Evening journal., 1917-03-26


fronted our country the peace loving
Quakers have had hard decision
forced upon them. No Quaker wants
war, but there are certain fundamen-
tai principles Of right and humanity
which every man must feel called
upon to defend, even to the extent OF
armed conflict. II long continued in.
tolerable conditions caused by moral.
ly defunct people are to be ended be-
fore the world is enthralled.
The righteous Indignation" which
Lucretla Mott used to say was some
times necessary prompts an expres.
sion OF the feeling which many Ouak.
ers have at this time. For more than
two centuries the Society Of Friends
has stood steadfastly and consistently
Tor peace to the limit Of tolerance.
The Quakers are perhaps more widely
known for this testimony than for anv
other, but it is in matters Of indl.
vidual conflict rather than I'm national
wrongs that their principles have
proved ehicacious. The greatest Quak-
ers that have ever lived have shown
that they were willing and able to of.
Ter active resistance to great wrongs
after their best efforts had been given
10 avoid such action. They realized
that in such cases Of great collective
oppression mere submission only ren.
dered the objects OF the oppressors
more easily attained.
Thus William Penn I'm his contro-
versy with Lord Baltimore said that
MS opponents must be broken" and
that If "lenitives will not do coercives
must be tried In that prophetic pro
posal An Essay Toward the Present
Peace OF Europe he advocated a
league of nations. antedatng bv more
than 200 years the present League to
Enforce Peace. and proposed that
those who refused 20 obey the die.
tates of The league be compelled by
force OF arms to submit Penn's able
secretary, James Logan, who so we'll
represented him and his family I'm
pennsylvania and was one OF the
Colony's most distinguished as we'll as
most learned citizens, strongly favor
ed a defensive warfare and assisted
Franklin IN his plans for the defence
OF the city Of Philadelphia forcibly
maintaining his position both I'm the
legislative assembly and in his own
Friends Meeting
John Dickinson, n founder Of the
famous Friends Boarding School. at
Westtown, swayed tho couEcils Of the
Colonies for twenty years and wrote
many of the state papers of the Con.
tinental Congress. His Farmers Let.
ters' caused the repeal Of the stamp
act. and although opposing the Dec
lnraton Of Independence as inopnor-
tune he became the Colonel of a reei-
ment In the ensuing struggle and la
ter Governor OF Pennsylvania and one
OF the trainers OF the Federal Constl-
tuition. Nathaniel Greene, a Rhode
Island Quaker and the son Of a minis
tor among Friends, became a Major.
General second only 10 Washington IN
ability. and Thomas Mimin, Of phila-
delphia, rose 20 a like rank. being the
first aide-de.camp chosen by Wash
ington. Later he too became Cover
nor OF Pennsylvania
Israel Whelen, distinguished
Quaker banker Of Philadelphia. be-
came COmmissary-Gener Of the Con
tinental army. and the Quakeress.
Betsy Ross made the first American
flag In the war of 1912 Jacob Brown.
a Bucks county Quaker and the head
Of Friends School I'm New York City.
was the most successful General and
rose TO be commander in chief OF the
United States army.
When the incubus of human slavery
hr s.f
the nation the Quakers arose almost
in a body TO a vigorous service to-
ward its abollshment. They were in
the very front of the most ardent
abolitiOnists and openly dehed the
laws in assisting the property OF
Southern slave owners to escape.
Their agitation perhaps did most TO
bring on the war. the only practical
way" as Abraham Lincoln told Eliza
beth Gurnoy, "tO resist oppression"
The Quakers furnished more soldiers
to the Northern army in proportion
to their members ship than any other
denomination, and many of them rose
TO high rank. Not one of them has
ever been known to dcnounce Abra-
ham Lincoln for carrying on the war
or for praying God that it might not
cease until slavery was stamped out.
Lucretia Mott and Deborah Wharton.
famous preachers of that time, preach
ed neither peace nor war to the SOL
diors, but ito do their duty as they
saw fit" They felt. no doubt. that Il
was worth fsw valiant lives that the
government OF the people Should not
perish from the earth"
The foundation principle OF the so.
ciety of Friends is a belief in the uni-
versal and direct revelation Of God to
every human being, and the object of
the society IS to awaken every one to
n consciousness that God speaks to
him directly without any intcrmedi-
ary. Consequently ell other beliefs
and actions must be left 10 the indi-
vidual after he has exhibited a good
degree OF seeking and faithfulness.
Such a liberal and tolerant organiza.
ton is bound to become the hnchlng
post for fads and TO offer unusual op.
portunities for radicals who naturally
attract public attention and thus un.
fortunately and frequently stamp the
entire organization IN tho public mind
with their particular doctrine. In the
past a few rigid and ascetic Friends
gave people the erroneous idea that
the Quakers we're hard and peculiar
set, and now q few sinners and zeal
Gus idealists are creating the impress
sion that all Quakers advocate peace