The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-03-06
BY ALLEN C.. THOMAS

No doubt many readers of The
American Friend have read with re
greet and pain in the Outlook" of Feb
ruary 6, 1918, the paper entitled ''The
Confessions of a Quaker by
George A. Barton, of Bryn Mawr Col
lege. 1t Is not surprising that DR.. Bar
Friends.
1t is not my purpose to enter into
any controversy, but simply to give
some historical data to show that DR.
Barton's statement of the Corner
stone of the Quaker Testimony Against
War" is incorrect. His own words are
as follows: The cornerstone of the
defense of the Quaker testimony
against War has been the command
Thou shalt not kill This is taken by
them to be command of universal
sweep-a command that admits of nc
exceptions. 1t is part Of the Decalogue
But scholarly research makes it clear
that this Decalogue, was. when given
meant for Israelites only"
DR.. Barton is imperfectly read in
Quaker history or he would know that
this statement is not founded on fact
He makes charge against a body
There are two principal ways of as,
certaining the doctrines held by a
body: % by its official utterances
and (2) by the statements OF those
who are recognized as leaders or ex.
ponents. The writer has given much
time to the study Of Quaker history
and doctrine, and he has failed to
come across in any official document
a single instance Of the use of the
words Thou shalt not kilf' as an
argument against war, or even of the
use of the idea as cornerstone.
Natural and Inevitable"
1t is well-known that at the first the
Quakers did not put forth any special
testimony against war. Their testi-
mony came as a natural and inevitable
development from the principles they
embraced. AS early as 1850, however
George Fox made his oft-quoted state.
ment to the magistrates of Derby who
wished him to enter the army: Il told
them" he says, II knew from whence
all wars arose, even from the lust, ac-
cording to James's doctrine: and that
! lived in the virtue Of that life and
power that took away the occasion of
all wars" (Journal, Bi-Centennial
edition. This statement, in essence,
Fox repeated number of times OF
paper he wrote to Oliver Cromwell,
he says, 81 denied (condemned)
the wearing or drawing Of a carnal
sword or any other outward weapon
against him or any man." Journal. I;
209.) Very soon the Society took the
ground from which. officially, 1t has
never moved In Declaration pre-
sented to Charles II. in 1850" the fol.
lowing words occur: I'VE utterly
deny all outward wars and strife, and
fighting with outward weapons for any
end or under any pretense whatever:
this is our testimony to the whole
world . the Spirit Of Christ, which
leads us unto all truth, will never
move us to fight and war against any
man with outward weapons, neither
for the kingdom of Christ nor for the
kingdoms of this world"
Not Killing but Spirit
In the General Epistle. 1854. these
words occur: we feel bound explicit
ly to avow our continued mistaken
persuasion that all war is utterly in
compatible with the plain precepts of
our Divine Lord and Lawgiver, and
WIN Tic "HOic split tSuOi vi
his Gospel. (Epistles, London, 1857,
vol. IL; PIP. $40, 3S0D In 1S41 London
Yearly Meeting put forth a special
paper on The Unlawfulness of all
Wars and Fightings under the Gospel"
which is probably the most elaborate
exposition of the attitude of Friends in
regard to War that has been issued
Another paper was issued in 1854
(Crimean War;. another in 1860, an
other in 1861 (American Civil War;.
and in 1871 (Franco- Prussian War;.
In 1900 special document was pub
lished, CHI istianity and War" and
still another in 1901 In every one of
these official papers the cornerstone
of the testimony" is that War is con-
trary to the whole spirit of Christian
ity. and never once are the words,
Thou shalt not kill'' used. Indeed
it is not at all the killing" which is
but the spirit which is
Inseparable from war. In all the many