The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-10-03
Naming of Delegates to the
Hicksite Meeting, Indicating
Increased LiberaIity, Has
Attracted Attention.
WERE HICKSITES VICTIM
OF AN ARBITRARY ACTION.
They View Cause of Separa-
tion From This Standpoint
---Urged That Orthodox
Ones Contended With Spirit.

Recent discussion in the Indiana
Yearly meeting of Friends, in this city
as a result of which delegates were
chosen to the Hicksite conference to
be held at Winona, next year, has at
tracted wide attention. Commenting
on it editoriaily, the Indianapolis Star
says:
To the other orthodox churches
differences between North" and
South the Indiana Yearly meeting
of Friends has set a striking example
by naming official delegates to the
Hicksite conference at Winona in ac-
ceptance of an invitation from the
Hicksite Friends. While this does not
necessarily imply even an ultimate re-
union of the two bodies, it is the op-
ening of fraternal relations that may
easily lead to that, and it is in notable
that existed at the time of the Hick-
site separation.
The cause of that separation would
have produced separation in any
other church without much ceremony.
About 1927 Elias Hicks, a New York
Friend, began preaching doctrines
that naturally seemed to the ortho-
to
an eloquent preacher, and possibly
some of his expressions were extrava-
CANT, but he plainly accepted the Uni
tartan doctrine that there is no scrip
tural basis for the doctrine of the
Trinity and the Godhead of Christ;
and with this, naturally, went reiec-
tion of the atOnement and of jutsifi-
cation by imputed righteousness. The
prompt exclusion of anybody teaching
such doctrine in an orthodox church
with creed. or articles of faith,
would have been a mere matter O:
course.
But the Friends church has no de-
finite creed, and its nearest approach
to one-the guidance of the spirit
><NSi
For if the preacher speaks under the
direct inspiration of the spirit-if we
accept the promise that 'the Holy
Ghost shall teach you in the same
hour what ye ought to say'-it is OBJ
vious that unless the preacher is in
error as to his inspiration those who
object to his ideas are contending
with the Spirit. And it is a fact that
such teaching was tolerated among
the Friends long before the time of
Hicks, for William Penn maintained
these same doctrines, and George
Whitehead was not far from them.
Hence the Hicksites have always
maintained that the separation was
due to an abitrary exercise of author
ity by those who disserted from their
views.
The division did not reach to Eng
land and was greatly regretted by the
Friends there, as indeed it has al
ways been by a considerable number
of Friends in this country And it
seemed to have opened the way for
further division. for it was followed
some twenty years later by the Cur
ney and Wilbur controversy, which
separated the church into the progress
sive branch, which outnumbers the
Hicksites more than four to one. The
Philadelphia Yearly meeting has de-
clined to affiliate with any faction and
continues to flock by Itself, with a
membership of some 1900.
The Progressives have generally ac-
cepted the theory that adherence to
fixed forms of clothing, rejection of
music and revival methods, etc, were
in reality the adoption of fashions in
stead of the rejection of them, and
their forms of worship now conform
very nearly to those of other orthodox
churches.