Omaha daily bee., 1883-05-14
THE QUAKERS.
Changes Which Have Taken
Place Among Them,
Centers OF Quskerism in the West

as the centers OF QIakeritm In the
west, for 1t Is at these two places that
the western yearly meetings are held.
The changes that have come upon this
body of religious believers within the
last twenty five years Ia truly wonder.
full, The Quaker of to-day is not the
Quaker Of n few years. since, To
show the changes that time has
wrought upon them 1t Is necessary to
go back to the establishment of their
church, which took place about tho
middle of 1.-THE seventeenth century,
when q number of individuals with.
drew from the communion of every
visible church ''to seek" as they ex.
pressed 1t, "the Lord In retirement ;
and George Fox, their leader, or, as
they termed him their honorable
elder" went about preaching their
opinions In fairs and markets, in
courts of justice and insteeple.houses-
|. o., churches. He denounced the
state worship as "superstitious, and
warned all to obey the Holy Spirit,
speaking by him. He was, In conse.
querce, taken before two justices of
the peace In Derbyshire In 1850, one
of whom called Fox and his hearers
"Ouakers," In derision Of their fire..
quent a6monition to 'tremble at the
word Of God" and this appellation
sooI became general, though they
themselves took and still preserve the
title of "The Society of Friends
The rigid peculiarities of phase, etc. -,
which Fox added to his religious senti.
ments, the regular discipline which he
enforced and the zeal with which he
maintained and p~ropsgated tenets,
gave consistency to thie sect, although
he was not, as bias been supposed, the
originator of the doctrines He con.
ceived himself forbidden by divine
command to pull off his hat to anyone
or to address anything except In the
singular number, or to "oall anyone
master" and for these peculisritieS, az
we'll as for the refusal to accept titles
of honor or to make oath, the
Friends" suffered the most cruel
persecution for We are told that "they
tortured with cruel whippings, the
bodies of both men and women o.
good estate and reputation. and were
further punished "by impoun6ins
horses; by distress of goods; by fines
imprisonments, whippings, and setting
In Stocks" yet, Notwithstanding thes'
severitles, the sect increased snc
spread far and wide, and great nun
bers of people were drawn together
many out of curiosity hear them.
The declaration ofindulgence In ltG;
stopped for a short time the persecu
ton of the Quskers, but by the con
vencicle act of 1864 numbers of then
were condemned to transportation. II
1866, however, their condition I'm
proved when the celebrated William
Penn, the son of Admiral Penn, joine,
them. The discipline, we are told, a
that time was kept up by MONTH,
meetings, composed Of an aggregat
of several particular congregations
whose business 1t wss to provide 70
the poor, and the education of thel
children; also, to judge of the SINGER
ity and fitness of person
l desiring to be admitted as mem
bsrs; to direct proper attention I
l mroal and religious duty, and to des
0 with orderly members. At eac
. monthly meeting persons were az
' pointed to see that the rules of the
Q discipline were put In practice. l
t disputes between individuals 1t VIZ
! enj oined that the members shall NJ
, sue each other at law, but settle the
4 :. differences by the rules of the ~soc!et,
Marriage was regarded by them &
a religious, not as q mere civil cor
: tract. Those who wished to entt
Into that state appeared together an
stated their Intentions at one of til
monthly meetings, and If not attende
i. by parents or guardians must produt
their consent In writing, duly viii
messed, and If no objections wei
, raised at q subsequent meeting the
o were allowed to solemnise their ma
, riage, which had to be done at a pul
!, lie meeting for worship, towsrd Il
Y close of which the parties stand Z
and solemnly take each other for ma
: and wife.
The members were bound by prll
+ oiples to abstain entirely from pr
fame and e1~travsgant entertainment
from excesses In eating and drinking
from public diversions, from the reat
Ing of useless, frivolous, and perniciol
books; from gaming of every descri
Q tion, and from vain and ipjuriol
Q sports, such as hunting and shootir
for diversion; from unnecessary di
q play in funerals, furniture, and sty
: Of living; from Improbable, sedu
d tive, and dangerous amusement
among which are ranked dancing ar
Q music; and generally from all such o
equations of time and mind as plain
tend to levity, vanity, and forgetfu
ness of our God and Savior" and The
also objected to all complimentary /
%tercourse.
In this brief review / have given
the tenets of this sect you can n,
have failed to see how widely differel
d are the Qaakers of to-day. OF courI
their notions with regard to the fund
( moLtni OoCtrlien VI luoit Cliurou thl
> closely with those of the old class, ii
differences being all on points Of min'
import.
The s~arliest settlers In this countl
!. were Qaakers from the Csrolinss, WI
came here In 1928. Their numb
ir rapidly increased, being constantly r
inforced~from Carolina, Pennsylvan
NJ and Ohio, and they coon had the CO.
trolling power In the southern part
this county. In 1850 they erected
large house of worship at Plainfel
capable of seating over 5000 person
" and 1858 one branch of the westel
yearly meeting was removed here, Il
other being at Richmond. When tn,
came here forty years ago they we
generally dressed in modest garb, al