as we receive1 through the organ of the eye1 a kind of involuntary pleasure1 when we look at beautiful arrangements1 or combinations1 or proportions1 in nature1 and the pleasure may be said to be natural1 so the pleasure is neither less1 nor less involuntary1 nor less natural1 which we receive1 through the organ of the ear1 from a combination of sounds flowing in musical progression4 ,the latter pleasure1 as it seems natural1 so1 under certain limitations1 it seems innocent4 ,the first tendency of music1 ,i mean of instrumental1 is to calm and tranquillize the passions4 ,the ideas1 which it excites1 are of the social1 benevolent1 and pleasant kind4 ,it leads occasionally to joy1 to grief1 to tenderness1 to sympathy1 but never to malevolence1 ingratitude1 anger1 cruelty1 or revenge4 ,for no combination of musical sounds can be invented1 by which the latter passions can be excited in the mind1 without the intervention of the human voice4 ,but notwithstanding that music may be thus made the means both of innocent and pleasurable feeling1 yet it has been the misfortune of man1 as mother cases1 to abuse it1 and never probably more than in the present age4 ,for the use of it1 as it is at present taught1 is almost inseparable from its abuse4 ,music has been so generally cultivated1 and to such perfection1 that it now ceases to delight the ear1 unless it comes from the fingers of the proficient4 ,but great proficiency cannot be obtained in this science1 without great sacrifices of time4 ,if young females are to be brought up to it1 rather as to a profession1 than introduced to it as a source of occasional innocent recreation1 or if their education is thought most perfect1 where their musical attainments are the highest1 not only hours1 but even years1 must be devoted to the pursuit4 ,such a devotion to this one object must1 it is obvious1 leave less time than is proper for others1 that are more important4 ,the knowledge of domestic occupations1 and the various sorts of knowledge1 that are acquired by reading1 must be abridged1 in proportion as this science is cultivated to professional precision4 ,and hence1 independently of any arguments1 which the ,quakers may advance against it1 it must be acknowledged by the sober world to be chargeable with a criminal waste of time4 ,and this waste of time is the more to be deprecated1 because it frequently happens1 that1 when young females marry1 music is thrown aside1 after all the years that have been spent in its acquisition1 as an employment1 either then unnecessary1 or as an employment1 which1 amidst the new cares of a family1 they have not leisure to follow4 ,another serious charge may be advanced against music1 as it is practised at the present day4 ,great proficiency1 without which music now ceases to be delightful1 cannot1 as ,i have just observed1 be made without great application1 or the application of some years4 ,now all this long application is of a sedentary nature4 ,but all occupations of a sedentary nature are injurious to the human constitution1 and weaken and disorder it in time4 ,but in proportion as the body is thus weakened by the sedentary nature of the employment1 it is weakened again by the enervating powers of the art4 ,thus the nervous system is acted upon by two enemies at once1 and in the course of the long education necessary for this science1 the different disorders of hysteria are produced4 ,hence the females of the present age1 amongst whom this art has been cultivated to excess1 are generally found to have a weak and languid constitution1 and to be disqualified1 more than others1 from becoming healthy wives1 or healthy mothers1 or the parents of a healthy progeny4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4 ,instrumental forbidden--,quakers cannot learn it on the motives of the world--it is not conducive to the improvement of the moral character--affords no solid ground of comfort--nor of true elevation of mind--a sensual gratification--remarks of ,cowper--and1 if encouraged1 would interfere with the duty recommended by the ,quakers1 of frequent religious retirement4 ,the reader must always bear it in his mind1 if the ,quakers should differ from him on any particular subject1 that they set themselves apart as a christian community1 aiming at christian perfection3 that it is their wish to educate their children1 not as moralists or as philosophers1 but as christians2 and that therefore1 in determining the propriety of a practice1 they will frequently judge of it by an estimate1 very different from that of the world4 ,the ,quakers do not deny that instrumental music is capable of exciting delight4 ,they are not insensible either of its power or of its charms4 ,they throw no imputation on its innocence1 when viewed abstractly by itself2 but they do not see anything in it sufficiently useful1 to make it an object of education1 or so useful1 as to counterbalance other considerations1 which make for its disuse4 ,the ,quakers would think it wrong to indulge in their families the usual motives for the acquisition of this science4 ,self-gratification1 which is one of them1 and reputation in the world1 which is the other1 are not allowable in the ,christian system4 ,add to which that where there is a desire for such reputation1 an emulative disposition is generally cherished1 and envy and vain glory are often excited in the pursuit4 ,they are of opinion also1 that the learning of this art does not tend to promote the most important object of education1 the improvement of the mind4 ,when a person is taught the use of letters1 he is put into the way of acquiring natural1 historical1 religious1 and other branches of knowledge1 and of course of improving his intellectual and moral character4 ,but music has no pretensions1 in the opinion of the ,quakers1 to the production of such an end4 ,polybius1 indeed relates1 that he could give no solid reason1 why one tribe of the ,arcadians should have been so civilized1 and the others so barbarous1 but that the former were fond1 and the latter were ignorant of music4 ,but the ,quakers would argue1 that if music had any effect in the civilization1 this effect would be seen in the manners1 and not in the morals of mankind4 ,musical ,italians are esteemed a soft and effeminate1 but they are generally reputed a depraved people4 ,music1 in short1 though it breathes soft influences1 cannot yet breathe morality into the mind4 ,it may do to soften savages1 but a christian community1 in the opinion of the ,quakers1 can admit of no better civilization1 than that which the spirit of the supreme being1 and an observance of the pure precepts of christianity1 can produce4 ,music1 again1 does not appear to the ,quakers to be the foundation of any solid comfort in life4 ,it may give spirits for the moment as strong liquor does1 but when the effect of the liquor is over1 the spirits flag1 and the mind is again torpid4 ,it can give no solid encouragement nor hope1 nor prospects4 ,it can afford no anchorage ground1 which shall hold the mind in a storm4 ,the early christians1 imprisoned1 beaten and persecuted even to death1 would have had but poor consolation1 if they had not had a better friend than music to have relied upon in the hour of their distress4 ,and here ,i think the ,quakers would particularly condemn music1 if they thought it could be resorted to in the hour of affliction1 in as much as it would then have a tendency to divert the mind from its true and only support4 ,music1 again1 does not appear to them to be productive of elevated thoughts1 that is1 of such thoughts as raise the mind to sublime and spiritual things1 abstracted from the inclinations1 the temper1 and the prejudices of the world4 ,the most melodious sounds that human instruments can make1 are from the earth earthly4 ,but nothing can rise higher than its own origin4 ,all true elevation therefore can only come1 in the opinion of the ,quakers1 from the divine source4 ,the ,quakers therefore1 seeing no moral utility in music1 cannot make it a part of their education4 ,but there are other considerations1 of a different nature1 which influence them in the same way4 ,music1 in the first place1 is a sensual gratification4 ,even those who run after sacred music1 never consider themselves as going to a place of devotion1 but where1 in full concert1 they may hear the performance of the master pieces of the art4 ,this attention to religious compositions1 for the sake of the music1 has been noticed by one of our best poets4 and ten thousand sit1 ,patiently present at a sacred song1 ,commemoration-mad1 content to hear1 ,o wonderful effect of music's power1 ,messiah's eulogy for ,handal's sake6 ,,cowper4 ,but the ,quakers believe1 that all sensual desires should be held in due subordination to the pure principle1 or that sensual pleasures should be discouraged1 to much as possible1 as being opposed to those spiritual feeling1 which constitute the only perfect enjoyment of a christian4 ,music1 again1 if it were encouraged in the society1 would be considered as depriving those of maturer years of hours of comfort1 which they now frequently enjoy1 in the service of religion4 ,retirement is considered by the ,quakers as a christian duty4 ,the members therefore of this society are expected to wait in silence1 not only in their places of worship1 but occasionally in their families1 or in their private chambers1 in the intervals of their daily occupations1 that1 in stillness of heart1 and in freedom from the active contrivance of their own wills1 they may acquire both directions and strength for the performance of the duties of life4 ,the ,quakers therefore are of opinion1 that1 if instrumental music were admitted as a gratification in leisure hours1 it would take the place of many of these serious retirements1 and become very injurious to their interests and their character as christians4 ,,sect4 ,,iii ,vocal music forbidden--singing in itself no more immoral than reading --but as vocal music articulates ideas1 it may convey poison to the mind --some ideas in songs contrary to ,quaker notions of morality--as in hunting songs--or in baccanalian--or in martial--youth make no selection --but learn off that fall in their way4 ,it is an observation of ,lactantius1 that the pleasures we receive through the organ of the ears1 may be as injurious as those we receive1 through the organ of the eyes4 ,he does not1 however1 consider the effect of instrumental music as much to be regarded1 because sounds1 which proceed from air1 are soon gone1 and they give birth to no sentiments that can be recorded4 ,songs1 on the other hand1 or sounds from the voice1 may have an injurious influence on the mind4 ,the ,quakers1 in their view of this subject1 make the same distinction as this ancient father of the church4 ,they have a stronger objection1 if it be possible1 to vocal1 than to instrumental music4 ,instrumental music1 though it is considered to be productive of sensual delight1 is yet considered as incapable1 on account of its inability to articulate1 or its inability to express complex ideas1 of conveying either unjust or impure sentiments to the mind4 ,vocal1 on the other hand1 is capable of conveying to it poison of this sort4 ,for vocal music consists of songs1 or of words musically expressed by the human voice4 ,but words are the representatives of ideas1 and1 as for as these ideas are pure or otherwise1 so far may vocal music be rendered innocent or immoral4 ,the mere singing1 it must be obvious1 can be no more immoral than the reading1 of the same song1 singing is but another mode of expressing it4 ,the morality of the action will depend upon the words which it may contain4 ,if the words in a song are pure1 if the sentiments in it are just1 and if it be the tendency of these to awaken generous and virtuous sympathies1 the song will operate no otherwise than a lesson of morality4 ,and will a lesson of morality be less serviceable to us1 because it is dressed up in poetry and musically expressed by the human voice1 than when it is conveyed to us in prose8 ,but if1 on the other hand1 the words in a song are in themselves unchaste1 if they inculcate false honour1 if they lead to false opinions1 if they suggest sentiments1 that have a tendency to produce depraved feelings1 then vocal music1 by which these are conveyed in pleasing accents to the ear1 becomes a destroyer of morals1 and cannot therefore be encouraged by any1 who consider parity of heart1 as required by the christian religion4 ,now the ,quakers are of opinion1 that the songs of the world contain a great deal of objectionable matter in these respects2 and that if they were to be promiscuously taken up by children1 who have no powers of discriminating between the good and the bad1 and who generally lay hold of all that fall in their way1 they would form a system of sentimental maxims1 very injurious in their tendency to their moral character4 ,if we were to take a collection of songs as published in books1 and were to examine these1 we should find that such a system might easily be formed4 ,and if1 again1 we were to examine the sentiments contained in many of these1 by the known sentiments of the ,quakers on the several subjects of each1 we should find that1 as a highly professing people1 more objections would arise against vocal music among them1 than among other people4 ,let us1 for example1 just glance at that class of songs1 which in the collection would be called hunting songs4 ,in these men are invited to the pleasures of the chase1 as to pleasures of a superior kind4 ,the triumphs over the timid hare are celebrated in these with a kind of enthusiastic joy1 and celebrated too as triumphs1 worthy of the character of men4 ,glory ,is even attached to these pursuits4 ,but the ,quakers1 as it will appear in a future chapter1 endeavour to prevent their youth from following any of the diversions of the field4 ,they consider pleasures as placed on a false foundation1 and triumphs as unmanly and inglorious1 which are founded on circumstances1 connected with the sufferings of the brute creation4 ,they cannot therefore approve of songs of this order1 because they consider them as disseminating sentiments that are both unreasonable and cruel4 ,let us now go to another class1 which may be found in the same collection2 ,i mean the bacchanalian4 ,men are invited here to sacrifice frequently at the shrine of ,bacchus4 ,joy1 good humour1 and fine spirits1 are promised to those1 who pour out their libations in a liberal manner4 ,an excessive use of wine1 which injures the constitution1 and stupifies the faculties1 instead of being censured in these songs is sometimes recommended in them1 as giving to nature that occasional stimulus1 which is deemed necessary to health4 ,poets too1 in their songs1 have considered the day as made only for vulgar souls1 but the night for the better sort of people1 that they may the better pursue the pleasures of the bottle4 ,others have gone so far in their songs1 as to promise long life as a consequence of drinking2 while others1 who confess that human life may be shortened by such means1 take care to throw out1 that1 as a man's life thus becomes proportionably abridged1 it is rendered proportionably a merry one4 ,now the ,quakers are so particularly careful with respect to the use of wine and spirituous liquors1 that the society are annually and publicly admonished to beware of excess4 ,quakers are discouraged from going even to inns but for the purposes of business and refreshment1 and are admonished to take care1 that they stay there no longer than is necessary for such purposes4 ,the ,quakers therefore1 cannot be supposed to approve of any of the songs of this class1 as far as they recommend or promote drunkenness4 ,and they cannot but consider them as containing sentiments injurious to the morals of their children4 ,but let us examine another class of songs1 that may be found in the same collection4 ,these may be denominated martial4 ,now what is generally the tenor of these songs8 ,the authors celebrate victories4 ,they endeavour1 regardless of the question1 whether their own cause be a right or a wrong one1 to excite joy at the events1 it is their aim frequently to rouse the soul to the performance of martial exploits1 as to exploits the fullest of human glory4 ,they frequently threaten enemies with new chastisements1 and new victories1 and breathe the spirit of revenge4 ,but the ,quakers consider all wars1 whether offensive or defensive1 as against the spirit of the christian religion4 ,they cannot contemplate scenes of victory but with the eye of pity1 and the tear of compassion1 for the sufferings of their fellow-creatures1 whether countrymen or enemies1 and for the devastation of the human race4 ,they allow no glory to attach1 nor do they give any thing like an honourable reputation1 to the ,alexanders1 the ,caesars1 or the heroes either of ancient or modern date4 ,they cannot therefore approve of songs of this class1 because they conceive them to inculcate sentiments1 totally contrary to the mild and peaceful spirit of the christian religion4 ,if we were to examine the collection farther1 we might pick out other songs1 which might be reckoned of the class of the impure4 ,among these will be found ideas1 so indelicate1 that notwithstanding the gloss1 which wit and humour had put over them1 the chaste ear could not but be offended by their recital4 ,it must be obvious1 in this case also1 that not only the ,quakers1 but all persons filling the stations of parents1 would be sorry if their children were to come to the knowledge of some of these4 ,it is unnecessary to proceed farther upon this subject4 ,for the reader must be aware that1 while the ,quakers hold such sentiments1 they can never patronise such songs2 and that if those who are taught or allowed to sing1 generally lay hold of all the songs that come into their way1 that is1 promiscuously and without selection4 ,the ,quakers will have a strong ground as a ,christian society1 or as a society1 who hold it necessary to be watchful over their words as well as their actions1 for the rejection of vocal music4 ,,sect4 ,,iv4 ,the preceding are the arguments of the early ,quakers--new state of music has produced new ones--instrumental now censurable for a waste of time--for leading into company--for its connection with vocal4 ,the arguments which have hitherto appeared against the admission of music into education1 are those which were nearly coeval with the society itself4 ,the incapability of music to answer moral ends1 the sensuality of the gratification1 the impediments it might throw in the way of religious retirement1 the impurity it might convey to the mind1 were in the mouths of the early ,quakers4 ,music at that time was principally in the hands of those1 who made a livelihood of the art4 ,those who followed it as an accomplishment1 or a recreation1 were few and these followed it with moderation4 ,but since those days1 its progress has been immense4 ,it has traversed the whole kingdom4 ,it has got into almost all the families of rank and fortune4 ,many of the middle classes1 in imitation of the higher1 have received it2 and1 as it has undergone a revolution in the extent1 so it has undergone another in the object of its practice4 ,it is learned now1 not as a source of occasional recreation1 but as a complicated science1 where perfection is insisted upon to make it worthy of pursuit4 ,in this new state therefore of music new arguments have arisen on the part of the ,quakers1 which ,i shall now concisely detail4 ,the ,quakers1 in the first place1 are of opinion1 that the learning of music1 as it is now learned1 cannot be admitted by them as a christian society1 because1 proficiency being now the object of it1 as has been before observed1 it would keep them longer employed1 than is consistent with people1 who are commanded to redeem their time4 ,they believe also that music in its present state1 has an immediate tendency to leading into the company of the world4 ,in former tunes1 when music was followed with moderation1 it was esteemed as a companion1 or as a friend3 it afforded relaxation after fatigue1 and amusement in solitary hours4 ,it drew a young person to his home1 and hindered him from following many of the idle diversions of the times4 ,but now1 or since it has been practised with a new object1 it produces a different effect4 ,it leads into company4 ,it leads to trials of skill4 ,it leads to the making up of festive parties4 ,it leads1 for its own gratification1 to the various places of public resort4 ,now this tendency of leading into public is considered by the ,quakers as a tendency big with the dissolution of their society4 ,for they have many customs to keep up1 which are quite at variance with those of the world4 ,the former appear to be steep and difficult as common paths4 ,those of the world to be smooth and easy4 ,the natural inclination of youth1 more prone to self-gratification than to self-denial1 would prefer to walk in the latter4 ,and the influence of fashion would point to the same choice4 ,the liberty too1 which is allowed in the one case1 seems more agreeable than the discipline imposed in the other4 ,hence it has been found1 that in proportion as young ,quakers mix with the world1 they generally imbibe its spirit1 and weaken themselves as members of their own body4 ,the ,quakers again1 have an objection to the learning of instrumental music on account of its almost inseparable connection with vocal1 in consequence of which1 it leads often to the impurity1 which the latter has been shewn to be capable of conveying to the mind4 ,this connection does not arise so much from the circumstance1 that those1 who learn to play1 generally learn to sing1 as from another consideration4 ,musical people1 who have acquired skill and taste1 are desirous of obtaining every new musical publication1 as it comes out4 ,this desire is produced where there is an aim at perfection in this science4 ,the professed novel reader1 we know1 waits with impatience for a new novel4 ,the politician discovers anxiety for his morning paper4 ,just so it is with the musical amateur with respect to a new tune4 ,now1 though many of the new compositions come out for instrumental music only1 yet others come out entirely as vocal4 ,these consist of songs sung at our theatres1 or at our public gardens1 or at our other places of public resort1 and are afterwards printed with their music1 and exposed to sale4 ,the words therefore1 of these songs1 as well as the music that is attached to them1 fall into the hands of the young amateur4 ,now as such songs are not always chaste1 or delicate1 and as they frequently contain such sentiments1 as ,i have shewn the ,quakers to disapprove1 the young musician1 if a ,quaker1 might have his modestey frequently put to the blush1 or his delicacy frequently wounded1 or his morality often broken in upon1 by their perusal4 ,hence1 though instrumental music might have no immoral tendency in itself1 the ,quakers have rejected it1 among other reasons1 on account of its almost inseparable connection with vocal4 ,,sect4 ,v4 ,objection anticipated1 that though the arguments1 used by the ,quakers in the preceding chapters1 are generally fair and positive1 yet an exceptionable one seems to have been introduced1 by which it appears to be inculcated1 that the use of a thing ought to be abandoned on account of its abuse--explanation of the distinction1 made by the ,quakers1 in the use of this argument4 ,i purpose to stop for a while1 and to make a distinction1 which may now become necessary1 with respect to the use of what may appear to be a ,quaker principle of argument1 before ,i proceed to a new subject4 ,it may have been observed by some of my readers1 that though the ,quakers have adduced arguments1 which may be considered as fair and positive on the subjects1 which have come before us1 yet they appear to have adduced one1 which is no other1 than that of condemning the use of a thing on account of its abuse4 ,now this mode of reasoning1 it will be said has been exploded by logicians1 and for this1 among other reasons1 that if we were bound to relinquish customs in consequence of it1 we should be obliged to give up many things that are connected with the comforts1 and even with the existence of our lives4 ,to this observation ,i must reply1 that the ,quakers never recommend an abstinence from any custom1 merely because the use of it may lead to its abuse4 ,where a custom is simply liable to abuse1 they satisfy themselves with recommending moderation in the use of it4 ,but where the abuse of a custom is either1 in the first place1 necessarily1 or1 in the second very generally connected with the use of it1 they generally consider the omission of it as morally wise and prudent4 ,it is in these two cases only that they apply1 or that they lay any stress upon the species of argument described4 ,this species of argument1 under these two limitations1 they believe to be tenable in christian morals1 and they entertain this belief upon the following grounds4 ,it may be laid down as a position1 that the abuse of any custom which is innocent in itself1 is an evil1 and that it may become a moral evil4 ,and they conceive it to become a moral evil in the eye of christianity1 when it occasions either the destruction of the health of individuals1 or the misapplication of their time1 or the excitement of their worst passions1 or the loss of their moral character4 ,if therefore the use of any custom be necessarily 7which is the first of the two cases7 connected with its abuse1 and the abuse of it be the moral evil described1 the user or practiser cannot but incur a certain degree of guilt4 ,this first case will comprehend all those uses of things1 which go under the denomination of gaming4 ,if again1 the use of a custom be either through the influence of fashion1 or its own seductive nature1 or any other cause1 very generally 7which is the second case7 connected with its abuse1 and the abuse be also of the nature supposed1 then the user or practiser1 if the custom be unnecessary1 throws himself wantonly into danger of evil1 contrary to the watchfulness which christianity enjoins in morals2 and1 if he falls1 falls by his own fault4 ,this watchfulness against moral danger the ,quakers conceive to be equally incumbent upon ,christians1 as watchfulness upon persons against the common dangers of life4 ,if two thirds of all the children1 who had ever gone to the edge of a precipice to play1 had fallen down and been injured1 it would be a necessary prudence in parents to prohibit all such goings in future4 ,so they conceive it to be only a necessary prudence in morals1 to prohibit customs1 where the use of them is very generally connected with a censurable abuse4 ,this case will comprehend music1 as practised at the present day1 because they believe it to be injurious to health1 to occasion a waste of time1 to create an emulative disposition1 and to give an undue indulgence to sensual feeling4 ,and as the ,quakers conceive this species of argument to be tenable in ,christian morals1 so they hold it to be absolutely necessary to be adopted in the education of youth4 ,for grown up persons may have sufficient judgment to distinguish between the use of a thing and its abuse4 ,they may discern the boundaries of each1 and enjoy the one1 while they avoid the other4 ,but youth have no such power of discrimination4 ,like inexperienced mariners1 they know not where to look for the deep and the shallow water1 and1 allured by enchanting circumstances1 they may1 like those who are reported to have been enticed by the voices of the fabulous ,syrens1 easily overlook the danger1 that assuredly awaits them in their course4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,,sect4 ,i4 ,the theatre--the theatre as well as music abused--plays respectable in their origin--but degenerated--,solon1 ,plato1 and the ancient moralists against them--particularly immoral in ,england in the time of ,charles the second--forbidden by ,george ,fox--sentiments of ,archbishop ,tillotson--of ,william ,law--,english plays better than formerly1 but still objectionable--prohibition of ,george ,fox continued by the ,quakers4 ,it is much to be lamented that customs1 which originated in respectable motives1 and which might have been made productive of innocent pleasure1 should have been so perverted in time1 that the continuation of them should be considered as a grievance by moral men4 ,as we have seen this to be the case1 in some measure1 with respect to music1 so it is the care with respect to plays4 ,dramatic compositions appear to have had no reprehensible origin4 ,it certainly was an object with the authors of some of the earliest plays to combine the entertainment with the moral improvement of the mind4 ,tragedy was at first simply a monody to ,bacohus4 ,but the tragedy of the ancients1 from which the modern is derived1 did not arise in the world1 till the dialogue and the chorus were introduced4 ,now the chorus1 as every scholar knows1 was a moral office4 ,they who filled it1 were loud in their recommendations of justice and temperance4 ,they inculcated a religious observance of the laws4 ,they implored punishment on the abandoned4 ,they were strenuous in their discouragement of vice1 and in the promotion of virtue4 ,this office therefore1 being coeval with tragedy itself1 preserves it from the charge of an immoral origin4 ,nor was comedy1 which took its rise afterwards1 the result of corrupt motives4 ,in the most ancient comedies1 we find it to have been the great object of the writers to attack vice4 ,if a chief citizen had acted inconsistently with his character1 he was ridiculed upon the stage4 ,his very name was not concealed on the occasion4 ,in the course of time however1 the writers of dramatic pieces were forbidden to use the names of the persons1 whom they proposed to censure4 ,but we find them still adhering to the same great object1 the exposure of vice2 and they painted the vicious character frequently so well1 that the person was soon discovered by the audience1 though disguised by a fictitious name4 ,when new restrictions1 were afterwards imposed upon the writers of such pieces1 they produced a new species of comedy4 ,this is that which obtains at the present day4 ,it consisted of an imitation of the manners of common life4 ,the subject1 the names1 and the characters1 belonging to it1 were now all of them feigned4 ,writers1 however1 retained their old object of laughing at folly and of exposing vice4 ,thus it appears that the theatre1 as far as tragedy was employed1 inculcated frequently as good lessons of morality1 as heathenism could produce1 and as far as comedy was concerned1 that it became often the next remedy1 after the more grave and moral lectures of the ancient philosophers1 against the prevailing excesses of the times4 ,but though the theatre professed to encourage virtue1 and to censure vice1 yet such a combination of injurious effects was interwoven with the representations there1 arising either from the influence of fiction upon morals1 or from the sight of the degradation of the rational character by buffoonery1 or from the tendency of such representations to produce levity and dissipation1 or from various other causes1 that they1 who were the greatest lovers of virtue in those days1 and the most solicitous of improving the moral condition of man1 began to consider them as productive of much more evil than of good4 ,solon forewarned ,thespis1 that the effects of such plays1 as he saw him act1 would become in time injurious to the morals of mankind1 and he forbade him to act again4 ,the ,athenians1 though such performances were afterwards allowed1 would never permit any of their judges to compose a comedy4 ,the ,spartans under ,lycurgus1 who were the most virtuous of all the people of ,greece1 would not suffer either tragedies or comedies to be acted at all4 ,plato1 as he had banished music1 so he banished theatrical exhibitions from his pure republic4 ,seneca considered1 that vice made insensible approaches by means of the stage1 and that it stole on the people in the disguise of pleasure4 ,the ,romans1 in their purer times1 considered the stage to be so disgraceful1 that every ,roman was to be degraded1 who became an actor1 and so pernicious to morals1 that they put it under the power of a censor1 to control its effects4 ,but the stage1 in the time of ,charles the second1 when the ,quakers first appeared in the world1 was in a worse state than even in the ,grecian or ,roman times4 ,if there was ever a period in any country1 when it was noted as the school of profligate and corrupt morals1 it was in this reign4 ,george ,fox therefore1 as a christian reformer1 could not be supposed to be behind the heathen philosophers1 in a case where morality was concerned4 ,accordingly we find him protesting publicly against all such spectacles4 ,in this protest1 he was joined by ,robert ,barclay and ,william ,penn1 two of the greatest men of those times1 who in their respective publications attacked them with great spirit4 ,these publications shewed the sentiments of the ,quakers1 as a religious body1 upon this subject4 ,it was understood that no ,quaker could be present at amusements of this sort4 ,and this idea was confirmed by the sentiments and advices of several of the most religious members1 which were delivered on public occasions4 ,by means of these publications and advices the subject was kept alive1 till it became at length incorporated into the religious discipline of the ,quakers4 ,the theatre was then specifically forbidden2 and an inquiry was annually to be made from thenceforward1 whether any of the members of the society had been found violating the prohibition4 ,since the time of ,charles the second1 when ,george ,fox entered his protest against exhibitions of this sort1 it must certainly be confessed1 that an alteration has taken place for the better in the constitution of our plays1 and that poison is not diffused into morals1 by means of them1 to an equal extent1 as at that period4 ,the mischief has been considerably circumscribed by legal inspection1 and1 it is to be hoped1 by the improved civilization of the times4 ,but it does not appear by any historical testimony we have1 that a change has been made1 which is at all proportioned to the quantity of moral light1 which has been diffused among us since that reign4 ,archbishop ,tillotson was of opinion1 that plays might be so framed1 and they might be governed by such rules1 as not only to be innocently diverting1 but instructive and useful to put some follies and vices out of countenance1 which could not perhaps be so decently reproved1 nor so effectually exposed or corrected any other way4 ,and yet he confesses1 that1 they were so full of profaneness1 and that they instilled such bad principles into the mind1 in his own day1 that they ought not to have been tolerated in any civilized1 and much less in a ,christian nation4 ,william ,law1 an eminent divine of the establishment1 who lived after ,tillitson1 declared in one of his publications on the subject of the stage1 that you could not then see a play in either house1 but what abounded with thoughts1 passages1 and language contrary to the ,christian religion4 ,from the time of ,william ,law to the present about forty years have elapsed1 and we do not see1 if we consult the controversial writers on the subject1 who live among us1 that the theatre has become much less objectionable since those days4 ,indeed if the names only of our modern plays were to be collected and published1 they would teach us to augur very unfavourably as to the morality of their contents4 ,the ,quakers therefore1 as a religions body1 have seen no reason1 why they should differ in opinion from their ancestors on this subject3 and hence the prohibition which began in former times with respect to the theatre1 is continued by them at the present day4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4 ,theatre forbidden by the ,quakers on account of the manner of the drama--first1 as it personates the character of others--secondly1 as it professes to reform vice4 ,the ,quakers have many reasons to give1 why1 as a society of christians they cannot encourage the theatre1 by being present at any of its exhibitions4 ,i shall not detail all of them for the reader1 but shall select such only1 as ,i think most material to the point4 ,the first class of arguments comprehends such as relate1 to what may be called the manner of the drama4 ,the ,quakers object to the manner of the drama1 or to its fictitious nature1 in consequence of which men personate characters1 that are not their own4 ,this personification they hold to be injurious to the man1 who is compelled to practise it4 ,not that he will partake of the bad passions1 which he personates1 but that the trick and trade of representing what he does not feel1 must make him at all times an actor2 and his looks1 and words1 and actions1 will be all sophisticated4 ,and this evil will be likely to continue with him in the various changes of his life4 ,they hold it also to be contrary to the spirit of ,christianity4 ,for men who personate characters in this way1 express joy and grief1 when in reality there may be none of these feelings in their hearts4 ,they express noble sentiments1 when their whole lives may have been remarkable for their meanness1 and go often afterwards and wallow in sensual delights4 ,they personate the virtuous character to day1 and perhaps to-morrow that of the rake1 and1 in the latter case1 they utter his profligate sentiments1 and speak his profane language4 ,now ,christianity requires simplicity and truth4 ,it allows no man to pretend to be what he is not4 ,and it requires great circumspection of its followers with respect to what they may utter1 because it makes every man accountable for his idle words4 ,the ,quakers therefore are of opinion1 that they cannot as men1 either professing christian tenets1 or christian love1 encourage others to assume false characters1 or to #e personate those which are not their own4 ,footnote #e3 ,rousseau condemns the stage upon the same principle4 ,it is1 says he1 the art of dissimulation--of assuming a foreign character1 and of appearing differently from what a man really is--of flying into a passion without a cause1 and of saying what he does not think1 as naturally as if he really did--in a word of forgetting himself to personate others4 ,they object also to the manner of the drama1 even where it professes to be a school for morals4 ,for where it teaches morality1 it inculcates rather the refined virtue of heathenism1 than the strict1 though mild discipline of the gospel4 ,and where it attempts to extirpate vice1 it does it rather by making it ridiculous1 than by making men shun it for the love of virtue4 ,it no where fixes the deep christian principle1 by which men are bound to avoid it as sin1 but places the propriety of the dereliction of it rather upon the loss of reputation among the world1 than upon any sense of religious duty4 ,,sect4 ,,iii4 ,theatre forbidden an account of the internal contents of the drama--both of those of tragedy--and of comedy--these contents hold out false morals and prospects--and weaken the sinews of morality --observations of ,lord ,kaimes upon the subject4 ,the next class of arguments is taken from the internal contents of the drama4 ,the ,quakers mean that dramatic compositions generally contain false sentiments1 that is1 such as christianity would disapprove2 that1 of course they hold out false prospects2 that they inculcate false morals2 and that they have a tendency from these1 and other of their internal contents1 to promote dissipation1 and to weaken the sinews of morality in those who see them represented upon the stage4 ,tragedy is considered by the ,quakers1 as a part of the drama1 where the hero is generally a warrior1 and where a portion of human happiness is made to consist of martial glory4 ,hence it is considered as frequently inculcating proud and lofty sentiments1 as cherishing a fierce and romantic spirit1 as encouraging rival enmities1 as holding of no importance the bond of love and union between man and man4 ,now as christianity enjoins humility1 peace1 quietness1 brotherly affection1 and charity1 which latter is not to be bounded by the limits of any country1 the ,quakers hold as a christian body1 that they cannot admit their children to spectacles1 which have a tendency to engender a disposition opposite to these4 ,comedy is considered as holding out prospects1 and inculcating morals1 equally false and hurtful4 ,in such compositions1 for example1 a bad impression is not uniformly given of a bad character4 ,knavery frequently accomplishes its ends without the merited punishment4 ,indeed treachery and intrigue are often considered but as jocose occurrences4 ,the laws of modern honour are frequently held out to the spectator1 as laws that are to influence in life4 ,vulgar expressions1 and even swearing are admitted upon the stage4 ,neither is chastity nor delicacy always consulted there4 ,impure allusions are frequently interwoven into the dialogue1 so that innocence cannot but often blush4 ,incidents not very favourable to morals1 are sometimes introduced4 ,new dissipated characters are produced to view1 by the knowledge of which1 the novice in dissipation is not diverted from his new and baneful career1 but finds only his scope of dissipation enlarged1 and a wider field to range in4 ,to these hurtful views of things1 as arising from the internal structure1 are to be added those1 which arise from the extravagant love-tales1 the ridiculous intrigues1 and the silly buffoonery of the compositions of the stage4 ,now it is impossible1 the ,quakers contend1 that these ingredients1 which are the component parts of comic amusements1 should not have an injurious influence upon the mind that is young and tender and susceptible of impressions4 ,if the blush which first started upon the cheek of a young person on the first hearing of an indecorous or profane sentiment1 and continued for some time to be excited at repetitions of the same1 should at length be so effectually laid asleep1 that the impudent language of ribaldry can awaken it no more1 it is clear1 that a victory will have been gained over his moral feelings3 and if he should remember 7and what is to hinder him1 when the occurrences of the stage are marked with strong action1 and accompanied with impressive scenery7 the language1 the sentiments1 the incidents1 the prospects1 which dramatic pieces have brought before him1 he may combine these1 as they rise to memory1 with his own feelings1 and incorporate them imperceptibly into the habits and manners of his own life4 ,thus1 if vice be not represented as odious1 he may lose his love of virtue4 ,if buffoonery should be made to please him1 he may lose the dignity of his mind4 ,love-tales may produce in him a romantic imagination4 ,low characters may teach him low cunning4 ,if the laws of honour strike him as the laws of refined life1 he may become a fashionable moralist4 ,if modes of dissipation strike him us modes of pleasure in the estimation of the world1 he may abandon himself to these1 and become a rake4 ,thus may such representations1 in a variety of ways1 act upon the moral principle1 and make an innovation there1 detrimental to his moral character4 ,lord ,kaimes1 in his elements of criticism1 has the following observations4 ,the licentious court of ,charles the second1 among its many disorders1 engendered a pest1 the virulence of which subsists to this day4 ,the ,english comedy1 copying the manners of the court1 became abominably licentious2 and continues so with very little softening4 ,it is there an established rule to deck out the chief characters with every vice in fashion however gross2 but as such characters1 if viewed in a true light1 would be disgustful1 care is taken to disguise their deformity under the embellishments of wit1 sprightliness and good humour1 which1 in mixed company makes a capital figure4 ,it requires not much thought to discover the poisonous influence of such plays4 ,a young man of figure1 emancipated at last from the severity and restraint of a college education1 repairs to the capital disposed to every sort of excess4 ,the play-house becomes his favourite amusement1 and he is enchanted with the gaiety and splendour of the chief personages4 ,the disgust which vice gives him at first1 soon wears off to make way for new notions1 more liberal in his opinion1 by which a sovereign contempt of religion1 and a declared war upon the chastity of wives1 maids and widows1 are converted from being infamous vices to be fashionable virtues4 ,the infection spreads gradually through all ranks and becomes universal4 ,how gladly would ,i listen to any one1 who should undertake to prove1 that what ,i have been describing is chimerical6 ,but the dissoluteness of our young men of birth will not suffer me to doubt its reality4 ,sir ,harry ,wildair has completed many a rake2 and in the suspicious husband1 ,ranger1 the humble imitator of ,sir ,harry1 has had no slight influence in spreading that character4 ,what woman1 tinctured with the play-house morals1 would not be the sprightly1 the witty1 though dissolute ,lady ,townley1 rather than the cold1 the sober1 though virtuous ,lady ,grace8 ,how odious ought writers to be who thus employ the talents they have from their maker most traitorously against himself1 by endeavouring to corrupt and disfigure his creatures6 ,if the comedies of ,congreve did not rack him with remorse in his last moments1 he must have been lost to all sense of virtue4 ,,sect4 ,,iv4 ,the theatre forbidden--because injurious to the happiness of man by disqualifying him for the pleasures of religion--this effect arises from its tendency to accustom individuals to light thoughts--to injure their moral feelings--to occasion an extraordinary excitement of the mind--and from the very nature of the enjoyments which it produces4 ,as the ,quakers consider the theatre to have an injurious effect on the morality of man1 so they consider it to have an injurious effect on his happiness4 ,they believe that amusements of this sort1 but particularly the comic1 unfit the mind for the practical performance of the christian duties1 and that as the most pure and substantial happiness1 that man can experience1 is derived from a fulfilment of these1 so they deprive him of the highest enjoyment of which his nature is capable1 that is1 of the pleasures of religion4 ,if a man were asked1 on entering the door of the theatre1 if he went there to learn the moral duties1 he would laugh at the absurdity of the question2 and if he would consent to give a fair and direct answer1 he would either reply1 that he went there for amusement1 or to dissipate gloom1 or to be made merry4 ,some one of these expressions would probably characterise his errand there4 ,now this answer would comprise the effect1 which the ,quakers attach to the comic performances of the stage4 ,they consider them as drawing the mind from serious reflection1 and disposing it to levity4 ,but they believe that a mind1 gradually accustomed to light thoughts1 and placing its best gratification in light objects1 must be disqualified in time for the gravity of religious exercise1 and be thus hindered from partaking of the pleasures which such an exercise must produce4 ,they are of opinion also1 that such exhibitions1 having1 as was lately mentioned1 a tendency to weaken the moral character1 must have a similarly injurious effect4 ,for what innovations can be made on the human heart1 so as to seduce it from innocence1 that will not successively wean it both from the love and the enjoyment of the ,christian virtues8 ,the ,quakers also believe1 that dramatic exhibitions have a power of vast excitement of the mind4 ,if they have no such power1 they are insipid4 ,if they have1 they are injurious4 ,a person is all the evening at a play in an excited state4 ,he goes home1 and goes to bed with his imagination heated1 and his passions roused4 ,the next morning he rises4 ,he remembers what he has seen and heard1 the scenery1 the language1 the sentiments1 the action4 ,he continues in the same excited state for the remainder of the day4 ,the extravagant passions of distracted lovers1 the wanton addresses of actors1 are still fresh upon his mind4 ,now it is contended by the ,quakers1 that a person in such an excited state1 but particularly if the excitement pleases1 must be in a very unfavourable state for the reception of the pure principle1 or for the promotion of the practical duties of religion4 ,it is supposed that if any religious book1 or if any part of the sacred writings1 were handed to him in these moments1 he would be incapable of enjoying them2 and of course1 that religious retirement1 which implies an abstraction from the tilings of the world1 would be impracticable at such a season4 ,the ,quakers believe also1 that the exhibitions of the drama must1 from their own nature1 without any other consideration1 disqualify for the pleasures of religion4 ,it was a frequent saying of ,george ,fox1 taken from the apostle ,peter1 that those who indulged in such pleasures were dead1 while they were alive2 that is1 they were active in their bodies2 they ran about briskly after their business or their pleasures2 they shewed the life of their bodily powers2 but they were extinct as to spiritual feeling4 ,by this he meant that the pleasures of the theatre1 and others of a similar nature1 were in direct opposition to the pleasures of religion4 ,the former were from the world worldly4 ,they were invented according to the dispositions and appetites of men4 ,but the latter were from the spirit spiritual4 ,hence there was no greater difference between life and death1 than between these pleasures4 ,hence the human mind was made incapable of receiving both at the same time2 and hence the deeper it were to get into the enjoyment of the former1 the less qualified it must become of course for the enjoyment of the latter4 ,,sect4 ,v4 ,theatre forbidden--because injurious to the happiness of man by disqualifying him for domestic enjoyments--,quakers value these next to the pleasures of religion--sentiments of ,cowper--theatre has this tendency1 by weaning gradually from a love of home--and has it in a greater degree than any other of the amusements of the world4 ,the ,quakers1 ever since the institution of their society1 have abandoned the diversions of the world4 ,they have obtained their pleasures from other quarters4 ,some of these they have found in one species of enjoyment1 and others in another4 ,but those1 which they particularly prize1 they have found in the enjoyment of domestic happiness2 and these pleasures they value next to the pleasures of religion4 #f ,domestic happiness1 thou only bliss ,of ,paradise1 that has survived the fall6 ,thou art the nurse of virtue--,in thine arms ,she smiles1 appearing1 as in truth she is1 ,heav'n-born1 and destin'd to the skies again4 ,thou art not known1 where pleasure is ador'd1 ,that reeling goddess1 with a zoneless waist ,and wandering eyes1 still leaning on the arm ,of ,novelty1 her fickle1 frail support2 ,for thou art meek and constant1 hating change1 ,and finding1 in the calm of truth-tried love1 ,joys1 that her stormy raptures never yield4 ,forsaking thee1 what shipwreck have we made ,of honour1 dignity1 and fair renown6 ,footnote #f3 ,,cowper4 ,but if the ,quakers have been accustomed to place one of the sources of their pleasures in domestic happiness1 they may be supposed to be jealous of every thing that appears to them to be likely to interrupt it4 ,but they consider dramatic exhibitions1 as having this tendency4 ,these exhibitions1 under the influence of plot1 dialogue1 dress1 music1 action1 and scenery1 particularly fascinate4 ,they excite the person1 who has once seen them1 to desire them again4 ,but in proportion as this desire is gratified1 or in proportion as people leave their homes for the amusements of the stage1 they lose their relish1 and weaken their powers1 of the enjoyment of domestic society3 that is1 the ,quakers mean to say1 that domestic enjoyments1 and those of the theatre1 may become1 in time1 incompatible in the same persons2 and that the theatre ought1 therefore1 to be particularly avoided1 as an enemy1 that may steal them1 and rob them of those pleasures1 which experience has taught them to value1 as ,i have observed before1 next to the pleasures of religion4 ,they are of opinion also1 that dramatic exhibitions not only tend1 of themselves1 to make home less agreeable1 but that they excite a craving for stimulants1 and1 above all1 teach a dependence upon external objects for amusement4 ,hence the attention of people is taken off again to new objects of pleasure1 which lie out of their own families1 and out of the circle of their friends4 ,it will not take much time to shew1 that the ,quakers have not been mistaken in this point4 ,it is not unusual in fashionable circles1 where the theatre is regularly brought into the rounds of pleasure1 for the father and the mother of a family to go to a play once1 or occasionally twice1 a week4 ,but it seldom happens1 that they either go to the same theatre1 or that they sit together4 ,their children are at this time left at home1 under1 what is considered to be1 proper care1 but they are probably never seen again by them till the next noon2 and perhaps once afterwards in the same day1 when it is more than an even chance1 that they must be again left for the gratification of some new pleasure4 ,now this separation of fathers from mothers1 and of parents from children1 does not augur well of domestic enjoyments or of a love of home4 ,but we will trace the conduct of the parents still farther4 ,we will get into their company at their own houses2 and here we shall very soon discover1 how wearisome they consider every hour1 that is spent in the bosom of their families1 when deprived of their accustomed amusements2 and with what anxiety they count the time1 when they are to be restored to their favourite rounds of pleasure4 ,we shall find no difficulty in judging also from their conversation1 the measure of their thought or their solicitude about their children4 ,a new play is sure to claim the earliest attention or discussion4 ,the capital style1 in which an actor performed his part on a certain night1 furnishes conversation for an hour4 ,observations on a new actress perhaps follow4 ,such subjects appear more interesting to such persons1 than the innocent conversation1 or playful pranks1 of their children4 ,if the latter are noisy1 they are often sent out of the room as troublesome1 though the same parents can bear the stunning plaudits1 or the discordant groans and hissings of the audience at the theatre4 ,in the mean time their children grow up1 and in their turn1 are introduced by their parents to these amusements1 as to places1 proper for the dissipation of vacant hours2 till1 by frequent attendances1 they themselves lose an affection for home and the domestic duties1 and have in time as little regard for their parents1 as their parents appear to have had for them4 ,marrying at length1 not for the enjoyment of domestic society1 they and their children perpetuate the same rounds of pleasure1 and the same sentiments and notions4 ,to these instances many indeed might be added1 by looking into the family-histories of those1 who are in the habit of frequenting theatres in search of pleasure1 by which it would appear1 that such amusements are not friendly to the cherishing of the domestic duties and affections1 but that1 on the other hand1 in proportion as they are followed1 they tend to sap the enjoyments of domestic life4 ,and here it may be observed1 that of all the amusements1 which go to the making up of the round of pleasures1 the theatre has the greatest share in diverting from the pleasures of home4 ,for it particularly attracts and fascinates1 both from the nature1 and the diversity1 of the amusements it contains4 ,it is also always open1 in the season1 for resort4 ,so that if private invitations to pleasure should not come in sufficiently numerous1 or should be broken off by the indisposition of the parties1 who give them1 the theatre is always ready to supply any vacancy1 that may be occasioned in the round4 ,,sect4 ,,vi4 ,quakers conceive they can sanction no amusements1 but such as could have originated in christian minds--exhibitions of the drama could have had1 they believe1 no such origin--early christians abandoned them in their conversion--arguments of the latter on this subject1 as taken from ,tertullian1 ,minucius ,felix1 ,cyprian1 ,lactantius and others4 ,the ,quakers conceive1 as a christian society1 that they ought to have nothing to do with any amusements1 but such as christians could have invented themselves1 or such as christians could have sanctioned1 by becoming partakers of them4 ,but they believe that dramatic exhibitions are of such a nature as men of a christian spirit could never have invented or encouraged1 and that1 if the world were to begin again1 and were to be peopled by pure christians1 these exhibitions could never be called into existence there4 ,this inference1 the ,quakers judge to be deducible from the nature of a christian mind4 ,a man1 who is in the habit1 at his leisure hours1 of looking into the vast and stupendous works of creation1 of contemplating the wisdom1 goodness1 and power of the creator1 of trying to fathom the great and magnificent plans of his providence1 who is in the habit of surveying all mankind with the philosophy of revealed religion1 of tracing1 through the same unerring channel1 the uses and objects of their existence1 the design of their different ranks and situations1 the nature of their relative duties and the like1 could never1 in the opinion of the ,quakers1 have either any enjoyment1 or be concerned in the invention1 of dramatic exhibitions4 ,to a mind1 in the habit of taking such an elevated flight1 it is supposed that every thing on the stage must look little1 and childish1 and out of place4 ,how could a person of such a mind be delighted with the musical note of a fiddler1 the attitude of a dancer1 the impassioned grimace of an actor8 ,how could the intrigue1 or the love-sick tale of the composition please him8 or how could he have imagined1 that these could be the component parts of a christian's joys8 ,but this inference is considered by the ,quakers to be confirmed by the practice of the early christians4 ,these generally had been ,pagans4 ,they had of course ,pagan dispositions4 ,they followed ,pagan amusements1 and1 among these1 the exhibitions of the stage4 ,but soon after their conversion1 that is1 when they had received new minds1 and when they had exercised these on new and sublime subjects1 or1 on subjects similar to those described1 or1 in other words1 when they had received the regenerated spirit of christians1 they left the amusements of the stage1 notwithstanding that1 by this act of singularity in a sensual age1 they were likely to bring upon themselves the odium and the reproaches of the world4 ,but when the early christians abandoned the theatre1 they abandoned it1 as the ,quakers contend1 not because1 leaving ,paganism they were to relinquish all customs that were ,pagan1 but because they saw in their new religion1 or because they saw in this newness of their minds1 reasons1 which held out such amusements to be inadmissible1 while they considered themselves in the light of christians4 ,these reasons are sufficiently displayed by the writers of the second1 third1 and fourth centuries2 and as they are alluded to by the ,quakers1 though never quoted1 ,i shall give them to the reader4 ,he will judge by these1 how far the ancient coincide with the modern christians upon this subject2 and how for these arguments of antiquity are applicable to modern times4 ,the early christians1 according to ,tertullian1 ,menucius ,felix1 ,cyprian1 ,lactantius1 and others1 believed1 that the motives for going to these amusements were not of the purest sort4 ,people went to them without any view of the improvement of their minds4 ,the motive was either to see or to be seen4 ,they considered the manner of the drama as objectionable4 ,they believed that he who was the author of truth1 could never approve of that which was false1 and that he1 who condemned hypocrisy1 could never approve of him1 who personated the character of others2 and that those therefore1 who pretended to be in love1 or to be angry1 or to grieve1 when none of those passions existed in their minds1 were guilty of a kind of adultery in the eyes of the ,supreme ,being4 ,they considered their contents to be noxious4 ,they looked upon them as consistories of immorality4 ,they affirmed that things were spoken there which it did not become christians to hear1 and that things were shewn there1 which it did not become christians to see2 and that1 while these things polluted those from whom they come1 they polluted those in time1 in whose sight and hearing they were shewn or spoken4 ,they believed also1 that these things not only polluted the spectators1 but that the representations of certain characters upon the stage pointed out to them the various roads to vice1 and inclined them to become the persons1 whom they had seen represented1 or to be actors in reality of what they had seen feigned upon the stage4 ,they believed again1 that dramatic exhibitions produced a frame of mind contrary to that1 which should exist in a christian's breast2 that there was nothing to be seen upon the stage1 that could lead or encourage him to devotion2 but1 on the other hand1 that the noise and fury of the play-house1 and the representations there1 produced a state of excitement1 that disturbed the internal man4 ,whereas the spirit of a christian ought to be calm1 and quiet1 and composed1 to fit it for the duties of religion4 ,they believed also1 that such promiscuous assemblages of men and women were not favourable to virtue2 for that the sparks of the passions were there blown into a flame4 ,tertullian1 from whom some of the above opinions are taken1 gives an invitation to those who were fond of public spectacles1 in nearly the following terms4 ,are you fond1 says he1 of the scenic doctrine1 or of theatrical sights and compositions8 ,we have plenty of books for you to read4 ,we can give you works in prose and in verse4 ,we can give you apothegms and hymns4 ,we cannot to besure1 give you fictitious plots or fables1 but we can give you truths4 ,we cannot give you strophies1 or the winding dances of the chorus1 but we can give you simplicities1 or plain and straightforward paths4 ,are you fond of seeing contests or trials for victory8 ,you shall see these also1 and such as are not trivial1 but important4 ,you may see1 in our christian example1 chastity overcoming immodesty4 ,you may see faithfulness giving a death-wound to perfidy4 ,you may see mercy getting the better of cruelty4 ,you may see modesty and delicacy of sentiment overcoming impurity and impudence4 ,these are the contests in which it becomes us christians to be concerned1 and where we ought to endeavour to receive the prize4 ,,chap4 ,v4444 ,,sect4 ,i4 ,dancing forbidden--,greeks and ,romans differed on this subject--motive on which the ,greeks encouraged dancing--motive on which the moderns encouraged it--way in which the ,quakers view it--the arguments which they use against it4 ,as the ,quakers have thought it right to prohibit music1 and stage-entertainments1 to the society1 so they have thought it proper to prohibit dancing1 none of their children being allowed any instruction in the latter art4 ,it is remarkable that two of the most civilized nations1 as well as two of the wisest men of antiquity1 should have differed in their opinions with respect to dancing4 ,the ,greeks considered it as a wise and an honourable employment2 and most of the nations therefore under that appellation inserted it into their system of education4 ,the name of dancer was so honourable1 as to be given to some of their gods4 ,statues are recorded to have been erected to good dancers4 ,socrates is said to have admired dancing so much1 as to have learnt it in his old age4 ,dancing1 on the other hand1 was but little regarded at ,rome4 ,it was not admitted even within the pale of accomplishments4 ,it was considered at best as a sorry and trivial employment4 ,cicero says1 ,nemo1 fere saltat sobrius1 nisi forte insanit1 neque in solitudine1 neque in convivio honesto4 ,that is1 ,no man dances1 in private1 or at any respectable entertainment1 except he be drunk or mad4 ,we collect at least from the above statement1 that people of old1 who were celebrated for their wisdom1 came to very different conclusions with respect to the propriety of the encouragement of this art4 ,those nations among the ancients1 which encouraged dancing1 did it upon the principle1 that it led to an agility of body1 and a quickness of motion1 that would be useful in military evolutions and exploits4 ,hence swiftness of foot was considered to be an epithet1 as honourable as any that could be given to a warrior4 ,the moderns1 on the other hand1 encourage dancing1 or at least defend it upon different principles4 ,they consider it as producing a handsome carriage of the body2 as leading to a graceful and harmonious use of the limbs2 and as begetting an erectness of position1 not more favourable to the look of a person than to his health4 ,that dancing produces dispositions of this sort cannot be denied1 though certainly not to the extent which many have imagined4 ,painters1 who study nature the most1 and are the best judges of the appearance of the human frame1 are of opinion1 that modern dancing does not produce natural figures or at least such as they would choose for their respective compositions4 ,the military exercise has quite as great a share as dancing in the production of these dispositions4 ,and there are certainly men1 who were never taught either the military exercise or dancing1 whose deportment is harmonious and graceful4 ,the ,quakers think it unnecessary to teach their children dancing1 as an accomplishment1 because they can walk1 and carry their persons with sufficient ease and propriety without it4 ,they think it unnecessary also1 because1 however the practice of it may be consistent with the sprightliness of youth1 they could never sanction it in maturer age4 ,they expect of the members of their society1 that they should abandon amusements1 and substitute useful and dignified pursuits1 when they become men4 ,but they cannot consider dancing but as an employment that is useless1 and below the dignity of the christian-character in persons1 who have come to years of discretion4 ,to initiate therefore a youth of twelve or thirteen years of age into dancing1 when he must relinquish it at twenty1 would1 in their opinion1 be a culpable waste of his time4 ,the ,quakers1 again1 cannot view dancing abstractedly1 for no person teaches or practises it abstractedly2 but they are obliged to view it1 in connection with other things4 ,if they view it with its usual accompaniment of music1 it would be inconsistent1 they think1 to encourage it1 when they have banished music from their republic4 ,if they view it as connected with an assemblage of persons1 they must1 they conceive1 equally condemn it4 ,and here it is in fact1 that they principally level their arguments against it4 ,they prohibit all members of their society from being present at balls1 and assemblies2 and they think1 if their youth are brought up in ignorance of the art of dancing1 that this ignorance will operate as one preventative at least against attendances at amusements of this nature4 ,the ,quakers are as strict in their inquiry with respect to the attendances of any of their members at balls1 as at theatrical amusements4 ,they consider balls and assemblies among the vain amusements of the world4 ,they use arguments against these nearly similar to those which have been enumerated on the preceding subjects4 ,they consider them in the first place1 as productive of a kind of frivolous levity1 and of thoughtlessness with respect to the important duties of life4 ,they consider them1 in the second place1 as giving birth to vanity and pride4 ,they consider them1 again1 as powerful in the excitement of some of the malevolent passions4 ,hence they believe them to be injurious to the religious interests of man2 for1 by depriving him of complacency of mind1 and by increasing the growth of his bad feelings1 they become impediments in the way of his improvement as a moral being4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4 ,arguments of the ,quakers examined--three cases made out for the determination of a moral philosopher--case the first--case the second--case the third4 ,i purpose to look into these arguments of the ,quakers1 and to see how far they can be supported4 ,i will suppose therefore a few cases to be made out1 and to be handed1 one by one1 to some moral philosopher for his decision4 ,i will suppose this philosopher 7that all prejudice of education may be excluded7 to have been ignorant of the nature of dancing1 but that he had been made acquainted with it1 in order that he might be enabled to decide the point in question4 ,suppose then it was reported to this philosopher that1 on a certain day1 a number of young persons of both sexes1 who had casually met at a friends house1 instead of confining themselves to the room on a summers afternoon1 had walked out upon the green2 that a person present had invited them suddenly to dance2 that they had danced to the sound of musical vibrations for an hour1 and that after this they had returned to the room1 or that they had returned home4 ,would the philosopher be able to say in this case1 that there was any thing in it1 that incurred any of the culpable imputations1 fixed upon dancing by the ,quakers8 ,he could hardly2 ,i think1 make it out1 that there could have been1 in any part of the business1 any opening for the charges in question4 ,there appears to have been no previous preparations of extravagant dressing2 no premeditated design of setting off the person2 no previous methods of procuring admiration2 no circumstance1 in short1 by which he could reasonably suppose1 that either pride or vanity could have been called into existence4 ,the time also would appear to him to have been too short1 and the circumstances too limited1 to have given birth to improper feelings4 ,he would certainly see that a sort of levity would have unavoidably arisen on the occasion1 but his impartiality and justice would oblige him to make a distraction between the levity1 that only exhilarates1 and the levity that corrupts1 the heart4 ,nor could he conceive that the dancing for an hour only1 and this totally unlooked for1 could stand much in the way of serious reflection for the future4 ,if he were desired to class this sudden dancing for an hour upon the green with any of the known pleasures of life1 he would probably class it with an hours exercise in the fields1 or with an hours game at play1 or with an hours employment in some innocent recreation4 ,but suppose now1 that a new case were opened to the philosopher4 ,suppose it were told him1 that the same party had been so delighted with their dance upon the green1 that they had resolved to meet once a month for the purpose of dancing1 and that they might not be prevented by bad weather1 to meet in a public room2 that they had met according to their resolution2 that they had danced at their first meeting but for a short time2 but that at their meetings after1 wards1 they had got into the habit of dancing from eight or nine at night till twelve or one in the morning2 that many of them now began to be unduly heated in the course of this long exercise2 that some of them in consequence of the heat in this crowded room1 were now occasionally ready to faint2 that it was now usual for some of them to complain the next morning of colds1 others of head-achs1 others of relaxed nerves1 and almost all of them of a general lassitude or weariness--what could the philosopher say in the present case8 ,the philosopher would now probably think1 that they acted unreasonably as human beings2 that they turned night into day2 and that1 as if the evils of life were not sufficient in number1 they converted hours1 which might have been spent calmly and comfortably at home1 into hours of indisposition and of unpleasant feelings to themselves4 ,but this is not to the point4 ,would he or would he not say1 that the arguments of the ,quakers applied in the present case8 ,it certainly does not appear1 from any thing that has yet transpired on this subject1 that he could1 with any shadow of reason1 accuse the persons1 meeting on this occasion1 of vanity or pride1 or that he could see from any of the occurrences1 that have been mentioned1 how these evils could be produced4 ,neither has any thing yet come out1 from which he could even imagine the sources of any improper passions4 ,he might think perhaps1 that they might be vexed for having brought fatigue and lassitude upon themselves1 but he could see no opening for serious anger to others1 or for any of the feelings of malevolence4 ,neither could he tell what occurrence to fix upon for the production of a frivolous levity4 ,he would almost question1 judging only from what has appeared in the last case1 whether there might not be upon the whole more pain than pleasure from these meetings1 and whether those1 who on the day subsequent to these meetings felt themselves indisposed1 and their whole nervous system unbraced1 were not so near the door of repentance1 that serious thoughts would be more natural to them than those of a lighter kind4 ,but let us suppose one other case to be opened to the philosopher4 ,let us now suppose it to be stated to him1 that those who frequented these monthly meetings1 but particularly the females1 had become habituated to talk1 for a day or two beforehand1 of nothing but of how they should dress themselves1 or of what they should wear on the occasion3 that some time had been spent in examining and canvassing the fashions2 that the milliner had been called in for this purpose2 that the imagination had been racked in the study of the decoration of the person2 that both on the morning and the afternoon of the evening1 on which they had publicly met to dance1 they had been solely employed in preparations for decking themselves out2 that they had been nearly two hours under one dresser only1 namely the hair-dresser2 that frequently at intervals they had looked at their own persons in the glass2 that they had walked up and down parading before it in admiration of their own appearance1 and the critical detection of any little fold in their dress1 which might appear to be out of place1 and in the adjustment of the same--what would the philosopher say in this new case8 ,he certainly could not view the case with the same complacent countenance as before4 ,he would feel some symptoms of alarm4 ,he would begin to think that the truth of the ,quaker-arguments was unfolding itself1 and that what appeared to him to have been an innocent amusement1 at the first1 might possibly be capable of being carried out of the bounds of innocence by such and similar accompaniments4 ,he could not conceive1 if he had any accurate knowledge of the human heart1 that such an extraordinary attention to dress and the decoration of the person1 or such a critical examination of these with a view of procuring admiration1 could produce any other fruits than conceit and affectation1 or vanity and pride4 ,nor could he conceive that all these preparations1 all this previous talk1 all this previous consultation1 about the fashions1 added to the employment itself of the decoration of the person1 could tend to any thing else than to degrade the mind1 and to render it light and frivolous4 ,he would be obliged to acknowledge also1 that minds1 accustomed to take so deep an interest in the fashions and vanities of the world1 would not only loath1 but be disqualified for serious reflection4 ,but if he were to acknowledge1 that these preparations and accompaniments had on any one occasion a natural tendency to produce these effects1 he could not but consider these preparations1 if made once a month1 as likely to become in time systematic nurseries for frivolous and affected characters4 ,having traced the subject up to a point1 where it appears1 that some of the ,quaker-arguments begin to bear1 let us take leave of our philosopher1 and as we have advanced nearly to the ball-room door1 let us enter into the room itself1 and see if any circumstances occur there1 which shall enable us to form a better judgment upon it4 ,,sect4 ,,iii4 ,arguments of the ,quakers still further examined--interior of the ball-room displayed--view of the rise of many of the malevolent passions--these rise higher and are more painful1 than they are generally imagined--hence it is probable that the spectators are better pleased than those interested in these dances--conclusion of the arguments of the ,quakers on this subject4 ,i am afraid ,i shall be thought more cynical than just1 more prejudiced than impartial1 more given to censure than to praise1 if in temples1 apparently dedicated to good humour1 cheerfulness and mirth1 ,i should say that sources were to be found1 from whence we could trace the rise of immoral passions4 ,but human nature is alike in all places1 and1 if circumstances should arise in the ball-room1 which touch as it were the strings of the passions1 they will as naturally throw out their tone there as in other places4 ,why should envy1 jealousy1 pride1 malice1 anger1 or revenge1 shut themselves out exclusively from these resorts1 as if these were more than ordinarily sacred1 or more than ordinary repositories of human worth4 ,in examining the interior of a ball-room it must be confessed1 that we shall certainly find circumstances occasionally arising1 that give birth to feelings neither of a pleasant nor of a moral nature4 ,it is not unusual1 for instance1 to discover among the females one that excels in the beauty of her person1 and another that excels in the elegance of her dress4 ,the eyes of all are more than proportionally turned upon these for the whole night4 ,this little circumstance soon generates a variety of improper passions4 ,it calls up vanity and conceit in the breasts of these objects of admiration4 ,it raises up envy and jealousy1 and even anger in some of the rest4 ,these become envious of the beauty of the former1 envious of their taste1 envious of their cloathing1 and1 above all1 jealous of the admiration bestowed upon them4 ,in this evil state of mind one passion begets another2 and instances have occurred1 where some of these have felt displeased at the apparent coldness and indifference of their own partners1 because they have appeared to turn their eyes more upon the favourites of the night1 than upon themselves4 ,in the same room1 when the parties begin to take their places to dance2 other little circumstances not infrequently occur1 which give rise to other passions4 ,many aiming to be as near the top of the dance as possible1 are disappointed of their places by others1 who have just slept into them1 dissatisfaction1 and sometimes murmurs1 follow4 ,each in his own mind1 supposes his claims and pretensions to the higher place to be stronger on account of his money1 his connections1 his profession1 or his rank4 ,thus his own dispositions to pride are only the more nursed and fostered4 ,malice too is often engendered on the occasion2 and though the parties would not be allowed by the master of the ceremonies to disturb the tranquillity of the room1 animosities have sometimes sprung up between them1 which have not been healed in a little time4 ,i am aware that in some large towns of the kingdom regulations are made with a view to the prevention of these evils1 but it is in some only2 and even where they are made1 though they prevent outward rude behaviour1 they do not prevent inward dissatisfaction4 ,monied influence still feels itself often debased by a lower place4 ,if we were to examine the ball-room further1 we should find new circumstances arising to call out new and degrading passions4 ,we should find disappointment and discontent often throwing irritable matter upon the mind4 ,men1 fond of dancing1 frequently find an over proportion of men1 and but few females in the room1 and women1 wishing to dance1 sometimes find an over proportion of women1 and but few men2 so that partners are not to be had for all1 and a number of each class must make up their minds to sit quietly1 and to loose their diversion for the night4 ,partners too are frequently dissatisfied with each other4 ,one thinks his partner too old1 another too ugly1 another below him4 ,matched often in this unequal manner1 they go down the dance in a sort of dudgeon1 having no cordial disposition towards each other1 and having persons before their eyes in the same room with whom they could have cordially danced4 ,nor are instances wanting where the pride of some has fixed upon the mediocrity of others1 as a reason1 why they should reluctantly lend them their hands1 when falling in with them in the dance4 ,the slight is soon perceived1 and disgust arises in both parties4 ,various other instances might be mentioned1 where very improper passions are excited4 ,i shall only observe1 however1 that these passions are generally stronger and give more uneasiness1 and are called up to a greater height1 than might generally be imagined from such apparently slight causes4 ,in many instances indeed they have led to such serious misunderstandings1 that they were only terminated by the duel4 ,from this statement ,i may remark here1 though my observation be not immediately to the point1 that there is not probably that portion of entertainment1 or that substantial pleasure1 winch people expected to find at these monthly meetings4 ,the little jealousies arising about precedency1 or about the admiration of one more than of another2 the falling in occasionally with disagreeable partners2 the slights and omissions that are often thought to be purposely made2 the head-achs1 colds1 sicknesses1 and lassitude afterwards1 must all of them operate as so many drawbacks from this pleasure3 and it is not unusual to hear persons1 fond of such amusements1 complaining afterwards that they had not answered4 ,there is therefore probably more pleasure in the preparations for such amusements1 and in the previous talk about them1 than in the amusements themselves4 ,it is also probable that the greatest pleasure felt in the ball-room1 is felt by those1 who get into it as spectators only4 ,these receive pleasure from the music1 from the beat of the steps in unison with it1 but particularly from the idea that all1 who join in the dance1 are happy4 ,these considerations produce in the spectator cheerfulness and mirth2 and these are continued to him more pure and unalloyed than in the former case1 because he can have no drawbacks from the admission into his own breast of any of those uneasy1 immoral passions1 above described4 ,but to return to the point in question4 ,the reader has now had the different cases laid before him as determined by the moral philosopher4 ,he has been conducted also through the interior of the ball-room4 ,he will have perceived therefore that the arguments of the ,quakers have gradually unfolded themselves1 and that they are more or less conspicuous1 or more or less true1 as dancing is viewed abstractedly1 or in connection with the preparations and accompaniments1 that may be interwoven with it4 ,if it be viewed in connection with these preparations and accompaniments1 and if these should be found to be so inseparably connected with it1 that they must invariably go together1 which is supposed to be the case where it is introduced into the ball-room1 he will have no difficulty in pronouncing that1 in this case1 it is objectionable as a christian recreation4 ,for it cannot be doubted that it has an immediate tendency1 in this case1 to produce a frivolous levity1 to generate vanity and pride1 and to call up passions of the malevolent kind4 ,now in this point of view it is1 that the ,quakers generally consider dancing4 ,they never view it1 as ,i observed before1 abstractedly1 or solely by itself4 ,they have therefore forbidden it to their society1 believing it to be the duty of a ,christian to be serious in his conversation and deportment2 to afford an example of humility2 and to be watchful and diligent in the subjugation of his evil passions4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,novels--novels forbidden--their fictitious nature no argument against them--arguments of the ,quakers are1 that they produce an affectation knowledge--a romantic spirit--and a perverted morality--and that by creating an indisposition towards other kinds of reading1 they prevent moral improvement and real delight of mind--hence novel-reading more pernicious than many other amusements4 ,among the prohibitions1 which the ,quakers have adopted in their moral education1 as barriers against vice1 or as preservatives of virtue1 ,i shall consider that next1 which relates to the perusal of improper books4 ,george ,fox seems to have forgotten nothing1 that was connected with the morals of the society4 ,he was anxious for the purity of its character1 he seemed afraid of every wind that blew1 lest it should bring some noxious vapour to defile it4 ,and as those things which were spoken or represented1 might corrupt the mind1 so those which were written and printed1 might equally corrupt it also4 ,he recommended therefore1 that the youth of his newly formed society should abstain from the reading of romances4 ,william ,penn and others1 expressed the same sentiments on this subject4 ,and the same opinion has been held by the ,quakers1 as a body of christians1 down to the present day4 ,hence novels1 as a particular species of romance1 and as that which is considered as of the worst tendency1 have been particularly marked for prohibition4 ,some ,quakers have been inclined to think1 that novels ought to be rejected on account of the fictitious nature of their contents4 ,but this consideration is1 by no means1 generally adopted by the society1 as an argument against them4 ,nor would it be a sound argument1 if it were4 ,if novels contain no evil within themselves1 or have no evil tendency1 the mere circumstance of the subject1 names or characters being feigned1 will not stamp them as censurable4 ,such fiction will not be like the fiction of the drama1 where men act and personate characters that are not their own4 ,different men1 in different ages of the world1 have had recourse to different modes of writing1 for the promotion of virtue4 ,some have had recourse to allegories1 others to fables4 ,the fables of ,aesop1 though a fiction from the beginning to the end1 have been useful to many4 ,but we have a peculiar instance of the use and innocence of fictitious descriptions in the sacred writings4 ,for the author of the christian religion made use of parables on many and weighty occasions4 ,we cannot therefore condemn fictitious biography1 unless it condemn itself by becoming a destroyer of morals4 ,the arguments against novels1 in which the ,quakers agree as a body1 are taken from the pernicious influence they have upon the minds of those1 who read them4 ,the ,quakers do not say1 that all novels have this influence1 but that they have it generally4 ,the great demand for novels1 inconsequence of the taste1 which the world has shewn for this species of writing1 has induced persons of all descriptions1 and of course many who have been but ill qualified to write them4 ,hence1 though some novels have appeared of considerable merit1 the worthless have been greatly preponderant4 ,the demand also has occasioned foreign novels1 of a complexion by no means suited to the good sense and character of our country1 to be translated into our language4 ,hence a fresh weight has only been thrown into the preponderating scale4 ,from these two causes it has happened1 that the contents of a great majority of our novels have been unfavourable to the improvement of the moral character4 ,now when we consider this circumstance1 and when we consider likewise1 that professed novel-readers generally read all the compositions of this sort that come into their way1 that they wait for no selection1 but that they devour the good1 the bad1 and the indifferent alike1 we shall see the reasons1 which have induced the ,quakers to believe1 that the effect of this species of writing upon the mind has been generally pernicious4 ,one of the effects1 which the ,quakers consider to be produced by novels upon those who read them1 is an affectation of knowledge1 which leads them to become forward and presumptuous4 ,this effect is highly injurious1 for while it raises them unduly in their own estimation1 it lowers them in that of the world4 ,nothing can be more disgusting1 in the opinion of the ,quakers1 than to see persons assuming the authoritative appearance of men and women before their age or their talents can have given them any pretensions to do it4 ,another effect is the following4 ,the ,quakers conceive that there is among professed novel readers a peculiar cast of mind4 ,they observe in them a romantic spirit1 a sort of wonder-loving imagination1 and a disposition towards enthusiastic flights of the fancy1 which to sober persons has the appearance of a temporary derangement4 ,as the former effect must become injurious by producing forwardness1 so this must become so by producing unsteadiness1 of character4 ,a third effect1 which the ,quakers find to be produced among this description of readers1 is conspicuous in a perverted morality4 ,they place almost every value in feeling1 and in the affectation of benevolence4 ,they consider these as the true and only sources of good4 ,they make these equivalent1 to moral principle4 ,and actions flowing from feeling1 though feeling itself is not always well founded1 and sometimes runs into compassion even against justice1 they class as moral duties arising from moral principles4 ,they consider also too frequently the laws of religion as barbarous restraints1 and which their new notions of civilized refinement may relax at will4 ,and they do not hesitate1 in consequence1 to give a colour to some fashionable vices1 which no christian painter would admit into any composition1 which was his own4 ,to this it may be added1 that1 believing their own knowledge to be supreme1 and their own system of morality to be the only enlightened one1 they fall often into scepticism1 and pass easily from thence to infidelity4 ,foreign novels1 however1 more than our own1 have probably contributed to the production of this latter effect4 ,these then are frequently the evils1 and those which the ,quakers insist upon1 where persons devote their spare-time to the reading of novels1 but more particularly among females1 who1 on account of the greater delicacy of their constitutions1 are the more susceptible of such impressions4 ,these effects the ,quakers consider as particularly frightful1 when they fall upon this sex4 ,for an affectation of knowledge1 or a forwardness of character1 seems to be much more disgusting among women than among men4 ,it may be observed also1 that an unsteady or romantic spirit or a wonder-loving or flighty imagination1 can never qualify a woman for domestic duties1 or make her a sedate and prudent wife4 ,nor can a relaxed morality qualify her for the discharge of her duty as a parent in the religious education of her children4 ,but1 independently of these1 there is another evil1 which the ,quakers attach to novel-reading1 of a nature too serious to be omitted in this account4 ,it is that those who are attached to this species of reading1 become indisposed towards any other4 ,this indisposition arises from the peculiar construction of novels4 ,their structure is similar to that of dramatic compositions4 ,they exhibit characters to view4 ,they have their heroes and heroines in the same manner4 ,they lay open the checkered incidents in the lives of these4 ,they interweave into their histories the powerful passion of love4 ,by animated language1 and descriptions which glow with sympathy1 they rouse the sensibility of the reader1 and fill his soul with interest in the tale4 ,they fascinate therefore in the same manner as plays4 ,they produce also the same kind of #g mental stimulus1 or the same powerful excitement of the mind4 ,hence it is that this indisposition is generated4 ,for if other books contain neither characters1 nor incidents1 nor any of the high seasoning1 or gross stimulants1 which belong to novels they become insipid4 ,footnote #g3 ,i have been told by a physician of the first eminence1 that music and novels have done more to produce the sickly countenances and nervous habits of our highly educated females1 than any other causes that can be assigned4 ,the excess of stimulus on the mind from the interesting and melting tales1 that are peculiar to novels1 affects the organs of the body1 and relaxes the tone of the nerves1 in the same manner as the melting tones of music have been described to act upon the constitution1 after the sedentary employment1 necessary for skill in that science1 has injured it4 ,it is difficult to estimate the injury which is done to persons1 by this last mentioned effect of novel-reading upon the mind4 ,for the contents of our best books consist usually of plain and sober narrative4 ,works of this description give no extravagant representations of things1 because their object is truth4 ,they are found often without characters or catastrophies1 because these would be often unsuitable to the nature of the subject of which they treat4 ,they contain repellants rather than stimulants1 because their design is the promotion of virtue4 ,the novel-reader therefore1 by becoming indisposed towards these1 excludes himself from moral improvement1 and deprives himself of the most substantial pleasure1 which reading can produce4 ,in vain do books on the study of nature unfold to him the treasures of the mineral or the vegetable world4 ,he foregoes this addition to his knowledge1 and this innocent food for his mind4 ,in vain do books on science lay open to him the constitution and the laws of the motion of bodies4 ,this constitution and these laws are still mysteries to him4 ,in vain do books on religion discover to him the true path to happiness4 ,he has still this path to seek4 ,neither1 if he were to dip into works like these1 but particularly into those of the latter discription1 could he enjoy them4 ,this latter consideration makes the reading of novels a more pernicious employment than many others4 ,for though there may be amusements1 which may sometimes produce injurious effects to those1 who partake of them1 yet these may be counteracted by the perusal of works of a moral tendency4 ,the effects1 on the other hand1 which are produced by the reading of novels1 seem to admit of no corrective or cure2 for how1 for instance1 shall a perverted morality1 which is considered to be one of them1 be rectified1 if the book which is to contain the advice for this purpose1 be so uninteresting1 or insipid1 that the persons in question have no disposition to peruse it8 ,,chap4 ,,vii-,,sect4 ,i4 ,diversions of the field--diversions of the field forbidden--general thoughtlessness on this subject--sentiments of ,thomson--sentiments of ,george ,fox--of ,edward ,burroughs--similar sentiments of ,cowper--law of the society on the subject4 ,the diversions of the field are usually followed by people1 without any consideration1 whether they are justifiable1 either in the eye of morality or of reason4 ,men receive them as the customs of their ancestors1 and they are therefore not likely to entertain doubts concerning their propriety4 ,the laws of the country also sanction them2 for we find regulations and qualifications on the subject4 ,those also who attend these diversions1 are so numerous1 and their rank1 and station1 and character1 are often such1 that they sanction them again by their example1 so that few people think of making any inquiry1 how far they are allowable as pursuits4 ,but though this general thoughtlessness prevails upon this subject1 and though many have fallen into these diversions as into the common customs of the world1 yet benevolent and religious individuals have not allowed them to pass unnoticed1 nor been backward in their censures and reproofs4 ,it has been matter of astonishment to some1 how men1 who have the powers of reason1 can waste their time in galloping after dogs1 in a wild and tumultuous manner1 to the detriment often of their neighbours1 and to the hazard of their own lives2 or how men1 who are capable of high intellectual enjoyments1 can derive pleasure1 so as to join in shouts of triumph1 on account of the death of an harmless animal2 or how men1 who have organic feelings1 and who know that other living creatures have the same1 can make an amusement of that1 which puts brute-animals to pain4 ,good poets have spoken the language of enlightened nature upon this subject4 ,thomson in his ,seasons1 introduces the diversions of the field in the following manner4 ,here the rude clamour of the sportsman's joy1 ,the gun fast-thund'ring1 and the winded horn1 ,would tempt the muse to sing the rural game4 ,but further on he observes1 ,these are not subjects for the peaceful muse2 ,nor will she stain with such her spotless song2 ,then most delighted1 when she social sees ,the whole mix'd animal-creation round4 ,alive and happy2 ',tis not joy to her ,this falsely cheerful barbarous game of death4 ,cowper1 in his task1 in speaking in praise of the country1 takes occasion to express his disapprobation of one of the diversions in question4 ,they love the country1 and none else1 who seek ,for their own sake its silence and its shade1 ,delights1 which who would leave1 that has a heart ,susceptible of pity1 or a mind1 ,cultur'd1 and capable of sober thought1 ,for all the savage din of the swift pack ,and clamours of the field8 ,detested sport ,that owes its pleasures to another's pain1 ,that feeds upon the sobs and dying shrieks ,of harmless nature1 dumb1 but yet endued ,with eloquence1 that agonies inspire ,of silent tears1 and heart-distending sighs6 ,vain tears alas6 and sighs1 that never find ,a corresponding tone in jovial souls6 ,in these sentiments of the poets the ,quakers1 as a religious body1 have long joined4 ,george ,fox specifically reprobated hunting and hawking1 which were the field diversions of his own time4 ,he had always shewn1 as ,i stated in the introduction1 a tender disposition to brute-animals1 by reproving those1 who had treated them improperly in his presence4 ,he considered these diversions1 as unworthy of the time and attention of men1 who ought to have much higher objects of pursuit4 ,he believed also1 that real christians could never follow them2 for a christian was a renovated man1 and a renovated man could not but know the works of creation better1 than to subject them to his abuse4 ,edward ,burroughs1 who lived at the same time1 and was an able minister of the society1 joined ,george ,fox in his sentiments with respect to the treatment of animals4 ,he considered that man in the fall1 or the apostate man1 had a vision so indistinct and vitiated that he could not see the animals of the creation1 as he ought1 but that the man1 who was restored1 or the spiritual christian1 had a new and clear discernment concerning them1 which would oblige him to consider and treat them in a proper manner4 ,this idea of ,george ,fox and of ,edward ,burroughs seems to have been adopted or patronized by the ,poet ,cowper4 ,thus harmony1 and family accord1 ,were driven from ,paradise2 and in that hour ,the seeds of cruelty1 that since have swell'd ,to such gigantic and enormous growth1 ,were sown in human natures fruitful soil4 ,hence date the persecution and the pain1 ,that man inflicts on all inferior kinds1 ,regardless of their plaints4 ,to make him sport1 ,to gratify the frenzy of his wrath1 ,or his base gluttony1 are causes good1 ,and just1 in his account1 why bird and beast ,should suffer torture-- ,thus the ,quakers censured these diversions from the first formation of their society1 and laid down such moral principles with respect to the treatment of animals1 as were subversive of their continuance4 ,these principles continued to actuate all true ,quakers1 who were their successors2 and they gave a proof1 in their own conduct1 that they were influenced by them1 not only in treating the different animals under their care with tenderness1 but in abstaining from all diversions in which their feelings could be hurt4 ,the diversions however1 of the field1 notwithstanding that this principle of the brute-creation had been long recognized1 and that no person of approved character in the society followed them1 began in time to be resorted to occasionally by the young and thoughtless members1 either out of curiosity1 or with a view of trying them1 as means of producing pleasure4 ,these deviations1 however from the true spirit of ,quakerism became at length known4 ,and the ,quakers1 that no excuse might be left to any for engaging in such pursuits again1 came to a resolution in one of their yearly meetings1 giving advice upon the subject in the following words4 #h,we clearly rank the practice of hunting and shooting for diversion with vain sports2 and we believe the awakened mind may see1 that even the leisure of those whom providence hath permitted to have a competence of worldly goods1 is but ill filled up with these amusements4 ,therefore1 being not only accountable for our substance1 but also for our time1 let our leisure be employed in serving our neighbour1 and not in distressing the creatures of ,god for our amusement4 ,footnote #h3 ,book of ,extracts4 ,i shall not take upon me to examine the different reasons upon which we find the foundation of this law4 ,i shall not enquire how far a man's substance1 or rather his talent1 is wasted or misapplied1 in feeding a number of dogs in a costly manner1 while the poor of the neighbourhood may be starving1 or how far the galloping after these is in the eye of christianity a misapplication of a person's time4 ,i shall adhere only to that part of the argument1 how far a person has a right to make a #ipleasure of that1 which occasions pain and death to the animal-creation3 and ,i shall shew in what manner the ,quakers argue upon this subject1 and how they persuade themselves1 that they have no right to pursue such diversions1 but particularly when they consider themselves as a body of professing christians4 ,footnote #i3 ,the ,quakers and the poet ,cowper likewise1 in their laudable zeal for the happiness of the brute-creation1 have given an improper description of the nature of the crime of these diversions4 ,they have made it to consist in a man's deriving pleasure from the sufferings of the animals in question1 whereas it should have been made to consist in his making a pleasure of a pursuit which puts them to pain4 ,the most abandoned sportsman1 it is to be presumed1 never hunts them because he enjoys their sufferings4 ,his pleasure arises from considerations of another nature4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4 ,diversions of the field judged first by the morality of the ,old ,testament--original charter to kill animals--condition annexed to it--sentiments of ,cowper--rights and duties springing from this charter--violation of it the violation of a moral law--diversions in question not allowable by this standard4 ,the ,quakers usually try the lawfulness of field-diversions1 which include hunting and shooting1 by two standards1 and first by the morality of the old ,testament4 ,they believe in common with other christians1 that men have a right to take away the lives of animals for their food4 ,the great creator of the universe1 to whom every thing that is in it belongs1 gave to ,noah and his descendants a grant or charter for this purpose4 ,in this charter no exception is made4 ,hence wild animals are included in it equally with the tame4 ,and hence a hare may as well be killed1 if people have occasion for food1 as a chicken or a lamb4 ,they believe also that1 when the creator of the universe gave men dominion over the whole brute-creation1 or delivered this creation into their hands1 he intended them the right of destroying such animals1 as circumstances warranted them in supposing would become injurious to themselves4 ,the preservation of themselves1 which is the first law of nature1 and the preservation of other animals under their care1 created this new privilege4 ,but though men have the power given them over the lives of animals1 there is a condition in the same charter1 that they shall take them with as little pain as possible to the creatures4 ,if the death of animals is to be made serviceable to men1 the least they can do in return is to mitigate their sufferings1 while they expire4 ,this obligation the ,supreme ,being imposed upon those1 to whom he originally gave the charter1 by the command of not eating their flesh1 while the life's blood was in it4 ,the ,jews obliged all their converts to religion1 even the proselytes of the gate1 who were not considered to be so religious as the proselytes of the covenant1 to observe what they called the seventh commandment of ,noah1 or that they should#aj not eat the member of any beast that was taken from it1 while it was alive4 ,this law therefore of blood1 whatever other objects it might have in view1 enjoined that1 while men were engaged in the distresing task of taking away the life of an animal1 they should respect its feelings1 by abstaining from torture1 or all unnecessary pain4 ,footnote #aj3 ,it seems almost impossible1 that men could be so depraved1 as to take flesh to eat from a poor animal1 while alive1 and yet from the law enjoined to proselytes of the gate it is probable1 that it was the case4 ,bruce1 whose travels into ,abyssynia are gaining in credit1 asserts that such customs obtained there4 ,and the ,harleian ,miscellany1 vol4 #f4 ,p4 #abf1 in which is a modern account of ,scotland1 written in #afgj1 states the same practice as having existed in our own island4 #aa,on ,noah1 and in him on all mankind ,the ,charter was conferr'd1 by which we hold ,the flesh of animals in fee1 and claim ,o'er all we feed on pow'r of life and death4 ,but read the instrument1 and mark it well4 ,the oppression of a tyrannous control ,can find no warrant there4 ,feed then1 and yield ,thanks for thy food4 ,carnivorous1 through sin1 ,feed on the slain2 but spare the living brute4 ,footnote #aa3 ,cowper4 ,from this charter1 and from the great condition annexed to it1 the ,quakers are of opinion that rights and duties have sprung up2 rights on behalf of animals1 and duties on the part of men2 and that a breach of these duties1 however often1 or however thoughtlessly it may take place1 is a breach of a moral law4 ,for this charter did not relate to those animals only1 which lived in the particular country of the ,jews1 but to those in all countries wherever ,jews might exist4 ,nor was the observance of it confined to the ,jews only1 but it was to extend to the ,proselytes of the covenant and the gate4 ,nor was the observance of it confined to these ,proselytes1 but it was to extend to all nations2 because all animals of the same species are in all countries organized alike1 and have all similar feelings2 and because all animals of every kind are susceptible of pain4 ,in trying the lawfulness of the diversions of the field1 as the ,quakers do by this charter1 and the great condition that is annexed to it1 ,i purpose1 in order to save time1 to confine myself to hunting1 for this will appear to be the most objectionable1 if examined in this manner4 ,it must be obvious then1 that hunting1 even in the case of hares1 is seldom followed for the purposes of food4 ,it is uncertain in the first place1 whether in the course of the chase they can be preserved whole when they are taken1 so as to be fit to be eaten4 ,and1 in the second1 it may be observed1 that we may see fifty horsemen after a pack of hounds1 no one of whom has any property in the pack1 nor of course any right to the prey4 ,these cannot even pretend1 that their object is food1 either for themselves or others4 ,neither is hunting1 where foxes are the objects in view1 pursued upon the principle of the destruction of noxious animals4 ,for it may be observed1 that rewards are frequently offered to those1 who will procure them for the chase3 that large woods or covers are frequently allotted them1 that they may breed1 and perpetuate their species for the same purposes1 and that a poor man in the neighbourhood of a foxhunter1 would be sure to experience his displeasure1 if he were caught in the destruction of any of these animals4 ,with respect to the mode of destroying them in either of these cases1 it is not as expeditious1 as it might be made by other means4 ,it is on the other hand1 peculiarly cruel4 ,a poor animal is followed1 not for minutes1 but frequently for an hour1 and sometimes for hours1 in pain and agony4 ,its sufferings begin with its first fear4 ,under this fear1 perpetually accompanying it1 it flies from the noise of horses1 and horsemen1 and the cries of dogs4 ,it pants for breath1 till the panting becomes difficult and painful4 ,it becomes wearied even to misery1 yet dares not rest4 ,and under a complication of these sufferings1 it is at length overtaken1 and often literally torn to pieces by its pursuers4 ,hunting therefore does not appear1 in the opinion of the ,quakers1 to be followed for any of those purposes1 which alone1 according to the original charter1 give mankind a right over the lives of brutes4 ,it is neither followed for food1 nor for prevention of injury to man1 or to the creatures belonging to him4 ,neither is life taken away by means of it1 as mercifully as it ought to be1 according to the meaning of the#ab great condition4 ,but if hunting be not justifiable1 when examined upon these principles1 it can never be justifiable in the opinion of the ,quakers1 when it is followed on the principle of pleasure1 all destruction of animal-life upon this last principle1 must come within the charge of wanton cruelty1 and be considered as a violation of a moral law4 ,footnote #ab3 ,the netting of animals for food1 is perfectly unobjectionable upon these principles4 ,,sect4 ,,iii4 ,diversions of the field judged by the morality of the ,new-,testament--the renovated man or christian has a clearer knowledge of creation and of its uses--he views animals as the creatures of ,god--hence he finds animals to have rights independently of any written law--he collects again new rights from the benevolence of his new feelings--and new rights again from the written word of revelation4 ,the ,quakers try the lawfulness of these diversions again by the morality of the ,new-,testament ,they adopt1 in the first place1 upon this occasion1 the idea of ,george ,fox and of ,edward ,burroughs1 which has been already stated2 and they follow it up in the manner which ,i shall now explain4 ,they believe that a man under the new covenant1 or one who is really a christian1 is a renovated man4 ,as long as ,adam preserved his primeval innocence1 or continued in the image of his ,maker1 his spiritual vision was clear4 ,when he lost this image1 it became dim1 short1 and confused4 ,this is the case1 the ,quakers believe1 with every apostate or wicked man4 ,he sees through a vitiated medium4 ,he sees of course nothing of the harmony of the creation4 ,he has but a confused knowledge of the natures and ends of things4 ,these natures and these ends he never examines as he ought1 but in the confusion of his moral vision1 he abuses and perverts them4 ,hence it generally happens1 that an apostate man is cruel to his brute4 ,but in proportion as he is restored to the divine image1 or becomes as ,adam was before he fell1 or in proportion as he exchanges earthly for spiritual views1 he sees all things through a clearer medium4 ,it is then1 the ,quakers believe1 that the creation is open to him1 and that he finds his creator has made nothing in vain4 ,it is then that he knows the natures of things2 that he estimates their uses and their ends1 and that he will never stretch these beyond their proper bounds4 ,beholding animals in this sublime light1 he will appreciate their strength1 their capacities1 and their feelings2 and he will never use them but for the purposes intended by providence4 ,it is then that the creation will delight him4 ,it is then that he will find a growing love to the animated objects of it4 ,and this knowledge of their natures1 and this love of them1 will oblige him to treat them with tenderness and respect4 ,hence all animals will have a security in the breast of every christian or renovated man against oppression or abuse4 ,he will never destroy them wantonly1 nor put them to unnecessary pain4 ,now the ,quakers are of opinion1 that every person1 who professes christianity1 ought to view things as the man1 who is renovated1 would view them1 and that it becomes them therefore in particular1 as a body of highly professing christians1 to view them in the same manner4 ,hence they uniformly look upon animals1 not as brute-machines1 to be used at discretion1 but as the creatures of ,god1 of whose existence the use and intention ought always to be considered1 and to whom duties arise out of this spiritual feeling1 independently of any written law in the ,old-,testament1 or any grant or charter1 by which their happiness might be secured4 ,the ,quakers therefore1 viewing animals in this light1 believe that they are bound to treat them accordingly4 ,hence the instigation of two horses by whips and spurs for a trial of speed1 in consequence of a monied stake1 is considered by the ,quakers to be criminal4 ,the horse was made for the use of man1 to carry his body and to transport his burdens2 but he was never made to engage in painful conflicts with other horses on account of the avarice of his owner4 ,hence the pitting together of two cocks for a trial of victory is considered as equally criminal4 ,for the cock1 whatever may be his destined object among the winged creation1 has been long useful to man in awakening him from unseasonable slumber1 and in sounding to him the approach of day4 ,but it was never intended1 that he should be employed to the injury and destruction of himself1 or to the injury and destruction of his own species4 ,in the same manner the ,quakers condemn the hunting of animals1 except on the plea of necessity1 or that they cannot be destroyed1 if their death be required1 in any other way4 ,for whatever may be their several uses1 or the several ends of their existence in creation1 they were never created to be so used by man1 that they should suffer1 and this entirely for his sport4 ,whoever puts animals to cruel and unnatural uses1 disturbs1 in the opinion of the ,quakers1 the harmony of the creation1 and offends ,god4 ,the ,quakers in the second place1 are of opinion that the renovated man must have1 in his own benevolent spirit1 such an exalted sense of the benevolent spirit of the ,creator1 as to believe1 that he never constituted any part of animated nature1 without assigning it its proper share of happiness during the natural time of its existence1 or that it was to have its moment1 its hour1 its day1 or its year of pleasure4 ,and1 if this be the case1 he must believe also1 that any interruption of its tranquillity1 without the plea of necessity1 must be an innovation of its rights as a living being4 ,the ,quakers believe also1 that the renovated man1 who loves all the works of the creator1 will carry every divine law1 which has been revealed to him1 as far as it is possible to be carried on account of a similarity of natures through all animated creation1 and particularly that law1 which forbids him to do to another1 what he would dislike to be done unto himself4 ,now this law is founded on the sense of bodily1 and on the sense of the mental feelings4 ,the mental feelings of men and brutes1 or the reason of man and the instinct of animals1 are different4 ,but their bodily feelings are alike2 and they are in their due proportions1 susceptible of pain4 ,the nature therefore of man and of animals is alike in this particular4 ,he can anticipate and know their feelings by his own4 ,he cannot therefore subject them to any action unnecessarily1 if on account of a similar construction of his own organs1 such an action would produce pain to himself4 ,his own power of feeling strongly commands sympathy to all that can feel3 and that general sympathy1 which arises to a man1 when he sees pain inflicted on the person of any individual of his own species1 will arise1 in the opinion of the ,quakers1 to the renovated man1 when he sees it inflicted on the body of a brute4 ,,chap4 ,,viii4 ,objections started by philosophical moralists to the preceding system of education--this system a prohibitory one--prohibitions sometimes the cause of greater evil than they prevent--they may confuse morality--and break the spirit--they render the vicious more vicious--and are not to be relied upon as effectual1 because built on a fake foundation--ignorance no guardian of virtue--causes1 not sub-causes1 are to be contended against --no certain security but in knowledge and a love of virtue--prohibitions1 where effectual1 produce but a sluggish virtue4 ,i have now stated the principal prohibitions1 that are to be found in the moral education of the ,quakers1 and ,i have annexed to these the various reasons1 which the ,quakers themselves give1 why they were introduced into their society4 ,i have therefore finished this part of my task1 and the reader will expect me to proceed to the next subject4 ,but as ,i am certain that many objections will be started here1 ,i shall stop for a few minutes to state1 and to consider them4 ,the ,quakers differ on the subject of moral education1 very materially from the world1 and indeed from those of the world1 who having had a more than ordinarily liberal education1 may be supposed to have1 in most cases1 a more than ordinarily correct judgment4 ,the ,quaker system1 as we have seen1 consists principally of specific prohibitions4 ,these prohibitions again1 are extended occasionally to things1 which are not in themselves vicious4 ,they are extended1 again1 to these1 because it is possible that they may be made productive1 of evil4 ,and they are founded apparently on the principle1 that ignorance of such things secures innocence1 or that ignorance1 in such cases1 has the operation of a preventive of vice1 or a preservative of virtue4 ,philosophical moralists on the other hand1 are friends to occasional indulgences4 ,they see nothing inherently or necessarily mischievous1 either in the theatre or in the concert-room1 or in the ball-room1 or in the circulating library1 or in many other places of resort4 ,if a young female1 say they1 situated in a provincial town1 were to see a play annually1 would it not give her animation1 and afford a spring to her heart8 or if a youth were to see a play two or three times in the year1 might not his parents1 if they were to accompany him1 make it each time1 by their judicious and moral remarks1 subservient to the improvement of his morals8 neither do these moralists anticipate any danger by looking to distant prospects1 where the things are innocent in themselves4 ,and they are of opinion1 that all danger may be counteracted effectually1 not by prohibitory checks and guards1 but by storing the mind with knowledge1 and filling it with a love of virtue4 ,the arguments therefore1 which these will advance against the system of the moral education of the ,quakers1 may be seen in the following words4 ,all prohibitions1 they contend1 should be avoided1 as much as possible1 in moral education2 for prohibitions may often become the cause of greater immorality1 than they were intended to prevent4 ,the fable of the hen1 whose very prohibition led her chickens to the fatal well1 has often been realized in life1 there is a certain curiosity in human nature to look into things forbidden4 ,if ,quaker youth should have the same desires in this respect as others1 they cannot gratify them but at the expence of their virtue4 ,if they wish for novels1 for example1 they must get them clandestinely4 ,if to go to the theatre1 they must go in secret4 ,but they must do more than this in the latter case1 for as they would be known by their dress1 they must change it for that of another person4 ,hence they may be made capable of intrigue1 hypocrisy1 and deceit4 ,prohibitions1 again1 they believe1 except they be well founded1 may confound the notions of children on the subject of morality2 for if they are forbidden to do what they see worthy and enlightened persons do1 they may never know where to fix the boundaries between vice and virtue4 ,prohibitions1 again1 they consider1 if made without an allowance of exceptions1 as having a tendency to break the spirit of youth4 ,break a horse in the usual way1 and teach him to stop with the check of the reins1 and you break him1 and preserve his courage4 ,but put him in a mill to break him1 and you break his life and animation4 ,prohibitions therefore may hinder elevated feeling1 and may lead to poverty and sordidness of spirit4 ,prohibitions1 again1 they believe1 if youth once depart from the right way1 render them more vicious characters than common4 ,this arises from the abruptness or suddenness of transition4 ,for having been shut up within narrow boundaries for a part of their lives1 they go greater lengths1 when once let loose1 than others1 who have not been equally curbed and confined4 ,but while they are of opinion1 that prohibitions are likely to be thus injurious to ,quaker-youth1 they are of opinion1 that they are never to be relied upon as effectual guardians of morality1 because they consider them as built upon false principles4 ,they are founded1 they conceive1 on the principle1 that ignorance is a security for innocence1 or that vice is so attractive1 that we cannot resist it but by being kept out of the way4 ,in the first case1 they contend that the position is false2 for ignorant persons are of all others the most likely1 when they fall into temptations1 to be seduced1 and in the second1 they contend that there is a distrust of divine providence in his moral government of the world4 ,they are founded1 again1 they conceive1 on false principles1 inasmuch as the ,quakers confound causes with sub-causes1 or causes with occasions4 ,if a person1 for example1 were to get over a hedge1 and receive a thorn in his hand1 and die of the wound1 this thorn would be only the occasion1 and not the cause of his death4 ,the bad state in which his body must have been1 to have made this wound fatal1 would have been the original cause4 ,in like manner neither the theatre1 nor the ball-room are the causes of the bad passions1 that are to be found there4 ,all these passions must have existed in persons previously to their entrance into these places4 ,plays therefore1 or novels1 or public dances1 are only the sub-causes1 or the occasions of calling forth the passions in question4 ,the real cause is in the infected state of the mind1 or in the want of knowledge1 or in the want of a love of virtue4 ,prohibitions therefore1 though they may become partial checks of vice1 can never1 they believe1 be relied upon as effectual guardians of virtue4 ,bars and bolts seldom prevent thieves from robbing a house4 ,but if armed men should be in it1 who would venture to enter in8 ,in the same manner the mind of man should be armed or prepared4 ,it should be so furnished1 that men should be able to wander through a vicious world1 amidst all its foibles and its follies1 and pass uncontaminated by them4 ,it should have that tone given to it1 which should hinder all circumstances from becoming occasions4 ,but this can never be done by locking up the heart to keep vice out of it1 but by filling it with knowledge and with a love of virtue4 ,that this is the only method to be relied upon in moral education1 they conceive may be shewn by considering upon whom the pernicious effects of the theatre1 or of the ball-room1 or of the circulating library1 principally fall4 ,do they not fall principally upon those1 who have never had a dignified education4 ',empty noddles1 it is said1 are fond of playhouses1' and the converse1 is true1 that persons1 whose understandings have been enriched1 and whose tastes have been corrected1 find all such recreations tiresome4 ,at least they find so much to disgust them1 that what they approve does not make them adequate amends4 ,this is the case also with respect to novels4 ,these do harm principally to barren minds4 ,they do harm to those who have no proper employment for their time1 or to those1 who in the manners1 conversation1 and conduct1 of their parents1 or others with whom they associate1 have no examples of pure thinking1 or of pure living1 or of a pure taste4 ,those1 on the other hand1 who have been taught to love good books1 will never run after1 or be affected by1 bad ones4 ,and the same mode of reasoning1 they conceive1 is applicable to other cases4 ,for if people are taught to love virtue for virtue's sake1 and1 in like manner1 to hate what is unworthy1 because they have a genuine and living knowledge of its unworthiness1 neither the ball1 nor concert-room1 nor the theatre1 nor the circulating library1 nor the diversions of the field1 will have charms enough to seduce them1 or to injure the morality of their minds4 ,to sum up the whole4 ,the prohibitions of the ,quakers1 in the first place1 may become injurious1 in the opinion of these philosophical moralists1 by occasioning greater evils1 than they were intended to prevent4 ,they can never1 in the second place1 be relied upon as effectual guardians of virtue1 because they consider them to be founded on false principles4 ,and if at any time they can believe them to be effectual in the office assigned them1 they believe them to to be productive only of a cold or a sluggish virtue4 ,,moral ,,education4 ,,chap4 ,,ix4444 ,,sect4 ,i4 ,reply of the ,quakers to these objections--they say first1 that they are to be guided by revelation in the education of their children--and that the education1 which they adopt1 is sanctioned by revelation1 and by the practice of the early ,christians--they maintain again1 that the objections are not applicable to them1 for they pre-suppose circumstances concerning them1 which are not true--they allow the system of filling the mind with virtue to be the most desirable--but they maintain that it cannot be acted upon abstractedly--and1 that if it could1 it would be as dangerous1 as the philosophical moralists make their system of the prohibitions4 ,to these objections the ,quakers would make the following reply4 ,they do not look up either to their own imaginations1 or to the imaginations of others1 for any rule in the education of their children4 ,as a christian society1 they conceive themselves bound to be guided by revelation1 and by revelation only1 while it has any injunctions to offer1 which relate to this subject4 ,in adverting to the ,old ,testament1 they find that no less than nine1 out of the ten commandments of ,moses1 are of a prohibitory nature1 and1 in adverting to the new1 that many of the doctrines of ,jesus ,christ and the apostles are delivered in the form of prohibitions4 ,they believe that revealed religion prohibits them from following all those pursuits1 which the objections notice2 for though there is no specific prohibition of each1 yet there is an implied one in the spirit of christianity1 ,violent excitements of the passions on sensual subjects must be unfavourable to religious advancement4 ,worldly pleasures must hinder those1 which are spiritual4 ,impure words and spectacles must affect morals4 ,not only evil is to be avoided1 but even the appearance of evil4 ,while therefore these sentiments are acknowledged by christianity1 it is to be presumed that the customs1 which the objections notice1 are to be avoided in christian education4 ,and as the ,quakers consider these to be forbidden to themselves1 they feel themselves obliged to forbid them to others4 ,and1 in these parcticular prohibitions1 they consider themselves as sanctioned both by the writings and the practice of the early christians4 ,in looking at the objections1 which have been made with a view of replying to them1 they would observe first1 that these objections do not seem to apply to them as a society1 because they presuppose circumstances concerning them1 which are not true4 ,they presuppose first1 that their moral education is founded on prohibitions solely1 whereas they endeavour both by the communication of positive precepts1 and by their example1 to fill the minds of their children with a love of virtue4 ,they presuppose again1 that they are to mix with the world1 and to follow the fashions of the world1 in which case a moderate knowledge of the latter1 with suitable advice when they are followed1 is considered as enabling them to pass through life with less danger than the prohibition of the same1 whereas they mix but little with others of other denominations4 ,they abjure the world1 that they may not imbibe its spirit4 ,and here they would observe1 that the knowledge1 which is recommended to be obtained1 by going through perilous customs is not necessary for them as a society4 ,for living much at home1 and mixing almost solely with one another1 they consider their education as sufficient for their wants4 ,if the ,quakers could view the two different systems abstractedly1 that of filling the heart with virtue1 and that of shutting it out from a knowledge of vice1 so that they could be acted upon separately1 and so that the first of the two were practicable1 and practicable without having to go through scenes that were dangerous to virtue1 they would have no hesitation in giving the preference to the former2 because if men could be taught to love virtue for virtue's sake1 all the trouble of prohibitions would be unnecessary4 ,but the ,quakers would conceive that the system of filling the mind with virtue1 if acted upon abstractedly1 or by itself1 would be impracticable with respect to youth4 ,to make it practicable children must be born with the full grown intellect and experience of men4 ,they must have an innate knowledge of all the tendencies1 the bearings1 the relations1 and the effects of virtue and vice4 ,they must be also strong enough to look temptation in the face2 whereas youth have no such knowledge1 or experience1 or strength1 or power4 ,they would consider also the system of filling the mind with virtue1 as impossible1 if attempted abstractedly or alone1 because it is not in human wisdom to devise a method of inspiring it with this essence1 without first teaching it to abstain from vice4 ,it is impossible1 they would say1 for a man to be virtuous1 or to be in love with virtue1 except he were to lay aside his vicious practices4 ,the first step to virtue1 according both to the ,heathen and the ,christian philosophy1 is to abstain from vice4 ,we are to cease to do evil1 and to learn to do well4 ,this is the process recommended4 ,hence prohibitions are necessary4 ,hence sub-causes as well as causes are to be attacked4 ,hence abstinence from vice is a ,christian1 though it may be a sluggish1 virtue4 ,hence innocence is to be aimed at by an ignorance of vice4 ,and hence we must prohibit all evil1 if we wish for the assistance of the moral governor of the world4 ,but if the system of filling the heart with virtue were ever practicable of itself1 that is1 without the aid of prohibitions1 yet if it be to be followed by allowing young persons to pass through the various amusements of the world which the ,quakers prohibit1 and by giving them moral advice at the same time1 they would be of opinion1 that more danger would accrue to their morality1 than any1 which the prohibitions could produce4 ,the prohibitions1 as far as they have a tendency to curb the spirit1 would not be injurious1 in the opinion of the ,quakers1 because it is their plan in education to produce humble1 and passive1 and obedient characters2 and because spirit1 or highmindedness1 or high feeling1 is no trait in the ,christian character4 ,as far as the curiosity1 which is natural to man1 would instigate him to look into things forbidden1 which he could not always do in the particular situation of the ,quakers1 without the admission of intrigue1 or hypocrisy1 or deceit1 prohibitions would be to be considered as evils1 though they would always be necessary evils4 ,but the ,quakers would apprehend that the same number of youth would not be lost by passing through the ordeal of prohibitory education1 as through the ordeal of the system1 which attempts to fill the mind with virtue1 by inuring it to scenes1 which may be dangerous to its morality2 for if tastes are to be cultivated1 and knowledge to be had1 by adopting the amusements prohibited by the ,quakers1 many would be lost1 though some might be advanced to virtue4 ,for parents cannot always accompany their children to such places1 nor1 if they could1 can they prevent these from fascinating4 ,if these should fascinate1 they will suggest repetitions4 ,but frequent repetitions1 where you accustom youth to see1 to hear1 and to think1 what ought never to be heard1 seen1 or thought of by ,christians1 cannot but have the effect of tinging the character in time4 ,this mode of education would be considered by the ,quakers as answering to that of dear bought experience4 ,a person may come to see the beauty of virtue1 when his constitution has been shattered by vice4 ,but many will perish in the midst of so hazardous a trial4#ac ,footnote #ac3 ,though no attempt is to be made to obtain knowledge1 according to the ,christian system1 through the medium of customs which may be of immoral tendency1 yet it does not follow that knowledge1 properly obtained1 is not a powerful guardian of virtue4 ,this important subject may probably be resumed in a future volume4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4 ,quakers contend1 by may of farther reply to the objections1 that their education has been practically or experimentally beneficial--two facts in behalf of this assertion--the first is that young ,quakers get earlier into the wisdom of life than many others--the second1 that there are few disorderly persons in the society--error corrected1 that the ,quakers turn persons out of the society1 as soon as they begin to be vicious1 that it may be rescued from the disgrace of a bad character4 ,the answers1 which have hitherto been given to the reader1 may be considered as the statement of theory against theory4 ,but the ,quakers1 would say farther upon this subject1 that they have educated upon these principles for a hundred and fifty years1 and that1 where they have been attended to1 their effects have been uniformly beneficial4 ,they would be fearful therefore of departing from a path1 which they conceive their own experience and that of their ancestors has shewn them to be safe1 and which after all their inquiries1 they believe to be that which is pointed out to them by the ,christian religion4 ,i shall not attempt to follow up this practical argument by any history of the lives of the ,quakers1 but shall content myself with one or two simple facts1 which appear to me to be materially to the point4 ,in the first place ,i may observe that it is an old saying1 that it is difficult to put old heads on young shoulders4 ,the ,quakers1 however1 do this more effectually than any other people4 ,it has often been observed that a ,quaker boy has an unnatural appearance4 ,this idea has arisen from his dress and his sedateness1 which together have produced an appearance of age above the youth in his countenance1 or the stature of his person4 ,this1 however1 is confessing1 in some degree1 in the case before us1 that the discretion of age has appeared upon youthful shoulders4 ,it is certainly an undeniable fact1 that the youth of this society1 generally speaking1 get earlier into a knowledge of just sentiments1 or into a knowledge of human nature1 or into a knowledge of the true wisdom of life1 than those of the world at large4 ,i have often been surprised to hear young ,quakers talk of the folly and vanity of pursuits1 in which persons older than themselves were then embarking for the purposes of pleasure1 and which the same persons have afterwards found to have been the pursuits of uneasiness and pain4 ,let us stop for a while1 just to look at the situation of some of those young persons1 who1 in consequence of a different education1 are introduced to the pleasures of the world1 as to those1 which are to constitute their happiness4 ,we see them running eagerly first after this object1 then after that4 ,one man says to himself this will constitute my pleasure4 ,he follows it4 ,he finds it vanity and vexation of spirit4 ,he says again ,i have found my self deceived4 ,i now see my happiness in other pleasures1 and not in those where ,i fancied it4 ,he follows these4 ,he becomes sickened4 ,he finds the result different from his expectations4 ,he pursues pleasure1 but pleasure is not there4 #ad,they are lost ,in chase of fancied happiness1 still woo'd1 ,and never won4 ,dream after dream ensues2 ,and still they dream1 that they shall still succeed ,and still are disappointed4 ,footnote #ad3 ,cowper4 ,thus after having wasted a considerable portion of his time1 he is driven at last by positive experience into the truth of those maxims1 which philosophy and religion have established1 and in the pursuit of which alone he now sees that true happiness is to be found4 ,thus1 in consequence of his education1 he looses two thirds of his time in tedious and unprofitable1 if not in baneful pursuits4 ,the young ,quaker1 on the other hand1 comes1 by means of his education1 to the same maxims of philosophy and religion1 as the foundation of his happiness1 at a very early period of life1 and therefore saves the time1 and preserves the constitution which the other has been wasting for want of this early knowledge4 ,i know of no fact more striking1 or more true in the ,quaker-history1 than this1 namely1 that the young ,quaker1 who is educated as a ,quaker1 gets such a knowledge of human nature1 and of the paths to wisdom and happiness1 at an early age1 that1 though he is known to be a young mariner by the youth displayed in his countenance1 he is enabled to conduct his bark through the dangerous rocks and shoals of life1 with greater safety than many others1 who have been longer on the ocean of this probationary world4 ,i may observe again1 as the second fact1 that it is not unusual to hear persons say1 that you seldom see a disorderly ,quaker1 or1 that a ,quaker-prostitute or a ,quaker criminal is unknown4 ,these declarations1 frequently and openly made1 shew at least that there is an opinion among the world at large1 that the ,quakers are a moral people4 ,the mention of this last fact leads me to the notice1 and the correction1 of an error1 which ,i have found to have been taken up by individuals4 ,it is said by these that the ,quakers are very wary with respect to their disorderly members1 for that when any of them behave ill1 they are expelled the society in order to rescue it from the disgrace of a bad character4 ,thus if a ,quaker woman were discovered to be a prostitute1 or a ,quaker man to be taken up for a criminal offence1 no disgrace could attach to this society as it would to others2 for if1 in the course of a week1 after a discovery had been made of their several offences1 any person were to state that two ,quaker members had become infamous1 it would be retorted upon him1 that they were not members of the society4 ,it will be proper to observe upon the subject of this error1 that it is not so probable that the ,quakers would disown these1 after the discovery of their infamy1 to get rid of any stain upon the character of the society1 as it is that these persons1 long before the facts could be known1 had been both admonished and disowned4 ,for there is great truth in the old maxim ,nemo fecit repente 'turpissimus2 or no man was ever all at once a rogue4 ,so in the case of these persons1 as of all others1 they must have been vicious by degrees3 they must have shewn symptoms of some deviations from rectitude1 before the measure of their iniquity could have been completed4 ,but by the constitution of ,quakerism1 as will appear soon1 no person of the society can be found erring even for the first time1 without being liable to be privately admonished4 ,these admonitions may be repeated for weeks1 or for months1 or even for years1 before the subjects of them are pronounced so incorrigible as to be disowned4 ,there is great reason therefore to presume1 in the case before us1 though the offenders in question would have undoubtedly been disowned by the ,quakers1 after they were known to be such1 yet that they had been disowned long before their offences had been made public4 ,upon the whole it may be allowed1 that young ,quakers arrive at the knowledge of just sentiments1 or at the true wisdom of life earlier than those1 who are inured to the fashions of the world2 and it may be allowed also that the ,quakers1 as a body1 are a moral people4 ,now these effects will generally be considered as the result of education2 and though the prohibitions of the ,quakers may not be considered as the only instruments of producing these effects1 yet they must be allowed to be component parts of the system1 which produces them4 ,,discipline ,,of ,,the ,,quakers4 ,,chap4 ,i4444 ,,sect4 ,i4 ,discipline of two kinds--as it relates to the regulation of the internal affairs of the society--or to the cognizance of immoral conduct--difficulty of procuring obedience to moral precepts--this attempted to be obviated by ,george ,fox--outlines of his system for this purpose--additions made to his system since his time--objections to the system considered--this system1 or the discipline of the ,quakers1 as far as this branch of it is concerned1 the great foundation-stone on which their moral education is supported4 ,the discipline of the ,quakers is divisible into two parts4 ,the first may comprehend the regulation of the internal affairs of the society1 such as the management of the poor belonging to it1 the granting of certificates of removal to its members1 the hearing of their appeals upon various occasions1 the taking cognizance of their proposals of marriage1 and the like4 ,the second may comprehend the notice or observance of the moral conduct of individuals1 with a view of preserving the rules1 which the ,quakers have thought it their duty to make1 and the testimonies which they have thought it their duty to bear1 as a ,christian people4 ,it is to the latter part of the discipline that ,i shall principally confine myself in the ensuing part of my work4 ,nothing is more true than that1 when men err in their moral practice1 it is not for want of good precepts or of wholesome advice4 ,there are few books from which we cannot collect some moral truths2 and few men so blind1 as not to be able to point out to us the boundaries of moral good4 ,the pages of revelation have been long unfolded to our view1 and diffusively spread among us4 ,we have had the advantage too of having their contents frequently and publicly repeated into our ears4 ,and yet1 knowing what is right1 we cannot pursue it4 ,we go off1 on the other hand1 against our better knowledge1 into the road to evil4 ,now1 it was the opinion of ,george ,fox1 that something might be done to counteract this infirmity of human nature1 or to make a man keep up to the precepts which he believed to have been divinely inspired1 or1 in other words1 that a system of ,discipline might be devised1 for regulating1 exciting1 and preserving the conduct of a ,christian4 ,this system he at length completed1 and1 as he believed1 with the divine aid1 and introduced it into the society with the approbation of those who belonged to it4 ,the great principle1 upon which he founded it1 was1 that every christian was bound to watch over another for his good4 ,this principle included two ideas4 ,first1 that vigilance over the moral conduct of individuals was a christian duty4 ,secondly1 that any interference with persons1 who might err1 was solely for their good4 ,their reformation was to be the only object in view4 ,hence religious advice was necessary4 ,hence it was to be administered with tenderness and patience4 ,hence nothing was to be left undone1 while there was a hope that any thing could be done1 for their spiritual welfare4 ,from this view of the subject he enjoined it to all the members of his newly formed society1 to be watchful over the conduct of one another1 and not to hesitate to step in for the recovery of those1 whom they might discover to be overtaken with a fault4 ,he enjoined it to them again1 that they should follow the order recommended by ,jesus ,christ upon such occasions4#ae ,if thy brother shall trespass against thee1 go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone4 ,if he shall hear thee1 thou hast gained thy brother4 ,but if he will not hear thee1 then take with thee one or two more1 that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established4 ,and if he shall neglect to hear them1 tell it unto the church2 but1 if he neglect to hear the church1 let him be unto thee as a ,heathen-man or a ,publican4 ,footnote #ae3 ,matt4 #ah4 #ae1 #af1 #ag4 ,for the carrying of this system into execution in the order thus recommended1 he appointed ,courts1 or meetings for dicipline1 as the ,quakers call them1 with the approbation of the society1 where the case of the disorderly should be considered1 if it should be brought to the cognizance of the church2 and where a record should be kept of the proceedings of the society respecting it4 ,in these courts or meetings the poor were to have an equal voice with the rich4--,there was to be no distinction but in favour of religious worth2 ,and here it is to be remarked1 that he was so desirous1 that the most righteous judgment should be pronounced upon any offender1 that he abandoned the usual mode of decision1 in general so highly valued1 by a majority1 of voices1 and recommended the decision to be made according to the apparent will of the virtuous1 who might be present4--,and as expulsion from membership with the church was to be considered as the heaviest punishment1 which the ,quakers1 as a religious body1 could inflict1 he gave the offender an opportunity of appealing to meetings1 different from those in which the sentence had been pronounced against him1 and where the decisive voices were again to be collected from the preponderant weight of religious character4 ,he introduced also into his system of dicipline privileges in favour of women1 which marked his sense of justice1 and the strength and liberality of his mind4 ,the men he considered undoubtedly as the heads of the church1 and from whom all laws concerning it ought to issue4 ,but he did not deny women on that account any power1 which he thought it would be proper for them to hold4 ,he believed them to be capable of great usefulness1 and therefore admitted them to the honour of being1 in his own society1 of nearly equal importance with the men4--,in the general duty1 imposed upon members1 of watching over one another1 he laid it upon the women1 to be particularly careful in observing the morals of those of then own sex4 ,he gave them also meetings for dicipline of their own1 with the power1 of recording their own transactions1 so that women were to act among courts or meetings of women1 as men among those of men4 ,there was also to be no office in the society belonging to the men1 but he advised there should be a corresponding one belonging to the women4 ,by this new and impartial step he raised the women of his own community beyond the level of women in others1 and laid the foundation of that improved strength of intellect1 dignity of mind1 capability of business1 and habit of humane offices1 which are so conspicuous among ,female-,quakers at the present day4 ,with respect to the numerous offices1 belonging to the discipline1 he laid it down as a principle1 that the persons1 who were to fill them1 were to have no other emolument or reward1 than that1 which a faithful discharge of them would bring to their own consciences4 ,these are the general outlines of the system of discipline1 as introduced by ,george ,fox4 ,this system was carried into execution1 as he himself had formed it1 in his own time4 ,additions1 however1 have been made to it since1 as it seemed proper1 by the society at large4 ,in the time of ,george ,fox1 it was laid upon every member1 as we have seen1 to watch over his neighbour for his spiritual welfare4 ,but in #afih1 the society conceiving1 that what was the business of every one might eventually become the business of no one1 appointed officers1 whose particular duty it should be to be overseers of the morals of individuals2 thus hoping1 that by the general vigilance enjoined by ,george ,fox1 which was still to continue1 and by the particular vigilance then appointed1 sufficient care would be taken of the morals of the whole body4 ,in the time1 again1 of ,george ,fox1 women had1 only their monthly and quarterly meetings for discipline1 but it has since been determined1 that they should have their yearly meetings equally with the men4 ,in the time1 again1 of ,george ,fox1 none but the grave members were admitted into the meetings for discipline1 but it has been since agreed1 that young persons should have the privilege of attending them1 and this1 ,i believe1 upon the notion1 that4 ,while these meetings would quality them for transacting the business of the society1 they might operate as schools far virtue4 ,this system of discipline1 as thus introduced by ,george ,fox1 and as thus enlarged by the society afterwards1 has not escaped1 notwithstanding the loveliness of its theory1 the censure of the world4 ,it has been considered in the first place1 as a system of espionage1 by which one member is made a spy upon1 or becomes an informer against another4 ,but against this charge it would be observed by the ,quakers1 that vigilance over morals is unquestionably a ,christian duty4 ,it would be observed again that the vigilance which is exercised in this case1 is not with the intention of mischief1 as in the case of spies and informers1 but with the intention of good4 ,it is not to obtain money1 but to preserve reputation and virtue4 ,it is not to persecute but to reclaim4 ,it is not to make a man odious1 but to make him more respectable4 ,it is never an interference with innocence4 ,the watchfulness begins to be offensive only1 where delinquency is begun4 ,the discipline1 again1 has been considered as too great an infringement1 of the liberty of those1 who are brought under it4 ,against this the ,quakers would contend1 that all persona who live in civil society1 must give up a portion of their freedom1 that more happiness and security may be enjoyed4 ,so1 when men enter into ,christian societies1 they must part with a little of their liberty for their moral good4 ,but whatever may be the light in which persons1 not of the society1 may view this institution1 the ,quakers submit to1 and respect it4 ,it is possible there may be some1 who may feel it a restraint upon their conduct4 ,and there is no doubt1 that it is a restraint upon those1 who have irregular desires to gratify1 or destructive pleasures to pursue4 ,but generally speaking1 the youth of the society1 who receive a consistent education1 approve of it4 ,genuine ,quaker parents1 as ,i have had occasion to observe1 insist upon the subjugation of the will4 ,it is their object to make their children lowly1 patient and submissive4 ,those therefore1 who are born in the society1 are born under the system1 and are in general educated for it4 ,those who become converted to the religion of the society1 know beforehand the terms of their admission4 ,and it will appear to all to be at least an equitable institution1 because in the administration of it1 there is no exception of persons4 ,the officers themselves1 who are appointed to watch over1 fall under the inspection of the discipline4 ,the poor may admonish the rich1 and the rich the poor4 ,there1 is no exception1 in short1 either for age1 or sex1 or station4 ,it is not necessary1 at least in the present place1 that ,i should go farther1 and rake up all the objections1 that may be urged upon this subject4 ,i shall therefore only observe here1 that the discipline of the ,quakers1 notwithstanding all its supposed imperfections1 whatever1 they may be1 is the grand foundation-stone1 upon which their moral education is supported4 ,it is the grand partition wall between them and vice4 ,if this part of the fabric were ever allowed to1 be undermined1 the building would fall to pieces2 though the ,quakers might still be known by their apparel and their language1 they would no longer be so remarkable as they are now generally confessed to1 be1 for their moral character4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4 ,manner of the administration of the discipline of the ,quakers--,overseers appointed to every particular meeting--,manner of reclaiming an individual--first by admonition--this sometimes successful--secondly by dealing--this sometimes successful--but if unsuccessful1 the offender is disowned--but he may appeal afterwards to two different courts or meetings for redress4-- ,having now given the general outlines of the discipline of the ,quakers1 ,i shall proceed to explain the particular manner of the administration of it4 ,to administer it effectually all individuals of the society1 as ,i have just stated1 whether men or women1 are allowed the power of watching over the conduct of one another for their good1 and of interfering if they should see occasion4 ,but besides this general care two or more persons of age and experience1 and of moral lives and character1 and two or more women of a similar description1 are directed to be appointed1 to have the oversight of every congregation or particular meeting in the kingdom4 ,these persons are called overseers1 because it is their duty to oversee their respective flocks4 ,if any of the members should violate the prohibitions mentioned in the former part of the work1 or should become chargeable with injustice1 drunkenness1 or profane swearing1 or neglect of their public worship1 or should act in any way inconsistently with his character as a christian1 it becomes the particular duty of these overseers1 though it is also the duty of the members at large1 to visit him in private1 to set before him the error and consequences of his conduct1 and to endeavour by all the means in their power to reclaim him4 ,this act on the part of the overseer is termed by the society admonishing4 ,the circumstances of admonishing and of being admonished are known only to the parties1 except the case should have become of itself notorious2 for secrecy is held sacred on the part of the persons who admonish4 ,hence it may happen1 that several of the society may admonish the same person1 though no one of them knows that any other has been visiting him at all4 ,the offender may be thus admonished by overseers and other individuals for weeks and months together1 for no time is fixed by the society1 and no pains are supposed to be spared for his reformation4 ,it is expected1 however1 in all such admonitions1 that no austerity of language or manner should be used1 but that he should be admonished in tenderness and love4 ,if an overseer1 or any other individual1 after having thus laboured to reclaim another for a considerable length of time1 finds that he has not succeeded in his work1 and feels also that he despairs of succeeding by his own efforts1 he opens the matter to some other overseer1 or to one or more serious members1 and requests their aid4 ,these persons now wait upon the offender together1 and unite their efforts in endeavouring to persuade him to amend his life4 ,this act1 which now becomes more public by the junction of two or three in the work of his reformation1 is still kept a secret from other individuals of the society1 and still retains the name of admonishing4 ,it frequently happens that1 during these different admonitions1 the offender sees his error1 and corrects his conduct4 ,the visitations of course cease1 and he goes on in the estimation of the society as a regular or unoffending member1 no one knowing but the admonishing persons1 that he has been under the discipline of the society4 ,i may observe here1 that what is done by men to men is done by women to women1 the women admonishing and trying to reclaim those of their own sex1 in the same manner4 ,should1 however1 the overseers1 and other persons before mentioned1 find after a proper length of time that all their united efforts have been ineffectual1 and that they have no hope of success with respect to his amendment1 they lay the case1 if it should be of a serious nature1 before a #af;court1 which has the name of the monthly meeting4 ,this court1 or meeting1 make a minute of the case1 and appoint a committee to visit him4 ,the committee in consequence1 of their appointment wait upon him4 ,this act is now considered as a public act1 or as an act of the church4 ,it is not now termed admonishing1 but changes its name to #ag;dealing4 ,the offender too1 while the committee are dealing with him1 though he may attend the meetings of the society for worship1 does not attend those of their discipline4 ,footnote #af3 ,certain acts of delinquency are reported to the monthly meeting1 as soon as the truth of the facts can be ascertained1 such as a violation of the rules of the society1 with respect to marriage1 payment of tythes1 etc4 ,footnote #ag3 ,women1 though they may admonish1 cannot deal with women1 this being an act of the church1 till they have consulted the meetings of the men4 ,men are generally joined with women in the commission for this purpose4 ,if the committee1 after having dealt with the offender according to their appointment1 should be satisfied that he is sensible of his error1 they make a report to the monthly court or meeting concerning him4 ,a minute is then drawn up1 in which it is stated1 that he has made satisfaction for the offence4 ,it sometimes happens1 that he himself sends to the same meeting a written acknowledgement of his error4 ,from this time he attends the meetings for discipline again1 and is continued in the society1 as if nothing improper had taken place4 ,nor is any one allowed to reproach him for his former faults4 ,should1 however1 all endeavours prove ineffectual1 and should the committee1 after having duly laboured with the offender1 consider him at last as incorrigible1 they report their proceedings to the monthly meeting4 ,he is then publicly excluded from membership1 or1 as it is called1 #ah;disowned4 ,this is done by a distinct document1 called a testimony of disownment1 in which the nature of the offence1 and the means that have been used to reclaim him1 are described4 ,a wish is also generally expressed in this document1 that he may repent1 and be taken into membership again4 ,a copy of this minute is always required to be given to him4 ,footnote #ah3 ,women cannot disown1 the power of disowning1 is an act of the church1 being vested in the meetings of the men4 ,if the offender should consider this act of disowning him as an unjust proceeding1 he may appeal to a higher tribunal1 or to the quarterly court1 or meeting4 ,this quarterly court or meeting1 then appoint a committee1 of which no one of the monthly meeting that condemned him can be a member1 to reconsider his ease4 ,should this committee report1 and the quarterly meeting in consequence decide against him1 he may appeal to the yearly4 ,this latter meeting is held in ,london1 and consists of deputies and others from all parts of the kingdom4 ,the yearly meeting then appoint a committee of twelve deputies1 taken from twelve quarterly meetings1 none of whom can be from the quarterly meeting that passed sentence against him1 to examine his case again4 ,if this committee should confirm the former decisions1 he may appeal to the yearly meeting at large2 but beyond this there is no appeal4 ,but if he should even be disowned by the voice of the yearly meeting at large1 he may1 if he lives to give satisfactory proof of his amendment1 and sues for readmission into the society1 be received into membership again2 but he can only be received through the medium of the monthly meeting1 by which he was first disowned4 ,,sect4 ,,iii ,two charges usually brought against this administration of the discipline--that it is managed with an authoritative spirit--and that it is managed partially--these charges are considered4 ,as two charges are usually brought against the administration of that part of the discipline1 which has been just explained1 ,i shall consider them in this place4 ,the first usually is1 that1 though the ,quakers abhor what they call the authority of priest craft1 yet some overseers possess a portion of the spirit of ecclesiastical dominion2 that they are austere1 authoritative1 and over bearing in the course of the exercise of their office1 and that1 though the institution may be of ,christian origin1 it is not always conducted by these with a ,christian spirit4 ,to this first charge ,i shall make the following reply4 ,that there may be individual instances1 where this charge may be founded1 ,i am neither disposed1 nor qualified1 to deny4 ,overseers have their different tempers1 like other people2 and the exercise of dominion has unquestionably a tendency to spoil the heart4 ,so far there is an opening for the admission of this charge4 ,but it must be observed1 on the other hand1 that the persons1 to be chosen overseers1 are to be by the laws of the society#ai as upright and unblameable in their conversation1 as they can be found1 in order that the advice1 which they shall occasionally administer to other friends1 may be the better received1 and carry with it the greater weight and force on the minds of those1 whom they shall be concerned to admonish4 ,it must be observed again that it is expressly enjoined them1 that they are to exercise their functions in a meek1 calm1 and peaceable spirit1 in order that the admonished may see that their interference with their conduct proceeds from a principle of love and a regard for their good1 and preservation in the truth4 ,footnote #ai3 ,book of extracts4 ,and it must be observed again1 that any violation of this injunction would render them liable to be admonished by others1 and to come under the discipline themselves4 ,the second charge is1 that the discipline is administered partially2 or that more favour is shewn to the rich than to the poor1 and that the latter are sooner disowned than the former for the same faults4 ,this latter charge has probably arisen from a vulgar notion1 that1 as the poor are supported by the society1 there is a general wish to get rid of them4--,but this notion is not true4 ,there is more than ordinary caution in disowning those who are objects of support1 add to which1 that1 as some of the most orderly members of the body are to be found among the poor1 an expulsion of these1 in a hasty manner1 would be a diminution of the quantum of respectability1 or of the quantum of moral character1 of the society at large4 ,in examining this charge1 it must certainly be allowed1 that though the principle of no respect of persons is no where carried to a greater length than in the ,quaker ,society1 yet we may reasonably expect to find a drawback from the full operation of it in a variety of causes4 ,we are all of us too apt1 in the first place1 to look up to the rich1 but to look down upon the poor4 ,we are apt to court the good will of the former1 when we seem to care very little even whether we offend the latter4 ,the rich themselves and the middle classes of men respect the rich more than the poor2 and the poor show more respect to the rich than to one another4 ,hence it is possible2 that a poor man may find more reluctance in entering the doors of a rich man to admonish him1 than one who is rich to enter the doors of the poor for the same purpose1 men1 again1 though they may be equally good1 may not have all the same strength of character4 ,some overseers may be more timid than others1 and this timidity may operate upon them more in the execution of their duty upon one class of individuals1 than upon another4 ,hence a rich man may escape for a longer time without admonition1 than a poorer member4 ,but when the ice is once broken2 when admonition is once begun2 when respectable persons have been called in by overseers or others1 those causes1 which might be preventive of justice1 will decrease2 and1 if the matter should be carried to a monthly or a quarterly meeting1 they will wholly vanish4 ,for in these courts it is a truth1 that those1 who are the most irreproachable for their lives1 and the most likely of course to decide justly on any occasion1 are the most attended to1 or carry the most weight1 when they speak publicly4 ,now these are to be found principally in the low and middle classes1 and these1 in all societies1 contain the greatest number of individuals4 ,as to the very rich1 these are few indeed compared with the rest1 and these may be subdivided into two classes for the farther elucidation of the point4 ,the first will consist of men1 who rigidly follow the rules of the society1 and are as exemplary as the very best of the members4 ,the second will consist of those1 who we members according to the letter1 but not according to the spirit1 and who are content with walking in the shadow1 that follows the substance of the body4 ,those of the first class will do justice1 and they will have on equal influence with any4 ,those of the second1 whatever may be their riches1 or whatever they may say1 are seldom if ever attended to in the administration of the discipline4 ,from hence it will appear1 that if there be any partiality in the administration of this institution1 it will consist principally in this1 that a rich man may be suffered in particular cases1 to go longer without admonition than a poorer member2 but that after admonition has been begun1 justice will be impartially administered2 and that the charges of a preference1 where disowning is concerned1 has no solid foundation for its support4 ,,sect4 ,,iv4 ,three great principles discoverable in the discipline1 as hitherto explained--these applicable to the discipline of larger societies1 or to the criminal codes of states--lamentable1 that as ,christian principles1 they have not been admitted into our own--,quakers1 as far as they have had influence in legislation1 have adopted them--exertions of ,william ,penn--,legislature of ,pennsylvania as example to other countries in this particular4 ,i find it almost impossible to proceed to the great courts or meetings of the ,quakers1 which ,i had allotted for my next subject1 without stopping a while to make a few observations on the principles of that part of the discipline1 which ,i have now explained4 ,it may be observed1 first1 that the great object of this part of the discipline is the reformation of the offending person3 secondly1 that the means of effecting this object consists of religious instruction or advice3 and thirdly1 that no pains are to be spared1 and no time to be limited1 for the trial of these means1 or1 in other words1 that nothing is to be left undone1 while there is a hope that the offender may be reclaimed4 ,now these principles the ,quakers adopt in the exercise of their discipline1 because1 as a ,christian community1 they believe they ought to be guided only by ,christian principles1 and they know of no other1 which the letter1 or the spirit of ,christianity1 can warrant4 ,i shall trespass upon the patience of the reader in this place1 only till ,i have made an application of these principles1 or till ,i have shewn him how far these might be extended1 and extended with advantage to morals1 beyond the limits of the ,quaker-society1 by being received as the basis1 upon which a system1 of penal laws might be founded1 among larger societies1 or states4 ,it is much to be lamented1 that nations1 professing ,christianity1 should have lost sight1 in their various acts of legislation1 of ,christian principles3 or that they should not have interwoven some such beautiful principles as those1 which we have seen adopted by the ,quakers1 into the system of their penal laws4 ,but if this negligence or omission would appear worthy of regret1 if reported of any ,christian nation1 it would appear most so1 if reported of our own1 where one would have supposed1 that the advantages of civil and religious liberty1 and those of a reformed religion1 would have had their influence is the correction of our judgments1 and in the benevolent dispositions of our will4 ,and yet nothing is more true1 than that these good influences have either never been produced1 or1 if produced1 that they have never been attended to1 upon this subject4 ,there seems to be no provision for religions instruction in our numerous prisons4 ,we seem to make no patient trials of those1 who are confined in them1 for their reformation4 ,but1 on the other hand1 we seem to hurry them off the stage of life1 by means of a code1 which annexes death to two hundred different offences1 as if we had allowed our laws to be written by the bloody pen of the pagan ,draco4 ,and it seems remarkable1 that this system should be persevered in1 when we consider that death1 as far as the experiment has been made in our own country1 has little or no effect as a punishment for crimes4 ,forgery1 and the circulation of forged paper1 and the counterfeiting of the money of the realm1 are capital offences1 and are never pardoned4 ,and yet no offences are more frequently committed than these4 ,and it seems still more remarkable1 when we consider1 in addition to this1 that in consequence of the experiments1 made in other countries1 it seems to be approaching fast to an axiom1 that crimes are less frequent1 in proportion as mercy takes place of severity1 or as there are judicious substitutes for the punishment of death4 ,i shall not inquire1 in this place1 how far the right of taking away life on many occasions1 which is sanctioned by the law of the land1 can be supported on the ground of justice1 or how for a greater injury is done by it1 than the injury the criminal has himself done4 ,as ,christians1 it seems that we should be influenced by ,christian principles4 ,now nothing can be more true1 than that ,christianity commands us to be tender hearted one to another1 to have a tender forbearance one with another1 and to regard one another as brethren4 ,we are taught also that men1 independently of their accountableness to their own governments1 are accountable for their actions in a future state1 and that punishments are unquestionably to follow4 ,but where are our forbearance and our love1 where is our regard for the temporal and eternal interests of man1 where is our respect for the principles of the gospel1 if we make the reformation of a criminal a less object than his punishment1 or if we consign him to death1 in the midst of his sins1 without having tried all the means in our power for his recovery8 ,had the ,quakers been the legislators of the world1 they had long ago interwoven the principles of their discipline into their penal codes1 and death had been long ago abolished as a punishment for crimes4 ,as far as they have had any power with legislatures1 they have procured an attention to these principles4 ,george ,fox remonstrated with the judges in his time on the subject of capital punishments4 ,but the ,quakers having been few in number1 compared with the rest of their countrymen1 and having had no seats in the legislature1 and no predominant interest with the members of it1 they have been unable to effect any change in ,england on this subject4 ,in ,pennsylvania1 however1 where they were the original colonists1 they have had influence with their own government1 and they have contributed to set up a model of jurisprudence1 worthy of the imitation of the world4 ,william ,penn1 on his arrival in ,america1 formed a code of laws chiefly on ,quaker principles1 in which1 however1 death was inscribed as a punishment1 but it was confined to murder4 ,queen ,anne set this code aside1 and substituted the statute and common law of the mother country4 ,it was1 however1 resumed in time1 and acted upon for some years1 when it was set aside by the mother country again4 ,from this time it continued dormant till the separation of ,america from ,england4 ,but no sooner had this event taken place1 which rendered the ,american states their own legislators1 than the ,pennsylvanian ,quakers began to aim at obtaining an alteration of the penal laws4 ,in this they were joined by worthy individuals of other denominations2 and these1 acting in union1 procured from the legislature of ,pennsylvania1 in the year #aghf1 a reform of the criminal code4 ,this reform1 however1 was not carried1 in the opinion of the ,quakers1 to a sufficient length4 ,accordingly1 they took the lead again1 and exerted themselves afresh upon this subject4 ,many of them formed themselves into a society for alleviating the miseries of public prisons4 ,other persons co-operated with them in this undertaking also4 ,at length1 after great perseverance1 they prevailed upon the same legislature1 in the year #agij1 to try an ameliorated system4 ,this trial answered so well1 that the same legislature again1 in the year #agid1 established an act1 in which several ,quaker principles were incorporated1 and in which only the crime of premeditated murder was punishable with death4 ,as there is now but one capital offence in ,pennsylvania1 punishments for other offences are made up of fine1 imprisonment1 and labour2 and these are awarded separately or conjointly1 according to the magnitude of the crime4 ,when criminals have been convicted1 and sent to the great gaol of ,philadelphia to undergo their punishment1 it is expected of them that they should maintain themselves out of their daily labour2 that they should pay for their board and washing1 and also for the use of their different implements of labour2 and that they should defray the expences of their commitment1 and of their prosecutions and their trials4 ,an account therefore is regularly kept against them1 and if at the expiration of the term of their punishment1 there should be a surplus of money in their favour1 arising out of the produce of their work1 it is given to them on their discharge4 ,an agreement is usually made about the price of prison-labour between the inspector of the gaol and the employers of the criminals4 ,as reformation is now the great object in ,pennsylvania1 where offences have been committed1 it is of the first importance that the gaoler and the different inspectors should be persons of moral character4 ,good example1 religious advice1 and humane treatment on the part of these1 will have a tendency to produce attention1 respect1 and love on the part of the prisoners1 and to influence their moral conduct4 ,hence it is a rule never to be departed from1 that none are to be chosen as successors to these different officers1 but such1 as shall be found on inquiry to have been exemplary in their lives4 ,as reformation1 again1 is now the great object1 no corporal punishment is allowed in the prison4 ,no keeper can strike a criminal4 ,nor can any criminal be put into irons4 ,all such punishments are considered as doing harm4 ,they tend to extirpate a sense of shame4 ,they tend to degrade a man and to make him consider himself as degraded in his own eyes2 whereas it is the design of this change in the penal system1 that he should be constantly looking up to the restoration of his dignity as a man1 and to the recovery of his moral character4 ,as reformation1 again1 is now the great object1 the following#bj system is adopted4 ,no intercourse is allowed between the males and the females1 nor any between the untried and the convicted prisoners4 ,while they are engaged in their labour1 they are allowed to talk only upon the subject1 which immediately relates to their work4 ,all unnecessary conversation is forbidden4 ,profane swearing is never overlooked4 ,a strict watch is kept1 that no spirituous liquors may be introduced4 ,care is taken that all the prisoners have the benefit of religious instruction4 ,the prison is accordingly open1 at stated times1 to the pastors of the different religious denominations of the place4 ,and as the mind of man may be worked upon by rewards as well as by punishments1 a hope is held out to the prisoners1 that the time of their confinement may be shortened by their good behaviour4 ,for the inspectors1 if they have reason to believe that a solid reformation has taken place in any individual1 have a power of interceding for his enlargement1 and the executive government of granting it1 if they think it proper4 ,in the case1 where the prisoners are refractory1 they are usually put into solitary confinement1 and deprived of the opportunity of working4 ,during this time the expences of their board and washing are going on1 so that they are glad to get into employment again1 that they may liquidate the debt1 which1 since the suspension of their labour1 has been accruing to the gaol4 ,footnote #bj3 ,as cleanliness is connected with health1 and health with morals1 the prisoner are obliged to wash and clean themselves every morning before their work1 and to bathe in the summer-season1 in a large reservoir of water1 which is provided in the court yard of the prison for this purpose4 ,in consequence of these regulations1 those who visit the criminals in ,philadelphia in the hours of their labour1 have more the idea of a large manufactory1 than of a prison4 ,they see nail-makers1 sawyers1 carpenters1 joiners1 weavers1 and others1 all busily employed4 ,they see regularity and order among these4 ,and as no chains are to be seen in the prison1 they seem to forget their situation as criminals1 and to look upon them as the free and honest labourers of a community following their respective trades4 ,in consequence of these regulations1 great advantages have arisen both to the criminals1 and to the state4 ,the state has experienced a diminution of crimes to the amount of one half since the change of the penal system1 and the criminals have been restored1 in a great proportion1 from the gaol to the community1 as reformed persons4 ,for few have been known to stay the whole term of their confinement4 ,but no person could have had any of his time remitted him1 except he had been considered both by the inspectors and the executive government as deserving it4 ,this circumstance of permission to leave the prison before the time expressed in the sentence1 is of great importance to the prisoners4 ,for it operates as a certificate for them of their amendment to the world at large4 ,hence no stigma is attached to them for having been the inhabitants of a prison4 ,it may be observed also1 that some of the most orderly and industrious1 and such as have worked at the most profitable trades1 have had sums of money to take on their discharge1 by which they have been able to maintain themselves honestly1 till they could get into employ4 ,such is the state1 and such the manner of the execution of the penal laws of ,pennsylvania1 as founded upon ,quaker-principles1 so happy have the effects of this new system already been1 that it is supposed it will be adopted by the other ,american ,states4 ,may the example be universally followed6 ,may it be universally received as a truth1 that true policy is inseparable from virtue2 that in proportion as principles become lovely on account of their morality1 they will become beneficial1 when acted upon1 both to individual and to ,states2 or that legislators cannot raise a constitution upon so fair and firm a foundation1 as upon the gospel of ,jesus ,christ6 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,monthly court or meeting--constitution of this meeting--each county is usually divided into parts--in each of these parts or divisions are several meeting-houses1 which have their several congregations attached to them--one meeting-house in each division is fixed upon for transacting the business of all the congregations in that division--deputies appointed from every particular meeting or congregation in each division to the place fixed upon for transacting the business within it--nature of the business to be transacted--women become deputies1 and transact business1 equally with the men4 ,i come1 after this long digression1 to the courts of the ,quakers4 ,and here ,i shall immediately premise1 that ,i profess to do little more than to give a general outline of these4 ,i do not intend to explain the proceedings1 preparatory to the meetings there1 or to state all the exceptions from general rules1 or to trouble the memory of the reader with more circumstances than will be sufficient to enable him to have a general idea of this part of the discipline of the ,quakers4 ,the ,quakers manage their discipline by means of monthly1 quarterly1 and yearly courts1 to which1 however they themselves uniformly give the name of meetings4 ,to explain the nature and business of the monthly or first of these meetings1 ,i shall fix upon some county in my own mind1 and describe the business1 that is usually done in this in the course of the month4 ,for as the business1 which is usually transacted in any one county1 is done by the ,quakers in the same manner and in the same month in another1 the reader1 by supposing an aggregate of counties1 may easily imagine1 how the whole business of the society is done for the whole kingdom4 ,the ,quakers#ba usually divide a county into a number of parts1 according to the ,quaker-population of it4 ,in each of these divisions there are usually several meeting-houses1 and these have their several congregations attached to them4 ,one meeting-house1 however1 in each division1 is usually fixed upon for transacting the business of all the congregations that are within it1 or for the holding of these monthly courts4 ,the different congregations of the ,quakers1 or the members of the different particular meetings1 which are settled in the northern part of the county1 are attached of course to the meeting-house1 which has been fixed upon in the northern division of it because it gives them the least trouble to repair to it on this occasion4 ,the numbers of those again1 which are settled in the southern1 or central1 or other parts of the county1 are attached to that1 which has been fixed upon in the southern1 or central1 or other divisions of it1 for the same reason4 ,the different congregations in the northern division of the county appoint1 each of them1 a set of deputies once a month1 which deputies are of both sexes1 to repair to the meeting-house1 which has been thus assigned them4 ,the different congregations in the southern1 central1 or other divisions1 appoint also1 each of them1 others1 to repair to that1 which has been assigned them in like manner4 ,these deputies are all of them previously instructed in the matters1 belonging to the congregations1 which they respectively represent4 ,footnote #ba3 ,this was the ancient method1 when the society was numerous in every county of the kingdom1 and the principle is still followed according to existing circumstances4 ,at length the day arrives for the monthly meeting4 ,the deputies make ready to execute the duties committed to their trust4 ,they repair1 each sett of them1 to their respective places of meeting4 ,here a number of ,quakers1 of different ages and of both sexes1 from their different divisions1 repair also4 ,it is expected that#bb all1 who can conveniently attend1 should be present on this occasion4 ,footnote #bb3 ,there may be persons1 who on account of immoral conduct cannot attend4 ,when they are collected at the meeting-house1 which was said to have been fixed upon in each division1 a meeting for worship takes place4 ,all persons1 both men and women1 attend together4 ,but when this meeting is over1 they separate into different apartments for the purposes of the discipline2 the men to transact by themselves the business of the men1 and of their own district1 the women to transact that1 which is more limited1 namely such as belongs to their own sex4 ,in the men's meeting1 and it is the same in the women's1 the names of the deputies beforementioned1 are first entered in a book1 for1 until this act takes place1 the meeting for discipline is not considered to be constituted4 ,the minutes of the last monthly meeting are then generally read1 by which it is seen if any business of the society was left unfinished4 ,should any thing occur of this sort1 it becomes the #bc;first object to be considered and dispatched4 ,footnote #bc3 ,the ,london monthly meetings begin differently from those in the country4 ,the new business1 in which the deputies were said to have been previously instructed by the congregations which they represented comes on4 ,this business may be of various sorts4 ,one part of it uniformly relates to the poor4 ,the wants of these are provided for1 and the education of their children taken care of1 at this meeting4 ,presentations of marriages are received1 and births1 marriages1 and funerals are registered4 ,if disorderly members1 after long and repeated admonitions1 should have given no hopes of amendment1 their case is first publicly cognizable in this court4 ,committees are appointed to visit1 advise1 and try to reclaim them4 ,persons1 reclaimed by these visitations1 are restored to membership1 after having been well reported of by the parties deputed to visit them4 ,the fitness of persons1 applying for membership1 from other societies1 is examined here4 ,answers also are prepared to the #bdqueries at the proper time4 ,instructions also are given1 if necessary1 to particular meetings1 suited to the exigencies of their cases2 and certificates are granted to members on various occasions4 ,footnote #bd3 ,these queries will be explained in the next chapter4 ,in transacting this1 and other business of the society1 all members present we allowed to speak4 ,the poorest man in the meeting-house1 though he may be receiving charitable contributions at the time1 is entitled to deliver his sentiments upon any point4 ,he may bring forward new matter4 ,he may approve or object to what others have proposed before him4 ,no person may interrupt him1 while he speaks4 ,the youth1 who are sitting by1 are gaining a knowledge of the affairs and discipline of the society1 and are gradually acquiring sentiments and habits1 that are to mark their character in life4 ,they learn1 in the first place1 the duty of a benevolent and respectful consideration for the poor4 ,in hearing the different cases argued and discussed1 they learn1 in some measure1 the rudiments of justice1 and imbibe opinions of the necessity of moral conduct4 ,in these courts they learn to reason4 ,they learn also to hear others patiently1 and without interruption1 and to transact business1 that may come before them in maturer years with regularity and order4 ,i cannot omit to mention here the orderly manner in which1 the ,quakers1 conduct their business on these occasions4 ,when a subject is brought before them1 it is canvassed to the exclusion of all extraneous matter1 till some conclusion results4 ,the clerk of the monthly meeting then draws up a minute1 containing1 as nearly as he can collect1 the substance of this conclusion4 ,this minute is then read aloud to the auditory1 and either stands or undergoes an alteration1 as appears1 by the silence or discussion upon it1 to be the sense of the meeting4 ,when fully agreed upon1 it stands ready to be recorded4 ,when a second subject comes on1 it is canvassed1 and a minute is made of it1 to be recorded in the same manner1 before a third is allowed to be introduced4 ,thus each point is settled1 till the whole business of the meeting is concluded4 ,i may now mention that in the same manner as the men proceed in their apartment on this occasion1 the women proceed in their own apartment or meeting also4 ,there are women-deputies1 and women-clerks4 ,they enter down the names of these deputies1 read the minutes1 of the last monthly meeting1 bring forward the new matter1 and deliberate and argue on the affairs of their own sex4 ,they record their proceedings equally4 ,the young females also1 are present1 and have similar opportunities of gaining knowledge1 and of improving their judgments1 and of acquiring useful and moral habits1 as the young men4 ,it is usual1 when the women have finished the business of their own meeting1 to send one of their members to the apartments of the men1 to know if they have any thing to communicate4 ,this messenger having returned1 and every thing having been settled and recorded in both meetings1 the monthly meeting is over1 and men1 women1 and youth of both sexes1 return to their respective homes4 ,in the same manner as the different congregations1 or members of the different meetings1 in any one division of the county1 meet together1 and transact their monthly business1 so other different congregations1 belonging to other divisions of the same county1 meet at other appointed places1 and dispatch their business also4 ,and in the same manner as the business is thus done in one county1 it is done in every other county of the kingdom once a month4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,quarterly court or meeting--constitution of this meeting--one place in each county is now fixed upon for the transaction of business-this place may be different in the different quarters of the year--deputies from the various monthly meetings are appointed to repair to this place--nature of the business to be transacted--certain queries proposed--written answers carried to these by the deputies just mentioned--,queries proposed in the womens meeting also1 and answered in the same manner4-- ,the quarterly meeting of the ,quakers1 which comes next in order1 is much more numerously attended than the monthly4 ,the monthly1 as we have just seen1 superintend the concerns of a few congregations or particular meetings which were contained in a small division of the county4 ,the quarterly meeting1 on the other hand1 superintends the concerns of all the monthly meetings in the county at large4 ,it takes cognizance of course of the concerns of a greater portion of population1 and1 as the name implies1 for a greater extent of time4 ,the ,quaker population of a #be whole county is now to assemble in one place4 ,this place1 however1 is not always the same4 ,it may be different1 to accommodate the members in their turn1 in the different quarters of the year4 ,footnote #be3 ,i still adhere1 to give the reader a clearer idea of the discipline1 and to prevent confusion1 to the division by county1 though the district in question may not always comprehend a complete county4 ,in the same manner as the different congregations in a small division of a county have been shewn to have sent deputies to the respective monthly meetings within it1 so the different monthly meetings in the same county send each of them1 deputies to the quarterly4 ,two or more of each sex are generally deputed from each monthly meeting4 ,these deputies are supposed to have understood1 at the monthly meeting1 where they were chosen1 all the matters which the discipline required them to know relative to the state and condition of their constituents4 ,furnished with this knowledge1 and instructed moreover by written documents on a variety of subjects1 they repair at a proper time to the place of meeting4 ,all the ,quakers in the district in question1 who are expected to go1 bend their direction hither4 ,any person travelling in the county at this time1 would see an unusual number of ,quakers upon the road directing their journey to the same point4 ,those who live farthest from the place where the meeting is held1 have often a long journey to perform4 ,the ,quakers are frequently out two or three whole days1 and sometimes longer upon this occasion4 ,but as this sort of meeting takes place but once in the quarter1 the loss of their time1 and the fatigue of their journey1 and the expences attending it1 are borne cheerfully4 ,when all of them are assembled1 nearly the same custom obtains at the quarterly1 as has been described at the monthly meeting4 ,a meeting for worship is first held4 ,the men and women1 when this is over1 separate into their different apartments1 after which the meeting for discipline begins in each4 ,i shall not detail the different kinds of business1 which come on at this meeting4 ,i shall explain the principal subject only4 ,the society at large have agreed upon a number of questions1 or queries as they call them1 which they have committed to print1 and which they expect to be read and answered in the course of these quarterly meetings ,the following is a list of them4 ,i4 ,are meetings for worship and discipline kept up1 and do ,friends attend them duly1 and at the time appointed2 and do they avoid all unbecoming behavieur therein8 ,,ii4 ,is there among you any growth in the truth2 and hath any convincement appeared since last year8 ,,iii4 ,are ,friends preserved in love towards each other2 if differences arise1 is due care taken speedily to end them2 and are ,friends careful to avoid and discourage tale-bearing and detraction8 ,,iv4 ,do ,friends endeavour by example and precept to train up their children1 servants1 and all under their core1 in a religions life and conversation1 consistent with our ,christian profession1 in the frequent reading of the holy scriptures1 and in plainness of speech1 behaviour and apparel8 ,v4 ,are ,friends just in their dealings and punctual in fulfilling their engagements2 and are they annually advised carefully to inspect the state of their affairs once in the year8 ,,vi4 ,are ,friends careful to avoid all vain sports and places of diversion1 gaming1 all unnecessary frequenting of taverns1 and other public houses1 excess in drinking1 and other intemperance8 ,,vii4 ,do ,friends bear a faithful and ,christian testimony against receiving and paying tythes1 priests demands1 and those called church-rates8 ,,viii4 ,are ,friends faithful in our testimony against bearing arms1 and being in any manner concerned in the militia1 in privateers1 letters of marque1 or armed vessels1 or dealing in prize-goods8 ,,ix4 ,are ,friends clear of defrauding the king of his customs1 duties and excise1 and of using1 or dealing in goods suspected to be run8 ,x4 ,are the necessities of the poor among you properly inspected and relieved2 and is good care taken of the education of their offspring8 ,,xi4 ,have any meetings been settled1 discontinued1 or united since last year8 ,,xii4 ,are there any ,friends prisoners for our testimonies2 and if any one hath died a prisoner1 or been discharged since last year1 when and how8 ,,xiii4 ,is early care taken to admonish such as appear inclinable to marry in a manner contrary to the rules of our society2 and to deal with such as persist in refusing to take counsel8 ,,xiv4 ,have you two or more faithful friends1 appointed by the monthly meeting1 as overseers in each particular meeting2 are the rules respecting removals duly observed2 and is due care taken1 when any thing appears amiss1 that the rules of our discipline be timely and impartially put in practice8 ,,xv4 ,do you keep a record of the prosecutions and sufferings of your members2 is due care taken to register all marriages1 births1 and burials2 are the titles of your meeting houses1 burial grounds1 c4 duly preserved and recorded2 and are all legacies and donations properly secured1 and recorded1 and duly applied8 ,these are the ,questions1 which the society expect should be publicly asked and answered in their quarterly courts or meetings4 ,some of these are to be answered in one quarterly meeting1 and #bf others in another2 and all of them in the course of the year4 ,footnote #bf3 ,the ,quakers consider the punctual attendance of their religious meetings1 the preservation of love among them1 and the care of the poor1 of such particular importance1 that they require the first1 third1 and tenth to be answered every quarter4 ,the clerk of the quarterly meeting1 when they come to this part of the business1 reads the first of the appointed queries to the members present1 and is then silent4 ,soon after this a deputy from one of the monthly meetings comes forward1 and producing the written documents1 or answers to the queries1 all of which were prepared at the meeting where he was chosen1 reads that document1 which contains a reply to the first query in behalf of the meeting he represents4 ,a deputy from a second monthly meeting then comes forward1 and produces his written documents also1 and answers the same query in behalf of his own meeting in the same manner4 ,a deputy from a third where there are more than two meetings then produces his documents in his turn1 and replies to it also1 and this mode is observed1 till all the deputies from each of the monthly meetings in the county have answered the first query4 ,when the first query has been thus fully answered1 silence is observed through the whole court4 ,members present have now an opportunity of making any observations they may think proper4 ,if it should appear by any of the answers to the first query1 that there is any departure from principles on the subject it contains in any of the monthly meetings which the deputies represent1 it is noticed by any one present4 ,the observations made by one frequently give rise to observations from another4 ,advice is sometimes ordered to be given1 adapted to the nature of this departure from principles2 and this advice is occasionally circulated1 through the medium of the different monthly meetings1 to the particular congregation1 where the deviation has taken place4 ,when the first query has been thus read by the clerk1 and answered by the deputies1 and when observations have been made upon it1 and instructions given as now described1 a second query is read audibly1 and the same process takes place1 and similar observations are sometimes made1 and instructions given4 ,in the same manner a third query is read by the clerk1 and answered by all the deputies1 and observed upon by the meeting at large2 and so on a fourth1 and a fifth1 till all the queries1 set apart for the day are answered4 ,it may be proper now to observe1 that while the men in their own meeting-house are thus transacting the quarterly business for themselves1 the women1 in a different apartment or meeting-house1 are conducting it also for their own sex4 ,they read1 answer1 and observe upon1 the queries in the same manner4 ,when they nave settled their own business1 they send one or two of their members1 as they did in the case of the monthly meeting1 to the apartment of the men1 to know if they have any thing to communicate to them4 ,when the business is finished in both meetings1 they break up1 and prepare for their respective homes4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,great yearly court or meeting--constitution of this meeting--one place only of meeting fixed upon for the whole kingdom--this the metropolis--deputies appointed to it from the quarterly meetings--business transacted at this meeting--matters decided1 not by the influence of numbers1 but by the weight of religious character--no head or chairman of this meeting--character of this discipline or government of the ,quakers--the laws1 relating to it better obeyed than those under any other discipline or government--reasons of this obedience4 ,in the order1 in which ,i have hitherto mentioned the meetings for the discipline of the ,quakers1 we have seen them rising by regular ascent1 both in importance and power4 ,we have seen each in due progression comprizing the actions of a greater population than the foregoing1 and for a greater period of time4 ,i come now to the yearly meeting1 which is possessed of a higher and wider jurisdiction than any that have been yet described4 ,this meeting does not take cognizance of the conduct of particular or of monthly meetings1 but1 at one general view1 of the state and conduct of the members of each quarterly meeting1 in order to form a judgment of the general state of the society for the whole kingdom4 ,we have seen1 on a former occasion1 the ,quakers with their several deputies repairing to different places in a county2 and we have seen them lately with their deputies again repairing to one great town in the different counties at large4 ,we are now to see them repairing to the metropolis of the kingdom4 ,as deputies were chosen by each monthly meeting to represent it in the quarterly meeting1 so the quarterly meetings choose deputies to represent them in the yearly meeting4 ,these deputies are commissioned to be the bearers of certain documents to ,london1 which contain answers in writing to a #bgnumber of the queries mentioned in the last chapter4 ,these answers are made up from the answers received by the several quarterly meetings from their respective monthly meetings4 ,besides these they are to carry with them other documents1 among which are accounts of sufferings in consequence of a refusal of military service1 and of the payment of the demands of the church4 ,footnote #bg3 ,viz4 numbers #a1b1c1d1g1h1i1aj1aa1ab ,the deputies who are now generally four in number for each quarterly meeting1 that is1 four of each sex 7except for the quarterly meetings of ,york and ,london1 the former of which generally sends eight men and the #bh latter twelve1 and each of them the like number of females7 having received their different documents1 set forward on their journey4 ,besides these many members of the society repair to the metropolis4 ,the distance of three or four hundred miles forms no impediment to the journey4 ,a man cannot travel at this time1 but he sees the ,quakers in motion from all parts1 shaping their course to ,london1 there to exercise1 as will appear shortly1 the power of deputies1 judges1 and legislators in turn1 and to investigate and settle the affairs of the society for the preceding year4 ,footnote #bh3 ,the quarterly meeting of ,london includes ,middlesex4 ,it may not be amiss to mention a circumstance1 which has not unfrequently occurred upon these occasions4 ,a ,quaker in low circumstances1 but of unblemished life1 has been occasionally chosen as one of the deputies to the metropolis even for a county1 where the ,quaker-population has been considered to be rich4 ,this deputy has scarcely been able1 on account of the low state of his finances1 to accomplish his journey1 and has been known to travel on foot from distant parts4 ,i mention this circumstance to shew that the society in its choice of representatives1 shews no respect to persons1 but that it pays1 even in the persons of the poor1 the respect that is due to virtue4 ,the day of the yearly meeting at length arrives4 ,whole days are now devoted to business1 for which various committees are obliged to be appointed4 ,the men1 as before1 retire to a meeting-house allotted to them1 to settle the business for the men and the society at large1 and the women retire to another1 to settle that1 which belongs to their own sex4 ,there are nevertheless1 at intervals1 meetings for worship at the several meeting houses in the metropolis4 ,one great part of the business of the yearly meeting is to know the state of the society in all its branches of discipline for the preceding year4 ,this is known by hearing the answers brought to the queries from the several quarterly meetings1 which are audibly read by the clerk or his assistant1 and are taken in rotation alphabetically4 ,if any deficiency in the discipline should appear by means of these documents1 in any of the quarterly meetings1 remarks follow on the part of the auditory1 and written advices are ordered to be sent1 if it should appear necessary1 which are either of a general nature1 or particularly directed to those where the deficiency has been observed4 ,another part of the business of the yearly meeting is to ascertain the amount of the money1 called ,,friends ,,sufferings1 that is of the money1 or the value of the goods1 that have been taken from the ,quakers for #bi tithes and church dues2 for the society are principled against the maintenance of any religious ministry1 and of course cannot conscientiously pay toward the support of the established church4 ,in consequence of their refusal of payment in the latter case1 their goods are seized by a law-process1 and sold to the best bidder4 ,those1 who have the charge of these executions1 behave differently4 ,some wantonly take such goods1 as will not sell for a quarter of their value1 and others much more than is necessary1 and others again kindly select those1 which in the sale will be attended with the least loss4 ,this amount1 arising from this confiscation of their property1 is easily ascertained from the written answers of the deputies4 ,the sum for each county is observed1 and noted down4 ,the different sums are then added together1 and the amount for the whole kingdom within the year is discovered4 ,footnote #bi3 ,distraints or imprisonment for refusing to serve in the militia are included also under the head sufferings4 ,in speaking of tithes and church-dues ,i must correct an error1 that is prevalent4 ,it is usually understood1 when ,quakers suffer on these accounts1 that their losses are made up by the society at large4 ,nothing can be more false than this idea4 ,were their losses made up on such occasions1 there would be no suffering4 ,the fact is1 that whatever a person loses in this way is his own total loss2 nor is it ever refunded1 though1 in consequence of expensive prosecutions at law1 it has amounted to the whole of the property of those1 who have refused the payment of these demands4 ,if a man were to come to poverty on this account1 he would undoubtedly be supported1 but he would only be supported as belonging to the poor of the society4 ,among the subjects1 introduced at this meeting1 may be that of any new regulations for the government of the society4 ,the ,quakers are not so blindly attached to antiquity1 as to keep to customs1 merely because they are of an ancient date4 ,but they are ready1 on conviction1 to change1 alter1 and improve4 ,when1 however1 such regulations or alterations are proposed1 they must come not through the medium of an individual1 but through the medium of one of the quarterly meetings4 ,there is also a variety of other business at the yearly meeting4 ,reports are received and considered on the subject of ,ackworth school1 which was mentioned in a former part of the work as a public seminary of the society4 ,letters are also read from the branches of the society in foreign parts1 and answers prepared to them4 ,appeals also are heard in various instances1 and determined in this court4 ,i may mention here two circumstances1 that are worthy of notice on these occasions4 ,it may be observed that whether such business as that1 which ,i have just detailed or any of any other sort comes before the yearly meeting at large1 it is decided1 not by the influence of numbers1 but by the weight of religious character4 ,as most subjects afford cause for a difference of opinion1 so the ,quakers at this meeting are found taking their different sides of the argument1 as they believe it right4 ,those however1 who are in opposition to any measure1 if they perceive by the turn the debate takes1 either that they are going against the general will1 or that they are opposing the sentiments of members of high moral reputation in the society1 give way4 ,and so far do the ,quakers carry their condescension on these occasions1 that if a few ancient and respectable individuals seem to be dissatisfied with any measure that may have been proposed1 though otherwise respectably supported1 the measure is frequently postponed1 out of tenderness to the feelings of such members1 and from a desire of gaining them in time by forbearance4 ,but1 in whatever way the question before them is settled1 no division is ever called for4 ,no counting of numbers is allowed4 ,no protest is suffered to be entered4 ,in such a case there can be no ostensible leader of any party2 no ostensible minority or majority4 ,the ,quakers are of opinion that such things1 if allowed1 would be inconsistent with their profession4 ,they would lead also to broils and divisions1 and ultimately to the detriment of the society4 ,every measure therefore is settled by the ,quakers at this meeting in the way ,i have mentioned1 in brotherly love1 and as the name of the society signifies1 as ,friends4 ,the other remarkable circumstance is1 that there is no ostensible president or #cj head of this great assembly1 nor any ostensible president or head of any one of its committees2 and yet the business of the society is conducted in as orderly a manner1 as it is possible to be among any body of men1 where the number is so great1 and where every individual has a right to speak4 ,footnote #cj3 ,christ is supposed by the ,quakers to be the head1 under whose guidance all their deliberations ought to take place4 ,the state of the society having1 by this time been ascertained1 both in the meetings of the women and of the men1 from the written answers of the different deputies1 and from the reports of different committees1 and the #caother business of the meeting having been nearly finished1 a committee1 which had been previously chosen1 meet to draw up a public letter4 ,footnote #ca3 ,this may relate to the printing of books1 to testimonies concerning deceased ministers1 addresses to the king1 if thought necessary1 and the like4 ,this letter usually comprehends three subjects3 first1 the state of the society1 in which the sufferings for tithes and other demands of the church are included4 ,this state1 in all its different branches1 the committee ascertain by inspecting the answers1 as brought by the deputies before mentioned4 ,a second subject1 comprehended in the letter1 is advice to the society for the regulation of their moral and civil conduct4 ,this advice is suggested partly from the same written answers1 and partly by the circumstances of the times4 ,are there1 for instance1 any vicious customs creeping into the society1 or any new dispositions among its members contrary to the ,quaker principles8 ,the answers brought by the deputies shew it1 and advice is contained in the letter adapted to the case4 ,are the times1 seasons of difficulty and embarrassment in the commercial world8 ,is the aspect of the political horizon gloomy1 and does it appear big with convulsions8 ,new admonition and1 advices follow4 ,a third subject1 comprehended in the letter1 and which ,i believe since the year #aghg has frequently formed a standing article in it1 is the slave-trade4 ,the ,quakers consider this trade as so extensively big with misery to their fellow creatures1 that their members ought to have a deep and awful feeling1 and a religious care and concern about it4 ,this and occasionally other subjects having been duly weighed by the committee1 they begin to compose the letter4 ,when the letter is ready1 it is brought into the public meeting1 and the whole of it1 without interruption1 is first read audibly4 ,it is then read over again1 and canvassed1 sentence by sentence4 ,every sentence1 nay every word1 is liable to alteration2 for any one may make his remarks1 and nothing can stand but by the sense of the meeting4 ,when finally settled and approved1 it is printed and dispersed among the members throughout the nation4 ,this letter may be considered as informing the society of certain matters1 that occurred in the preceding year1 and as conveying to them admonitions on various subjects4 ,this letter is emphatically stiled the ,general ,epistle4 ,the yearly meeting1 having now lasted about ten days1 is dissolved after a solemn pause1 and the different deputies are at liberty to return home4 ,this important institution of the yearly meeting brings with it1 on every return1 its pains and pleasures4 ,to persons of maturer years1 who sit at this time on committee after committee1 and have various offices to perform1 it is certainly an aniversary of care and anxiety1 fatigue and trouble4 ,but it affords them1 on the other hand1 occasions of innocent delight4 ,some1 educated in the same school1 and others1 united by the ties of blood and youthful friendship1 but separated from one another by following in distant situations the various concerns of life1 meet together in the intervals of the disciplinary business1 and feel1 in the warm recognition of their ancient intercourse1 a pleasure1 which might have been delayed for years1 but for the intervention of this occasion4 ,to the youth it affords an opportunity1 amidst this concourse of members1 of seeing those who are reputed to be of the most exemplary character in the society1 and whom they would not have had the same chance of seeing at any other time4 ,they are introduced also at this season to their relations and family friends4 ,they visit about1 and form new connections in the society1 and are permitted the enjoyment of other reasonable pleasures4 ,such is the organization of the discipline or government of the ,quakers4 ,nor may it improperly be called a government1 when we consider that1 besides all matters relating to the church1 it takes cognizance of the actions of ,quakers to ,quakers1 and of these to their fellow-citizens1 and of these again to the state2 in fact of all actions of ,quakers1 if immoral in the eye of the society1 us soon at they we known4 ,it gives out its prohibitions4 ,it marks its crimes4 ,it imposes offices on its subjects4 ,it culls them to disciplinary duties4#cb,this government however1 notwithstanding its power1 has1 as ,i observed before1 no president or head1 either permanent or temporary4 ,there is no first man through the whole society4 ,neither has it any badge of office1 or mace1 or constables staff or sword4 ,it may be observed also1 that it has no office of emolument1 by which its hands can be strengthened1 neither minister1 elder1 #cc;clerk1 overseer1 nor deputy1 being paid2 and yet its administration is firmly conducted1 and its laws better obeyed1 than laws by persons1 under any other denomination or government4 ,the constant assemblage of the ,quakers at their places of worship1 and their unwearied attendances at the monthly and quarterly meetings1 which they must often frequent at a great distance1 to their own personal inconvenience1 and to the hindrance of their worldly concerns1 must be admitted1 in part1 as proofs of the last remark4 ,but when we consider them as a distinct people1 differing in their manner of speech and in their dress and customs from others1 rebelling against fashion and the fashionable world1 and likely therefore to become rather the objects of ridicule than of praise2 when we consider these things1 and their steady and rigid perseverance in the peculiar rules and customs of the society1 we cannot but consider their obedience to their own discipline1 which makes a point of the observance of these singularities1 as extraordinary4 ,footnote #cb3 ,the government or discipline is considered as a theocracy4 ,footnote #cc3 ,the clerk1 who keeps the records of the society in ,london1 is the only person who has a salary4 ,this singular obedience1 however1 to the laws of the society may be accounted for on three principles4 ,in the first place in no society is there so much vigilance over the conduct of its members1 as in that of the ,quakers1 as this history of their discipline must have already manifested4 ,this vigilance of course1 cannot miss of its effect4 ,but a second cause is the following4 ,the ,quaker-laws and regulations are not made by any one person1 nor by any number even of deputies4 ,they are made by themselves1 that is by the society in yearly meeting assembled4 ,if a bad law1 or the repeal of a good one1 be proposed1 every one present1 without distinction1 has a right to speak against the motion4 ,the proposition cannot pass against the sense of the meeting4 ,if persons are not present1 it is their own fault4 ,thus it happens that every law1 passed at the yearly meeting1 may be considered1 in some measure1 as the law of every ,quaker's own will1 and people are much more likely to follow regulations made by their own consent1 than those which are made against it4 ,this therefore has unquestionably an operation as a second cause4 ,a third may be traced in the peculiar sentiments1 which the ,quakers hold as a religious body4 ,they believe that many of their members1 when they deliver themselves publicly on any subject at the yearly meeting1 are influenced by the dictates of the pure principle1 or by the spirit of truth4 ,hence the laws of the society1 which are considered to be the result of such influences1 have with them the sanction of spiritual authority4 ,they pay them therefore a greater deference on this account1 than they would to laws1 which they conceive to have been the production of the mere imagination1 or will1 of man4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,disowning--foundation of the right of disowning--disowning no slight punishment--wherein the hardship or suffering consists4 ,i shall conclude the discipline of the ,quakers by making a few remarks on the subject of disowning4 ,the ,quakers conceive they have a right to excommunicate or disown2 because persons1 entering into any society1 have a right to make their own reasonable rules of membership1 and so early as the year #affc1 this practice had been adopted by ,george ,fox1 and those who were in religious union with him4 ,those1 who are born in the society1 are bound of course1 to abide by these rules1 while they continue to be the rules of the general will1 or to leave it4 ,those who come into it by convincement1 are bound to follow them1 or not to sue for admission into membership4 ,this right of disowning1 which arises from the reasonableness of the thing1 the ,quakers consider to have been pointed out and established by the author of the christian religion1 who determined that #cd;if a disorderly person1 after having received repeated admonitions1 should still continue disorderly1 he should be considered as an alien by the church4 ,footnote #cd3 ,matt4 #ah4v4 #ag4 ,the observations1 which ,i shall make on the subject of disowning1 will be wholly confined to it as it must operate as a source of suffering to those1 who are sentenced to undergo it4 ,people are apt to say1 where is the hardship of being disowned8 a man1 though disowned by the ,quakers1 may still go to their meetings for worship1 or he may worship if he chooses1 with other dissenters1 or with those of the church of ,england1 for the doors of all places of worship are open to those1 who desire to enter them4 ,i shall state therefore in what this hardship consists1 and ,i should have done it sooner1 but that ,i could never have made it so well understood as after an explanation had been given of the discipline of the ,quakers1 or as in the present place4 ,there is no doubt that a person1 who is disowned1 will be differently affected by different considerations4 ,something will depend upon the circumstance1 whether he considers himself as disowned for a moral or a political offence4 ,something1 again1 whether he has been in the habit of attending the meetings for discipline1 and what estimation he may put upon these4 ,but whether he has been regular or not in these attendances1 it is certain that he has a power and a consequence1 while he remains in his own society1 which he loses when he leaves it1 or when he becomes a member of the world4 ,the reader will have already observed1 that in no society is a man1 if ,i may use the expression1 so much of a man1 as in that of the ,quakers1 or in no society is there such an equality of rank and privileges4 ,a ,quaker is called1 as we have seen1 to the exercise of important and honourable functions4 ,he sits in his monthly meeting1 as it were in council1 with the rest of the members4 ,he sees all equal but he sees none superior1 to himself4 ,he may give his advice on any question4 ,he may propose new matter4 ,he may argue and reply4 ,in the quarterly meetings he is called to the exercise of the same privileges1 but on a larger scale4 ,and at the yearly meeting he may1 if he pleases1 unite in his own person the offices of council1 judge1 and legislator4 ,but when he leaves the society1 and goes out into the world1 he has no such station or power4 ,he sees there every body equal to himself in privileges1 and thousands above him4 ,it is in this loss of his former consequence that he must feel a punishment in having been disowned4 ,for he can never be to his own feelings what he was before4 ,it is almost impossible that he should not feel a diminution of his dignity and importance as a man4 ,neither can he restore himself to these privileges by going to a distant part of the kingdom and residing among quakers there1 on a supposition that his disownment may be concealed4 ,for a ,quaker1 going to a new abode among ,quakers1 must carry with him a certificate of his conduct from the last monthly meeting which he left1 or he cannot be received as a member4 ,but besides losing these privileges1 which confer consequence upon him1 he looses others of another kind4 ,he cannot marry in the society4 ,his affirmation will be no longer taken instead of his oath4 ,if a poor man1 he is no longer exempt from the militia1 if drawn by submitting to three months imprisonment2 nor is he entitled to that comfortable maintenance1 in case of necessity1 which the society provide for their own poor4 ,to these considerations it may not perhaps be superfluous to add1 that if he continues to mix with the members of his own society1 he will occasionally find circumstances arising1 which will remind him of his former state3 and if he transfers his friendship to others1 he will feel awkward and uneasy1 and out of his element1 till he has made his temper1 his opinions1 and his manners1 harmonize with those of his new associates of the world4 ,,peculiar ,,customs ,,of ,,the ,,quakers4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,,sect4 ,i4 ,dress--,quakers distinguished by their dress from others--great extravagance in dress in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries--this extravagance had reached the clergy--but religious individuals kept to their antient dresses--the dress which the men of this description wore in those days--dress of the women of this description also--,george ,fox and the ,quakers springing out of these1 carried their plain habits with them into their new society4 ,i have now explained1 in a very ample manner1 the moral education and discipline of the ,quakers4 ,i shall proceed to the explanation of such customs1 as seem peculiar to them as a society of christians4 ,the dress of the ,quakers is the first custom of this nature1 that ,i purpose to notice4 ,they stand distinguished be means of it from all other religious bodies ,the men wear neither lace1 frills1 ruffles1 swords1 nor any of the ornaments used by the fashionable world4 ,the women wear neither lace1 flounces1 lappets1 rings1 bracelets1 necklaces1 ear-rings1 nor any thing belonging to this class4 ,both sexes are also particular in the choice of the colour of their clothes4 ,all gay colours such as red1 blue1 green1 and yellow1 are exploded4 ,dressing in this manner1 a ,quaker is known by his apparel through the whole kingdom4 ,this is not the case with any other individuals of the island1 except the clergy2 and these1 in consequence of the black garments worn by persons on account of the death of their relations1 are not always distinguished from others4 ,i know of no custom among the ,quakers1 which has more excited the curiosity of the world1 than this of their dress1 and none1 in which they have been more mistaken in their conjectures concerning it4 #ce;,in the early times of the ,english ,history1 dress had been frequently restricted by the government4--,persons of a certain rank and fortune were permitted to wear only cloathing of a certain kind4 ,but these restrictions and distinctions were gradually broken down1 and people1 as they were able and willing1 launched out into unlimited extravagance in their dress4 ,the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries1 and down from thence to the time when the ,quakers first appeared1 were periods1 particularly noticed for prodigality in the use of apparel1 there was nothing too expensive or too preposterous to be worn4 ,our ancestors also1 to use an ancient quotation1 were never constant to one colour or fashion two months to an end4 ,we can have no idea by the present generation1 of the folly in such respects1 of these early ages4 ,but these follies were not confined to the laiety4 ,affectation of parade1 and gaudy cloathing1 were admitted among many of the clergy1 who incurred the severest invectives of the poets on that account4 ,the ploughman1 in ,chaucer's ,canterbury ,tales1 is full upon this point4 ,he gives us the following description of a ,priest ,that hye on horse wylleth to ride1 ,in glytter ande gold of great araye1 ',i painted and pertred all in pryde1 ,no common ,knyght may go so gaye2 ,chaunge of clothyng every daye1 ,with golden gyrdles great and small1 ,as boysterous as is here at baye2 ,all suche falshed mote nede fell4 ,footnote #ce3 ,see ,strut's ,antiquities4 ,to this he adds1 that many of them had more than one or two mitres1 embellished with pearls1 like the head of a queen1 and a staff of gold set with jewels1 as heavy as lead4 ,he then speaks of their appearing out of doors with broad bucklers and long swords1 or with baldrics about their necks1 instead of stoles1 to which their basellards were attached4 ,bucklers brode and sweardes longe1 ,baudryke with baselards kene4 ,he then accuses them with wearing gay gowns of scarlet and green colours1 ornamented with cut-work1 and for the long pykes upon their shoes4 ,but so late as the year #afeb we have the following anecdote of the whimsical dress of a clergyman4 ,john ,owen1 ,dean of ,christ church1 and ,vice-,chancellor of ,oxford1 is represented an wearing a lawn-band1 as having his hair powdered and his hat curiously cocked4 ,he is described also as wearing ,spanish leather-boots with lawn-tops1 and snake-bone band-strings with large tassels1 and a large set of ribbands pointed at his knees with points or tags at the end4 ,and much about the same time1 when ,charles the second was at ,newmarket1 ,nathaniel ,vincent1 doctor of divinity1 fellow of ,clare-hall1 and chaplain in ordinary to his majesty1 preached before him4 ,but the king was so displeased with the foppery of this preacher's1 dress1 that he commanded the duke of ,monmouth1 then chancellor of the university1 to cause the statutes concerning decency of apparel among the clergy to be put into execution1 which was accordingly done4 ,these instances are sufficient to shew1 that the taste for preposterous and extravagant dress must have operated like a contagion in those times1 or the clergy would scarcely have dressed themselves in this ridiculous and censurable manner4 ,but although this extravagance was found among many orders of society at the time of the appearance of ,george ,fox1 yet many individuals had set their faces against the fashions of the world4 ,these consisted principally of religious people of different denominations1 most of whom were in the middle classes of life4 ,such persons were found in plain and simple habits notwithstanding the contagion of the example of their superiors in rank4 ,the men of this description generally wore plain round hats with common crowns4 ,they had discarded the sugar-loaf hat1 and the hat turned up with a silver clasp on one side1 as well as all ornaments belonging to it1 such as pictures1 feathers1 and bands of various colours4 ,they had adopted a plain suit of clothes4 ,they wore cloaks1 when necessary1 over these4 ,but both the clothes and the cloaks were of the same colour4 ,the colour of each of them was either drab or grey4 ,other people who followed the fashions1 wore white1 red1 green1 yellow1 violet1 scarlet1 and other colours1 which were expensive1 because they were principally dyed in foreign parts4 ,the drab consisted of the white wool undyed1 and the grey of the white wool mixed with the black1 which was undyed also4 ,these colours were then the colours of the clothes1 because they were the least expensive1 of the peasants of ,england1 as they are now of those of ,portugal and ,spain4 ,they had discarded also1 all ornaments1 such as of lace1 or bunches of ribbands at the knees1 and their buttons were generally of alchymy1 as this composition was then termed1 or of the same colour as their clothes4 ,the grave and religious women also1 like the men1 had avoided the fashions of their times4 ,these had adopted the cap1 and the black hood for their headdress4 ,the black hood had been long the distinguishing mark of a grave matron4 ,all prostitutes1 so early as ,edward the third1 had been forbidden to wear it4 ,in after-times it was celebrated by the epithet of venerable by the poets1 and had been introduced by painters as the representative of virtue4 ,when fashionable women had discarded it1 which was the case in ,george ,fox's time1 the more sober1 on account of these ancient marks of its sanctity1 had retained it1 and it was then common among them4 ,with respect to the hair of grave and sober women ,in those days1 it was worn plain1 and covered occasionally by a plain hat or bonnet4 ,they had avoided by this choice those preposterous head-dresses and bonnets1 which none but those1 who have seen paintings of them1 could believe ever to have been worn4 ,they admitted none of the large ruffs1 that were then in use1 but chose the plain handkerchief for their necks1 differing from those of others1 which had rich point1 and curious lace4 ,they rejected the crimson sattin doublet with black velvet skirts1 and contented themselves with a plain gown1 generally of stuff1 and of a drab1 or grey1 or buff1 or buffin colour1 as it was called1 and faced with buckram4 ,these colours1 as ,i observed before1 were the colours worn by country people2 and were not expensive1 because they were not dyed4 ,to this gown was added a green apron4 ,green aprons had been long worn in ,england1 yet1 at the time ,i allude to1 they were out of fashion1 so as to be ridiculed by the gay4 ,but old fashioned people still retained them4 ,thus an idea of gravity was connected with them2 and therefore religious and steady women adopted them1 as the grave and sober garments of ancient times4 ,it may now be observed that from these religious persons1 habited in this manner1 in opposition to the fashions of the world1 the primitive ,quakers generally sprung4 ,george ,fox himself wore the plain grey coat that has been noticed1 with alchymy buttons1 and a plain leather girdle about his waist4 ,when the ,quakers therefore first met in religious union1 they met in these simple clothes4 ,they made no alteration in their dress on account of their new religion4 ,they prescribed no form or colour as distinguishing marks of their sect1 but they carried with them the plain habits of their ancestors into the new society1 as the habits of the grave and sober people of their own times4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4 ,but though ,george ,fox introduced no new dress into the society1 he was not indifferent on the subject--he recommended simplicity and plainness--and declaimed against the fashions of the times--supported by ,barclay and ,penn--these explained the objects of dress--the influence of these explanations--dress at length incorporated into the discipline--but no standard fixed either of shape or colour--the objects of dress only recognized1 and simplicity recommended--a new ,era--great variety allowable by the discipline--,quakers have deviated less from the dress of their ancestors than other people4 ,though ,george ,fox never introduced any new or particular garments1 when he formed the society1 as models worthy of the imitation of those who joined him1 yet1 as a religious man1 he was not indifferent upon the subject of dress4 ,nor could he1 as a reformer1 see those extravagant fashions1 which ,i have shewn to have existed in his time1 without publicly noticing them4 ,we find him accordingly recommending to his followers simplicity and plainness of apparel1 and bearing his testimony against the preposterous and fluctuating apparel of the world4 ,in the various papers1 which he wrote or gave forth upon this subject1 he bid it down as a position1 that all ornaments1 superfluities1 and unreasonable changes in dress1 manifested an earthly or worldly spirit4 ,he laid it down again1 that such things1 being adopted principally for the lust of the eye1 were productive of vanity and pride1 and that1 in proportion as men paid attention to these outward decorations and changes1 they suffered some loss in the value and dignity of their minds4 ,he considered also all such decorations and changes1 as contrary both to the letter and the spirit of the scriptures4 ,isaiah1 one of the greatest prophets under the law1 had severely reproved the daughters of ,israel on account of their tinkling ornaments1 cauls1 round tires1 chains1 bracelets1 rings1 and ear-rings4 ,st4 ,paul also and ,st4 ,peter had both of them cautioned the women of their own times1 to adorn themselves in modest apparel1 and not with broidered hair1 or gold1 or pearls1 or costly array4 ,and the former had spoken to both sexes indiscriminately not to conform to the world1 in which latter expression he evidently included all those customs of the world1 of whatsoever nature1 that were in any manner injurious to the morality of the minds of those who followed them4 ,by the publication of these sentiments1 ,george ,fox shewed to the world1 that it was his opinion1 that religion1 though it prescribed no particular form of apparel1 was not indifferent as to the general subject of dress4 ,these sentiments became the sentiments of his followers4 ,but the society was coming fast into a new situation4 ,when the members of it first met in union1 they consisted of grown up persons2 of such1 as had had their minds spiritually exercised1 and their judgments convinced in religious matters2 of such in fact as had been ,quakers in spirit1 before they had become ,quakers by name4 ,all admonitions therefore on the subject of dress were unnecessary for such persons4 ,but many of those1 who had joined the society1 had brought with them children into it1 and from the marriages of others1 children were daily springing up4 ,to the latter1 in a profligate age1 where the fashions were still raging from without1 and making an inroad upon the minds and morals of individuals1 some cautions were necessary for the preservation of their innocence in such a storm4 ,for these were the reverse of their parents4 ,young1 in point of age1 they were ,quakers by name1 before they could become ,quakers in spirit4 ,robert ,barclay therefore1 and ,william ,penn1 kept alive the subject of dress1 which ,george ,fox had been the first to notice in the society4 ,they followed him on his scriptural ground4 ,they repeated the arguments1 that extravagant dress manifested an earthly spirit1 and that it was productive of vanity and pride4 ,but they strengthened the case by adding arguments of their own4 ,among these ,i may notice1 that they considered what were the objects of dress4 ,they reduced these to two1 to decency1 and comfort1 in which latter idea was included protection from the varied inclemencies of the weather4 ,every thing therefore beyond these they considered as superfluous4 ,of course all ornaments would become censurable1 and all unreasonable changes indefensible1 upon such a system4 ,these discussions1 however1 on this subject never occasioned the more ancient ,quakers to make any alteration in their dress1 for they continued as when they had come into the society1 to be a plain people4 ,but they occasioned parents to be more vigilant over their children in this respect1 and they taught the society to look upon dress1 as a subject connected with the christian religion1 in any case1 where it could become injurious to the morality of the mind4 ,in process of time therefore as the fashions continued to spread1 and the youth of the society began to come under their dominion1 the ,quakers incorporated dress among other subjects of their discipline4 ,hence no member1 after this period1 could dress himself preposterously1 or follow the fleeting fashions of the world1 without coming under the authority of friendly and wholesome admonition4 ,hence an annual inquiry began to be made1 if parents brought up their children to dress consistently with their christian profession4 ,the society1 however1 recommended only simplicity and plainness to be attended to on this occasion4 ,they prescribed no standard1 no form1 no colour1 for the apparel of their members4 ,they acknowledged the two great objects of decency and comfort1 and left their members to clothe themselves consistently with these1 as it was agreeable to their convenience or their disposition4 ,a new aera commenced from this period4 ,persons already in the society1 continued of course in their ancient dresses3 if others had come into it by convincement1 who had led gay lives1 they laid aside their gaudy garments1 and took those that were more plain4 ,and the children of both1 from this time1 began to be habited from their youth as their parents were4 ,but though the ,quakers had thus brought apparel under the disciplinary cognizance of the society1 yet the dress of individuals was not always alike1 nor did it continue always one and the same even with the primitive ,quakers4 ,nor has it continued one and the same with their descendants4 ,for decency and comfort having been declared to be the true and only objects of dress1 such a latitude was given1 as to admit of great variety in apparel4 ,hence if we were to see a groupe of modern ,quakers before us1 we should probably not find any two of them dressed alike4 ,health1 we all know1 may require alteration in dress4 ,simplicity may suggest others4 ,convenience again may point out others2 and yet all these various alterations may be consistent with the objects before specified4 ,and here it may be observed that the society1 during its existence for a century and a half1 has without doubt1 in some degree1 imperceptibly followed the world1 though not in its fashions1 yet in its improvements of cloathing4 ,it must be obvious again1 that some people are of a grave1 and that others are of a lively disposition1 and that these will probably never dress alike4 ,other members again1 but particularly the rich1 have a larger intercourse than the rest of them1 or mix more with the world4 ,these again will probably dress a little differently from others1 and yet1 regarding the two great objects of dress1 their cloathing may come within the limits which these allow4 ,indeed if there be any1 whose apparel would be thought exceptionable by the society1 these would be found among the rich4 ,money1 in all societies1 generally takes the liberty of introducing exceptions4 ,nothing1 however is more true1 than that1 even among the richest of the ,quakers1 there is frequently as much plainness and simplicity in their outward dress1 as among the poor2 and where the exceptions exist1 they are seldom carried to an extravagant1 and never to a preposterous extent4 ,from this account it will be seen1 that the ideas of the world are erroneous on the subject of the dress of the ,quakers2 for it has always been imagined1 that1 when the early ,quakers first met in religious union1 they met to deliberate and fix upon some standard1 which should operate as a political institution1 by which the members should be distinguished by their apparel from the rest of the world4 ,the whole history1 however1 of the shape and colour of the garments of the ,quakers is1 as has been related1 namely1 that the primitive ,quakers dressed like the sober1 steady1 and religious people of the age1 in which the society sprung up1 and that their descendants have departed less in a course of time1 than others1 from the dress of their ancestors4 ,the mens hats are nearly the same now1 except that they have stays and loops1 and many of their clothes are nearly of the same shape and colour1 as in the days of ,george ,fox4 ,the dress of the women also is nearly similar4 ,the black hoods indeed have gone1 in a certain degree1 out of use4 ,but many of such women1 as are ministers and elders1 and indeed many others of age and gravity of manners1 still retain them4 ,the green apron also has been nearly1 if not wholly laid aside4 ,there was here and there an ancient woman1 who used it within the last ten years1 but ,i am told that the last of these died lately4 ,no other reasons can be given1 than those which have been assigned1 why ,quaker-women should have been found in the use of a colour1 which is so unlike any other which they now use in their dress4 ,upon the whole1 if the females were still to retain the use of the black hood and the green apron1 and the men were to discard the stays and loops for their hats1 we should find that persons of both sexes in the society1 but particularly such as are antiquated1 or as may be deemed old fashioned in it1 would approach very near to the first or primitive ,quakers in their appearance1 both as to the sort and to the shape1 and to the colour of their clothes4 ,thus has ,george ,fox1 by means of the advice he gave upon this subject1 and the general discipline which he introduced into the society1 kept up for a hundred and fifty years1 against the powerful attacks of the varying fashions of the world1 one steady1 and uniform1 external appearance among his descendants2 an event1 which neither the clergy by means of their sermons1 nor other writers1 whether grave or gay1 were able to accomplish during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries1 and which none of their successors have been able to accomplish from that time to the present4 ,,sect ,,iii4 ,the world usually make objections to the ,quaker-dress--the charge is that there is a preciseness in it which is equivalent to the worshipping of forms--the truth of this charge not to be ascertained but by a knowledge of the heart--but outward facts mate against it-such as the origin of the ,quaker-dress--and the ,quaker-doctrine on dress--doctrine of christianity on this subject--opinion of the early christians upon it--reputed advantages of the ,quaker-dress4 ,i should have been glad to have dismissed the subject of the ,quaker-dress in the last section1 but so many objections are usually made against it1 that ,i thought it right to stop for a while to consider them in the present place4 ,indeed1 if ,i were to choose a subject1 upon which the world had been more than ordinarily severe on the ,quakers1 ,i should select that of their dress4 ,almost every body has something to say upon this point4 ,and as in almost all cases1 where arguments are numerous1 many of them are generally frivolous1 so it has happened in this also4 ,there is one1 however1 which it is impossible not to notice upon this subject4 ,the ,quakers1 it is confessed by their adversaries1 are not chargeable with the same sort of pride and vanity1 which attach to the characters of other people1 who dress in a gay manner1 and who follow the fashions of the world1 but it is contended1 on the other hand1 that they are justly chargeable with a preciseness1 that is disgusting1 in the little particularities of their cloathing4 ,this precise attention to particularities is considered as little better than the worshipping of lifeless forms1 and is usually called by the world the idolatry of the ,quaker-dress4 ,this charge1 if it were true1 would be serious indeed4 ,it would be serious1 because it would take away from the religion of the ,quakers one of its greatest and best characters4 ,for how could any people be spiritually minded1 who were the worshippers of lifeless forms8 ,it would be serious again1 because it would shew their religion1 like the box of ,pandora1 to be pregnant with evils within itself4 ,for people1 who place religion in particular forms1 must unavoidably become superstitious4 ,it would be serious again1 because if parents were to carry such notions into their families1 they would produce mischief4 ,the young would be dissatisfied1 if forced to cultivate particularities1 for which they see no just or substantial reason4 ,dissentions would arise among them4 ,their morality too would be confounded1 if they were to see these minutiae idolized at home1 but disregarded by persons of known religious character in the world4 ,add to which1 that they might adopt erroneous notions of religion4 ,for they might be induced to lay too much stress upon the payment of the anise and cummin1 and too little upon the observance of the weightier matters of the law4 ,as the charge therefore is unquestionably a serious one1 ,i shall not allow it to pass without some comments4 ,and in the first place it maybe observed that1 whether this preciseness1 which has been imputed to some ,quakers1 amounts to an idolizing of forms1 can never be positively determined1 except we had the power of looking into the hearts of those1 who have incurred the charge4 ,we may form1 however1 a reasonable conjecture1 whether it does or not by presumptive evidence1 taken from incontrovertible outward facts4 ,the first outward fact that presents itself to us1 is the fact of the origin of the ,quaker-dress1 if the early ,quakers1 when they met in religious union1 had met to deliberate and fix upon a form or standard of apparel for the society1 in vain could any person have expected to repel this charge4 ,but no such standard was ever fixed4 ,the dress of the ,quakers has descended from father to son in the way that has been described4 ,there is reason therefore to suppose1 that the ,quakers as a religious body1 have deviated less than others front the primitive habits of their ancestors1 rather from a fear of the effects of unreasonable changes of dress upon the mind1 than from an attachment to lifeless forms4 ,the second outward fact1 which may be resorted to as furnishing a ground for reasonable conjecture1 is the doctrine of the ,quakers upon this subject4 ,the ,quakers profess to follow christianity in all cases1 where its doctrines can be clearly ascertained4 ,i shall state therefore what christianity says upon this point4 ,i shall shew that what ,quakerism says is in unison with it4 ,and ,i shall explain more at large the principle1 that has given birth to the discipline of the ,quakers relative to their dress4 ,had christianity approved of the make or colour of any particular garment1 it would have approved of those of its founder and of his apostles4 ,we do not1 however1 know1 what any of these illustrious personages wore4 ,they were probably dressed in the habits of ,judean peasants1 and not with any marked difference from those of the same rank in life4 ,and that they were dressed plainly1 we have every reason to believe1 from the censures1 which some of them passed on the superfluities of apparel4 ,but christianity has no where recorded these habits as a pattern1 nor has it prescribed to any man any form or colour for his clothes4 ,but christianity1 though it no where places religion in particular forms1 is yet not indifferent on the general subject of dress4 ,for in the first place it discards all ornaments1 as appears by the testimonies of ,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,peter before quoted1 and this it does evidently on the ground of morality1 lest these1 by puffing up the creature1 should be made to give birth to the censurable passions of vanity and lust4 ,in the second place it forbids all unreasonable changes on the plea of conformity with the fashions of the world3 and it sets its face against these also upon moral grounds2 because the following of the fashions of the world begets a worldly spirit1 and because1 in proportion as men indulge this spirit1 they are found to follow the loose and changeable morality of the world1 instead of the strict and steady morality of the gospel4 ,that the early christians understood these to be the doctrines of christianity1 there can be no doubt4 ,the ,presbyters and the ,asceticks1 ,i believe1 changed the ,palluim for the ,toga in the infancy of the christian world2 but all other christians were left undistinguished by their dress4 ,these were generally clad in the sober manner of their own times4 ,they observed a medium between costliness and sordidness4 ,that they had no particular form for their dress beyond that of other grave people1 we team from ,justin ,martyr4 ,they affected nothing fantastic1 says he1 but1 living among ,greeks and barbarians1 they followed the customs of the country1 and in clothes1 and in diet1 and in all other affairs of outward life1 they shewed the excellent and admirable constitution of their discipline and conversation4 ,that they discarded superfluities and ornaments we may collect from various authors of those times4 ,basil reduced the objects of cloathing to two1 namely1 ,honesty and necessity1 that is1 to decency and protection4 ,tertullian laid it down as a doctrine that a ,christian should not only be chaste1 but that he should appear so outwardly4 ,the garments which we should wear1 says ,clemens of ,alexandria1 should be modest and frugal1 and not wrought of divers colours1 but plain4 ,crysastum commends ,olympias1 a lady of birth and fortune1 for having in her garment nothing that was wrought or gaudy4 ,jerome praises ,paula1 another lady of quality1 for the same reason4 ,we find also that an unreasonable change of cloathing1 or a change to please the eye of the world1 was held improper4 ,cyril says1 we should not strive for variety1 having clothes for home1 and others for ostentation abroad4 ,in short the ancient fathers frequently complained of the abuse of apparel in the ways described4 ,exactly in the same manner1 and in no other1 have the ,quakers considered the doctrines of ,christianity on the subject of dress4 ,they have never adopted any particular model either as to form or colour for their clothes4 ,they have regarded the two objects of decency and comfort4 ,but they have allowed of various deviations consistently with these4 ,they have in fact fluctuated in their dress4 ,the ,english ,quaker wore formerly a round hat4 ,he wears it now with stays and loops4 ,but even this fashion is not universal1 and seems rather now on the decline4 ,the ,american ,quaker1 on the other hand1 has generally kept to the round hat4 ,black hoods were uniformly worn by the ,quaker-women1 but the use of these is much less than it was1 and is still decreasing4 ,the ,green aprons also were worn by the females1 but they are now wholly out of use4 ,but these changes could never have taken place1 had there been any fixed standard for the ,quaker dress4 ,but though the ,quakers have no particular model for their clothing1 yet they are not indifferent to dress where it may be morally injurious4 ,they have discarded all superfluities and ornaments1 because they may be hurtful to the mind4 ,they have set their faces also against all unreasonable changes of forms for the same reasons4 ,they have allowed other reasons to weigh with them in the latter case4 ,they have received from1 their ancestors a plain suit of apparel1 which has in some little degree followed the improvements of the world1 and they see no good reason why they should change it2 at least they see in the fashions of the world none but a censurable reason for a change4 ,and here it may be observed1 that it is not an attachment to forms1 but an unreasonable change or deviation from them1 that the ,quakers regard4 ,upon the latter idea it is1 that their discipline is in a great measure founded1 or1 in other words1 the ,quakers1 as a religious body1 think it right to watch in their youth any unreasonable deviation from the plain apparel of the society4 ,this they do first1 because any change beyond usefulness must be made upon the plea of conformity to the fashions of the world4 ,secondly1 because any such deviation in their youth is considered to shew1 in some measure1 a deviation from simplicity of heart4 ,it bespeaks the beginning of an unstable mind4 ,it shews there must have been some improper motive for the change4 ,hence it argues a weakness in the deviating persons1 and points them out as objects to be strengthened by wholesome admonition4 ,thirdly1 because changes1 made without reasonable motives1 would lead1 if not watched and checked1 to other still greater changes1 and because an uninterrupted succession of such changes would bring the minds of their youth under the most imperious despotisms1 the despotism of fashion2 in consequence of which they would cleave to the morality of the world instead of the morality of the gospel4 ,and fourthly1 because in proportion as young persons deviate from the plainness and simplicity of the apparel as worn by the society1 they approach in appearance to the world2 they mix with it1 and imbibe its spirit and admit its customs1 and come into a situation which subjects them to be disowned4 ,and this is so generally true1 that of those persons1 whom the society has been obliged to disown1 the commencement of a long progress in irregularity may often be traced to a deviation from the simplicity of their dress4 ,and here it may be observed1 that an effect has been produced by this care concerning dress1 so beneficial to the moral interests of the society1 that they have found in it a new reason for new vigilance on this subject4 ,the effect produced is a general similarity of outward appearance1 in all the members1 though there is a difference both in the form and colour of their clothing2 and this general appearance is such1 as to make a ,quaker still known to the world4 ,the dress therefore of the ,quakers1 by distinguishing the members of the society1 and making them known as such to the world1 makes the world overseers as it were of their moral conduct4 ,and that it operates in this way1 or that it becomes a partial check in favour of morality1 there can be no question4 ,for a ,quaker could not be seen either at public races1 or at cock fightings1 or at assemblies1 or in public houses1 but the fact would be noticed as singular1 and probably soon known among his friends4 ,his clothes would betray him4 ,neither could be1 if at a great distance from home1 and if quite out of the eye and observation of persons of the same religious persuasion1 do what many others do4 ,for a ,quaker knows1 that many of the customs of the society are known to the world at large1 and that a certain conduct is expected from a person in a ,quakers habit4 ,the fear therefore of being detected1 and at any rate of bringing infamy on his cloth1 if ,i may use the expression1 would operate so as to keep him out of many of the vicious customs of the world4 ,from hence it will be obvious that there cannot be any solid foundation for the charge1 which has been made against the ,quakers on the subject of dress4 ,they are found in their present dress1 not on the principle of an attachment to any particular form1 or because any one form is more sacred than another1 but on the principle1 that an unreasonable deviation from any simple and useful clothing is both censurable and hurtful1 if made in conformity with the fashions of the world4 ,these two principles1 though they may produce1 if acted upon1 a similar outward appearance in persons1 are yet widely distinct as to their foundation1 from one another4 ,the former is the principle of idolatry4 ,the latter that of religion4 ,if therefore there are persons in the society1 who adopt the former1 they will come within the reach of the charge described4 ,but the latter only can be adopted by true ,quakers4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,quakers are in the use of plain furniture--this usage founded on principles1 similar to those on dress--this usage general--,quakers have seldom paintings1 prints1 or portraits in their houses1 as1 articles of furniture--reasons for their disuse of such articles4 ,as the ,quakers are found in the use of garments1 differing from those of others in their shape and fashion1 and in the graveness of their colour1 and in the general plainness of their appearance1 so they are found in the use of plain and frugal furniture in their houses4 ,the custom of using plain furniture has not arisen from the circumstance1 that any particular persons in the society1 estimable for their lives and characters1 have set the example in their families1 but from the1 principles of the ,quaker-constitution itself4 ,it has arisen from principles similar to those1 which dictated the continuance of the ancient ,quaker-dress4 ,the choice of furniture1 like the choice of clothes1 is left to be adjudged by the rules of decency and usefulness1 but never by the suggestions of shew4 ,the adoption of taste1 instead of utility1 in this case1 would be considered as a conscious conformity with the fashions of the world4 ,splendid furniture also would be considered as pernicious as splendid clothes4 ,it would be classed with external ornaments1 and would be reckoned equally productive of pride1 with these4 ,the custom therefore of plainness in the articles of domestic use is pressed upon all ,quakers3 and that the subject may not be forgotten1 it is incorporated in their religious discipline2 in consequence of which1 it is held forth to their notice1 in a public manner1 in all the monthly and quarterly meetings of the kingdom1 and in all the preparative meetings1 at least once in the year4 ,it may be admitted as a truth1 that the society practice1 with few exceptions1 what is considered to be the proper usage on such occasions4 ,the poor1 we know1 cannot use any but homely-furniture4 ,the middle clashes are universally in such habits4 ,as to the rich1 there is a difference in the practice of these4 ,some1 and indeed many of them1 use as plain and frugal furniture1 as those in moderate circumstances4 ,others again step beyond the practice of the middle classes1 and buy what is more costly1 not with a view of shew1 so much as to accommodate their furniture to the size and goodness of their houses4 ,in the houses of others again1 who have more than ordinary intercourse with the world1 we now and then see what is elegant1 but seldom what would be considered to be extravagant furniture4 ,we see no chairs with satin bottoms and gilded frames1 no magnificent pier-glasses1 no superb chandeliers1 no curtains with extravagant trimmings4 ,at least1 in all my intercourse with the ,quakers1 ,i have never observed such things4 ,if there are persons in the society1 who use them1 they must be few in number1 and these must be conscious that1 by the introduction of such finery#cf into their houses1 they are going against the advices annually given them in their meetings on this subject1 and that they are therefore violating the written law1 as well as departing from the spirit of ,quakerism4 ,footnote #cf3 ,turkey carpets are in use1 though generally gaudy1 on account of their wearing better than others4 ,but if these or similar principles are adopted by the society on this subject1 it must be obvious1 that in walking through the rooms of the ,quakers1 we shall look in vain for some articles that are classed among the furniture of other people4 ,we shall often be disappointed1 for instance1 if we expect to find either paintings or prints in frame4 ,i seldom remember to have seen above three or four articles of this description in all my intercourse with the ,quakers4 ,some families had one of these1 others a second1 and others a third1 but none had them all4 ,and in many families neither the one nor the other was to be seen4 ,one of the prints1 to which ,i allude1 contained a representation of the conclusion of the famous treaty between ,william ,penn and the ,indians of ,america4 ,this transaction every body knows1 afforded1 in all its circumstances1 a proof to the world1 of the singular honour and uprightness of those ancestors of the ,quakers who were concerned in it4 ,the ,indians too entertained an opinion no less favourable of their character1 for they handed down the memory of the event under such #cg;impressive circumstances1 that their descendants have a particular love for the character1 and a particular reliance on the word1 of a ,quaker at the present day4 ,the print alluded to was therefore probably hung up as the pleasing record of a transaction1 so highly honourable to the principles of the society2 where knowledge took no advantage of ignorance1 but where she associated herself with justice1 that she might preserve the balance equal4 ,this is the only treaty1 says a celebrated writer1 between the ,indians and the ,christians1 that was never ratified by an oath1 and was never broken4 ,footnote #cg3 ,the ,indians denominated ,penn1 brother ,onas1 which means in their language a pen1 and respect the ,quakers as his descendants4 ,the second was a print of a slave-ship1 published a few years ago1 when the circumstances of the slave-trade became a subject of national inquiry4 ,in this the oppressed ,africans are represented1 as stowed in different parts according to the number transported and to the scale of the dimensions of the vessel4 ,this subject could not be indifferent to those1 who had exerted themselves as a body for the annihilation of this inhuman traffic4 ,the print1 however1 was not hung up by the ,quakers1 either as a monument of what they had done themselves1 or as a stimulus to farther exertion on the same subject1 but1 ,i believe1 from the pure motive of exciting benevolence2 of exciting the attention of those1 who should come into their houses1 to the case of the injured ,africans1 and of procuring sympathy in their favour4 ,the third contained a plan of the building of ,ackworth-school4 ,this was hung up as a descriptive view of a public seminary1 instituted and kept up by the subscription and care of the society at large4 ,but though all the prints1 that have been mentioned1 were hung up in frames on the motives severally assigned to them1 no others were to be seen as their companions4 ,it is in short not the practice#ch of the society to decorate their houses in this manner4 ,footnote #ch3 ,there are still individual exceptions4 ,some ,quakers have come accidentally into possession of printings and engravings in frame1 which1 being innocent in their subject and their lesson1 they would have thought it superstitious to discard4 ,prints in frames1 if hung up promiscuously in a room1 would be considered as ornamental furniture1 or as furniture for shew4 ,they would therefore come under the denomination of superfluities2 and the admission of such1 in the way that other people admit them would be considered as an adoption of the empty customs or fashions of the world4 ,but though the ,quakers are not in the practice of hanging up prints in frames1 yet there are amateurs among them1 who have a number and variety of prints in their possession4 ,but these appear chiefly in collections1 bound together in books1 or preserved in book covers1 and not in frames as ornamental furniture for their rooms4 ,these amateurs1 however1 are but few in number4 ,the ,quakers have in general only a plain and useful education4 ,they are not brought up to admire such things1 and they have therefore in general but little taste for the fine and masterly productions of the painters' art4 ,neither would a person1 in going through the houses of the ,quakers1 find any portraits either of themselves1 or of any of their families1 or ancestors1 except1 to the latter case1 they had been taken before they became ,quakers4 ,the first ,quakers never had their portraits taken with their own knowledge and consent4 ,considering themselves as poor and helpless creatures1 and little better than dust and ashes1 they had but a mean idea of their own images4 ,they were of opinion also1 that pride and self-conceit would be likely to arise to men from the view1 and ostentatious parade1 of their own persons4 ,they considered also1 that it became them1 as the founders of the society1 to bear their testimony against the vain and superfluous fashions of the world4 ,they believed also1 if there were those whom they loved1 that the best method of shewing their regard to these would be not by having their fleshly images before their eyes1 but by preserving their best actions in their thoughts1 as worthy of imitation2 and that their own memory1 in the same manner1 should be perpetuated rather in the loving hearts1 and kept alive in the edifying conversation of their descendants1 than in the perishing tablets of canvas1 fixed upon the walls of their habitations4 ,hence no portraits are to be seen of many of those great and eminent men in the society1 who are now mingled with the dust4 ,these ideas1 which thus actuated the first ,quakers on this subject1 are those of the ,quakers as a body at the present day4 ,there may be here and there an individual1 who has had a portrait of some of his family taken4 ,but such instances may be considered as rare exceptions from the general rule4 ,in no society is it possible to establish maxims1 which shall influence an universal practice4 ,,chap4 ,,iii44444,,sect4 ,i4 ,language--,quakers differ in their language from others--the first alteration made by ,george ,fox of thou for you--this change had been suggested by ,erasmus and ,luther--sufferings of the ,quakers in consequence of adapting this change--a work published in their defence--this presented to ,king ,charles and others--other works on the subject by ,barclay and ,penn--in these the word thou shewn to be proper in all languages--you to be a mark of flattery--the latter idea corroborated by ,harwell1 ,maresius1 ,godeau1 ,erasmus4 ,as the ,quakers are distinguishable from their fellow-citizens by their dress1 as was amply shewn in a former chapter1 so they are no less distinguishable from them by the peculiarities of their language4 ,george ,fox seemed to look at every custom with the eye of a reformer4 ,the language of the country1 as used in his own times1 struck him as having many censurable defects4 ,many of the expressions1 then in use1 appeared to him to contain gross flattery1 others to be idolatrous1 others to be false representatives of the ideas they were intended to convey4 ,now he considered that christianity required truth1 and he believed therefore that he and his followers1 who professed to be christians in word and deed1 and to follow the christian pattern in all things1 as far as it could be found1 were called upon to depart from all the censurable modes of speech1 as much as they were from any of the customs of the world1 which ,christianity had deemed objectionable4 ,and so weightily did these improprieties in his own language lie upon his mind1 that he conceived himself to have had an especial commission to correct them4 ,the first alteration1 which he adopted1 was in the use of the pronoun thou4 ,the pronoun you1 which grammarians had fixed to be of the plural number1 was then occasionally used1 but less than it is now1 in addressing an individual4 ,george ,fox therefore adopted thou in its place on this occasion1 leaving the word you to be used only where two or more individuals were addressed4 ,george ,fox however was not the first of the religious writers1 who had noticed the improper use of the pronoun you4 ,erasmus employed a treatise in shewing the propriety of thou when addressed to a single person1 and in ridiculing the use of you on the same occasion4 ,martin ,luther also took great pains to expunge the word you from the station which it occupied1 and to put thou in its place4 ,in his ,ludus1 he ridicules the use of the former by the1 following invented sentence1 ,magister1 ,vosestis iratus8 ,this is as absurd1 as if he had said in ,english gentlemen art thou angry8 ,but though ,george ,fox was not the first to recommend the substitution of thou for you1 he was the first to reduce this amended use of it to practice4 ,this he did in his own person1 wherever he went1 and in all the works which he published4 ,all his followers did the same4 ,and1 from his time to the present1 the pronoun thou has come down so prominent in the speech of the society1 that a ,quaker is generally known by it at the present day4 ,the reader would hardly believe1 if historical facts did not prove it1 how much noise the introduction or rather the amended use of this little particle1 as reduced to practice by ,george ,fox1 made in the world1 and how much ill usage it occasioned the early ,quakers4 ,many magistrates1 before whom they were carried in the early times of their institution occasioned their sufferings to be greater merely on this account4 ,they were often abused and beaten by others1 and sometimes put in danger of their lives4 ,it was a common question put to a ,quaker in those days1 who addressed a great man in this new and simple manner1 why you ill bred clown do you thou me8 ,the rich and mighty of those times thought themselves degraded by this mode of address1 as reducing them from a plural magnitude to a singular1 or individual1 or simple station in life4 ,the use of thou1 says ,george ,fox1 was a sore cut to proud flesh1 and those who sought self-honour4 ,george ,fox1 finding that both he and his followers were thus subject to much persecution on this account1 thought it right the world should know1 that1 in using this little particle which had given so much offence1 the ,quakers were only doing what every grammarian ought to do1 if he followed his own rules4 ,accordingly a ,quaker-work was produced1 which was written to shew that in all languages thou was the proper and usual form of speech to a single person1 and you to more than one4 ,this was exemplified by instances1 taken out of the scriptures1 and out of books of teaching in about thirty languages4 ,two ,quakers of the names of ,john ,stubbs and ,benjamin ,furley1 took great pains in compiling it3 and some additions were made to it by ,george ,fox himself1 who was then a prisoner in ,lancaster castle4 ,this work1 as soon as it was published1 was presented to ,king ,charles the second1 and to his council4 ,copies of it were also sent to the ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 the ,bishop of ,london1 and to each of the universities4 ,the ,king delivered his sentiments upon it so far as to say1 that thou was undoubtedly the proper language of all nations4 ,the ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 when he was asked what he thought of it1 is described to have been so much at a stand1 that he could not tell what to say4 ,the book was afterwards bought by many4 ,it is said to have spread conviction1 wherever it went4 ,hence it had the effect of lessening the prejudices of some1 so that the ,quakers were never afterwards treated1 on this account1 in the same rugged manner as they had been before4 ,but though this book procured the ,quakers an amelioration of treatment on the amended use of the expression thou1 there were individuals in the society1 who thought they ought to put their defence on a better foundation1 by stating all the reasons1 for there were many besides those in this book1 which had induced them to differ from their fellow citizens on this subject4 ,this was done both by ,robert ,barclay and ,william ,penn in works1 which defended other principles of the ,quakers1 and other peculiarities in their language4 ,one of the arguments1 by which the use of the pronoun thou was defended1 was the same as that1 on which it had been defended by ,stubbs and ,furley1 that is1 its strict conformity with grammar4 ,the translators of the ,bible had invariably used it4 ,the liturgy had been compiled on the same principle4 ,all addresses made by ,english ,christians in their private prayers to the ,supreme ,being1 were made in the language of thou1 and not of you4 ,and this was done1 because the rules of the ,english grammar warranted the expression1 and because any other mode of expression would have been a violation of these rules4 ,but the great argument 7to omit all others7 which ,penn and ,barclay insisted upon for the change of you1 was that the pronoun thou1 in addressing an individual1 had been anciently in use1 but that it had been deserted for you for no other purpose1 than that of flattery to men2 and that this dereliction of it was growing greater and greater1 upon the same principle1 in their own times4 ,hence as christians1 who were not to puff up the fleshly creature1 it became them to return to the ancient and grammatical use of the pronoun thou1 and to reject this growing fashion of the world4 ,the word you1 says ,william ,penn1 was first ascribed in the way of flattery1 to proud ,popes and ,emperors1 imitating the heathens vain homage to their gods1 thereby ascribing a plural honour to a single person2 as if one ,pope had been made up of many gods1 and one ,emperor of many men2 for which reason you1 only to be addressed to many1 became first spoken to one4 ,it seemed the word thou looked like too lean and thin a respect2 and therefore some1 bigger than they should be1 would have a style suitable to their own ambition4 ,it will be difficult for those1 who now use the word you constantly to a single person1 and who1 in such use of it1 never attach any idea of flattery to it1 to conceive how it ever could have had the origin ascribed to it1 or1 what is more extraordinary1 how men could believe themselves to be exalted1 when others applied to them the word you instead of thou4 ,but history affords abundant evidence of the fact4 ,it is well known that ,caligula ordered himself to be worshipped as a god4 ,domitian1 after him1 gave similar orders with respect to himself4 ,in process of time the very statues of the emperors began to be worshipped4 ,one blasphemous innovation prepared the way for another4 ,the title of ,pontifex ,maximus gave way at length for those of ,eternity1 ,divinity1 and the like4 ,coeval with these appellations was the change of the word thou for you1 and upon the same principles4 ,these changes1 however1 were not so disagreeable1 as they might be expected to have been1 to the proud ,romans2 for while they gratified the pride of their emperors by these appellations1 they made their despotism1 in their own conceit1 more tolerable to themselves4 ,that one man should be lord ever many thousand ,romans1 who were the masters of the world was in itself a degrading thought4 ,but they consoled themselves by the haughty consideration1 that they were yielding obedience1 not to man1 but to an incarnate demon or good genius1 or especial envoy from heaven4 ,they considered also the emperor as an office1 and as an office1 including and representing many other offices1 and hence considering him as a man in the plural number1 they had less objection to address him in a plural manner4 ,the ,quakers1 in behalf of their assertions on this subject1 quote the opinions of several learned men1 and of those in particular1 who1 from the nature of their respective writings1 had occasion to look into the origin and construction of the words and expressions of language4 ,howell1 in his epistle to the nobility of ,england before his ,french and ,english ,dictionary1 takes notice1 that both in ,france1 and in other nations1 the word thou was used in speaking of one1 but by succession of time1 when the ,roman commonwealth grew into an empire1 the courtiers began to magnify the emperor1 as being furnished with power to confer dignities and offices1 using the word you1 yea1 and deifying him with more remarkable titles1 concerning which matter we read in the epistles of ,symmachus to the emperors ,theodosius and ,valentinian1 where he useth these forms of speaking1 ,vestra ,a,eternitas1 vestrum numen1 vestra serenitas1 vestra ,clementia1 that is1 your1 and not thy eternity1 godhead1 serenity1 clemency4 ,so that the word you in the plural number1 together with the other titles and compellations of honour1 seem to have taken their rise from despotic government1 which afterwards1 by degrees1 came to be derived to private persons4 ,he says also in his ,history of ,france1 that in ancient times1 the peasants addressed their kings by the appellation of thou1 but that pride and flattery first put inferiors upon paying a plural respect to the single person of every superior1 and superiors upon receiving it4 ,john ,maresius1 of the ,french ,academy1 in the preface to his ,clovis1 speaks much to the same effect4 ,let none wonder1 says he1 that the word thou is used in this work to princes and princesses1 for we use the same to ,god1 and of old the same was used to ,alexanders1 ,caesars1 queens1 and empresses4 ,the use of the word you1 when only base flatteries of men of later ages1 to whom it seemed good to use the plural number to one person1 that he may imagine himself alone to be equal to many others in dignity and worth1 from whence it came at last to persons of lower quality4 ,godeau1 in his preface to the translation of the ,new ,testament1 makes an apology for differing from the customs of the times in the use of thou1 and intimates that you was substituted for it1 as a word of superior respect4 ,i had rather1 says he1 faithfully keep to the express words of ,paul1 than exactly follow the polished style of our tongue4 ,therefore ,i always use that form of calling ,god in the singular number not in the plural1 and therefore ,i say rather thou than you4 ,i confess indeed1 that the civility and custom of this word1 requires him to be honored after that manner4 ,but it is likewise on the contrary true1 that the original tongue of the ,new ,testament hath nothing common with such manners and civility1 so that not one of these many old versions we have doth observe it4 ,let not men believe1 that we give not respect enough to ,god1 in that we call him by the word thou1 which is nevertheless far otherwise4 ,for ,i seem to myself 7may be by the effect of custom7 more to honor his divine majesty1 in calling him after this manner1 than if ,i should call him after the manner of men1 who are so delicate in their forms of speech4 ,erasmus also in the treatise1 which he wrote on the impropriety of substituting you for thou1 when a person addresses an individual1 states that this strange substitution originated wholly in the flattery of men4 ,,sect4 ,,ii4 ,other alterations in the language of the ,quakers--they address one another by the title of friends--and others by the title of friends and neigbours1 or by their common names--the use of sir and madam abolished--also of master or mister--and of humble servant--also of titles of honor--reasons of this abolition--example of ,jesus ,christ4 ,another alteration1 that took place in the language of the ,quakers1 was the expunging of all expressions from their vocabulary1 which were either superfluous1 or of the same flattering tendency as the former4 ,in addressing one another1 either personally or by letter1 they made use of the word friend1 to signify the bond of their own union1 and the character1 which man1 under the christian dispensation1 was bound to exhibit in his dealings with his fellow-man4 ,they addressed each other also1 and spoke of each other1 by their real names4 ,if a man's name was ,john1 they called him ,john2 they talked to him as ,john1 and added only his sir-name to distinguish him from others4 ,in their intercourse with the world they adopted the same mode of speech3 for they addressed individuals either by their plain names1 or they made use of the appellations of friends or neighbours4 ,they rejected the words sir or madam1 as then in use4 ,this they did1 because they considered them like the word you1 as remnants of ancient flattery1 derived from the papal and anti-christian ages2 and because these words still continued to be considered as tides of flattery1 that puffed up people in their own times4 ,howell1 who was before quoted on the pronoun thou1 is usually quoted by the ,quakers on this occasion also4 ,he states in his history1 that sir and madam were originally names given to none1 but the king1 his brother1 and their wives1 both in ,france and ,england4 ,yet now the ploughman in ,france is called sir and his wife madam2 and men of ordinary trades in ,england sir1 and their wives dame1 which is the legal title of a lady1 and is the same as madam in ,french4 ,so prevalent hath pride and flattery been in all ages1 the one to give1 and the other to receive respect ,the ,quakers banished also the word master1 or mister as it is now pronounced1 from their language1 either when they spoke concerning any one1 or addressed any one by letter4 ,to have used the word master to a person1 who was no master over them1 would have been1 they considered1 to have indicated a needless servility1 and to have given a false picture of their own situation1 as well as of those addressed4 ,upon the same or similar principles they hesitated to subscribe themselves as the humble or obedient servants of any one1 as is now usual1 at the bottom of their letters4 ,horrid apostacy1 says ,barclay1 for it is notorious that the use of these compliments implies not any design of service4 ,this expression in particular they reprobated for another reason4 ,it was one of those1 which had followed the last degree of impious services and expressions1 which had poured in after the statues of the emperors had been worshipped1 after the titles of eternity and divinity had been ushered in1 and after thou had been exchanged for you1 and it had taken a certain station1 and flourished among these4 ,good christians1 however1 had endeavoured to keep themselves clear of such inconsistencies ,casaubon has preserved a letter of ,paulinus1 ,bishop of ,nola1 in which he rebukes ,sulpicius ,severus for having subscribed himself his humble servant4 ,a part of the letter runs thus4#ci ,take heed hereafter1 how thou1 being from a servant called unto liberty1 dost subscribe thyself servant to one1 who is thy brother and fellow servant3 for it is a sinful flattery1 not a testament of humility1 to pay those honours to a man and to a sinner1 which are due to the one ,lord1 one ,master1 and one ,god4 ,footnote #ci3 ,paulinus flourished in the year #dfj4 ,he is reported by ,paulus ,diacenus to have been an exemplary christian4 ,among other acts he is stated to have expended all his revenues in the redemption of christian captives2 and1 at last1 when he had nothing left in his purse1 to have pawned his own person in favour of a widow's son4 ,the barbarians1 says the same author1 struck with this act of unparralleled devotion to the cause of the unfortunate1 released him1 and many prisoners with him without ransom4 ,the ,quakers also banished from the use of their society all those modes of expression1 which were considered as marks or designations of honour among men4 ,hence1 in addressing any peer of the realm1 they never used the common formula of my lord1 for though the peer in question might justly be the lord over many possessions1 and tenants1 and servants1 yet he was no lord over their heritages or persons4 ,neither did they ever use the terms excellency1 or grace1 or honour1 upon similar occasions4 ,they considered that the bestowing of these titles might bring them under the necessity of uttering what might be occasionally false4 ,for the persons1 says ,barclay1 obtaining these titles1 either by election or hereditarily1 may frequently be found to have nothing really in them deserving them1 or answering to them1 as some1 to whom it is said your excellency may have nothing of excellency in them1 and he1 who is called your grace1 may be an enemy to grace1 and he1 who is called your honour1 may be base and ignoble4 ,they considered also1 that they might be setting up the creature1 by giving him the titles of the creator1 so that he might think more highly of himself than he ought1 and more degradingly than he ought1 of the rest of the human race4 ,but1 independently of these moral considerations1 they rejected these titles1 because they believed1 that ,jesus ,christ had set them an example by his own declarations and conduct on a certain occasion4 ,when a person addressed him by the name of good master1 he was rebuked as having done an improper thing4 #dj ,why1 says our ,saviour1 callest thou me good8 ,there is none good but one1 that is ,god4 ,this censure they believe to have been passed upon him1 because ,jesus ,christ knew1 that when he addressed him by this title1 he addressed him1 not in his divine nature or capacity1 but only as a man4 ,footnote #dj3 ,matt4 xix4 #ag4 ,but ,jesus ,christ not only refused to receive such titles of distinction himself in his human nature1 but on another occasion exhorted his followers to shun them also4 ,they were not to be like the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 who wished for high and eminent distinctions1 that is1 to be called ,rabbi ,rabbi of men2 but says he1 be#da ye not called ,rabbi1 for one is your master1 even ,christ1 and all ye are brethren2 and he makes the desire which he discovered in the ,jews1 of seeking after worldly instead of heavenly honours1 to be one cause of their infidelity towards ,christ1#db for that such could not believe1 as received honour from one another1 and sought not the honour1 which cometh from ,god only2 that is1 that those persons1 who courted earthly honours1 could not have that humility of mind1 that spirit that was to be of no reputation in the world1 which was essential to those1 who wished to become the followers of ,christ4 ,footnote #da3 ,matt xxiii4 #h4 ,footnote #db3 ,john4 v4 #dd4 ,these considerations1 both those of a moral nature1 and those of the example of ,jesus ,christ1 weighed so much with the early ,quakers1 that they made no exceptions even in favour of those of royal dignity1 or of the rulers of their own land4 ,george ,fox wrote several letters to great men4 ,he wrote twice to the king of ,poland1 three or four tunes to ,oliver ,cromwell1 and several times to ,charles the second2 but he addressed them in no other manner man by their plain names1 or by simple titles1 expressive of their situations as rulers or kings4#dc ,footnote #dc3 ,the ,quakers never refuse the legal titles in the superscription or direction of their letter4 ,they would direct to the king1 as king3 to a peer according to his rank1 either as a duke1 marquis1 earl1 viscount1 or baron3 to a clergyman1 not as reverend1 but as clerk4 ,these several alterations1 which took place in the language of the early ,quakers1 were adopted by their several successors1 and are in force in the society at the present day4 ,,sect4 ,,iii4 ,other alterations in the language--the names of the days and months altered--reasons for this change--the word saint disused--various new phrases introduced4 ,another alteration1 which took place in the language of the ,quakers was the disuse of the common names of the days of the week1 and of those of the months of the year4 ,the names of the days were considered to be of heathen origin4 ,sunday had been so called by the ,saxons1 because it was the day1 on which they sacrificed to the sun4 ,monday on which they sacrificed to the moon4 ,tuesday to the god ,tuisco4 ,wednesday to the god ,woden4 ,thursday to the god ,thor1 and so on4 ,now when the ,quakers considered that ,jehovah had forbidden the ,israelites to make mention even of the names of other gods1 they thought it inconsistent in ,christians to continue to use the names of heathen idols for the common divisions of their time1 so that these names must be almost always in their mouths4 ,they thought too1 that they were paying a homage1 in continuing the use of them1 that bordered on idolatry4 ,they considered also as neither ,monday1 nor ,tuesday1 nor any other of these days1 were days1 in which these sacrifices were now offered1 they were using words1 which conveyed false notions of things4 ,hence they determined upon the disuse of these words1 and to put other names in their stead4 ,the numerical way of naming the days seemed to them to be the most rational1 and the most innocent4 ,they called therefore ,sunday the first day1 ,monday the second1 ,tuesday the third1 and soon to ,saturday1 which was of course the seventh4 ,they used no other names but these1 either in their conversation1 or in their letters4 ,upon the same principles they altered the names of the months also4 ,these1 such as ,march and ,june1 which had been so named by the ancient ,romans1 because they were sacred to ,mars and ,juno1 were exploded1 because they seemed in the use of them to be expressive of a kind of idolatrous homage4 ,others again were exploded1 because they were not the representatives of the truth4 ,september1 for example1 means the #ddseventh month from the storms4 ,it took this seventh station in the kalendar of ,romulus1 and it designated there its own station as well as the reason of its name4 ,but when it#de lost its place in the kalendar by the alteration of the style in ,england1 it lost its meaning4 ,it became no representative of its station1 nor any representative of the truth4 ,for it still continues to signify the seventh month1 whereas it is made to represent1 or to stand in the place of1 the ninth4 ,the ,quakers therefore banished from their language the ancient names of the months1 and as they thought they could not do better than they had done in the case of the days1 they placed numerical in their stead4 ,they called ,january the first month1 ,february the second1 ,march the third1 and so on to ,december1 which they called the twelfth4 ,thus the ,quaker kalendar was made up by numerical distinctions1 which have continued to the present day4 ,footnote #dd3 ,septem ab imbribus4 ,footnote #de3 ,this was in the year #ageb1 prior to this time the year began on the #beth of ,march3 and therefore ,september stood in the ,english as in the ,roman kalendar4 ,the early ,quakers1 however1 as we find by a minute in #afig1 had then made these alterations2 but when the new style was introduced1 they published their reasons for having done so4 ,another alteration1 which took place very generally in the language of the ,quakers1 was the rejection of the word saint1 when they spoke either of the apostles1 or of the primitive fathers4 ,the papal authority had canonized these4 ,this they considered to be an act of idolatry1 and they thought they should be giving a sanction to superstition1 if they continued the use of such a title1 either in their speech or writings4 ,after this various other alterations took place according as individuals among them thought it right to expunge old expressions1 and to substitute new2 and these alterations were adopted by the rest1 as they had an opinion of those who used them1 or as they felt the propriety of doing it4 ,hence new phrases came into use1 different from those which were used by the world on the same occasions2 and these were gradually spread1 till they became incorporated into the language of the society4 ,of these the following examples may suffice4 ,it is not usual with ,quakers to use the words lucky or fortunate1 in the way in which many others do4 ,if a ,quaker had been out on a journey1 and had experienced a number of fine days1 he would never say that he had been lucky in his weather4 ,in the same manner if a ,quaker had recovered from an indisposition1 he would never say1 in speaking of the circumstance1 that he had fortunately recovered1 but he would say1 that he had recovered1 and that it was a favour4 ,luck1 chance1 or fortune1 are allowed by the ,quakers to have no power in the settlement of human affairs4 ,it is not usual with ,quakers to beg ten thousand pardons1 as some of the world do1 for any little mistake4 ,a ,quaker generally on such an occasion asks a persons excuse4 ,the ,quakers never make use of the expression christian name4 ,this name is called christian by the world1 because it is the name given to children in baptism1 or in other words1 when they are christened1 or when they are initiated as christians4 ,but the ,quakers are never baptised4 ,they have no belief that water-baptism can make a christian1 or that it is any true mark of membership with the christian church4 ,hence a man's christian name is called by them his first name1 because it is the first of the two1 or of any other number of names1 that may belong to him4 ,the ,quakers1 on meeting a person1 never say good morrow1 because all days are equally good4 ,nor in parting with a person at night1 do they say good evening1 for a similar reason1 but they make use of the expression of farewell4 ,i might proceed1 till ,i made a little vocabulary of ,quaker-expressions2 but this is not necessary1 and it is not at all consistent with my design4 ,i shall therefore only observe1 that it is expected of ,quakers1 that they should use the language of the society2 that they should substitute thou for you2 that they should discard all flattering titles and expressions2 and that they should adopt the numerical1 instead of the heathen names1 of the days and months4 ,george ,fox gave the example himself in all these instances4 ,those of the society1 who depart from this usage1 are said by the ,quakers to depart from the plain language4 ,,sect4 ,,iv4 ,great objections by the world against the preceding alterations by the ,quakers--first against the use of thou for you--you said to be no longer a mark of flattery--the use of it is said to be connected often with false ,grammar--,custom said to give it1 like a noun of number1 a singular as well as plural ,meaning--,consideration of these objections4 ,there will be no difficulty in imagining1 if the ,quakers have found fault with the words and expressions adopted by others1 and these the great majority of the world1 that the world will scrutinize1 and find fault with1 those of the ,quakers in return4 ,this in fact has turned out to be the case4--,and ,i know of no subject1 except that of dress1 where the world have been more lavish of their censures1 than in that before us4 ,when the ,quakers first appeared as a religious community1 many objections were thrown but against the peculiarities of their language4 ,these were noticed by ,robert ,barclay and ,william ,penn4 ,but1 since that time1 other objections have been started4 ,but as these have not been published 7for they remain where they have usually been1 in the mouths of living persons7 ,quaker writers have not felt themselves called upon to attempt to answer them4 ,these objections1 however1 of both descriptions1 ,i shall notice in the present place4 ,as the change of the pronoun thou for you was the first article1 that ,i brought forward on the subject of the language of the ,quakers1 ,i shall begin with the objections1 that are usually started against it4 ,singularity1 it is said1 should always be avoided1 if it can be done with a clear conscience4 ,the ,quakers might have had honest scruples against you for thou1 when you was a mark of flattery4 ,but they can have no reasonable scruples now1 and therefore they should cease to be singular1 for the word you is clearly no mark of flattery at the present day4 ,however improper it might once have been1 it is now an innocent synonime4 ,the use again of the word thou for you1 as insisted upon by the ,quakers1 leads them frequently into false grammar4 ',thee knowest1' and terms like these1 are not unusual in ,quaker mouths4 ,now the ,quakers1 though they defended the word thou for you on the notion1 that they ought not to accustom their lips to flattery1 defended it also strenuously on the notion1 that they were strictly adhering to grammar-rules4 ,but all such terms as 'thee knowest1' and others of a similar kind1 must recoil upon themselves as incorrect1 and as censurable1 even upon their own ground4 ,the word you again may be considered as a singular1 as well as a plural expression4 ,the world use it in this manner4 ,and who are the makers of language1 but the world8 ,words change their meaning1 as the leaves their colour in autumn1 and custom has always been found powerful enough to give authority for a change4 ,with respect to these objections1 it may be observed1 that the word you has certainly so far lost its meaning1 as to be no longer a mark of flattery4 ,the ,quakers also are occasionally found in the use of the ungrammatical expressions1 that have been brought against them4 ,and unquestionably1 except they mean to give up the grammatical part of the defence by ,penn and ,barclay1 these ought to be done away4 ,that you1 however1 is of the singular number1 is not quite so clear4 ,for while thou is used in the singular number in the ,bible1 and in the liturgy1 and in the prayers of individuals1 and while it is the language1 as it is1 of a great portion of the inhabitants of the northern part of the kingdom1 it will be a standing monument against the usurpation and mutilated dominion of you4 ,,sect4 ,v4 ,secondly against the words friend and neighbour1 as used by the ,quakers--,quakers also said to be wrong in their disuse of titles--for the use of these is sanctioned by ,st4 ,luke and ,st4 ,paul--answer of ,barclay to the latter assertion--this answer not generally deemed satisfactory--observations upon the subject in dispute4 ,the subject1 that comes next in order1 will be that of the objections1 that are usually made against certain terms used by the ,quakers1 and against their disuse of titles of honour1 as sanctioned by the world4 ,on the use of the words friend1 and neighbour1 it is usually observed1 that these are too limited in their meaning1 to be always1 if used promiscuously1 representatives of the truth4 ,if the ,quakers are so nice1 that they will use no expression1 that is not precisely true1 they should invent additional terms1 which should express the relative condition of those1 with whom they converse4 ,the word friend denotes esteem1 and the word neighbour proximity of dwelling4 ,but all the persons1 to whom the ,quakers address themselves1 are not persons1 whom they love and respect1 or who are the inhabitants of the same neighbourhood with themselves4 ,there is1 it is said1 as much untruth in calling a man friend1 or neighbour1 who is not so1 as excellency1 in whom there may be nothing that is excellent4 ,the ,quakers1 in reply to this1 would observe1 that they use the word friend1 as significative of their own union1 and1 when they speak to others1 as significative of their ,christian relation to one another4 ,in the same sense they use the word neighbour4 ,jesus ,christ1 when the lawyer asked him who was his neighbour1 gave him a short#df history of the ,samaritan1 who fell among thieves2 from which he suggested on inference1 that the term neighbour was not confined to those1 who lived near one another1 or belonged to the same sect1 but that it might extend to those1 who lived at a distance1 and to the ,samaritan equally with the ,jew4 ,in the same manner he considered all men as#dg brethren4 ,that is1 they were thus scripturally related to one another4 ,footnote #df3 ,luke x4 #ci4 ,footnote #dg3 ,matt1 xxiii4 #h4 ,another objection which has been raised against the ,quakers on this part of the subject1 is levelled against their disuse of the titles of honour of the world4 ,st4 ,luke1 it has been said1 makes use of the terms most excellent1 when he addresses ,theophilus1 and ,st4 ,paul of the words most noble1 when he addresses ,festus4 ,now the teachers and promulgators of christianity would never have given these titles1 if they had not been allowable by the gospel4 ,as this last argument was used in the time of ,barclay1 he has noticed it in his celebrated apology4--,since ,luke1 says he1 wrote by the dictates of the infallible spirit of ,god1 ,i think it will not be doubted but ,theophilus did deserve it1 as being really endued with that virtue2 in which case we shall not condemn those1 who do it by the same rule4 ,but it is not proved1 that ,luke gave ,theophilus this title1 as that which was inherent to him1 either by his father1 or by any patent ,theophilus had obtained from any of the princes of the earth1 or that he would have given it to him1 in case he had not been truly excellent2 and without this be proved1 which never can1 there can nothing hence be deduced against us4 ,the like may be said of that of ,paul to ,festus1 whom he would not have called such1 if he had not been truly noble2 as indeed he was1 in that he suffered him to be heard in his own cause1 and would not give way to the fury of the ,jews against him4 ,it was not because of any outward title bestowed upon ,festus1 that he so called him1 else he would have given the same compilation to his predecessor ,felix1 who had the same office1 but being a covetous man we find he gives him no such title4 ,this is the answer of ,barclay4 ,it has not however been deemed quite satisfactory by the world4 ,it has been observed that one good action will never give a man a right to a general title4 ,this is undoubtedly an observation of some weight4 ,but it must be contended on the other hand1 that both ,luke and ,paul must have been apprised that the religion1 they were so strenuous in propagating1 required every man to speak the truth4 ,they must have been apprised also1 that it inculcated humility of mind4 ,and it is probable therefore that they would never have bestowed titles upon men1 which should have been false in their application1 or productive of vanity and pride4 ,st4 ,luke could not be otherwise than aware of the answer of ,jesus ,christ1 when he rebuked the person for giving him the title of good1 because he was one of the evangelists1 who#dh recorded it1 and ,st4 ,paul could not have been otherwise than aware of it also1 on account of his intimacy with ,st4 ,luke1 as well as from other causes4 ,footnote #dh3 ,luke xviii1 #ah4 ,neither has this answer been considered as satisfactory for another reason4 ,it has been presumed that the expressions of excellent and of noble were established titles of rank1 and if an evangelist and an apostle used them1 they could not be objectionable if used by others4 ,but let us admit for a moment1 that they were titles of rank4 ,how happens it that ,st4 ,paul1 when he was before ,festus1 and not in a judicial capacity 7for he had been reserved for ,caesar's tribunal7 should have given him this epithet of noble2 and that1 when summoned before ,felix1 and this in a judicial capacity1 he should have omitted it8 ,this application of it to the one and not to the other1 either implies that it was no title1 or1 if it was a title as we have supposed1 that ,st4 ,paul had some reason for this partial use of it4 ,and in this case1 no better reason can be given1 than that suggested by ,barclay4 ,st4 ,paul knew that ,festus had done his duty4 ,he knew1 on the other hand1 the abandoned character of ,felix4 ,the latter was then living1 as ,josephus relates1 in open adultery with ,drusilla1 who had been married to ,azis1 and brought away from her husband by the help of ,simon a ,magician2 and this circumstance probably gave occasion to ,paul to dwell upon temperance1 or continence as the word might be rendered1 among other subjects1 when he made ,felix tremble4 ,but1 besides this1 he must have known the general character of a man1 of whom ,tacitus complained1 that his government was distinguished by#di servility and every species of cruelty and lust4-- ,footnote #di3 ,per omnem ,saevitiam et ,libidinem jus regium servili ingenio exercuit4 ,if therefore the epithet of noble was an established title for those ,romans1 who held the government of ,judea1 the giving of it to one1 and the omission of it to the other1 would probably shew the discrimination of ,st4 ,paul as a ,christian1 that he had no objection to give it1 where it could be applied with truth1 but that he refused it1 when it was not applicable to the living character4 ,but that the expression of excellent or of noble was any title at all1 there is no evidence to shew4 ,and first1 let us examine the word1 which was used upon this occasion4 ,the #ejoriginal ,greek word has no meaning as a title in any ,lexicon that ,i have seen4 ,it relates both to personal and civil power1 and in a secondary sense1 to the strength and disposition of the mind4 ,it occurs but in four places in the ,new ,testament4 ,in two of these it is translated excellent and in the others noble4 ,but ,gilbert ,wakefield1 one of our best scholars has expunged the word noble1 and substituted excellent throughout4 ,indeed of all the meanings of this word noble is the least proper4 ,no judgment therefore can be pronounced in favour of a title by any analysis of the word4 ,footnote #ej3 ,greek3 kralistos ,let us now examine it as used by ,st4 ,luke4 ,and here almost every consideration makes against it1 as an established title4 ,in the first place1 the wisest commentators do not know who ,theophilus was4 ,it has been supposed by many learned fathers1 such as ,epephanius1 ,salvian1 and others1 that ,st4 ,luke1 in addressing his gospel to ,theophilus1 addressed it as the words1 excellent ,theophilus import1 to every firm lover of ,god1 or1 if ,st4 ,luke uses the style of #ea;,athanasius1 to every good ,christian4 ,but on a supposition that ,theophilus had been a living character1 and a man in power1 the use of the epithet is against it as a title of rank2 because ,st4 ,luke gives it to ,theophilus in the beginning of his gospel1 and does not give it to him1 when he addresses him in the acts4 ,if therefore he had addressed him in this manner1 because excellent was his proper title1 on one occasion1 it would have been a kind of legal1 and at any rate a disrespectful omission1 not to have given it to him on the other4 ,with respect to the term noble as used by ,st4 ,paul to ,festus1 the sense of it must be determined by general as well as by particular considerations4 ,there are two circumstances1 which at the first sight make in favour of it as a title1#eb,lysias addresses his letter to the most excellent ,felix1 and the orator #ec,tertullus says1 we except it always and in all places most noble ,felix6 ,but there must be some drawback from the latter circumstance1 as an argument of weight4 ,there is reason to suppose that this expression was used by ,tertullus1 as a piece of flattery1 to compass the death of ,paul2 for it is of a piece with the other expressions which he used1 when he talked of the worthy deeds done by the providence of so detestable a wretch1 as ,felix4 ,and it will always be an objection to noble as a legal title1 that ,st4 ,paul gave it to one governor1 and omitted it to another1 except he did it for the reasons1 that have been before described4 ,to this it may be added1 that legal titles of eminence were not then1 as at this time of day1 in use4 ,agrippa had no other1 or at least ,paul gave him no other title1 than that of king4 ,if ,porcius ,festus had been descended from a ,patrician1 or had had the statues of his ancestors1 he might1 on these accounts1 be said to have been of a noble family4 ,but we know1 that nobody on this account1 would have addressed him as noble in those days1 either by speech or letter4 ,the first ,roman1 who was ever honoured with a legal title1 as a title of distinction1 was ,octavius1 upon whom the senate1 but a few years before the birth of ,paul1 had conferred the name of ,augustus4 ,but no procurator of a province took this title4 ,neither does it appear that the circumstance gave birth to inferior titles to those in inferior offices in the government4 ,and indeed on the title ,augustus it may be observed1 that though it followed the successors of ,octavius1 it was but sparingly used1 being mostly used on medals1 monumental pillars1 and in public acts of the state4 ,pliny1 in his letters to ,trajan1 though reputed an excellent prince1 addressed him as only sir or master1 and he wrote many years after the death of ,paul4 ,athenagoras1 in addressing his book1 in times posterior to these1 to the emperors ,m4 ,aurelius ,antoninus1 and ,l4 ,aurelius ,commodus1 addresses them only by the title of great princes4 ,in short titles were not in use4 ,they did not creep in1 so as to be commonly used1 till after the statues of the emperors had begun to be worshipped by the military as a legal and accustomary homage4 ,the terms eternity and divinity with others were then ushered in1 but these were confined wholly to the emperors themselves4 ,in the time of ,constantine we find the title of illustrious4 ,this was given to those princes1 who had distinguished themselves in war1 but it was not continued to their descendants4 ,in process of time1 however1 it became more common1 and the son of every prince began to be called illustrious4 ,footnote #ea3 ,greek3 makarios and ,greek3 philochrisos are substituted by ,athanasius for the word christian4 ,footnote #eb3 ,acts1 xxiii1 #bf4 ,footnote #ec3 ,acts1 xxiv4 #c4 ,,sect4 ,,vi4 ,thirdly against the alteration of the names of the days and months--people1 it is said do not necessarily pay homage to ,idols1 who continue in the use of the ancient names--if the ,quaker principles also were generally adopted on this subject1 language would be thrown into confusion--,quakers also1 by attempting to steer clear of ,idolatry1 fall into it--replies of the ,quakers to these objections4 ,the next objections for consideration1 which are made against the language of the ,quakers1 are those which relate to their alteration of the names of the days and the months4 ,these objections are commonly made1 when the language of the ,quakers becomes a subject of conversation with the world4 ,there is great absurdity1 it is said1 in supposing1 that persons pay any respect to heathen idols1 who retain the use of the ancient names of the divisions of time4 ,how many thousands are there1 who know nothing of their origin8 ,the common people of the country know none of the reasons1 why the months1 and the days are called as they are4 ,the middle classes are mostly ignorant of the same4 ,those1 who are well informed on the subject1 never once think1 when they mention the months and days1 on the reason of the rise of their names4 ,indeed the almost hourly use of those names secures the oblivion of their origin4 ,who1 when he speaks of ,wednesday and ,thursday1 thinks that these were the days sacred to ,woden and ,thor8 but there can be no idolatry1 where there is no intention to idolize4 ,great weakness1 it is said again1 is manifested by the ,quakers1 in quarrelling with a few words in the language1 and in living at peace with others1 which are equally objectionable4 ,every reason1 it is said1 must be a weak one1 which is not universal4 ,but if some of the reasons1 given by the ,quakers1 were universally applied1 they would throw language into as much confusion as the builders of ,babel4 ,the word ,smith for example1 which is the common name of many families1 ought to be objected to by this rule1 if the person1 to whom it belongs1 happens to be a carpenter4 ,and the word carpenter which is likewise a family-name1 ought to be objected to1 if the person so called should happen to be a smith4 ,and1 in this case1 men would be obliged to draw lots for numbers1 and to be called by the numerical ticket1 which they should draw4 ,it is objected again to the ,quakers1 that1 by attempting to steer clear of idolatry1 they fall into it4 ,the ,quakers are considered to be genuine idolaters1 in this case4 ,the blind pagan imagined a moral being1 either heavenly or infernal1 to inhere in a log of wood or a block of stone4 ,the ,quakers1 in like manner1 imagine a moral being1 truth or falsehood1 to exist in a lifeless word1 and this independently of the sense in which it is spoken1 and in which it is known that it will be understood4 ,what is this1 it is said1 but a species of idolatry and a degrading superstition8 ,the ,quakers would reply to these observations1 first1 that they do not charge others with idolatry1 in the use of these names1 who know nothing of their origin1 or who feel no impropriety in their use4 ,secondly1 that if the principle1 upon which they found their alterations in language1 cannot1 on account of existing circumstances1 be followed in all cases1 there is no reason1 why it should not be followed1 where it can4 ,in the names of men it would be impossible to adopt it4 ,old people are going off1 and young people are coming up1 and people of all descriptions are themselves changing1 and a change of names to suit every persons condition1 and qualification1 would be impossible4 ,thirdly1 that they pay no more homage or obeisance to words1 than the obeisance of truth4 ,there is always a propriety in truth1 and an impropriety in falsehood4 ,and in proportion as the names of things accord with their essences1 qualities1 properties1 character1 and the like1 they are more or less proper4 ,september1 for example1 is not an appropriate name1 if its meaning be enquired into1 for the month which it represents3 but the ninth month is1 and the latter appellation will stand the test of the strictest enquiry4 ,they would say again that this1 as well as the other alterations in their language has had a moral influence on the society1 and has been productive of moral good4 ,in the same manner as the dress1 which they received from their ancestors has operated as a guardian1 or preservative of virtue1 so has the language which they received from them also4 ,the language has made the world overseers of the conduct of the society4 ,a ,quaker is known by his language as much as by his dress4 ,it operates1 by discovering him1 as a check upon his actions4 ,it keeps him also1 like the dress distinct from others4 ,and the ,quakers believe1 that they can never keep up their ,christian discipline1 except they keep clear of the spirit of the world4 ,hence it has been considered as of great importance to keep up the plain language2 and this importance has been further manifested by circumstances1 that have taken place within the pale of the society4 ,for in the same manner as those1 who begin to depart from the simplicity of dress1 are generally in the way to go off among the world1 so are those who depart from the simplicity of the language4 ,each deviation is a sign of a temper for desertion4 ,each deviation brings them in appearance nearer to the world4 ,but the nearer they resemble the world in this respect1 the more they are found to mix with it4 ,they are of course the more likely to be seduced from the wholesome prohibitions of the society4 ,the language therefore of the ,quakers has grown up insensibly as a wall of partition1 which could not now1 it is contended1 be taken away without endangering the innocence of their youth4 ,,sect4 ,,vii4 ,advantages and disadvantages of the system of the ,quaker1 language--disadvantages are that it may lead to superstition--and hypocrisy--advantages are that it excludes flattery--is founded upon truth--promotes truth1 and correctness in the expression of ideas--observation of ,hobbes--would be the most perfect model for a universal calendar--the use or disuse of this system may either of them be made useful to morality4 ,i have now given to the reader the objections1 that are usually made to the alterations1 which the ,quakers have introduced into the language of the country1 as well as the replies1 which the ,quakers would make to these objections4 ,i shall solicit the continuance of his patience a little longer1 or till ,i have made a few remarks of my own upon this subject4 ,it certainly becomes people1 who introduce great peculiarities into their system1 to be careful1 that they are well founded1 and to consider how far they may bring their minds into bondage1 or what moral effects they may produce on their diameter in a course of time4 ,on the reformed language of the ,quakers it may be observed1 that both advantages and disadvantages may follow according to the due or undue estimation in which individuals may hold it4 ,if individuals should lay too great a stress upon language1 that is1 if they should carry their prejudices so far against outward and lifeless words1 that they should not dare to pronounce them1 and this as a matter of religion1 they are certainly in the way of becoming superstitious1 and of losing the dignified independence of their minds4 ,if again they should put an undue estimate upon language1 so as to consider it as a criterion of religious purity1 they may be encouraging the growth of hypocrisy within their own precincts4 ,for if the use of this reformed language be considered as an essential of religion1 that is1 if men are highly thought of in proportion as they conform to it rigidly1 it may be a covering to many to neglect the weightier matters of righteousness2 at least the fulfilling of such minor duties may shield them from the suspicion of neglecting the greater3 and if they should be reported as erring in the latter case1 their crime would be less credited under their observance of these minutiae of the law4 ,these effects are likely to result to the society1 if the peculiarities of their language be insisted on beyond their due bounds4 ,but1 on the other hand1 it must be confessed1 that advantages are likely to follow from the same system1 which are of great importance in themselves1 and which may be set off as a counterbalance to the disadvantages described4 ,the ,quakers may say1 and this with the greatest truth1 we have never cringed or stooped below the dignity of men4 ,we have never been guilty of base flattery2 we have never been instrumental in raising the creature1 with whom we have conversed1 above his condition1 so that in the imagination of his own consequence1 he should lose sight of his dependence on the ,supreme ,being1 or treat his fellow-men1 because they should happen to be below him1 as worms or reptiles of the earth4 ,they may say also that the system of their language originated in the purest motives1 and that it is founded on the sacred basis of truth4 ,it may be said also1 that the habits of caution which the different peculiarities in their language have introduced and interwoven into their constitution1 have taught them particularly to respect the truth1 and to aim at it in all their expressions whether in speech or letters1 and that it has given them a peculiar correctness in the expression of their ideas1 which they would scarcely have had by means of the ordinary education of the world4 ,hobbes says#ed animadverte1 quam sit ab improprietate verborum pronum hominibus prolabi in errores circa res1 or how prone men are to fall into errors about things1 when they use improper expressions4 ,the converse of this proposition may be observed to be true with respect to the ,quakers1 or it may be observed1 that the study of proper expressions has given them correct conceptions of things1 and has had an influence in favor of truth4 ,there are no people1 though the common notion may be otherwise1 who speak so accurately as the ,quakers1 or whose letters1 if examined on any subject1 would be so free from any double meaning1 so little liable to be mistaken1 and so easy to be understood4 ,footnote #ed3 ,hobbesii ,examen4 et ,emend4 ,hod4 ,math4 ,p4 #ee4 ,edit4 ,amstel4 ,it may be observed also on the language of the ,quakers1 that is1 on that part of it1 which relates to the alteration of the names of the months and days1 that this alteration would form the most perfect model for an universal calendar of any that has yet appeared in the world4 ,the ,french nation chose to alter their calendar1 and1 to make it useful to husbandry1 they designated their months1 so that they should be representatives of the different seasons of the year4 ,they called them snowy1 and windy1 and harvest1 and vintage-months1 and the like4 ,but in so large a territory1 as that of ,france1 these new designations were not the representatives of the truth4 ,the northern and southern parts were not alike in their climate4 ,much less could these designations speak the truth for other parts of the world3 whereas numerical appellations might be adopted with truth1 and be attended with usefulness to all the nations of the world1 who divided their time in the same manner4 ,on the latter subject of the names of the days and months1 the alteration of which is considered as the most objectionable by the world1 ,i shall only observe1 that1 if the ,quakers have religious scruples concerning them1 it is their duty to persevere in the disuse of them4 ,those of the world1 on the other hand1 who have no such scruples1 are under no obligation to follow their example4 ,and in the same manner as the ,quakers convert the disuse of these ancient terms to the improvement of their moral character1 so those of the world may convert the use of them to a moral purpose4 ,man is a reasonable1 and moral being1 and capable of moral improvement2 and this improvement may be made to proceed from apparently worthless causes4 ,if we were to find crosses or other ,roman-,catholic relics fixed in the walls of our places of worship1 why should we displace them8 ,why should we not rather suffer them to remain1 to put us in mind of the necessity of thankfulness for the reformation in our religion8 ,if again we were to find an altar1 which had been sacred to ,moloc1 but which had been turned into a stepping stone1 to help the aged and infirm upon their horses1 why should we destroy it8 ,might it not be made useful to our morality1 as far as it could be made to excite sorrow for the past and gratitude for the present8 ,and in the same manner might it not be edifying to retain the use of the ancient names of the days and months8 ,might not thankful feelings be excited in our hearts1 that the crime of idolatry had ceased among us1 and that the only remnant of it was a useful signature of the times8 ,in fact1 if it be the tendency of the corrupt part of our nature to render innocent things vicious1 it is1 on the other hand1 in the essence of our nature1 to render vicious things in process of time innocent2 so that the remnants of idolatry and superstition may be made subservient to the moral improvement of mankind4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,address--all nations have used ceremonies of address--,george ,fox bears his testimony against those in use in his own times--sufferings of the ,quakers on this account--makes no exception in favor of royalty--his dispute with ,judge ,glynn--modern ,quakers follow his example--use no ceremonies even to majesty--various reasons for their disuse of them4 ,all nations have been in the habit of using outward gestures or ceremonies1 as marks of affection1 obeisance or respect4 ,and these outward ceremonies have been different from one another1 so much so1 that those1 which have been adjudged to be suitable emblems of certain affections or dispositions of the mind among one people1 would have been considered as very improper emblems of the same1 and would have been even thought ridiculous by another1 yet all nations have supposed1 that they employed the most rational modes for these purposes4 ,and indeed1 there were probably none of these outward gestures and ceremonies1 which1 in their beginning1 would not have admitted of a reasonable defence while they continued to convey to the minds of those1 who adopted them1 the objects1 for which they were intended1 or while those1 who used them1 persevered with sincerity in their use1 little or no objection could be made to them by the moralist4 ,but as soon as the ends of their institution were lost1 or they were used without any appropriate feeling of the heart1 they became empty civilities1 and little better than mockery or grimace4 ,the customs of this sort1 which obtained in the time of ,george ,fox1 were similar to those1 which are now in use on similar occasions4 ,people pulled off their hats1 and bowed1 and scraped with their feet4 ,and these things they did1 as marks of civility1 friendship1 or respect to one another4 ,george ,fox was greatly grieved about these idle ceremonies4 ,he lamented that men should degrade themselves by the use of them1 and that they should encourage habits1 that were abhorrent of the truth4 ,his feelings were so strong upon this subject1 that he felt himself called upon to bear his testimony against them4 ,accordingly he never submitted to them himself1 and those1 who received his religious doctrines1 followed his example4 ,the omission of these ceremonies1 however1 procured both for him and his followers1 as had been the case in the change of thou for you1 much ill-will1 and harsh treatment4 ,the ,quakers were derided and abused4 ,their hats were taken forcibly from their heads1 and thrown away4 ,they were beaten and imprisoned on this sole account4 ,and so far did the world carry their resentment towards them for the omission of these little ceremonies1 that they refused for some time to deal with them as tradesmen1 or to buy things at their shops1 so that some ,quakers could hardly get money enough to buy themselves bread4 ,george ,fox1 however1 and his associates1 persevered1 notwithstanding this ill usage1 in the disuse of all honours1 either by the moving of the hat1 or the usual bendings of the body2 and as that1 which was a right custom for one1 was a right one for another1 they made no exception even in favour of the chief magistrate of the land4 ,george ,fox1 when he visited ,oliver ,cromwell as protector1 never pulled off his hat2 and it is remarkable that the protector was not angry with him for it4 ,neither did he pull off his hat to the judges at any time1 notwithstanding he was so often brought before them4 ,controversies sometimes took place between him and them in the public court1 upon these occasions1 one of which ,i shall notice1 as it marks the manner of conducting the jurisprudence of those times4 ,when ,george ,fox1 and two other friends1 were brought out of ,launceston gaol1 to be tried before judge ,glynn1 who was then chief justice of ,england1 they came into court with their hats on4 ,the judge asked them the reason of this1 but they said nothing4 ,he then told them1 that the court commanded them to pull off their hats4 ,upon this ,george ,fox addressed them in the following manner4 ,where1 says he1 did ever any magistrate1 king or judge1 from ,moses to ,daniel1 command any to put off their hats1 when they came before them in their courts1 either amongst the ,jews1 who were ,god's people1 or among the heathen8 ,and if the law of ,england doth command any such thing1 shew me that law1 either written or printed4 ,judge ,glynn upon this grew angry1 and replied1 that he did not carry his law-books upon his back4 ,but says ,george ,fox1 tell me where it is printed in any statute-book1 that ,i may read it ,the judge1 in a vulgar manner1 ordered him away1 and he was accordingly taken away1 and put among thieves4 ,the judge1 however1 in a short time afterwards ordered him up again1 and1 on his return put to him the following question1 ,come1 says he1 where had they hats from ,moses to ,daniel8 ,come1 answer me4 ,i have you fast now4 ,george4 ,fox replied1 that he might read in the third chapter of ,daniel1 that the three children were cast into the fiery furnace by ,nebuchadnezzar's command1 with their coats1 their hose1 and their hats on4 ,the repetition of this apposite text stopped the judge from any farther comments on the custom1 and he ordered him and his companions to be taken away again4 ,and they were accordingly taken away and they were thrust again among thieves4 ,in process of time1 however1 this custom of the ,quakers began to be known among the judges1 who so far respected their scruples1 as to take care that their hats should be taken off in future in the courts4 ,these omissions of the ceremonies of the world1 as begun by the primitive ,quakers1 are continued by the modern4 ,they neither bow nor scrape1 nor pull off their hats to any1 by way of civility or respect1 and they carry their principles1 like their predecessors1 so far1 that they observe none of these exterior parts of politeness even in the presence of royalty4 ,the ,quakers are in the habit on particular occasions of sending deputies to the king4 ,and it is remarkable that his present majesty always sees them himself1 if he be well1 and not by proxy4 ,notwithstanding this1 no one in the deputation ever pulls off his hat4 ,those1 however1 who are in waiting in the anti-chamber1 knowing this custom of the ,quakers1 take their hats from their heads1 before they enter the room1 where the king is4 ,on entering the room1 they neither bow nor scrape1 nor kneel1 and as this ceremony cannot be performed for them by others1 they go into the royal presence in a less servile1 or more dignified manner1 than either the representatives of sovereigns1 or those1 who have humbled nations by the achievement of great victories4 ,the ground1 upon which the ,quakers decline the use of the ordinary ceremonies just mentioned1 is1 the honours are the honours of the world4 ,now1 as that these of the world1 they consider them as objectionable on several accounts4 ,first1 they are no more the criterions of obeisance and respect1 than mourning garments are the criterions of sorrow4 ,but ,christianity is never satisfied but with the truth4 ,it forbids all false appearances4 ,it allows no image to be held out1 that is not a faithful picture of its original1 or no action to be resorted to1 that is not correspondent with the feelings of the heart4 ,in the second place the ,quakers presume1 that1 as honours of the world1 all such ceremonies are generally of a complimentary nature4 ,no one bows to a poor man4 ,but almost every one to the rich1 and the rich to one another4 ,hence bowing is as much a species of flattery through the medium of the body1 as the giving of undeserved titles through the medium of the tongue4 ,as honours of the world again the ,quakers think them censurable1 because all such honours were censured by ,jesus ,christ4 ,on the occasion1 on which he exhorted his followers not to be like the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 and to seek flattering titles1 so as to be called ,rabbi ,rabbi of man1 he exhorted them to avoid all ceremonious salutations1 such as greetings in the market-places4 ,he couples the two different customs of flattering titles and salutations in the same sentence1 and mentions them in the same breath4 ,and though the word greetings does not perhaps precisely mean those bowings and scrapings1 which are used at the present day1 yet it means1 both according to its derivation and the nature of the ,jewish customs1 those outward personal actions or gestures1 which were used as complimentary to the ,jewish world4 ,with respect to the pulling off the hat the ,quakers have an additional objection to this custom1 quite distinct from the objections1 that have been mentioned above4 ,every minister in the ,quaker society takes off his hat1 either when he preaches1 or when he prays4 ,st ,paul#ee enjoins this custom4 ,but if they take off their hats1 that is1 uncover their heads1 as an outward act enjoined in the service of ,god1 they cannot with any propriety take them off1 or uncover their heads to men1 because they would be giving to the creature the same outward honour which they give to the creator4 ,and in this custom they conceive the world to be peculiarly inconsistent4 ,for men go into their churches1 and into their meetings1 and pull off their hats1 or uncover their heads1 for the same reason as the ,quaker-ministers when they pray 7for no other reason can be assigned7 and1 when they come out of their respective places of worship1 they uncover them again on every trivial occasion1 to those whom they meet1 using to man the same outward mark of homage1 as they had just given to ,god4 ,footnote #ee3 #a ,cor4 ,chap4 xi4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,manners and conversation--,quakers esteemed reserved--this an appearance owing to their education--their hospitality in their own houses--the freedom allowed and taken--their conversation limited--politics generally excluded--subjects of conversation examined in our towns--also in the metropolis--no such subjects among the ,quakers--their conversation more dignified--extraordinary circumstance that takes place occasionally in the company of the ,quakers4 ,the ,quakers are generally supposed to be a stiff and reserved people1 and to be a people of severe and uncourteous manners4 ,i confess there is something in their appearance that will justify the supposition in the eyes of strangers1 and of such as do not know them3 ,i mean of such1 as just see them occasionally out of doors1 but do not mix with them in their own houses4 ,it cannot be expected that persons1 educated like the ,quakers1 should assimilate much in their manners to other people4 ,the very dress they wear1 which is so different from that of others1 would give them a stiff appearance in the eyes of the world1 if nothing else could be found to contribute towards it4 ,excluded also from much intercourse with the world1 and separated at a vast distance from it by the singularity of many of their customs1 they would naturally appear to others to be close and reserved4 ,neither is it to be expected that those1 whose spirits are never animated by music1 or enlivened by the exhibitions of the theatre1 or the diversions which others follow1 would have other than countenances that were grave4 ,their discipline also1 which calls them so frequently to important duties1 and the dispatch of serious business1 would produce the same feature4 ,i may observe also1 that a peculiarity of gait1 which might be mistaken for awkwardness1 might not unreasonably be expected in those1 who had neither learned to walk under the guidance of a dancing1 master1 nor to bow under the direction of the dominion of fashion4 ,if those and those only are to be esteemed really polished and courteous1 who bow and scrape1 and salute each other by certain prescribed gestures1 then the ,quakers will appear to have contracted much rust1 and to have an indisputable right to the title of a clownish and inflexible people4 ,i must observe however that these appearances1 though they may be substantial in the estimation of those who do not know them1 gradually vanish with those1 who do4 ,their hospitality in their own houses1 and their great attention and kindness1 soon force out of sight all ideas of uncourteousness4 ,their freedom also soon annihilates those of stiffness and reserve4 ,their manners1 though they have not the polished surface of those which are usually attached to fashionable life1 are agreeable1 when known4 ,there is one trait in the ,quaker-manners1 which runs through the whole society1 as far as ,i have seen in their houses1 and which is worthy of mention4 ,the ,quakers appear to be particularly gratified1 when those1 who visit them1 ask for what they want4 ,instead of considering this as rudeness or intrusion1 they esteem it as a favour done them4 ,the circumstance of asking1 on such an occasion1 is to them a proof1 that there visitors feel themselves at home4 ,indeed they almost always desire a stranger who has been introduced to them to be free4 ,this is their usual expression4 ,and if he assures them that he will1 and if they find him asking for what he wishes to have1 you may perceive in their countenances the pleasure1 which his conduct has given them4 ,they consider him1 when he has used this freedom1 to have acted as they express it kindly4 ,nothing can be more truly polite than that conduct to another1 by which he shall be induced to feel himself as comfortably situated1 as if he were in his own house4 ,as the ,quakers desire their visitors to be free1 and to do as they please1 so they do not fail to do the same themselves1 never regarding such visitors as impediments in the way of their concerns4 ,if they have any business or engagement out of doors1 they say so and go1 using no ceremony1 and but few words as an apology4 ,their visitors1 ,i mean such as stay for a time in their houses1 are left in the interim to amuse themselves as they please4 ,this is peculiarly agreeable1 because their friends know1 when they visit them1 that they neither restrain1 nor shackle1 nor put them to inconvenience4 ,in fact it may be truly said that if satisfaction in visiting depends upon a man's own freedom to do as he likes1 to ask and to call for what he wants1 to go out and come in as he pleases2 and if it depends also on the knowledge he has1 that1 in doing all these things1 he puts no person out of his way1 there are no houses1 where people will be better pleased with their treatment1 than in those of the ,quakers4 ,this trait in the character of the ,quakers is very general4 ,i would not pretend1 however1 to call it universal4 ,but it is quite general enough to be pronounced a feature in their domestic character4 ,i do not mean by the mention of it1 to apologize1 in any manner for the ruggedness of manners of some ,quakers4 ,there are undoubtedly solitary families1 which having lived in places1 where there have been scarcely any of their own society with whom to associate1 and which1 having scarcely mixed with others of other denominations except in the way of trade1 have an uncourteousness1 ingrafted in them as it were by these circumstances1 which no change of situation afterwards has been able to obliterate4 ,the subjects of conversation among the ,quakers differ1 like those of others1 but they are not so numerous1 neither are they of the same kind1 as those of other people4 ,the ,quaker conversation is cramped or fettered for two reasons1 first by the caution1 that prevails among the members of the society relative to the use of idle words1 and secondly by the caution1 that prevails among them1 relative to the adapting of their expressions to the truth4 ,hence the primitive ,quakers were persons of few words4 ,the subjects also of the ,quaker conversation are limited for several reasons4 ,the ,quakers have not the same classical or philosophical education1 as those of other denominations in an equal situation in life4 ,this circumstance will of course exclude many topics from their discourse4 ,religious considerations also exclude others4 ,politics1 which generally engross a good deal of attention1 and which afford an inexhaustible fund of matter for conversation to a great part of the inhabitants of the island1 are seldom introduced1 and1 if introduced1 very tenderly handled in general among the ,quaker-society4 ,i have seen aged ,quakers gently reprove others of tenderer years1 with whom they happened to be in company1 for having started them4 ,it is not that the ,quakers have not the same feelings as other men1 or that they are not equally interested about humanity1 or that they are incapable of opinions on the changeable political events1 that are passing over the face of the globe1 that this subject is so little agitated among them4 ,they are usually silent upon it for particular reasons4 ,they consider first1 that1 as they are not allowed to have any direction1 and in many cases could not conscientiously interfere1 in government-matters1 it would be folly to disquiet their minds with vain and fruitless speculations4 ,they consider again1 that political subjects frequently irritate people1 and make them warm4 ,now this is a temper1 which they consider to be peculiarly detrimental to their religion4 ,they consider themselves also in this life as but upon a journey to another1 and that they should get through it as quietly and as inoffensively as they can4 ,they believe again with ,george ,fox1 that1 in these lower regions1 or in this airy life1 all news is uncertain4 ,there is nothing stable4 ,but in the higher regions1 or in the kingdom of ,christ1 all things are stable3 and the news is always good and certain4 #ef ,footnote #ef3 ,there is always an exception in favour of conversation on politics1 which is1 when the government are agitating any question1 their interests or their religious freedom is involved4 ,as politics do not afford matter for much conversation in the ,quaker-society1 so neither do some other subjects1 that may be mentioned4 ,in a country town1 where people daily visit1 it is not uncommon to observe1 whether at the card1 or at the tea-table1 that what is usually called scandal forms a part of the pleasures of conversation4 ,the hatching up of suspicions on the accidental occurrence of trivial circumstances1 the blowing up of these suspicions into substances and forms1 animadversions on character1 these1 and such like themes1 wear out a great part of the time of an afternoon or an evening visit4 ,such subjects1 however1 cannot enter where ,quakers converse with one another4 ,to avoid tale-bearing and detraction is a lesson inculcated into them in early youth4 ,the maxim is incorporated into their religion1 and of course follows them through life4 ,it is contained in one of their queries4 ,this query is read to them in their meetings1 and the subject of it is therefore repeatedly brought to their notice and recollection4 ,add to which1 that1 if a ,quaker were to repeat any unfounded scandal1 that operated to the injury of another's character1 and were not to give up the author1 or make satisfaction for the same1 he would be liable1 by the rules of the society1 to be disowned4 ,i do not mean to assert here1 that a ,quaker never says a harsh thing of another man4 ,all1 who profess to be1 are not ,quakers4 ,subjects of a scandalous nature may be in introduced by others of another denomination1 in which1 if ,quakers are present1 they may unguardedly join4 ,but it is certainly true1 that ,quakers are more upon their guard1 with respect to scandalizing others1 than many other people4 ,nor is this unlikely to be the case1 when we consider that caution in this particular is required of them by the laws of their religion4 ,it is certainly true also1 that such subjects are never introduced by them1 like those at country tea-tables1 for the sole purpose of producing conversation4 ,and ,i believe ,i may add with truth1 that it would even be deemed extraordinary by the society1 if such subjects were introduced by them at all4 ,in companies also in the metropolis1 as well as in country towns1 a variety of subjects affords food for conversation which never enter into the discourse of the ,quakers4 ,if we were to go into the company of persons of a certain class in the metropolis1 we should find them deriving the enjoyments of conversation from some such subjects as the following4 ,one of the company would probably talk of the exquisitely fine manner1 in which an actress performed her part on a certain night4 ,this1 would immediately give birth to a variety of remarks4 ,the name of one actress would bring up that of another1 and the name of one play that of another1 till at length the stage would become the source of supplying a subject for a considerable time4 ,another would probably ask1 as soon as this theatrical discussion was over1 the opinion of the company on the subject of the duel1 which the morning papers had reported to have taken place4 ,this new subject would give new fuel to the fire1 and new discussions would take place1 and new observations fly about from all quarters4 ,some would applaud the courage of the person1 who had been killed4 ,others would pity his hard fate4 ,but none would censure his wickedness for having resorted to such dreadful means for the determination of his dispute4 ,from this time the laws of honour would be canvassed1 and disquisitions about punctilio1 and etiquette1 and honour1 would arrest the attention of the company1 and supply them with materials for a time4 ,these subjects would be followed by observations on fashionable head-dresses1 by the relation of elopements1 by the reports of affairs of gallantry4 ,each subject would occupy its own portion of time4 ,thus each would help to swell up the measure of conversation1 and to make up the enjoyment of the visit4 ,if we were to go among persons of another class in the metropolis1 we should probably find them collecting their entertainment from other topics4 ,one would talk on the subject of some splendid route4 ,he would expatiate on the number of rooms that were opened1 on the superb manner1 in which they were fitted up1 and on the sum of money that was expended in procuring every delicacy that was out of season4 ,a second would probably ask1 if it were really known1 how much one of their female acquaintance had lost at faro4 ,a third would make observations on the dresses at the last drawing room4 ,a fourth would particularize the liveries brought out by individuals on the birth-day4 ,a fifth would ask1 who was to have the vacant red ribbon4 ,another would tell1 how the minister had given a certain place to a certain nobleman's third son1 and would observe1 that the whole family were now provided for by government4 ,each of these topics would be enlarged upon1 as successively started1 and thus conversation would be kept going during the time of the visit4 ,these and other subjects generally constitute the pleasures of conversation among certain classes of persons4 ,but among the ,quakers1 they can hardly ever intrude themselves at all4 ,places and pensions they neither do1 nor can1 hold4 ,levees and drawing rooms they neither do1 nor would consent to1 attend1 on pleasure4 ,red ribbons they would not wear if given to them4 ,indeed1 very few of the society know what these insignia mean4 ,as to splendid liveries1 these would never occupy their attention4 ,liveries for servants1 though not expressly forbidden1 are not congenial with the ,quaker-system2 and as to gaming1 plays1 or fashionable amusements1 these are forbidden1 as ,i have amply stated before1 by the laws of the society4 ,it is obvious then1 that these topics cannot easily enter into conversation1 where ,quakers are4 ,indeed1 nothing so trifling1 ridiculous1 or disgusting1 occupies their minds4 ,the subjects1 that take up their attention1 are of a more solid and useful kind4 ,there is a dignity1 in general1 in the ,quaker-conversation1 arising from the nature of these subjects1 and from the gravity and decorum with which it is always conducted4 ,it is not to be inferred from hence1 that their conversation is dull and gloomy4 ,there is often no want of sprightliness1 wit1 and humour4 ,but then this sprightliness1 never borders upon folly1 for all foolish jesting is to be avoided1 and it is always decorous4 ,when vivacity makes its appearance among the ,quakers2 it is sensible1 and it is uniformly in an innocent and decent dress4 ,in the company of the ,quakers a circumstance sometimes occurs1 of so peculiar a nature1 that it cannot be well omitted in this place4 ,it sometimes happens1 that you observe a pause in the conversation4 ,this pause continues4 ,surprized at the universal silence now prevailing1 you look round1 and find all the ,quakers in the room apparently thoughtful4 ,the history of the circumstance is this4 ,in the course of the conversation the mind of some one of the persons present has been so overcome with the weight or importance of it1 or so overcome by inward suggestions or other subjects1 as to have given himself up to meditation1 or to passive obedience to the impressions upon his mind4 ,this person is soon discovered by the rest on account of his particular silence and gravity4 ,from this moment the ,quakers in company cease to converse4 ,they become habitually silent1 and continue so1 both old and young1 to give the apparently meditating person an opportunity of pursuing uninterruptedly the train of his own thoughts4 ,perhaps1 in the course of his meditations1 the subject1 that impressed his mind1 gradually dies away1 and expires in silence4 ,in this case you find him resuming his natural position1 and returning to conversation with the company as before4 ,it sometimes happens1 however1 that1 in the midst of his meditations1 he feels an impulse to communicate to those present the subject of his thoughts1 and breaks forth1 seriously explaining1 exhorting1 and advising1 as the nature of it permits and suggests4 ,when he has finished his observations1 the company remain silent for a short time1 after which they converse again as before4 ,such a pause1 whenever it occurs in the company of the ,quakers1 may be considered as a devotional act4 ,for the subject1 which occasions it1 is always of a serious or religious nature4 ,the workings in the mind of the meditating person are considered either as the offspring of a solemn reflection upon that subject1 suddenly and almost involuntarily as it were produced by duty1 or as the immediate offspring of the agency of the spirit4 ,and an habitual silence is as much the consequence1 as if the person present had been at a place of worship4 ,it may be observed1 however1 that such pauses seldom or never occur in ordinary companies1 or where ,quakers ordinarily visit one another4 ,when they take place1 it is mostly when a minister is present1 and when such a minister is upon a religious visit to families of a certain district4 ,in such a case such religious pauses and exhortations are not unfrequent4 ,a man however may be a hundred times in the company of the ,quakers1 and never be present at one of them1 and never know indeed that they exist at all4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,custom before meals--ancients formerly made an oblation to ,vesta before their meals--,christians have substituted grace--,quakers agree with others in the necessity of grace or thankfulness-but do not adopt it as a devotional act1 unless it comes from the heart--allow a silent pause for religious impressions on these occasions--observations on a ,scotch grace4 ,there was a time in the early ages of ,greece1 when men apparently little better than beasts of prey1 could not meet at entertainments1 without quarrelling about the victuals before them4 ,the memory of this circumstance is well preserved in the expressions of early writers4 ,in process of time however1 regulations began to be introduced1 and quarrels to be prevented1 by the institution of the office of a divider or distributer of the feast1 who should carve the food into equal portions1 and help every individual to his proper share4 ,hence the terms ,greek3 ,aatfrn or equal feast1 which so frequently occur in ,homer1 and which were in use in consequence of the division just mentioned1 were made use of to shew1 that the feasts1 then spoken of by him1 were different from those of former times4 ,when ,homer wishes to describe persons as more civilized than others1 he describes them as having this equal feast4 ,that is1 men did not appear at these feasts1 like dogs and wolves1 and instantly devour whatever they could come at1 and tear each other to pieces in the end2 but they waited till their different portions of meat had been assigned them1 and then ate them in amity and peace4 ,at the time when we find the custom of one man carving for all his guests to have been in use1 we find also that another had been introduced among the same people4 ,the ,greeks1 in the heroic ages1 thought it unlawful to eat1 till they had first offered a part of their provision to the gods4 ,hence oblations to ,vesta1 and afterwards to others1 whom their superstition had defied1 came into general use1 so that these were always made1 before the victuals on the table were allowed to be tasted by any of the guests4 ,these two customs1 since that time1 have come regularly down to the present day4 ,every person helps his family and his friends at his own table4 ,but as ,christians can make no sacrifices to heathen deities1 we usually find them substituting thanksgiving for oblation1 and giving to the ,creator of the universe instead of an offering of the first fruits from their tables1 an offering of gratitude from their hearts4 ,this oblation1 which is now usually denominated grace1 consists of a form of words1 which1 being expressive either of praise or thankfulness to ,god for the blessings of food1 with which he continues to supply them1 is repeated by the master of the family1 or by a minister of the gospel if present1 before any one partakes of the victuals1 that are set before him4 ,these forms1 however1 differ1 as used by ,christians4 ,they differ in length1 in ideas1 in expression4 ,one ,christian uses one form1 another uses another4 ,it may however be observed1 that the same ,christian generally uses the same form of words1 or the same grace1 on the same occasion4 ,the ,quakers1 as a religious body1 agree in the propriety of grace before their meals1 that is in the propriety of giving thanks to the author of every good gift for this particular bounty of his providence as to the articles of their daily subsistence1 but they differ as to the manner and seasonableness of it on such occasions4 ,they think that people who are in the habit of repeating a determined form of words1 may cease to feel1 as they pronounce them1 in which case the grace becomes an oblation from the tongue1 but not from the heart4 ,they think also that1 if grace is to be repeated regularly1 just as the victuals come1 or as regularly and as often as they come upon the table1 it may be repeated unseasonably1 that is unseasonably with the state of the heart of him1 who is to pronounce it2 that the heart of man is not to-day as it was yesterday1 nor at this hour what it was at a former1 nor on any given hour alike disposed2 and that if this grace is to be said when the heart is gay1 or light1 or volatile1 it ceases to be a devotional act1 and becomes at least a superflous and unmeaning1 if not a censurable form4 ,the ,quakers then to avoid the unprofitableness of such artificial graces on the one hand1 and1 on the other1 to give an opportunity to the heart to accord with the tongue1 whenever it is used in praise of the ,creator1 observe the following custom4 ,when they are all seated at table1 they sit in solemn silence1 and in a thoughtful position1 for some time4 ,if the master of the family1 during this silence1 should feel any religious impression on his mind1 whether of praise or thankfulness on the occasion1 he gives utterance to his feelings4 ,such praise or thanksgiving in him is considered as a devotional act1 and as the ,quaker grace4 ,but if1 after having waited in silence for some time1 he feels no such religious disposition1 he utters no religious expression4 ,the ,quakers hold it better to say no grace1 than to say that1 which is not accompanied by the devotion of the heart4 ,in this case he resumes his natural position1 breaks the silence by means of natural discourse1 and begins to carve for his family or his friends4 ,this is the ordinary way of proceeding in ,quaker families1 when alone1 or in ordinary company4 ,but if a minister happens to be at the table1 the master of the family1 conceiving such a man to be more in the habit of religious impressions than himself1 or any ordinary person1 looks up as it were to him1 as to a channel1 from whence it is possible1 that such religious exercise may come4 ,if the minister1 during the solemn1 silent pause1 is impressed1 he gives utterance as before3 if not1 he relieves himself from his grave and thoughtful position1 and breaks the silence of the company by engaging in natural discourse4 ,after this the company proceed to their meals4 ,if ,i were to be asked whether the graces of the ,quakers were frequent1 ,i should reply in the negative4 ,i never heard any delivered1 but when a minister was present4 ,the ordinary grace therefore of private families consists in a solemn1 silent1 pause1 between the time of sitting down to the table and the note of carving the victuals1 during which an opportunity is given for the excitement of religious feelings4 ,a person may dine fifty times at the tables of the ,quakers1 and see no other substitution for grace than this temporary silent pause4 ,indeed no other grace than this can be consistent with ,quaker-principles4 ,it was coeval with the institution of the society1 and must continue while it lasts4 ,for thanksgiving is an act of devotion4 ,now no act1 in the opinion of the ,quakers1 can be devotional or spiritual1 except it originate from above4 ,men1 in religious matters can do nothing of themselves1 or without the divine aid4 ,and they must therefore wait in silence for this spiritual help1 as well in the case of grace1 as in the case of any other kind of devotion1 if they mean their praise or thanksgiving on such occasions to be an act of religion4 ,there is in the ,quaker-grace1 and its accompaniments1 whenever it is uttered1 an apparent beauty and an apparent solemnity1 which are seldom conspicuous in those of others4 ,how few are there1 who repeat the common artificial graces feelingly1 and with minds intent upon the subject6 ,grace is usually said as a mere ceremony or custom4 ,the ,supreme ,being is just thanked in so many words1 while the thoughts are often rambling to other subjects4 ,the ,quaker-grace1 on the other hand1 whenever it is uttered2 does not come out in any mechanical form of words which men have used before1 but in expressions adapted to the feelings4 ,it comes forth also warm from the heart4 ,it comes after a solemn1 silent1 pause1 and it becomes therefore1 under all these circumstances1 an act of real solemnity and genuine devotion4 ,it is astonishing how little even men of acknowledged piety seem to have their minds fixed upon the ideas contained in the mechanical graces they repeat4 ,i was one afternoon at a friends house1 where there happened to be a clergyman of the ,scottish church4 ,he was a man deservedly esteemed for his piety4 ,the company was large4 ,politics had been discussed some time1 when the tea-things were introduced4 ,while the bread and butter were bringing in1 the clergyman1 who had taken an active part in the discussion1 put a question to a gentleman1 who was sitting in a corner of the room4 ,the gentleman began to reply1 and was proceeding in his answer1 when of a sudden ,i heard a solemn voice4 ,being surprised1 ,i looked round1 and found it was the clergyman1 who had suddenly started up1 and was saying grace4 ,the solemnity1 with which he spoke1 occasioned his voice to differ so much from its ordinary tone1 that ,i did not1 till ,i had looked about me1 discover who the speaker was4 ,i think he might be engaged from three or four minutes in the delivery of this grace4 ,i could not help thinking1 during the delivery of it1 that ,i never knew any person say grace like this man4 ,nor was ,i ever so much moved with any grace1 or thought ,i ever saw so dearly the propriety of saying grace1 as on this occasion4 ,but when ,i found that on the very instant the grace was over politics were resumed2 when ,i found that1 no sooner had the last word in the grace been pronounced1 than the next1 which came from the clergyman himself1 began by desiring the gentleman before mentioned to go on with his reply to his own political question1 ,i was so struck with the inconsistency of the thing1 that the beauty and solemnity of his grace all vanished4 ,this sudden transition from politics to grace1 and from grace to politics1 afforded a proof that artificial sentences might be so frequently repeated1 as to fail to re-excite their first impressions1 or that certain expressions1 which might have constituted devotional acts under devotional feeling1 might relapse into heartless forms4 ,i should not wish1 by the relation of this anecdote1 to be understood as reflecting in the slightest manner on the practice of the ,scottish church4 ,i know well the general sobriety1 diligence1 piety and religious example of its ministers4 ,i mentioned it merely to shew1 that even where the religious character of a person was high1 his mind1 by the frequent repetition of the same forms of expression on the same occasions1 might frequently lose sight of the meaning and force of the words as they were uttered1 so that he might pronounce them without that spiritual feeling1 which can alone constitute a religious exercise4 ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ,customs at and after meals--,quakers never drink healths at dinner--nor toasts after dinner--the drinking of toasts a heathen custom--interrupts often the innocence--and leads to the intoxication of the company--anecdote of ,judge ,hale--,quakers sometimes in embarrassing situations on account of this omission--,quaker-women seldom retire after dinner1 and leave the men drinking--,quakers a sober people4 ,the ,quakers though they are occasionally found in the custom of saying grace1 do not1 as ,i have stated1 either use it as regularly1 or in the same manner as other christians4 ,neither do they at their meals1 or after their meals1 use the same ceremonies as others4 ,they have exploded the unmeaning and troublesome custom of drinking healths at their dinners4 ,this custom the ,quakers have rejected upon the principle1 that it has no connection with true civility4 ,they consider it as officious1 troublesome1 and even embarrassing1 on some occasions4 ,to drink to a man1 when he is lifting his victuals to his mouth1 and by calling off his attention1 to make him drop them1 or to interrupt two people1 who are eating and talking together1 and to break the thread of their discourse1 seems to be an action1 as rude in its principle1 as disagreeable in its effects1 nor is the custom often less troublesome to the person drinking the health1 than to the person whose health is drank4 ,if a man finds two people engaged in conversation he must wait till he catches their eyes1 before he can drink himself4 ,a man may also often be put into a delicate and difficult situation1 to know whom to drink to first1 and whom second1 and may be troubled1 lest1 by drinking improperly to one before another1 he may either be reputed awkward1 or may become the occasion of offence4 ,they consider also the custom of drinking healths at dinner as unnecessary1 and as tending to no useful end4 ,it must be obvious that a man may wish another his health1 full as much without drinking it1 as by drinking it with his glass in his hand4 ,and it must be equally obvious that wishes1 expressed in this manner1 can have no medicinal effect4 ,with respect to the custom of drinking healths at dinner1 ,i may observe that the innovation1 which the ,quakers seem to have been the first to have made upon the practice of it1 has been adopted by many1 not out of compliance with their example1 but on account of the trouble and inconveniences attending it2 that the custom is not now so general as it was2 that in the higher and more fashionable circles it has nearly been exploded2 and that1 among some of the other classes of society1 it is gradually declining4 ,with respect to the custom of drinking toasts after dinner1 the ,quakers have rejected it for various reasons4 ,they have rejected it first1 because1 however desirable it may be that ,christians should follow the best customs of the heathens1 it would be a reproach to them to follow the worst4 ,or1 in other words1 it would be improper for men1 whose religion required spirituality of thought and feeling1 to imitate the heathens in the manner of their enjoyment of sensual pleasures4 ,the laws and customs of drinking1 the ,quakers observe1 are all of heathen origin4 ,the similitude between these and those of modern tunes is too remarkable to be overlooked2 and too striking not to warrant them in concluding1 that christens have taken their model on this subject from ,pagan practice4 ,in every ,grecian family1 where company was invited1 the master of it was considered to be the king or president of the feast1 in his own house4 ,he was usually denominated the eye of the company4 ,it was one of his offices to look about and to see that his guests drank their proper portions of the wine4 ,it was another to keep peace and harmony among them4 ,for these purposes his word was law4 ,at entertainments at the public expence the same office existed1 but the person1 then appointed to it1 was nominated either by lot1 or by the votes of the persons present4--,this custom obtains among the moderns4 ,the master of every family at the present day presides at his own table for the same purposes4 ,and at great and public dinners at taverns1 a similar officer is appointed1 who is generally chosen by the committee1 who first meet for the proposal of the feast4 ,one of the first toasts1 that were usually drank among the ancient ,greeks1 was to the gods4 ,this entirely corresponds with the modern idea of church2 and if the government had been only coupled with the gods in these ancient times1 it would have precisely answered to the modern toast of church and state4 ,it was also usual at the entertainments1 given by ,grecian families1 to drink the prosperity of those persons1 for whom they entertained a friendship1 but who happened to be absent4 ,no toast can better coincide than this1 with that1 which is so frequently given1 of our absent friends4 ,it was also a ,grecian practice for each of the guests to name his particular friend1 and sometimes also his particular mistress4 ,the moderns have also a parallel for this4 ,every person gives 7to use the common phrase7 his gentleman1 and his lady1 in his turn4 ,it is well known to have been the usage of the ancient ,greeks1 at their entertainments1 either to fill or to have had their cups filled for them to the brim4 ,the moderns do precisely the same thing4 ,glasses so filled1 have the particular name of bumpers3 and however vigilantly an ancient ,greek might have looked after his guests1 and made them drink their glasses filled in this manner1 the presidents of modern times are equally vigilant in enforcing adherence to the same custom4 ,it was an ancient practice also with the same people to drink three glasses when the graces1 and nine when the muses were named3 and three and three times three were drank on particular occasions4 ,this barbarous practice has fortunately not come down to the moderns to its full extent1 but they have retained the remembrance of it1 and celebrated it in part1 by following up their toasts1 on any extraordinary occasion1 not with three or nine glasses of wine1 but with three or nine cheers4 ,among the ancients beforementioned1 if any of the persons present were found deficient in drinking their proper portions1 they were ordered by the president either to drink them or to leave the room4 ,this usage has been a little altered by the moderns4 ,they do not order those persons to leave the company1 who do not comply with the same rules of drinking as the rest1 but they subject them to be fined1 as it is termed1 that is1 they oblige them to drink double portions for their deficiency1 or punish them in some other manner4 ,from hence it will be obvious that the laws of drinking are of heathen origin2 that is1 the custom of drinking toasts originated1 as the ,quakers contend1 with men of heathen minds and affections for a sensual purpose2 and it is therefore a custom1 they believe2 which men of christian minds and affections should never follow4 ,the ,quakers have rejected the custom again1 because they consider it to be inconsistent with their christian character in other respects4 ,they consider it as morally injurious2 for toasts frequently excite and promote indelicate ideas1 and thus sometimes interrupt the innocence of conversation4 ,they consider it as morally injurious again1 because the drinking of toasts has a direct tendency to promote drunkenness4 ,they1 who have been much in company1 must have had repeated opportunities of witnessing1 that this idea of the ,quakers is founded in truth1 men are undoubtedly stimulated to drink more than they like1 and to become intoxicated in consequence of the use of toasts4 ,if a man has no objection to drink toasts at all1 he must drink that which the master of the house proposes1 and it is usual in this case to fill a bumper4 ,respect to his host is considered as demanding this4 ,thus one full glass is secured to him at the outset4 ,he must also drink a bumper to the king1 another to church and state1 and another to the army and navy4 ,he would1 in many companies1 be thought hostile to government1 if1 in the habit of drinking toasts1 he were to refuse to drink these1 or to honour these in the same manner4 ,thus three additional glasses are entailed upon him4 ,he must also drink a bumper to his own toast4 ,he would be thought to dishonour the person1 whose health he had given1 if he were to fail in this4 ,thus a fifth glass is added to his share4 ,he must fill a little besides to every other toast1 or he is considered as deficient in respect to the person1 who has proposed it4 ,thus many additional glasses are forced upon him4 ,by this time the wine begins to act1 when new toasts1 of a new nature assail his ear1 and he is stimulated to new potions4 ,there are many toasts of so patriotic1 and others of so generous and convivial a nature that a man is looked upon as disaffected1 or as devoid of sentiment1 who refuses them4 ,add to this1 that there is a sort of shame1 which the young and generous in particular feel in being outdone1 and in not keeping pace with the rest1 on such occasions4 ,thus toast being urged after toast1 and shame acting upon shame1 a variety of causes conspires at the same moment to drive him on1 till the liquor at length overcomes him and he falls eventually a victim to its power4 ,it will be manifest from this account that the laws of drinking1 by which the necessity of drinking a certain number of toasts is enjoined1 by which bumpers are attached to certain classes of toasts1 by which a stigma is affixed to a non-compliance with the terms1 by which in fact a regular system of etiquette is established1 cannot but lead1 except a man is uncommonly resolute or particularly on his guard1 to intoxication4 ,we see indeed instances of men drinking glass after glass1 because stimulated in this manner1 even against their own inclination1 nay even against the determination they had made before they went into company1 till they have made themselves quite drunk4 ,but had there been no laws of drinking1 or no toasts1 we cannot see any reason why the same persons should not have returned sober to their respective homes4 ,it is recorded of the great ,sir ,matthew ,hale1 who is deservedly placed among the great men of our country1 that in his early youth he had been in company1 where the party had drunk to such excess1 that one of them fell down apparently dead4 ,quitting the room1 he implored forgiveness of the ,almighty for this excessive intemperance in himself and his companions1 and made a vow1 that he would never drink another health while he lived4 ,this vow he kept to his dying day4 ,it is hardly necessary for me to remark that he would never have come to such a resolution1 if he had not believed1 either that the drinking of toasts had produced the excesses of that day1 or that the custom led so naturally to intoxication1 that it became his duty to suppress it4 ,the ,quakers having rejected the use of toasts upon the principles assigned1 are sometimes placed in a difficult situation1 in which there is an occasion for the trial of their courage1 in consequence of mixing with others1 by whom the custom is still followed4 ,in companies1 to which they are invited in regular families1 they are seldom put to any disagreeable dilemma in this respect4 ,the master of the house1 if in the habit of giving toasts1 generally knowing the custom of the ,quakers in this instance1 passes over any ,quaker who may be present1 and calls upon his next neighbour for a toast4 ,good breeding and hospitality demand that such indulgence and exception should be given4 ,there are situations1 however1 in which their courage is often tried4 ,one of the worst in which a a ,quaker can be placed1 and in which he is frequently placed1 is that of being at a common room in an inn1 where a number of other travellers dine and sup together4 ,in such companies things are seldom conducted so much to his satisfaction in this respect1 as in those described4 ,in general as the bottle passes1 some jocose hint is conveyed to him about the toast2 and though this is perhaps done with good humour1 his feelings are wounded by it4 ,at other times when the company are of a less liberal complexion1 there is a determination1 soon understood among one another1 to hunt him down1 as if he were fair game4 ,a toast is pressed upon him1 though all know that it is not his custom to drink it4 ,on refusing1 they begin to teaze him4 ,one jokes with him4 ,another banters him4 ,toasts both illiberal and indelicate1 are at length introduced2 and he has no alternative but that of bearing the banter1 or quitting the room4 ,i have seen a ,quaker in such a company 7and at such a distance from home1 that the transaction in all probability never could have been known1 had he1 in order to free himself from their attacks1 conformed to their custom7 bearing all their raillery with astonishing firmness1 and courageously struggling against the stream4 ,it is certainly an awkward thing for a solitary ,quaker to fall in such companies1 and it requires considerable courage to preserve singularity in the midst of the prejudices of ignorant and illiberal men4 ,this custom1 however1 of drinking toasts after dinner1 is1 like the former of drinking healths at dinner1 happily declining4 ,it is much to the credit of those1 who move in the higher circles1 that they have generally exploded both4 ,it may be probably owing to this circumstance1 that though we find persons of this description labouring under the imputation of levity and dissipation1 we yet find them respectable for the sobriety of their lives4 ,drunkenness indeed forms no part of their character1 nor1 generally speaking1 is it a vice of the present age as it has been of former ages2 and there seems to be little doubt1 that in proportion as the custom of drinking healths and toasts1 but more particularly the latter1 is suppressed1 this vice will become less a trait in the national character4 ,there are one or two customs of the ,quakers1 which ,i shall notice before ,i conclude this chapter4 ,it is one of the fashions of the world1 where people meet in company1 for men and women1 when the dinner is over1 to drink their wine together1 and for the women1 having done this for a short time1 to retire4 ,this custom of the females withdrawing after dinner was probably first insisted upon from an idea1 that their presence would be a restraint upon the circulation of the bottle1 as well as upon the conversation of the men4 ,the ,quakers1 however1 seldom submit to this practice4 ,men and women generally sit together and converse as before dinner4 ,i do not mean by this that women may not retire if they please1 because there is no restraint upon any one in the company of the ,quakers2 nor do ,i mean to say1 that women do not occasionally retire1 and leave the men at their wine4 ,there are a few rich families1 which1 having mixed more than usual with the world1 allow of this separation4 ,but where one allows it1 there are ninety-nine1 who give wine to their company after dinner1 who do not4 ,it is not a ,quaker-custom1 that in a given time after dinner1 the one should be separated from the other sex4 ,it is a pity that the practice of the ,quakers should not have been adopted by others of our own country in this particular4 ,many advantages would result to those1 who were to follow the example4 ,for if women were allowed to remain1 chastity of expression and decorum of behaviour would be more likely to be insured4 ,there presence also would operate as a check upon drunkenness4 ,nor can there be a doubt1 that women would enliven and give a variety to conversation2 and1 as they have had a different education from men1 that an opportunity of mutual improvement might be afforded by the continuance of the two in the society of one another4 ,it is also usual with the world in such companies1 that the men1 when the females have retired1 should continue drinking till tea-time4 ,this custom is unknown to the ,quakers1 even to those few ,quakers1 who allow of a separation of the sexes4 ,it is not unusual with them to propose a walk before tea1 if the weather permit4 ,but even in the case where they remain at the table1 their time is spent rather in conversing than in drinking4 ,they have no toasts1 as ,i have observed1 which should induce them to put the bottle round in a given time1 or which should oblige them to take a certain number of glasses4 ,the bottle1 however1 is usually put round1 and each helps himself as he pleases4 ,at length one of the guests1 having had sufficient1 declines filling his glass4 ,another1 in a little time1 declines also for the same cause4 ,a third1 after having taken what he thinks sufficient1 follows the example4 ,the wine is soon afterwards taken away1 and this mostly long before the hour of drinking tea4 ,neither drunkenness1 nor any situation approaching to drunkenness1 is known in the ,quaker companies4 ,excess in drinking is strictly forbidden by the laws of the society4 ,it is a subject of one of their queries4 ,it is of course a subject that is often brought to their recollection4 ,whatever may be the faults of the ,quakers1 they must be acknowledged to be a ,,sober ,,people4 ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,volume4