New-York daily tribune., 1849-09-12
Ohio >earIy Meeting Of Friend.-Gr-aI Er
clement.
Correspordnce of Ihs Tribune.
-rr~ r-rrhLana c. O sent I I-l-

Ell into two parties. the Conservatives and the
Rsdica. the former being composed of those
wh0 Hl.h O. keep he Society strictly Aloof rom
ell the Reforms OF tie Age. ana the after Of those
who deem Churci organization worse thsn Use
ess unless its infrence 8 actively employed iu
promoting works II practical righteousness and
benevo,e,ce. II, Radicals sLeEe that the Con-
servstsves in this Yeary Meeting, though min
orty. have .ong rIied the body BY dlnt Of ecc.e-
sss:icsl hne.ss and management. Whether
there IS sry truth ia this statement vii not pre-
tend TO say, b1, Tia, many be'sre i 70 be true TO
the letter have abundant evidence.
On the Sunday preceding the opening Of the
Yesry Meeting an immense assembly gathered
TOR public ~orsLp p. t. one unsccusiomed 20 the
peculiar habits and forms OF the -uskers, the
scene wks novel and imposing. Men and women
were separated from each other by VA or par.
titiou extending through the middle of the house.
and DO which were shutters o be opened lu time
of worship. when the sexes meet together. ari
closed during the hours devoted O. business when
they meet separately. On one side 0i the house,
and extending through Us entire length, were two
raised seats with rai'ings in front, ard facing the
5ody Of the assembly On these were seated the
T.
ries Of the Society. Among them we're many.
both men and women. whose advanced age and
grave and solemn department inspired something
Of veneraton and awe ln the minds Of the your Z
and inexperienced beh0lder. After brief silence,
A woman lSarsn Dugdsle. well known minister }
arose and preached simple and earnest discourse,
isll OF the charity aud kindness Of genuine Chris
tauity She was followed by a man who spoke
but briefly and then arose J0ssPH a. DUGDALE
of Clark Co. Hho spoke for some time with much
clearness and earaestness. IL vas evident from
the tone OF his remarks, that he belonged o. the
Reform party and learned that he was a mem
ber of the new Society, which separated some
time since from the lnoiana Yearly Meeting His
discourse vas not paIatable 90 the Conservative
party, and sn eiiort was made by some OF the
leaders o. silence him, but in vain. This vas the
fret manifestaton Of party feeling, and IL created
considerable excitement Some three or four re-
quested him 20 sop. bat a much larger number
wished him b. proceed. and ne dd so. IN the
afternoon. the principal preacher was SAMUEL NJ
JAvNEY OF L0ud0n CO Va. | lesrned that he Was
under indictment in Virginia for writing against
slavery in opposition ~ Rev. W a Smith of the
Methodist Church. is one oi the best speak
ers that ever heard in the Quaker gallery
cool. mild and csUt oUs-iust the las' man whom /
should expect % see accused 40 ar incendiary
ON Monday morning commenced the proceed -
logs of the early Meeting. The shutters were
now closed between the men and women, each
sex trausacting its business separately. After a
long silence tho Clerk OF lastyear read the OPEN
ing minute, in about these words Eighth
month. 27th I-4s. Nesr the time adjourned 20
Friend. assembled Business being now 10 order
one Friend nominated William Griffith for Assis
tant Clerk The man WhO made this nomination
vas one of the Refrm party Before the meeting
had time - express its Judgment ou the iirst nom
nation member of tie other party nominated
Al
expressed themselves 900 !avor0' his appointment.
The Ra0rmers was told, were taken by sur
prise They did nnt anticipate O. the other party
would take 80 uuusua. course. The election IVES
one 0i grest importance, ca account ofthe peculiar
mauner of doing business in the Society. There
- no Chairman, and no question is ever put io
vote It's the duty of the Cerk % listen 10 the
opinions of the members. and O. record what ep-
pears 20 him a. be the prevailing sense of tho
society In doing this he j. not required 20 be-
governed by numbers. but by what Friends cal
weight. ln plain English, bee hss 10 in his power
q esteem the opinions of f-w wrighty Friends
more important ,hau those oi a multitude 0i humble
individuals. snd ln that nay cOntrO the proceed
iugs according o. the wishes oi very small minor
ity. IL . easy % see how power Ike this may
be made subservient % party ends. The principal
Clerk, iu this instance. being Conservative, the
Radicals elt that the Assistant should in fairness
be taken from their own patty but tie leader
refused o. conci ate them, and appointed one ni
the mos. Objectionable of the Conservatives 90 tIl
the place
The house was crowded 20 ovefa1wing. aud the
excitement between the pGrtes now began o.
manifest itsef The servatiges were jealous
for the rigid enforcement OF the RUE y ch makes
the business meetingso the Soc'ety private, while
the RriOrmers were wiling thai the whole world
should witness their proceedings and some ol
them insis.ed that 70 was unworthy OF Christian
sect a. this day 30 meet 10 secret cDRcdre and inst
toe custom ought no longer to be regarded. On
this point the Re'ormers carried the day. Tie
rule oi .crecy vas uOt enforced. though the mum
Der of persons present WHO we're not members
was by r0 means large.
The annual reports from the quarterly meetings
having been read, the next business Do order vas
the reading of the epistl-s from other yearly
meet, ss And now came the great contest. The
Geuesec. ~. Y sd lldiala yearly meetings
have been divided. ard the r io-mers, Who iorm-
erly boz .0aged o. them. are Low separately organ
lzed. Ihe new organizations had sent episties O.
the Ohio ieary Meeting, and the Beormers in
On body determined that they should be read
hie the Conservatives were equally determined
% suppress them. Strange as II may seem tbs
question was debated for three days Various
efforts were MADE by the Conservatives % pass to
other business, but il yEil. Full t~othrds oi
the meeting embracing nearly al the young men,
the old men. were in favor oi the RI ading while
the Eht Of the gallery was opposed The
Clerks scklo .et-ed that re majority were Do
favor oi she reading. but insisted that it was con-
tran O. the custom of Friend. % zdOpt measure
~ which 81 many were opposed. >ome were Tor
a compromise, and proposed that the obnoxious
epi.iles should b. read. ard 90 further notice De-
taken of them. The friends of Reform y sis loI
enter ln;0 any such zrrangemsut. and Insisted mat
they should be read urconditionaAy. 10 was not
1nii the close 0f " edne.isy's session that q e
question vas decided. For tLree tays-and A0f
1ays they we're. t0o-th- tao parties coliron ted
each other. Tie galley wa ou ore side aud
the -reas BODY of the meeting on the other
TIE discussion Ras Do the main Courteous bot ear
nest and sometimes exceedingly severe. Tue
Conservatives urged their cause 0u the ground
of superior light and istcm-sc-used tnelr oPpo
nrrts ~ tis.ositiou ~ turn everything up. de
dow. disorganize Tie S.ciety. SC. &c. The Re
formers. on the other hand conteuded that the >
ciety had long been contro led By a lev, Whose
zeal 'or the .eitcr oi the Discipline ogtrsn their
regard Tor irs fundamental principles. And Sho had
made It subserv iert o. sectaria1 sud party ends
They maintained that g vas their rsrt, - mem
oers OF the SocistJ, % know the contents oi any
documents that migst b. addressed O. the meet
ins that % refuse them reading would be Vi
0a.ou OF the lax OF Christian charity and c01rte-
s. aut tend u bring syrosch upon the Society
Il was stated IN the courss Of ths debate. that tne
hostility - Reforms ol the part oi tie leaders had
driven the great mass 0f the Young People away
from the Socie;s' meetings, and that. % the same
fra1an~as were q prevail rereEitrr. The 1rEauIZa