Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/507

FRIENDS 495 ing the colony, was reflected governor. In Virginia laws modelled after those of Massa- chusetts, though somewhat less severe, were enacted against them ; and in Maryland, where religious toleration was professed, they were punished, not as. heretics, but as "vagabonds who persuade the people from complying with military discipline, from holding offices, giving testimony, and serving as jurors." After the foundation of Pennsylvania by Penn in 1682 great numbers of Quakers under his patronage emigrated thither, and at the present time they are more numerous and influential in that than in any other of the United States. In England the persecutions of the Quakers were greatly mitigated by the passing of the toleration act in 1689, but more by the growing spirit of tole- ration among the people at large. In 1T22 a statute was enacted allowing their affirmation to be taken instead of an oath in all legal pro- ceedings. But they have never been exempted from the payment of tithes, and, as they re- fuse to pay voluntarily, they are annually col- lected by distraint. During all their persecu- tions the Quakers never showed any spirit of retaliation. When urged to denounce their enemies they invariably answered, u We leave them to the Lord." A majority of the early preachers of their sect died in prison, and the hardships endured in prison shortened the lives of many others, including Fox ; but they bore all patiently and unflinchingly. When we con- sider the age in which Quakerism took its rise and the nature of its principles, we can wonder neither at the treatment they received nor that they often acted in a manner which to others seemed extravagant and revolting. The civil war between the supporters of the crown and the supporters of the parliament was just drawing to a close. Men's passions were at fever heat, and their opinions in a per- petual ferment. New theories of government and new creeds in religion were constantly springing up, and all were supported with fa- natical zeal. In the midst of all this George Fox appeared, denouncing all war, all forms and ceremonies, disgusting the cavaliers by his invectives against worldly pleasures, and en- raging the puritans by his denunciations of in- tolerance. Professing themselves to be guided by the " light, grace, and spirit of -Christ, in- wardly revealed," the Quakers yet asked for no privilege for themselves that they were not willing to concede toothers. They advocated entire freedom of opinion and expression for Protestant and Catholic, for Christian and infi- del. The nature of their doctrines and the persecutions inflicted upon them aroused in many a zeal and enthusiasm hardly distinguish- able from insanity. Some entered churches during the hours of service, and called upon preacher and congregation to repent of their sins. Some went about . clothed in sackcloth and with ashes upon their heads; others even appeared in the streets naked. They had vis- ions, and addressed warnings to magistrates 339 and governments. Many believed themselves gitted with the spirit of prophecy. Fox, in his journal, records that, meeting Cromwell a few days before his death in Hampton Court park, he " perceived a waft of death go forth from him." The society still preserve the names of those who foretold the death of Crom- well, the great plague in London, the great fire, and other remarkable events. These were, however, exceptional cases, and generally the Quakers have been remarkable more than all other men for their quiet, staid, and sober de- meanor. The peculiar dress of the Quakers is too well known to need description ; but it is a mistake to suppose that it was originally adopted as a mark of distinction from other sects. In its essential characteristics it does not differ from the dress worn by large num- bers of people at the time when Quakerism took its rise. But change in obedience to the dictates of fashion was in their estimation one of the vain follies of the world. While the fashions changed they adhered to their original garb, and thus by the force of contrast it has come to be regarded as an essential character- istic of the sect. But in their dress as in every- thing else they endeavored to carry out one of the main principles which they professed in regard to practical life. They believed in and inculcated the utmost plainness and simpli- city ; nothing for show, nothing for ornament, nothing for pleasure. The construction and inte- rior arrangements of their meeting houses were the simplest possible. Believing that no one was authorized to speak in a religious assem- bly except as on each particular occasion he was moved thereto by an immediate divine in- ward impulse, they have no pulpits. A row of benches slightly elevated above the rest is appropriated to the more venerable members, and especially to those who oftenest feel this divine impulse to address their brethren. The men sit upon one side of the house, the women upon the other. They enter, and without un- covering their heads take their seats in silence. Men and women are alike entitled to speak if they feel impelled thereto. If no one feels this impulse, each, when he or she sees fit, arises and departs in silence. They have no ceremonies, no liturgy, no stated form of prayer, and no regular preaching. It is said that in some places they have thus met for several years in succession without any one speaking a word. The founders of the society did not profess to have discovered new truth or to aim at the establishment of a new creed. They sought to effect a reform in manners rather than in belief. They desired to persuade men to live in the way in which they conceived that the primitive Christians lived. They pro- fessed their belief in the fundamental doctrines of Christianity as they were generally under stood among Protestant Christians. Hem their members were not and are not requn to subscribe to any articles or specific declara- tion of faith. The forms in which they prefer VOL. VII. <