William Penn Lecture
1916
The Quaker of the
Future Time
Delivered at
Arch Street Meeting House
Philadelphia
by
George A. Walton
This is the second of the series of lectures known
as the William Penn Lectures. They are supported by the
Young Friends Movement of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting,
which was organized on Fifth month thirteenth, 1916, at
Race Street Meeting House in Philadelphia, for the purpose
of closer fellowship; for the strengthening by such
association and the interchange of experience, of loyalty to the ideals
of the Society of Friends; and for the preparation by
such common ideals for more effective work thru the Society
of Friends for the growth of the Kingdom of God on earth.
The name of William Penn has been chosen
because he was a Great Adventurer, who in fellowship with his
friends started in his youth on the holy experiment of
endeavoring "to live out the laws of Christ in every thought, and
word, and deed," that these might become the laws and habits
of the State.
George A. Walton, one of the members of the
movement, delivered this second lecture on "The Quaker of the
Future Time," at Moorestown, N. J., on Eleventh month
fourth, 1916. At his request Eleanor Scott Sharples assisted
him with the poem written for the occasion.
Deep in a soul all tenderness,
He bears the great world's woe,
Knowing, thru fellowship in pain,
Each agonizing throe;
He sees in faces sad, or scarred,
In eyes that mutely plead,
The birth-pain of the wrestling soul
That travails to be freed.
He bends with gently listening ear
To every faintest cry,
And clasps with hand of manly strength
The fingers weak and shy.
He counts no effort great or hard
That draws him close to men,
Changes their weakness into hope,
Makes sorrow smile again.
He sees God in the starlit night,
In every sun-kissed flower;
Each birdsong sings life's mystery,
Each forest tree its power;
In every voice of harmony,
He hears the Voice Divine;
In every wavelet's sparkling hue,
He sees God's wonder shine.
Close to the throbbing heart of life
He walks in reverent awe,
His aim in every deed and word
To live the Master's law,
Humble, because he knows how frail,
How weak, the strength of man,
Yet strong, because a friend of God
And part of God's great plan.
Eleanor Scott Sharples.
The Quaker Of The Future Time
The new thing in Quakerism in the days of George
Fox was an understanding of the relation of God and man.
George Fox knew from his own experience that God knew
about him and cared that he develop to the fullness of
manhood. His followers were not convinced by intellectual
processes; they felt the Life. In their hearts, they felt the impulse
of God's power. They became conscious of a new faculty,
a sixth sense. God was reaching out to them; they, in
turn, might reach up to Him. It was a personal act,
transcending both body and intellect. It was an inward process,
vital, holy. They felt the promise of partaking of His own
nature. The Divine seed within was growing; man was
progressing upward; never was life so much worth the living.
To the growing body of theological thought, the
Quaker made no permanent contribution. He anticipated, but
cannot be said to have influenced, the conclusion of the
nineteenth century thinkers who have so expressed the truths of
religion that the modern mind can grasp them. The Quaker
first wrote about his religion as a defense against open
attacks. There is a reason why the Quaker was slow to express
his religion in words. It was not a creed that had been
revealed to him; he had discovered no new form of worship,
more beautiful and more satisfying. No! to him, religion was
a life, aspiring towards God from every side, conscious of
His interest and support, making decisions as nearly as
possible in the light of His will, and seeking always to keep vital
the wonderful bond of spirit between human and divine.
Such a religion found its best expression in
conduct, and in the spirit of one's dealings with his neighbor.
The early Quaker, accordingly, concerned himself with
his behavior, and soon developed a number of
characteristic acts, which were to him vitally a part of his scheme of
life.
He dressed without ornament, used the language of
common life to all, doffed the hat to no man, no matter how high
his position, became scrupulously honest in worldly
business, refused oaths, avoided military service, contributed
money liberally to help Friends in need, and with his time,
counsel and energy, sought to relieve human distress.
The essential thing was the revived spirit of
manhood rising from practice of the presence of God; these points
of behavior were but ways of expressing the spirit.
* * * * * *
Today the essential remains unchanged. That the
Divine Spirit can be the Bread of Life to men is the great fact
of religion. But how will we live fed by such food? The fruits
of the Spirit, what are they?
The Friend of the future, as of the past, will build
his life on the faith that God knows him personally and
extends to all others the same opportunity. In mankind is the
finest, clearest, truest manifestation of God to be found in
this material world. Mature with all her transcendent
beauty pales before the glory of a human soul.
The Friend therefore, can recognize among men,
no superiority except that of personal worth and
personal achievement, and it will be to him a divine command
that all should have a free opportunity for development.
Since the Friend believes that all have access to God in their
own hearts, he can conceive of no truer guidance or more
final authority than the voice of God, and upon man rests
no more urgent duty than the cultivation of the inward ear
to hear that voice.
The Friend cannot admit that any man or
institution has final authority over his life. His own conscience,
impelled by the inward Presence, is supreme. Neither the home
nor the church, nor the national government can deny
the supremacy of each person's understanding of his duty
to God. For man is struggling slowly upward, subject, as
the Friend believes, to a divine stimulus, arousing him to
fresh endeavor. It is God's world; what the end of
man's development will be God only knows. Hence man may
not presume to dictate the course of life for his fellows.
This is the essence of democracy, that political
creed which claims for each person the right to make the best
of himself in his own way. Democracy has faith in the
latent power of the individual, and in his capacity for
development. Since democracy thrusts upon each person the duty
of development, it seeks in its social order security,
freedom and brotherhood, and in its culture such food for mind
and soul as will nourish lifelong growth.
Quakerism is a bold application of democracy to religion. Like any truly democratic movement,
its characteristic note is personal duty. The very freedom
on which democracy rests will not survive
individual faithlessness. The spirit of brotherhood which unifies
a democracy will blossom forth only from the root of
duty fulfilled. A true culture, which stimulates the
young, refreshes those of middle age, and enriches the old,
cannot be maintained, if men are heedless of their individual
duty. Quakerism strives for lives of freedom, brotherhood
and culture. The Friend of the future time believes that
above all, he must find and fulfill his duty to God, and
further, since he believes God's greatest concern in this part of
His universe, is the development of the whole human race
to the fullness of the stature of manhood, the Friend will
see his duty to man, wrapped up in his duty to God.
Such devotion to duty will prevent democracy from
degenerating into unbridled individualism.
This is the belief of the Friend of the future; that
the greatest stimulus to human growth is the power of
God operating in each person's heart, that God has no
favorites but like rain and sunshine, pours down on all alike. In
family life, in church life, in civic life, it is his duty to
recognize these truths, to treat men in accord with them.
In family life duty will include above all the
bearing and rearing of children. God's great plan of a
perfected humanity will fail unless the stream of human life
flows without ceasing. Those races who have made the
most progress must needs produce heavily enough to carry
their way of life to the ends of the earth. Children are not born
for the parents' satisfaction; they are in no sense a reward
of merit; it is right to enjoy them, but duty will not let
the parents' satisfaction interfere with the child's best
growth. With beautiful cheer a young couple have sent from
home their little tot, born deaf and dumb. Home cannot
teach him to speak; without speech he will not grow to his
fullness. For the child's good the sacrifice is made and the
risk accepted. Such is the true Friendly spirit in the home.
The purpose of punishment, for instance, will not
be relief of parental feelings, but the child's right growth.
It will be understood that the school alone cannot educate
the child. Parents will study the school, and supply, if they
can, what the school fails to do. Amidst the pressure which
adults feel these days, it is needful to cultivate the affection
and confidence of one's children. There is nothing better
than playing with them. The home is the great laboratory
for demonstrating the power of love in real life.
The children will early be taught to do for
themselves, and to work, with hand as well as mind. Real
responsibilities must be placed on them, which, if neglected, will make
home less desirable. From the dawn of consciousness the
child should learn that fundamental principle of democracy _
that each one must do his share, and that neglect
inevitably causes discomfort and suffering. Cold rooms, late
meals, lost playthings, will quickly arouse family resentment
against the laggard. He feels the force of public opinion, and in
a natural but effective way learns for a lifetime the great
lesson of doing his share.
In the affairs of his meeting the Friend will strive
for the fullest expression of the spirit of democracy. The
first move will be to do his share to help make the meeting
useful. He will be in his place, regularly, entering, as far as he
may, into the spirit of worship. Before coming he will
prepare, that is there may be a welling up of feeling during the
busy week, carefully stored away for further development
during the hour of worship, or he may enter the house, resolved
to wrestle with some vital and trying perplexity of business
or home affairs, or if life be so well ordered that he takes
his seat calm and satisfied, and no spoken word is likely,
he will have found in his morning reading some thought
to start on. It is not his desire to supersede the guidance
of the spirit of God; but experience teaches that we feel
the impelling force of the Divine more readily if we go to
meeting under a concern. The consciousness that is already
active responds more quickly to the breath of inspiration than
if torpid. In this way the humblest worshipper fulfills the
duty to the meeting.
The Friend of the future will not find worship
complete without expression of the hidden life of the spirit. The
existing love and unity must be made vocal to enable the meeting
to enter into the fullness. The more diverse the
membership, the greater the need for outward expression. Friends
will not speak for the relief of their own spirits. The purpose
of vocal ministry is to express the best of what is given
the meeting, to harmonize, to carry individuals out of
themselves into new feelings and convictions. No one will speak
regularly week after week, nor at great length. What is said
belongs to that particular meeting, and is a reflection of the
spiritual elements there represented. The thoughts uttered may
have been thought years before or the day before, but because
no one can predict the exact spirit of the meeting, we
cannot fix beforehand the words nor the speaker.
There will in the future be a greater willingness to
speak than at present, and the spoken word will not be the
only medium of expression. There will be musical
instruments in our meeting houses for some are gifted to express
spiritual things in music. Others can contribute more in song. All
do not speak. All will not sing; perhaps one only will feel
the call. There will be no pre-arrangement of musical service.
It will spring up spontaneously from divine prompting,
and none can take offense, for it will be as truly a part of
the spirit of the meeting as the spoken word to which we
are accustomed.
We cannot feel that our way of worship is truly democratic, unless there is a duty for every one,
and opportunity for each to express what is given him, as he
is best fitted.
Our meetings are organizations with business to conduct, and finances to handle. Considerable care
is exercised over the affairs of the members. Our method
of doing business is an attempt to apply the principle
of democracy to the carrying on of ecclesiastical affairs.
The Friend of the future will not consider the experiment
so successful that change will be impossible. He will
appreciate the freedom of expression, as well as the duty of
serious thought before taking his seat. He will not be satisfied
until all elements in the meeting are drawn into discussion,
and also into committee service.
As to the financial support of the meeting, the
principle of democracy demands that each one do his share. For
this reason meetings will dread endowments for
running expenses. Nothing could be more disastrous for the
spiritual life of a meeting than invested funds for heating,
lighting and repairing meeting houses. Spiritual life thrives
upon effort; folks appreciate what they pay for; our meetings
will mean nothing, if they cost nothing.
Meetings may very well receive endowments for permanent works of general benefit or to care for the
helpless. Homes, hospitals, asylums, schools and colleges, to
benefit the whole community, not Friends alone, ought to
be endowed. In many instances the best service will be
rendered by sharing the control of such activities with
others. Swarthmore College, for instance, is not under the
control of any part of our church machinery. Its board of
managers is not restricted to Friends. Among our English
brethren, the Adult School movement into which they have poured
so much love, so much time, so much money, is a
non-sectarian movement. It is not under the control of any meeting.
If Friends virtually direct it, the reason lies in their
ability and devotion, and not in the method of organization.
Many of our meetings are already moving in this direction by contributing to the Anti-Saloon League,
and other reform organizations. Friendly concerns, such as
the Neighborhood Guild in Philadelphia, receive
contributions from meetings not connected with their management.
The Friends of future time will extend this form
of activity and open new ones. The way may open for us to
join in a Peace movement far greater than anything we can
do ourselves, and as our spiritual life mounts higher and
higher, an overflow into foreign lands and foreign civilizations
will be inevitable. Such mission work will not be to make
the foreigner similar to ourselves. It will be in the interest
of human brotherhood. He must know us, and we him.
The different nations of the earth need to understand each
other. There is need for us to get together, not in commerce
alone, nor in pleasure seeking, but in sharing knowledge,
skill, culture, aspirations and religion. We are now spending
the money of the meeting visiting distant yearly meetings
and entertaining visitors in return. In time we will be
doing foreign missionary work in the same spirit, and when
that time comes it will cost more to be a Friend and will be
worth more.
Outside the home and the church, in the larger
circle of social, business and political life, the Friend of the
future will always recognize the innate human yearning for
higher development. Men will be to him sensitive, aspiring
holy beings; if they appear sullen, heartless, they either are
acting a part, or some unfortunate circumstance has
thwarted God's great plan of a perfected humanity. Of Himself,
God will not ennoble men. He makes it part of our duty to
join with Him in this magnificent work. Our poet's beautiful
lines tell us of this fundamental attitude in all social
relations, and of our duty:
Deep in a soul all tenderness,
He bears the great world's woe,
Knowing, thru fellowship in pain,
Each agonizing throe;
He sees in faces sad, or scarred,
In eyes that mutely plead,
The birth-pain of the wrestling
That travails to be freed.
He bends with gently listening ear
To every faintest cry,
And clasps with hand of manly strength
The fingers weak and shy.
He counts no effort great or hard
That draws him close to man,
Changes their weakness into hope,
Makes sorrow smile again.
Let us not misunderstand the meaning of these
lines. If we would ease "The birth-pain of the wrestling soul
That travails to be freed;" or "Change their weakness into
hope, Make sorrow smile again," we face definite duties
both individual and social. The shackles which bind men
are partly personal, that is, centered in our own hearts,
and partly social, outward conditions, affecting us, yet
beyond our control. We escape from our individual sins as
other individuals, "bend with gently listening ear," "clasp with
hand of manly strength our fingers weak and shy."
But social evils yield only to social legislation, the
form of which is the result of long foresight, much thinking
and sympathetic judgment, and the enforcement of which is
the constant concern of a devoted citizenship.
The Friend of the future will feel both of these
phases of duty as he engages in the larger circle of business
and political life. We will consider first the social duty.
The easiest part is the support of organized
movements to free men from the degrading shackles of war,
intemperance, poverty, ignorance. The more difficult part
is to guide these movements in a far seeing, thoughtful
and judicious way. For they all contain a serious element
of danger. The power of the government is increased,
while the individual surrenders rights and privileges for
the common good. We can gain much from prohibition of
the liquor traffic, from compulsory education, or
compulsory training for citizenship, but if these things destroy
the freedom of each person to make the best of himself in
his own way, if they substitute implicit obedience to law
for intelligent following of our individual duty to God, they
are disastrous to democracy. For democracy consists of
more than everybody voting. The consent of the governed is
part of democracy, but equally fundamental is the freedom
to find one's own contact with the spirit of God, to build
up one's own ideals, to make the best of oneself in one's
own way. Such freedom permits a man to fail, to degrade
himself, if he will, to deny God and disregard the rights of men. It
is a terrific dilemma. Without freedom, man's progress
may be hampered by the red-tape, the bureaucratic
standards of fixed human institutions; with freedom man may
wreck himself and injure others.
The present tendency is to restrict human
freedom. We have compulsory education, compulsory wage
scales, compulsory insurance. We are facing compulsory
temperance and compulsory training for citizenship. Our
objection to the last mentioned is not on account of its
compulsory feature, but because it involves learning the art of war.
It seems these movements are generally in the
right direction and deserve our support. Even training
for citizenship, through compulsory national service, would
win the ardent support of many of us, if conscientious
objectors could be exempted from the military and naval branches
of service. Our country is an experiment with democracy
on an enormous scale, with peoples of widely varying
races, ambitions and needs. These compulsory movements are
to unite us, to develop a consistent national character,
without which democracy will not win in its struggle with
the aristocratic, monarchical culture of the old world.
As these compulsory social movements make
progress the Friend will realize more and more clearly a duty
laid upon him. To save democracy, to rescue individual
freedom will be his task. The central government will build
up complicated machinery for the control of education,
industry, transportation, health. How can we make this
machinery helpful, and prevent it from crushing out or perverting
the spirit of the individual?
The answer to this question is seen in the best type
of school room. Many a community boasts a skillful
devoted teacher who never has to think of keeping order. She
is puzzled when asked to describe her method of
discipline. Her personality wins the students to their work, and to
right conduct. They want to do the right thing because she
wants them to do it. Attendance at her school is compulsory,
good order and the performance of work are compulsory, but
the spirit of her personality wins the cooperation of her
students, She exercises the compulsion of love, not of law. The
spirit of her students grows, for there is neither repression
nor consequent rebellion.
Such a teacher points the way to the salvation
of democracy. We need not fear the powerful and
complicated machinery of government, if our institutions are filled
so full of personality, both human and divine, that they
will attract righteousness, that they will make men want to
do what the institution stands for. The tyranny of the
majority can be as damaging to the minority as the tyranny of
an aristocratic class, and yet there must be unity of spirit
in democracy, a consciousness of brotherhood that will
make the rule of the majority rest as easily on the sensitive
soul as the good teacher's quiet power controls the restless
eager children.
To create such a spirit will be the duty of the Friend
of the future. He will therefore understand that the passage
of any law for social reform is a moment, not of
duty accomplished, but of duty begun. For the law itself will
not secure righteousness. The Friend and others like him
will at once obey its provisions; indeed in most instances,
he will, for a long time, have been living up to the standard
of the law, just as his ancestors outgrew slavery and
hard drinking before prohibition and abolition became
popular issues. Those who need the uplifting effect of such laws
are those who tend to disobey. How will they be dealt with?
In what spirit will the law be enforced? Will it be in the
cold, impersonal, suspicious way that characterizes so much
of our legal machinery, or in that sympathetic human
way, breathing the spirit of good will and brotherhood,
which Lindsey has demonstrated in Denver, and Osborne in
Sing Sing?
The creation of this spirit of brotherhood will come
about in some instances by volunteer police service such as
Friends are already rendering in connection with Law and
Order societies or No-License Leagues.
Of far more value will be the development of
such customs and conditions as will make it easy and
desirable to live in accord with the law.
For instance, the passage of prohibition will impose
on every Friend the duty of providing some means by
which the worker may free himself from the tension of the
day's machine-driven labor. A dull reading room will not
suffice. We will have to use our Y. M. C. A., our churches,
our schools, our town halls, as centers for the most
attractive kind of recreation. The public may have to bear some
share of the expense of the music, the moving pictures,
the playgrounds, the swimming pools, the libraries, which
will be provided. New possibilities of amusements for the
worker will be permitted on the Sabbath-day. Rooms should
be available in public buildings, free of charge, for
organizations seeking recreation or self-improvement and above all
every one active in the management of these things should
carry out his work in the spirit of Lindsey and Osborne, and
of the good school teacher. Human relations must
become personal; human institutions must radiate brotherhood.
Compulsory school attendance is a fact in many
states. To distil from school attendance real education will
appeal to the Quaker of the coming time as a duty. Whether
he teaches or not he will strive for an adequately
supported school system, paying higher taxes, gladly giving of
himself to make the system human. The parent will know the teacher, seeking to understand his child better through
the teacher's eyes, and the teacher will welcome the
parents' view of the youngster. Each will appreciate, encourage
and assist the other.
Further illustrations are unnecessary. Our social
duty, in general, is incomplete, until we have worked hard
for those institutions and customs which make it easier
to observe the high requirements of social law, and for
that spirit which makes men want to live without ruining
each other.
It is characteristic of the Friend of the olden time
that he would not rely on law. George Fox would make no
laws. His classic reply to the youthful Penn, "Wear thy sword
as long as thee can, William," shows what his soul desired:
not conformity with law, but growth of spirit. When John
G. Whittier portrays the Quaker character at its best, he
says of the Quaker of the olden time,
"He walked by faith, and not by sight,
By love and not by law."
Jesus also made no laws. He touched men's hearts.
He opened to them the inexhaustible power of the spirit of
God. They drank Living Water, their eyes saw with the Light
of the World, they were discovering the Way, the Truth,
and the Life.
In the same way, the Friend of the future will
labor that life may rest, not on law, but on the spirit of love
as among brothers. To foster such a spirit, as a part of
the spiritual endowment as a nation will be the
commanding purpose of his private life. His duty as an individual will
be to carry into the larger circle of business and political life
a sense of brotherhood, a deep respect for others, and
a sublime faith that the best side of humanity will awaken
to such a touch. He will, therefore, hate in himself the contented
feeling of being fixed, settled down as it were. He will hunger
for growth. He will never think of his education as finished;
he will long to learn more. His meeting will be to him, not
a comfortable social center, not an avenue to a glorious
future life, but a source of discontent, a stirring up of yearning,
a stimulus to renewed endeavor to realize in the present
an ever growing ideal. He will expect the future to
produce something better than he now enjoys. Public needs
may change, and a lifelong pledge of allegiance to one
political party would be unthinkable. His understanding of
Science and Theology will not be final. To him, Truth is as yet
but imperfectly comprehended. We know so little of God,
of human life, of nature. Life is a quest. Who knows what
the morrow will bring forth!
He will bring up his children as living in the
presence of profound wonder. He will be himself humble of heart
as becomes one facing the immensity of God, and the depth
of the God-filled human spirit.
To such a person social mingling, political
activity, business and professional affairs, are but opportunities
for service. Work is no curse; it is the way God provides to
use the talents of the individual for the benefit of his
associates. The spiritual life, the life spent in communion with God
will not be lived in the seclusion of a monastery, nor shut in
by the tenets of a peculiar people.
After voting twice, John Comly refused to exercise
again the right of franchise. He subscribed for a newspaper for
a year but would not renew. His reasons are clearly stated:
"I found that as my thirst for a knowledge of the outward
world was indulged, my relish for divine things and my
attention to the inward world of my own mind diminished." As
for voting, "I saw that Friends could have nothing to do
with the strife of politics, if they kept their places in the Truth
as followers of Him who declared that His kingdom was not
of this world."
In referring to a certain village he says, "At this
village is the courthouse for Washington county and a bank.
Several Friends in traveling have held meetings in this village,
but courts and banks, when peoples' minds become filled
with them, allow very little room for religious impressions to
take root, so as to produce the fruits of the Spirit." (Journal
p. 254).
John Comly and Friends of like mind felt the
religious life to be a plant of tender nurture, liable to injury
thru exposure to a worldly atmosphere. The Divine Spirit
belonged to another world and could not fully operate among
the institutions of this. They believed that the well
grown religious life should be an active force for righteousness,
as their arduous journeys and many meetings testify, but
they restricted the expression of the God-filled human spirit
to preaching, meetings for worship, and neighborhood
charity. The man who found his largest scope in business, or
other public activities was, if devout, led to feel himself inferior
in piety. From this no doubt arises that profound fear
of speaking in meeting and sitting on the facing benches
which characterizes so many Friends.
The Friend of the coming time will see in voting
and banking simply another opportunity for him to help fill
the world full of the glory of God. Among his associates he
may find occasions to speak of the power of God in life, in
sermon form, or in conversation as man to man. He will often
invite his co-workers to join with him in worship and will,
extend a helping hand if there is need. But in addition to
these things the way he meets his business associates will
testify eloquently of the quality of his soul. How do we greet
them, how direct them and how do we receive directions? In
what spirit do we rise triumphant in the realization of
some cherished hope? What is our spirit when overwhelmed
by deceit, unfaithfulness? How do we bear up under
illness, injustice, partiality, misrepresentation? What is our
response to cold, sad, discouraged persons? Are we just,
courteous and concerned when dealing with the
indifferent, uninteresting and insignificant people? By such things
as these men form their estimate of each other, and in
this language of daily intercourse, the spirit of God has a
most vigorous expression.
The product of our worldly work is also of value,
both to the material and spiritual needs of our time. It is a
divine calling to do our work in the right way; it is also a
divine concern that the result of our labor be useful. Human
life, created by God, needs food, clothes, shelter. It does not
lead us away from God to engage in the world's work. Rather,
it brings us closer.
"Raise the stone, and thou shalt find Me;
Cleave the wood, and there am I."
In what spirit do we address ourselves to our work?
Do we labor for the utmost production at the lowest fair
price? Do we strive to avoid waste? Is our work honestly what
it appears to be? Are we using all our intelligence to
solve such problems as just wages for labor and
efficient distribution of goods? Justice in the wage scale may
cut down profits; distribution, so as to reach all who
need, without exceeding their purchasing power, may
radically alter the present methods of advertising and selling
and may reduce the margin of profit. But the purpose of
business and professional life is service, not profit. Business
must pay its own expenses, including the support of all who
labor therein; that is part of its service; but it is a perversion
of business when sudden wealth is concentrated into the
hands of the few. As long as poverty and disease and
intemperance and war flourish as at present, things are not right.
There is a deficiency in intelligence, in honesty and sincerity,
as we work, because of the widespread opinion that
business and professional matters are of the world and not of God.
The Friend of today feels it his duty to carry the
spirit of God into the world's work, and expects to render
service by following the Divine inspiration, not only in
meeting associates, but also in attacking the problems which
the day's work presents. The spirit of his personal dealings,
and of his methods, together with the honesty, quality and
the usefulness of his product, will speak to the world in
general of God and furthermore will have the personal effect
of intensifying the life of the spirit in which man and God meet.
The term "business" has been used in a most
general sense, equivalent to the other term of which use has
been made, world's work. The principle evolved may be applied
to any sort of public activity, politics, teaching, medicine,
law, art; these things of the world, inseparately woven into
the warp and woof of our existence in this sphere, are not
beyond the reach of God's interest. They are His vital concern,
and He calls us to busy ourselves with them, but in such a
way that men have free opportunity to make the most
of themselves. Such a spirit will save democracy from its
own inherent dangers and create the environment which
God needs to carry out His plan of perfecting humanity.
And yet the phase of truth expressed in John
Comly's objection to newspapers and voting, banks and courts
will appeal to the Friend of the coming time. These things of
the world can absorb the whole store of human energy,
they can make men narrow and mechanical, and play havoc
with the spiritua1 life.
The Friend will understand that these things,
tho feeding in part the development soul, are
insufficient. Religion is a matter of the whole life. It must feed on
every interest, and on the yearning for direct communion
with God. The Friend will devote himself to his work, as far as
he can, but he will not neglect those pursuits which build
him up. He will seek for God in public worship, as well as
private; he will seek self-mastery and refreshment of spirit in
the quiet; he will keep alive his interest in people, books
and pictures. Nature will fill his heart with boyish elemental
joy; music will uncover for him the surprising beauty of his
daily life.
He sees God in the star-lit night,
In every sun-kissed flower;
Each birdsong sings life's mystery,
Each forest tree its power;
In every voice of harmony,
He hears the Voice Divine;
In every wavelet's sparkling hue,
He sees God's wonder shine.
The spirit of one's own life is the channel by which
the spirit of Christ animates human affairs, business,
politics, government. That is God's way. Thru men, He expects
to reach human institutions. The Friend of the
future, therefore, eager to be a "part of God's great plan," will
neither neglect the development of his spiritual life, nor
overwork it. He will dread equally that indifferent state, the result
of too close, too continuous, application to business, and
that jaded condition, the result of hurrying from conference
to committee and committee to conference. Neither
radiates spiritual power.
For the true life of the spirit is vigorous, fresh,
clear, like the autumn air, under blue skies, on the hill tops.
It has perspective and therefore may look on things as
they are without fear or discouragement. There is poise,
faith and good cheer. Amongst men there is the warm glow
of sympathy and understanding, fresh, spontaneous;
never mechanical nor indifferent. Towards God is the
constant yearning for guidance, and inspiration, up to the
very fullness of the stature of manhood that is in Christ. Such
is the Quaker of the future coming time.