THERE IS DEATH IN THE POT - The University of Texas at Arlington

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Orthodox) noted their desire to “stand open, individually
and collectively, to the tendering influences of that Spirit which breathes peace on earth
and good will to men . . . [and] be prepared to take such measures as Divine Wisdom may
point out to clear our own hands and to espouse [the slaves’] cause whenever the way
may clearly present.” 25
Free produce provided a seemingly apolitical solution for Quakers who wished to
pursue what one Friend editorialist described as a “noiseless path” while promoting the
“general good.” Friends could provide an effective example by remaining aloof from the
passions of American social and political life. As the writer explained, Friends’
“examples of uprightness and religious stability give a useful tone wherever they exist,
and when commotions arise, they are peculiarly valuable, in drawing those who are in
danger of being swept away by the various currents, which rush hither and thither, to
enquire what it is, which makes such unmoved, in the midst of storm and distress.” 26
Some Quakers urged Friends against associating with non-Friends in reform associations.
Friends, as one writer noted, “are more likely to advance the cause by acting very much
alone.” Citing Anthony Benezet and John Woolman (but not Elias Hicks) as useful
examples, the author suggested Friends could maintain their traditional anti-slavery
principles in the midst of the chaos created by Garrisonian abolitionism only by
remaining apart from the secular movement. 27
FHL.
25 Minutes, September 20, 1839, Meeting for Sufferings, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Orthodox),
26 The Friend, March 15, 1834.
27 The Friend, May 23, 1835.
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