33 - New Jersey Postal History Society

CONGRESSMAN SYKES HEARS FROM ANOTHER QUAKERGeorge Sykes, member of Congress from New Jersey, professed to be a memberof the Society of Friends. Some of his fellow Quakers found it difficultto reconcile politics and Christianity, as they understood and practiced it.The correspondence published in the March 1.979 NJPH Journal and the followingshow that some of his constituents did not hesitate to remind him ofhis obligations to his beliefs as opposed to the slurs, degradation and infightingof politics.11 Mo. 20th 1844Friend George Sykes having received a Bundle of Pamphlets through the PostOffice with thy name on the wrapper which rather surprised me to think aFriend as I am informed thou art or at least a member of our society shouldcirculate such inflamatory papers tending to lay waste both the morrel andreligious Character of one of our fellow citizens of this great country Ithink a real Christian that believes the precepts of our great oatern suchas love your Enemies do good to them that hate you & to do to another as yewould they should do unto you would be a little careful of anothers reputationand especially at this day where the two great political parties arearrayed against each other and use I think many means unjustified by lawsof god or Just laws of man & for friends to take part in the contest at thistime seems to me contrary to our profession which is a belief in the manefestationof the Spirit of Christ to lead and direct us aright and I havebelieved a great while if we would take particular heed to its dictates andobey it would lead us out of the confusion of party strife and from any desireafter the honors or friendships of the world perhaps thou has had e-nough of it to know whether it affords that peace of mind which is so desireablewhen we look calmly and when retired alone towards our laying downthis mortal body & the Soul appear before its great Judge to receive itsjust recompence for our deeds here I may just let thee know I take no partin political strife neither have taken in it for upwards of 20 years not sofar as to put a vote in for a public office except a few times at town meetingfor town officers & have felt most easy to decline that lately So SubscribethY FriendJohn Harned(Punctuation!! What's that?)Gerard NeufeldNJPH 21Summer 1979