Eye - 10 October 2014

From revolutions to blooming buds

Revolutions

A cranky quote inspired some quirky wordplay from Philip Jacob, of Monkstown Meeting in Dublin:

‘In the Friend (29 August) Esme Weeks mentions having heard Jeremy Paxman describe conscientious objectors as “cranks”. A crank is a device that creates revolutions. ‘nuff said!’

Illuminating a radical

A remarkable life was explored by Anthony Boulton in ‘Thomas Paine: Quaker revoluntionary?’ (12 September).

Prompted to praise the title’s question mark, Malcolm Elliott, of Leicester Meeting, got in touch to elaborate on the relationship between this complex man and eighteenth-century Friends.

Although Thomas Paine’s father was a Quaker, Malcolm writes that Thomas ‘was far too radical for most contemporary Friends.

‘He made fun of Quaker earnestness and sobriety: “I cannot help smiling at the conceit, that if the taste of a Quaker had been at the creation, what a silent and drab coloured creation it would have been! Not a flower would have blossomed its gaieties, nor a bird been permitted to sing.”

‘Pennsylvania Quakers distanced themselves from Paine’s anti-British pamphlet Common Sense. It was a classic case of pacifist versus the taking up of arms in a just cause: “I am thus far a Quaker, that I would gladly agree with all the world to lay aside the use of arms, and settle matters by negotiation; but unless the whole will, the matter ends, and I take up my musket and thank heaven he has put it in my power.”’

Malcolm adds that ‘Paine retained his admiration for Quakers and expressed a wish to be buried with them: “I know not if the Society of people called Quakers, admit a person to be buried in their burying ground, who does not belong to their Society, but if they do or will admit me, I would prefer being buried there”… John Keane’s biography [Tom Paine: A Political Life] tells us that his request was refused, because Friends feared that others might want to erect a memorial to his memory, which would be “contrary to their rules”. Paine was bitterly disappointed at the rebuff and “sobbed uncontrollably”.

‘Much as we may admire Paine, and wish perhaps that his deathbed plea had been accepted, we cannot truthfully claim him to be a Quaker.’

Thomas Paine wrote in The Age of Reason: ‘I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavouring to make our fellow-creatures happy…

‘I do not believe in the creed professed by… any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church. All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.

‘I do not mean by this declaration to condemn those who believe otherwise; they have the same right to their belief as I have to mine. But it is necessary to the happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful to himself.’

‘Quaker Light’ to bloom

Botantically-inclined Friends may remember Eye’s story about a special rose, called ‘Quaker Light’, being produced to celebrate Godalming Meeting’s tercentenary (8 March 2013).

Ruth Martin got in touch to update Friends on the latest: ‘…we are expecting delivery October/November time, of the first batch. I say the first batch because we are only receiving a portion of the order this year as the constant wet weather last winter rotted a great number of them. The breeder has budded some more but they will not be due for delivery until 2015. Those who have ordered roses have been warned that they may not be delivered this year but will receive them October/November time 2015.’

Eye would also like to apologise to Ruth for an error in the 8 March 2013 story. It implied that Ruth had produced the rose ‘Quaker Star’ mentioned in the story. The rose was, actually, bred by a nursery in Ireland. It is only ‘Quaker Light’ that can be ordered from Ruth.

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