The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-22
THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES.
J.. b. Unthank Discusses the Need of
Quaker History.

Quaker History.
The evening session was opened with
prayer by Rufus NJ. Jones. After this the
committee on legislative authority and uni
form discipline was named, as follows:
New England-Charles H. Jones and Ru
fus NJ. Jones. Alternates-Ruth s. Murray
New York-James Wood ana Mary s.
Knowles. Alternates-Harry r. Keats and
Caroline M. Wood
Neave. Alternates- Joseph Elliott and
Margaret H. Elliott Ar,
Ohio-W. J. Harrison and Emma b; Ma
lone. Alternates-Jacob Baker and Eliza
beth M. Jenkins.
Indiana. j. Mills and Mahala jay Al
ternates-Timothy Nicholson and Hannah
Western--f'lza c. Armstrong and s. Ed
gar Nicholson. Alternates-Esther futile
PritchaIu and Thomas, &. Brown.
Iowa-A. Rosenberger and l.. Maria Dean.
Alternates-Steven and w, j. Hadley.
Canada-Wm. l. Moore and Phoebe );
Wright. Alternates-Robert II. Rogers and
Wilmington-J. B. Unthank and Eliza H.
Thorn. Alternates-Levi Mills and Harriet
Oregon-John Henry Douglas and Jane
II. Blair. Administrations Newlin and
b. S. Cook.
North Carolina-Mary E. Garland and
Mary c. Woody. Alternates-David L.
Sampson and Walter White.
California-Chas. n. IeDDltts ana Mary
NJ Arnold. Alternates-Dr. w. V. Coffin
and Rebecca l.. Naylor.
Kansas-Edmund Stanley and L. Ella
Hartley. Alternates-S. Adelbert Wood and
JULIA F. Dixon.
The conference proceeded with the pro-
gramme of the evening by listening to the
paper of ]. B. Unthank, president of Will
mington College. The topic was THE Need
Of a Fuller History of the Society of
Friends in America" The speaker referred
to a few recent works that treat with full
ness and accuracy of some of the more inn
po.tant events in the history of Quakerism.
One of these was publishehd in 1873, and is
entitled The Quaker Invasion of Massa-
chusetts" 1t concerns the prosecutions
encountered by the first influx of Friends
into that Puritan colony. The second and
and is entitled The Quaker Pioneers. An
other recent publication is an account of
the trials of Southern Friends during the
civil war.
QUAKER HISTORY NEEDED
But 1 am inclined to think" continued
Mr.. Unthank, that Friends have never
known the history of the American branch
of the church as it deserves to be known.
We have a large mass of manuscript ma
teral in the form of monthly, quarterly and
Yearly Meeting records; some periodical
files that are available the journals, auto
biographies and memoirs of distinguished
Friends; some very excellent histories of
local events. as well as of certain epochs
and periods involving transactions and
movements more general in their extent,
and, finally, the archives and printed oTfi-
cial documents and RECORDS or several states.
This history must be written from a friendly
standpoint and not from hostile one. Inc
writer ought to be Friend, or at least In
full sympathy with the society. No one
else can understand the real spirit that mas
animated the leading and controlling minds
of our organization 1t must be fair in the
treatment of controvefted questions. II must
be sufficiently minute in detail to make the
narrative portions graphic and picturesque.
No dry-as-dust style Will suffice. There
ought to be no preaching or cantlng in the
book and those glittering generalities that
have disfgured much of our denomina-
tional literature must be sedulously avoided.
Ii should be written to please no particular
faction division, nor should it cast aSper
sion upon any A judicial temper should per-
wade every statement of fact and every OBJ
servation With such past as Friends
have with such materials and resources to
draw from, may we not hope in this age of
historical revival to soon see amongst us
writer fully equipped TO give US history
that shall be worthy of the theme and Of the
age in which we live-fit, in short, to stand
in the great libraries 4shoulder to shoulder
with the best denominational histories
IsOM p. WOOTON'S PAPER
The next paper was by Isom P. Wooton
on How Shall We Foster the Spiritual
Gifts of Our Young Members" Mr. Woot-
promote the growth; to sustain. He init
mated that as a church, the Friends have
lacked in this duty. He thought that to
make young people useful Is a very impor-
tant work in the church. To search out
these young people lies at the threshold Of
all duties. Many gift lies hidden behind
the rough exterior of an uncultiVated mind
Many another lies back of the bushes Of
the timd. These and many other coverings
are in the way to the discovery of the
gifts in the young.
Other churches" said the speaker,
press the need Of education on their gifted
and thus encourage the young in preparing
themselves for usefulness. Are not the
young the children of the church, and do
we think the parent church should be less
careful for her children than the natural
parents are for theirs? 1t seems to me that
fostering love and care ought to be ever
manifest in the actions OF the church TO
all her young. So many of our young peo-
pie come from years of school work and
preparation with little. If any financial
means with which TO begin a life. of use
fulneSs Under this embarrassment they are
compelled to look among the business Of
ferS for some renunerative employment by
which to procure the necessities of life
.'he business man is waiting for real bust
ness capacity and VIXEN he finds il in the
spiritually gifted. he does not stop to ask
is this the field in which such an one
should spend his Hfe? He only asks Can
le do with success the work / have to be
4cne| And on this plane only would he