New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-06-03
PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY.
RELIGIOUS CONFERENCE IN OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
AND REPORN-SEw 4POelIlOS
OF SENTIMENT
.....frh.N.r. Tnhss..

PHIL iDELPHIA, Thur-dsy Nay ., iss.
Some DAYS dnce. you alluded IN q Call for General
pI;ops Conference then about to be held az Old Ken
nett Chesfer Co. Pa and remarked that perhaps some
reuort Of lie proceedings might be furnished for your
eourps Having been present at the meeting in ques-
ton and Reporter for the Press IN attendance
propose 10 furnish you with bret account OF what vas
said and done and what is Of more importance, send
you the Exposition Of Sentiments therein adopted,
copy Of which obgingy furnished me BY the officers
for that purpose.
In the first place let explain, in as few words as
possible the circumstances under which the Conference
assembled The branch Of the Society Of Friends usual
" known as "Hckste (so named from the celebrated
Elias Hicks and 10 distinguish il from the Orthodox
branch at the tine Of the Separation IN has OF ale
years been much divided in opinion respecting the van
Gus Moral Reforms such - Peace, Temperance, AMI
Slavery. &c The more conservative portion OF the
Church has insisted upon closing the meetngnouses OF
the sect against all ReormatO Lectures, and being ne
ruling party has generally succeeded IN erecting US
wishes II has also insisted that rends we're pound as
pecuIsr people to stand alOOf from all reiOrnatOy
societies and when members have ventured CONTRARY 70
the advice Of the ruling party to engage actively IN the
operafions Of such societies. they have been dismissed
from official station and by this and other meaDs gwen
TO understand that their Quakensm was regarded as I'M
sound If not spurious The various Yearly Meetings
while thus dscountenancing all connection between
Friends and the rest OF mankind Tor philanthrOphlc
PURPOSES generally declined taking such acton on
slavery Inemperance &c, az the Reformers asked at
their hands Muttudes, at length came TO regard the
Church which they born as recrean 10 IT'S most
solemn duties and they did not hesitate to speak what
they felt to be In many places members we're DIS
owned for their activity in reforms, which gave great ds
subtraction particularly 70 the younger members oil the
Society. Among those who were cut OIL from the SO
cety for this the late venerable and much
nted Isaac HoPPER, your City, whose ofense
consisted in being member of the Executive Commit
tee of the American Anti.Slavery Society.
The contest between the two parties led at length to
divisions in the Geneee Indiana and Ohio Yearly Meet
ines within whose limits Societies have been organ
lied repudiatng the old disciplinary arrangements and
inviting membership not Quakers alone but all those
without reference TO sect, party or theological belief
who regard the Human Family as one Brotherhood and
who acknowledge their obligation to obey the Golden
Rule The Societies, consequently, embrace many who
have never been Friends but who having been repealed
from other sects By the prevailing Sectaransm yet feel
the want Of some form Of religious association.
Within The last years the contest between the par
ties above alluded to- within the limits OF the Phllade
phia Yearly Meeting has been brought to more direct
issue and the result is in Chester County open d.
vision and in other parts of the body state OF feeling
that seems likely ere long to draw of many of the
younger portion Of the body to the new movement. The
Call for the Conference, Of whose proceedings / am
about to speak originated in Chester County, bat
addressed TO all without regard to residence who felt
the need of association which should divorce Prac
cal Christianity from speculative theology.
In accordance with this call, large assembly con-
vened in Friends Westinghouse in Old kennett, on Sun
day May %. Every seat was occupied, many stood in
the doors and passages and others went away because
they could not find room even 10 stand. The meeting
presented an imposing appearance. There were
goOdy number Of aged Friends present of both sexes
dressed in the usual Quaker garb but the bulk of the
audience consisted of intelligent persons OF middle age,
and fine a company OF youths as ever saw convened
After an hour spent in preaching, the Conference
od nv tha of .IoSEpu A DuCpATE
and Miss SIDNEY PIERCE Clerks The subject iorhe
consideration Of which The Conference had been called
was then opened by proposition to organize Yearly
Meeting of " PROGRESSIVE FRIENDS that being the
name adopted by similar bodies in Ohio aud Michigan.
Some preferred the name FRIESDs OF PRoGREss fear
ING that the first should be adopted the new SOcie
ty would be regarded by the public as Onlya faction OF
Quakers. This question discussed in an animated,
but manner for about four hours without coming
to decision Among those who took part in the discus
sion were VIM. Barnard, Thomas NJ ClintOck (O Water
loo n " Ernestine L. Rose, Lucretia Mott, Thomas
Curtis b. Rush Pumly, Oliver Johnson, Thomas Whit
son and others
The next day the subject was resumed and the Yearly
Meeting was finally organized under the first pro-
posed and upon the basis explained in the Exposition OF
sentiments given below.
Interesting communications were received and read
from the Hopedale Milford, Mass Community, and
from the Salem (Oho) Quarterly Meeting of Progressive
Friends and valuable letters from Gerrt Smith, Cassus
NJ Clay S. j May, VIM. Lloyd Garrison j. &. FOrman.
T. Wentworth HgginsOn, and others. These letters will
be published with the proceedings.
After the Yearly Meeting organized, II proceeded
TO take decided action upon lntemperance War, Sla-
very Womans Rights Capital Punishment and Tobacco.
Each of these subjects referred 10 Committee,
composed in part of both sexes and it was pleasant to
observe tie warm interest with which the young people
performed the duties allotted 70 them
The Conference did not adjourn finally till "Wednesday
afternoon having held less than eight sessions OF
them proracted to late hour in the afternoon The
interest was undated from the beginning to the end and
the house well filed the last The meetings however
were BOT altogether free from annoyance-two persons
especially having attended apparently for no other Pur'
pose than TO defeat the objects for which they were held
These persons oman and woman. though not man aud
wife, stopped at rum tavern ~ the neghborhood and
one Of them at least behayedso shamelly that were
ONLY charity TO suppose that he had paronzed the bar
too freely TO be in possession ofhs reasoning faculties
Tie Conference bore his interruptions with patience
worthy Of their professions as NonResistants In al
most any other meeting, sure, Dc would have been
roughly handled
The nature and objects Of the new organization are
very clearly defined in the following document which
was submitted ON Monday by COMMITTEES Of which Mr.
OLIVER JOHNSON, Of New Ork, was Chairman II l
am not mistaken II expresses the sentiments Of large
and rapidly increasing class of the community and on
that accoant if Tor other reason worthy OF general
attention l.. O.
RNPOSIrION OF SENTIMENTS;
ADOPTED N rHE PENsSYIyANIA YEARLY hEETlsG 0g PRO-
oREsslyE FRIESps.
10 ne Fs-ads q Pars cad Oadfct Rayioa, eai &, ~
SrsSers after Tfufh 81 a0trsr lc10slHafi59
nc lcaasgrazia Yos0y Mating q ProgressIr'
Fricn4s sssdstk Grsefias
DEAR FRiENDs, Having been led, trust through
Obrdent q the revelations ot truth - form Religious
Association upon principles always too little regarded and
oeu trSmpsd under foot by protesting Christians aud pop
usr scots We are oonsiraei 10 address you N eapAni IN
h.ws