The famous “peculiarities” of the Quakers fall into place as following inevitably from their central belief.
The ebb and flow of that belief, as it is found embodied in the history of the Society of Friends, has been dealt with as fully as space has allowed.
My thanks are due to Mr. Norman Penney, F.S.A., F.R.Hist.S., Librarian of the Friends’ Reference Library, for a helpful revision of my manuscript.
D. M. R.
London,
1914.
CONTENTS
| CHAPTER | PAGE | |
| I. | THE BIRTH OF QUAKERISM | [1] |
| II. | THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS | [16] |
| III. | THE QUAKER CHURCH | [33] |
| IV. | THE RETREAT OF QUAKERISM | [52] |
| V. | QUAKERISM IN AMERICA | [61] |
| VI. | QUAKERISM AND WOMEN | [71] |
| VII. | THE PRESENT POSITION | [81] |
| CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE | [94] | |
| BIBLIOGRAPHY | [94] | |
| NOTE | [96] |
CHAPTER I
THE BIRTH OF QUAKERISM
The Quakers appeared about a hundred years after the decentralization of authority in theological science. The Reformers’ dream of a remade church had ended in a Europe where, over against an alienated parent, four young Protestant communions disputed together as to the doctrinal interpretation of the scriptures. Within these communions the goal towards which the breaking away from the Roman centre had been an unconscious step was already well in view. It was obvious that the separated churches were helpless against the demands arising in their midst for the right of individual interpretation where they themselves drew such widely differing conclusions. The Bible, abroad amongst the people for the first time, helped on the loosening of the hold of stereotyped beliefs. Independent groups appeared in every direction.