The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-05-23

may be, to influence people in q way
that to the unassisted vision seems
bad-but We are all the more glad
when there appears in it something
that reads like the Tribune of old.
Here is an article on the Society Of
Friends, whose yearly meeting has
just been held in Phil ldelphia, which
is so just that it is pleasure to give
it place. The Philadelphia Press
gives reports Of the meetings from
day to day, of discussions, not on
points of doctrine nor reports of the
extension of the society, but of the
right living of its members, strict
and careful inquiries into the pay
ment Of debts, living moderately.
bringing up children rightly, looking
after and relieving those who need
help, being faithful in the support
of temperance and peace and living
in loving unity with each other and
those around them. Peculiarities Of
dress and languare are passing away
and the ''testineny' against encour.
aging a paid ministry in other reli-
gious societies, is not insisted on as
it formerly was, but the essential
points the doepor morolities and
spirituality Of thc sect remain.
With the beginning Of this week do
the grave tribes Of Quakers, both ogtho-
dox and Hicksite, go upon their annual
pilgrimage to their Jerusalem. tie city
of Penn. We confess to a sudden SENSE
of relief and security whenever our
staid, ShreWd brethren and quiet sisters
thus come to the front Tie country,
we think, cannot during this week 80
very far astray. There are certain
yparts Of om body polite to which, when
bribery and corruption are most tri-
umphant we always tarn with compla-
cency, as one remembers the sound
timbers at the keel Of a good ship when
her pilot OF engineer threatens to run
her on the shoals. There IS The steady.
domestic farming population, day or
two behind the rest Of the world as to
cable dispatches, perhaps, but, as & rule,
drawing their morals from the Bible
and their politics from the weekly
Tribune. There Is the midGlp-agcd
German citizen, mCnty-sayiDg and
monry-making, poor and honest, just as
lis children, by the slow process Of &c.
ecetion and not fraud, viii be rich and
honest. Jhereare tie keen. downright
Maine lumheImpn: the dull downright
Southeast fisherman; tie canny
-cotch-Trish blood in PENNSYLVANIA. the
Hugueuot in Carolina, the Cavalier in
Firginil-Gaditious HIf. hut traditions
with profound force and meaning.
And there is the body Of ii,w:G, hard
worked Christian clerermen every
where. Il is popular catch-woTd now
to talk Of pricstcraft and 5cctarian bigot-
ry: but the Rev. Mr. Ancient, dragging
poor wrecked creatures 10 shore at the
risk Of his own life simply because they
were Gods children, is letter type Of
his class nowadays than public opinion
IS willing to acknowledge. These are
only few Of the redeeming elements.
but are enoUgh-more than ten right
Cous men at least to save seldom.
The Friends, both in numbers and
moral force weigh great weight, unesti-
mated perhaps, but arprcciahle The
broad-brimmed, square jaNtd Ephraim
and the dove-ciad Deborah, with her
white hair parted smoothly over her
wrinkled, placid and still pink cheeks,
who are sitting in solemn eonclave to-
day in Philadelphia, exercise Il religious.
political and social influence which is
altogether wholesome. They have
grown out of and above the type Of their
founder, George Fox. Age ana Gus
tom having confirmed ana approved
them us peculiar people, they viii not
squabble with you on points of doctrine,
or split hairs of logic with regard to the
virtue in shad-bellied coat or in tie
bad grammar of the plain language, as
that venerable pioneer Of their faith
would probably have done. Their
Christianity is in the eyes of men simple
love to brother man and in the showing
of that they have exhibited str 9Th
and persistency and great quiet dis e
gard Of worldly considerations unsur-
passed by any other Christian sect.
You will seldom hear of tn Friends
work, yet there is no reform in the
country, from the public school system
to the abolition of Slavery, Of which
they have not been inauguratoTs. Our
drabcoated Friends, Isaac and Debora. /
in fact, appear to be SO exactly the op-
posite in private and public Of the
miserable follies and vices which are
now degrading us as a people in the
eyes of the world, that we are tempted (
to lift them up as examples to this un-
toward generation. TIE bane, the an
tidote are both before us. Are we
braggarts? Here are Stiffness and mod /.
esty. Do we make sham show of !