A Red-line Quaker moth. Photo: Dr Mary Gillham Archive Project / flickr CC.
Eye - 10 July 2020
From an uplifting offering to flying furry Friends
An uplifting offering
There once was a Heswall Quaker
Who was a mover and shaker.
His words were so many
Friends didn’t have any
Time to dwell on their Maker.
Ann Fox
Quiet revolutionaries
A film focused on Friends made its UK debut at the end of June.
Quakers: the Quiet Revolutionaries aired on the PBS America channel on Freeview on 25 June.
The documentary tackles common misconceptions early on, including the infamous confusion around porridge, then charts Quaker history from its roots up to the present day, with a focus on the United States.
A wide range of Quaker voices are featured, with interviews of a number of Friends, and an exploration of the influence, ministry and activism of figures such as George Fox, Margaret Fell, John Woolman, Lucretia Mott, Alice Paul, Bayard Rustin and George Lakey, along with many others.
Footage of Meeting for Worship tends to focus on unprogrammed silent worship, but the film-makers also include contributions from evangelical programmed Friends.
The founding of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the significance of two Quaker presidents are highlighted in modern history, as is activism like the Quaker-led protests against the PNC Bank for financing mountaintop removal coal mining.
The film doesn’t shy away from poor Quaker behaviour though. For example, it describes the role that Friends played in the introduction of solitary confinement as a form of imprisonment in the US, and the continuation of racial segregation in Quaker schools until it was made illegal in 1954.
Richard Seebohm, of Oxford Meeting, told Eye that he felt the film ‘gives a sympathetic and well-documented history, albeit with a very American slant’.
He added: ‘The AFSC gets a mention, but not the Friends Committee on National Legislation, which lobbies Washington. New to me is Friends Fiduciary, which combines investment management for Quakers with a very public stance on corporate behaviour. Other omissions in what is a very wide coverage include the Quaker business method.’
Overall the documentary deftly handles nuanced aspects of Quakerism while remaining concise, so Eye wasn’t surprised to learn that the director and producer, Janet Paxton Gardner, is a Friend from Princeton Meeting and has served on a number of peace and social concern committees. She founded The Gardner Group in 1990 to direct and produce documentaries, ‘committed to giving history a human face’.
For Friends who would like to see the film, a DVD is expected this summer and those who are interested can sign up to the mailing list on https://quakersthefilm.com to be notified when it becomes available.
Flying furry Friends
When we ‘seek the Light’, most Friends probably don’t mean lightbulbs… but some Quakers find them irresistable!
Juliet Morton, of Kingsbridge Meeting, got in touch to share the unexpected discovery of ‘some really beautiful moths that have been given Quaker names’.
While perusing a book about these sometimes unpopular insects, she found Quakers that were Common, Powdered, Twin-spotted, and other modestly decorated with red or yellow lines.
Coincidentally, Caterpillar Lab featured the Subdued Quaker as its ‘Caterpillar of the day’ on 19 June. And further digging shows that Quaker moths can be both Intractable and Distinct!
As Juliet says: ‘Quakers are everywhere, though maybe not recognised as such at first.’
A little lightness
An attender who lived near the Tyne
Was eager to worship online.
Downloading Zoom later
Used up all his data
But God said: ‘Fear not Friend, you’re fine.’
Jane Robinson
