The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-17
QUAKER METAM0RPH0SIS
Changes in the Customs OF the So
ciety of Friends.
richmond Letter in Philadelphia Times.

Lie QAldkcTS III lIS w COZ oCOAA W bS ~ -
metamorphic state. When they came to the
Ohio Valley from Pennsylvania and the Caro-
linas seventy-five years ago they were dressed
in modest drab and wore on their heads the
large Undermined beaver hats, fashioned at
Boards famous hatters' shop after the style
of the broad head-covering brought from
England by William Penn. They were quiet,
plain-spoken people, who had eschewed
the vanites of the world, aud, disclaiming
all creeds and doctrines except the Apology
of Barclay and the precepts of Fox professed
to be following in the footsteps of the meek
and humble Savior, with no guide but
the Bible and an inward monitor sent by the
heavenly Father to direct and comfort them.
They laid out the city of Richmond and cut
away the heavy forests of oak and walnut
that covered the ground on which it now
stands and until within the past twenty-five
Or thirty years owned the greater part of the
real estate in the county and exerted the con-
trolling influence in the community.
The Quaker settlements in Iowa, Kansas,
Tennessee, Michigan, California and Oregon
are colonies that went out from this part of
the country. Richmond long ago became
the head center of the Society of Friends in
the West, and the yearly meetings held here
are only exceeded in size by the Whitsun
conferences in London, which are ac-
knowledged the supreme councils of
the church and have parental care over all
the Orthodox meetings in the world. The
traditional Quaker meeting is gathering of
severely plain men and women, who sit with
covered heads in silent communion with
God, with rarely ever word being spoken.
In the Quaker meeting-houses OF Charles
Lamb there are no carved pulpts, no hired
preacher with dreary sermons, no organ or
inattentive choir, no bread and wine, no
ushers and no collection-box; nothing but
plain benches and silent worshipers waiting
on God to touch their hearts and open their
lips, bathed in perfect stiffness. He has given
us some pleasant pictures of these meetings
as they existed half a century ago, and the
outside world, unacquainted with the
changes that nifty years have wrought. still
accept them as typical Quaker meetings.
The other day l wandered into one of their
meeting-houses and was surprised to see how
differently the meeting was conducted from
the way [ had seen them carried on in my
boyhood when l occasionally followed a
prim old relative in cap and shoulder shawl
to her midweek meeting.
One-half of an immense barnike brick
building structure, capable of seating 1000
persons, that had some half-suppressed evil
dences of an attempt at exterior ornamental
ton, was partitioned off by heavy curtain,
extending from the ceiling to the floor. In
front, on a raised platform was plain rich
pulpit of oiled ash, and behind it a half-doZen
benches, occupied bv the older members of
the congregation and few middle-aged men
and women. The men did not sit with their
hats on as was the custom in the olden time
and I saw none of the old collarless cutaway-
coats that were worn by young and old alike
in early times, but am informed that they
have not yet become entirely obsolete Their
dress did not differ materially from that of
other people that | met on the street, except
that there was nothing conspicuous or loud
about it, and the ladies wore fewer flounces
and frils than their sisters of the outer
world. A few gray or drab dresses, with
plain skirts, were worn by the old
ladies' The congregation consisted of 300 or
400 men, women and children, many of the
latter in arms. They wholly ignored the old
custom of separating the men from the
women during worship. | saw fathers sur
rounded by their families and boys and girls
sitting side by side, spectacle that would not
have been seen in body of this kind a quar-
ter of century ago. The silence was soon
broken by a man on the platform, who rose
to his feet, and. stepping forward to the pull
pit, on which he laid Bagster Bible that he
carried in his hand, and began to exhort his
hearers to live a life of holiness The quaver
in the voice, which gave the nickname of
Quakers to George Fox and his followers, was
not noticeable but he spoke rapidly and
earnestly quoting frequently from the script
uTtS anu his DOSlIlOn Us ne
addressed first one quarter OF the house
and then another. His remarks were
rambling, and his pronunciation showed
that his education had been somewhat
neglected. AT the end of ten minutes he sat
down and a lady offered prayer. Until re-
Gently am told it was and had been from
time immem oral the custom in Quaker
churches to rise and stand with backs to the
speaker in time of prayer, but in this in
stance the audience merely bowed to the
backs of the benches in front of them. She
prayed for an outpeuring of the Spirit and
her efforts were much more impressive than
the exhortation preceding them. Then five
or six persons rose in rapid succession and
told how happy they had been since they had
become sanctified A gospel hymn was
started, to my utter astonishment, and was
sung by half a dozen persons scattered
through the congregation. There was an
other prayer, followed by some more testi-
monials about sanctiication, or. as some
called it, higher life, and the meeting was
closed with the announcement of a church
social. There was very little to distinguish
it from a Methodist prayer or experience
meeting.
The Methodists tell me that the Friends in
the West are rapidly adopting their methods
and are following short way behind them.
Murray Shpley, the most prominent Quaker
preacher in Cincinnati, was baptized six or
seven years ago while travelling in Europe
and the new school of Quaker preachers led
by David Updegraff, brother of the dead
congressman, advocate perfect freedom of
belief in regard to the observance of the or
dinances of baptism and the Lords Supper
The church. from its inception, has been a
bitter opponent of saaried ministry but
evolution is evident here also. DR.. Dougan
Clark, man OF great learning and scholarly
habits, is said to be drawing a salary Of
81, 200 year as pastor of Quaker church
at Cleveland. His case is said not to be an
isolated one. The revival system was intro
duced some years ago and the annual growth
of Indiana Yearly Meeting from this source
Is estimated at more than 900 souls
There is very little pretence at plain dress,
as the term is understood, but the fashions
OF the day have taken such strong hold on
the young Quakers that their dress is no