John Cadbury, and his very impressive beard! Photo: Taken prior to 1889.
Eye - 01 November 2024
Q-Eye dips into the archive to see what was in The Friend in 1882, we discover a powerful tool, and ponders furry-faced Friends
A powerful tool
The Daily Quaker Message (dailyquaker.com) is part of Thee Quaker Project, a media start-up founded in 2022. Since late 2023, this new initiative has been sharing, as you might guess, a Friendly message every day!
Described as ‘an invitation to enter into a closer relationship with Spirit’, the website features a short Quaker message to meditate on. Visitors can then click through to more information, an exercise, and a query.
The Thee Quaker Project team say: ‘We curate Daily Quaker Messages from diverse sources: from different eras of history, and from people of different backgrounds and beliefs. One of the strengths of Quakerism is its ability to make room for the ministry of all Friends.
‘Some messages may have gendered language, Christian themes, nontheist themes, or spiritually challenging content, and are a product of their time and their author’s perspective.
‘We invite you to practice “reading in tongues”: translating messages into language that is meaningful to you. Through generous reading, we hope each message has a kernel that speaks to your condition.’
Furry-faced Friends
In a five-minute video, which can be viewed at https://bit.ly/QuakerBeards, Ollie Rowe, from Quake It Up, shares his thoughts after being asked: ‘Do all Quakers have beards?’
Thus follows a partly tongue-in-cheek trot through history, where portraits of early Friends show them clean shaven… despite beards, at that time, being seen as a sign of radicalism – acting as a physical symbol of throwing off ‘hierarchical and repressive systems’.
How much of this is due to portraiture conventions at the time an artist was at work is unclear. However, as photography enters the picture, Ollie takes viewers on a whistle-stop tour of some amazing Quaker beards.
But coming back to the beginning… why did his friend ask this question? It’s not just because Ollie sports a lustrous beard himself, but is an indication of the long-standing connection, or confusion, between Quakers, who have had a plain dressing tradition in the past, and groups such as the Amish, who are known for having beards. For the whiskered and whisker-less among you, take a peek!
On this day
Eye won’t be tickling your ribs with this month’s dip into the archive, but hopefully you’ll be intrigued.
In the edition dated 1 November 1882, Friends saw Ohio Yearly Meeting appear in the ‘Foreign Intelligence’ section, in a report abridged from the Friends’ Review.
‘Ohio Yearly Meeting is unlike any others. It is much like a convention for the promotion of holiness, and yet business is attended to. Intense religious interest prevailed at even the second day of the meeting, and there was prevalent an ardent trust and expectation of spiritual blessings…’
In the report’s concluding remarks, it was noted: ‘The business of the Yearly Meeting has been transacted in harmony, and to the satisfaction of Friends. There has been no manifestation of strife or parties. The oneness of the meeting in feeling and judgment has been the occasion of much remark by visiting Friends.
‘The new order of business has worked admirably; that is, the assignment of a day and definite time for each important Committee to report in the meeting, and conduct the discussion of its own subject.
‘Every morning and evening – thus relieved of large Committee meetings – have been occupied by interesting meetings; looking after the spiritual interests of the members; and the life, love, and humility sought to be developed here has pervaded all the business sessions.’
But what caught Eye’s attention was a lengthy footnote by the editor of the Friend on this page!
‘We venture to suggest the question whether the desire for “interesting meetings”, and the “new order of business”, contrived so as to leave more time at liberty for devotional meetings, have not been injurious to the true interests of the Yearly Meeting.
‘We cannot regard it as having “worked admirably” if in any way this has led to the too-hasty preparation of the Minute of Advice issued by this Yearly Meeting. The Friends’ Review very justly criticises two expressions: – “The only manifestation of God in the world for the salvation of souls is through His Church.” “Vocal daily prayer and praise are the indispensable duty of every Christian parent for and with his children” (the italics are ours). There are, however, in our judgment other expressions equally faulty.’
Modern editors have been cautious to ensure that the Friend records Yearly Meeting decisions without offering personal judgment – so this footnote stood out as being unusual to readers today.
The other thing that stood out is how much of the magazine was given over to ‘Foreign Intelligence’ of other Yearly Meetings. Is this something the trusty readers of today would like more of in our pages?
Comments
Of course not all Quakers have beards.
In fact, not even all of the male Quakers have beards.
By Moyra Carlyle on 14th November 2024 - 14:50
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