'The important point is that our lives should back our pronouncements, and then we cannot have too many of them.’
Eye - 17 November 2023
From On this day to A friendly mention
On this day
Just a few months into the second world war, the Friend of 17 November 1939 featured reports of conscientious objection tribunals and news from the Friends Ambulance Unit.
However, something else was exercising ‘Watchman’, an anonymous regular column-writer: ‘A half-humorous reference recently in this column to our “innate Quaker modesty” has been taken in dead earnest by a correspondent, whose comment is “Rubbish!” He continues: “Let us have no false modesty nor delude ourselves into thinking that to-day we are ‘among the quiet in the land.’ The spate of our pronouncements, most of which lack the simple majesty of earlier Quaker language, and our naive delight in the occasional publicity obtained by us as individuals or as a group, make any claim to modesty absurd.”
‘Now there is undoubtedly sound wisdom here in warning us against outrunning our measure and against a childish delight in being noticed… but this does not do away with the fact that there is among Friends generally a restraint and moderation above the average, a dread of dogmatism, a tolerance of others’ opinions, in a word a “modesty” that refrains from boasting and shrinks from publicity. We may sometimes have rushed into print when we had nothing to say worth printing, but this does not necessarily mean that no pronouncements should be made. The important point is that our lives should back our pronouncements, and then we cannot have too many of them.’
A far-flung Friend
Our Quakerly pages put in an appearance next to one of the wonders of the world last month.
While on holiday in Egypt Imogen Sewell-Risley, the friendly voice you’ll hear when you call our subscriptions phone number, perused some pages while visiting the pyramids!
We’d love to see whereabouts you read your Friend – whether exotic or cosy! Pop your pics to eye@thefriend.org to share with our friendly readers!
Things in common
Friends were mentioned in an episode of The News Quiz on BBC Radio 4 on 20 October.
Many thanks to David Fish, of Rugby Meeting, for pricking up his ears ten minutes into episode seven of series 112.
Andy Zaltzman was joined by Ian Smith, Lucy Porter, Anushka Asthana, and Simon Evans to discuss ‘the language of war, our crumbling infrastructure, and massive rats!’
Understandably, the situation in Israel and Palestine took centre stage as the episode opened, and panellists were asked: ‘What do the following all have in common? The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres; Russia; some American congress representatives; the Quakers; Ireland; the SNP; Tywin Lannister, warden of the west and lord paramount of the Westerlands; China; Mo Salah of Liverpool; the Jewish Voice for Peace organisation; Save the Children, the pro saving children organisation; and Ugly Betty.’
The answer? ‘They’re all calling for a ceasefire.’
A friendly mention
Big Issue readers may have spied a Quakerly mention in the letters page of 23 October.
Under the title ‘Deeper understanding’ Daphne Wassermann, from Glasgow, highlighted Advices & queries 17: ‘Think it possible that you may be mistaken.’ She was agreeing wholeheartedly with an editor’s letter by Paul McNamee that appeared in the issue dated 18 September, which emphasised the need to listen in an increasingly polarised world.
