The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-07-29
THE FRIENDS IN MAINE.
A Remarkable Man with a Remarka-
BILE Wife.
boston Herald. ]

Boston Herald.
At Vassalboro, in Maine, the Friends
have Seminary. If the traveller should be
looking around, he may discover among
the pupils, in their diversions by the road
side, Frank Modoc, representative of that
race whose tomahawk and scalping knife
William Penn caused to be thrown aside in
his "holy experiment" Frank is one of the
chiefs of the Modoc tribe of Indians. He has
been converted to Christianity, and is fitting
himself to become Quaker preacher. Both
the church and the school are flourishing.
and the influence each exerts upon civiliza-
ton, in the work that Quakerism is perform
ing, is not behind that of any other religious
persuasion.
Today the total membership of the Friends
of Maine is 1880. Their society is not con-
fined to one locality. They are scattered
over the State. We find them at Maple
Grove, st. Adams, Brooks, Thorndike.
Unity, Albion, China, West China, South
China, Dirigo, Vassalboro, East y,assalboro,
West Gardiner, Readfeid, Lewiston, Durham
Windham, Parsonsfeld, Portland, Casco, Deer
ing and North Berwick. The first monthly
meeting ever 'set up in Maine was in Faf-
mouth and Harpswell in 1855, hundred
yOttlo dlbCl 1Il auoblll dllt MdIy FISHER,
the first Quakers who came to Massachu-
sets, were baniShed.
Among the most noted Friends in Maine
are Charles NJ. Bailey of Winthrop wei
known as leader and supporter of the Bailey
praying band, and I. b. Hussey of North
Berwick. There are numerous other earn
est workers. But probably the most re-
nowned among these disciples of George Fox
IS Eli Jones, the surviving husband of the
late Sybil Jones, both having achieved a
world rlnut1flnn nal
history, which has never been written, will
bear more than passing allusion Eli
Jones was born in China in 1907. Sybil was
born in Brunswick in 1908. She moved with
her father to China when she was four years
OF age. Her marriage with Eli took place in
1888. They had five children James Par
nell Jones, their eldest son, was major of the
18th Maine battery during the llate rebellion,
and was killed at Relay station, near Wash
ington, in 1868. He was brave soldier and
fine scholar. His parents, Eli and
Sybil, early in life felt that the Lord called
upon them to labor as home and foreign mis-
sionaries. They were both acknowledged as
ministers OF the gospel by the Society of
da and through the United States, especially
in the Southern States, from 1910 to 1850 In
1851, they felt the call to carry the gospel to
the west coast OF Africa, and. being dele
gated for that service, they sailed from Bal
timore in one OF the colonization society's
ships, and spent months there They have
also made several visits to the HOLY Land
and established successful missions there
at Ramleh and in Mt Lebanon. Mrs. Jones
died in 1873
As one of the results of the work begun by
Eli and Sybil Jones in their first visit to
Bible lands and thus followed up by him
and his co-laborers, the Friends now have at
Mt Lebanon a training home for boys,
where about 28 find home and are being
given good education; also training home
for girls where Is are given a home and
in addition to book learning, are taught to
sew and to knit and housekeeping. There
are eight day schools in the different vii
lagos near there where about 400 children
are brought under the influence OF Christian
tage hospital with twelve beds, under the
charge OF a first-class physician. At Ram
leh near Jerusalem, there is another station,
where there are five schools, with about 200
children, and also medical mission