Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-04-20
1ho Society Of Friends and
Slavery.

orm the world, especially in the great Y
mort to. eradicate the evil of Slavery,
70 insert the following extract from 4,
etter written by J. J. Thomas and pub Il
lshed in tho Union Springs Herald ::
''George Fox did not attempt to i'm
prove Christianity-but only to urge
he diffusion of its spirit for the eradi.
'ation Of all abuses and wrongs, by the
mild and resistless operation of its spirit
II all who accepted it. But the nature
of these abuses was not at once perceiv-
ID in every instance. 1t was especially
20 with slavery. The first official step
taken by the Society appears to have
been by the Yearly Meeting of Penn
lylvania, in 1896, long after the de-
cease of George Fox, and about half a
century after the origin of the Society.
It was only recommendation against
importing negroes, and in favor Of their
moral culture. This advice was repeat
ed in I'LL, and the subject afterwards |
commended to attention elsewhere. In !
1923, the same body advised against
purchasing, as we'll as importing. In |
1854, the subject of holding SLAVES
appears to have been first officially
placed before the members of the Soci-
ETY. by the same Yearly Meeting, in the
FORM OF earnest advice, in which they
were 'entreated in gospel love seriously
to weigh the cause of OBTAINING them
in bondage This advice vas many
times repeated, but it was not till the
year TIA that all the members were
clear of dealing in slaves, and not till
11S2 that all were clear of holding
slaves. The same reformation was
completed by New York Yearly Meet
ing 1877, and by New England and
the other Yearly Meetings about the
same time-being about 40 years af-
Ter the origin of the Society, and of
comparatively modern date. 1t was
accomplished by patient and earnest la
Dor, without noise and buster and
although its progress may seem to have
been slow, yet when we look at other
prominent religious denominations, and
see how far they have progressed up to
the year 1860, perhaps this view will
at least mitigate the censure which some
who have said more and done less may
De disposed to attach to the Society.
The writer of the article in the Her.
aid, to which these remarks refer, ap-
pears to think that the members Of the
society should unite their strength with
certain existing anti-slavery organiza-
tons. have been long acquainted
with many prominent lecturers, agents
and officers Of those societies, and
could therefore give facts from my ow,
personal knowledge, both in relation
to their private opinions and publ
acts, to show that the members Of tn
Society could not, in accordance wit
their principles, unite themselves i
action with those lecturers and agents
but see that I am already exceedin,
my limits. I shall, therefore, close
after mentioning, briefly, some thing
out of many that the Society or it
members have done, in reply to tn
question Of the aforementioned wri
er,-'What are you doing to show you
adherence Of slavery p and to the in
timation that they are doing nothing
I will begin with the period when tn
Society cleared itself Of holding slaves
1t was about this period that the eRo,
in England commenced for the aboli
ton Of the slave trade, under the enc,
getic labors Of Clarkson and others
who have repeatedly asserted that thei
most untiring and reliable assistan,
were members of this Society, and wh
indeed formed nearly the whole of til
original committee for this purpose
Many years afterwards, they took tn
lead and were largely instrumental i
efecting the passage Of the act by Nhic
100000 slaves were liberated in th
British West Indies. In this country
the petitions of the different represent
alive bodies, in different States, hay
been again and again placed before tn
State and General Governments, when
ever any opportunity appeared to pre-
sent for action-and individuals in
multitude Of ways, not estentatiousl
and pompously, but in quiet and ear
nest manner, have endesyored to pro
mote the great cause. A few, on on,
occasion, visited the President ane
nearly all the State Governors on thi
subject, to urge its attention solemn,
upon them thousands are so careful
in their testimony against slavery, as tt
refuse so far as practicable to furnish
the induccment to the STAKEHOLDER b,
purchasing its products and fugitive,
from American despotism find tn,
members, almost to man, either read,
to help them on their way, Or to refuse
to betray them. There are two Yearl,
Meetings within Slave States, Mary.
land and Carolina not one of whose
members is known to own a slave, and
some are now in prison for their faith.
fulness in this testimony. Yet this is
the Society which the writer, who styles
himself "A Lover Of TRUTH charges
indirectly with 'cowardice' and worldly
WISDOM and directly with sleeping in
their tents Within our own day, its
members have regenerated Newgate
and other prisons; visited all the prom
inent prisons in Europe, and done much
to mitigate their repulsive character !;
visited, (some repeatedly nearly all
the European monarchs, to urge upon
them the principles Of liberty and of
peace; traversed oceans in all direc-
tions with messages of love and good
will to the natives of Africa, India,
Australia, and the islands of the Pa.