A little room for outreach? Photo: tallpomlin/flickr CC
Eye - 18 February 2011
From Quaker names to limericks
The tapestry on tour
Quakerism’s humble history is being displayed once more in the grandiose confines of an Anglican cathedral. This year the annual roadshow of the Quaker Tapestry takes thirty-nine panels to Blackburn cathedral. A volunteer from the Tapestry told a curious Eye that the exhibition is tailored each year depending upon the area it is travelling to, for example when in Norwich they were sure to include the panels on Elizabeth Fry. Many visitors to the exhibit engage in conversations about Quakerism and have been known to visit Kendal to see the full collection. Eye considers this a noble act of outreach and a real treat for those in the Blackburn area.
What’s in a (Quaker) name?
Our Friend Tim Evens, whose lovely story ‘Christmas Boots’ featured in the Christmas edition of the Friend, reminded Eye that the last time he had a contribution accepted by the magazine was in the 28 June issue of 1958.
Our eyes rather popped when reading this. We searched through the archive and unearthed the edition, flicked through the pages and discovered an article entitled ‘Quaker Names’ by a Tim Evens. The same Tim Evens! This means that there were almost fifty-two years between his two contributions to the publication. Is this a world record?
The article was about names and began: ‘The really curious and perhaps reprehensible thing about Friends’ use of language is not their vagueness about fellowship or outreach, deplorable though this may be; it is their use of names. Readers of this journal who are sensitive to words may observe that almost any list of Friends taking part in a demonstration or signing a letter of protest will look something like this:
J Trumpington Pickerthwaite
Comfort W Hugge
E Mary S Wolff
NT Swarthbrooke Woodmore
Not only are many of the names resounding in themselves but the whole label is made almost incantatory by the mysterious initials.’
Later in the article Tim, mischievously perhaps, suggests: ‘What is to be done? We Friends should realize that our weakness for stilted names probably arises from an unconscious desire to compensate for the dropping of titles.’
Eye is reminded of a humorous anecdote concerning A Geoffrey Bowes. When he was appointed to the position of assistant recording clerk the word went around Friends House that in future he would no longer be known as ‘A Geoffrey Bowes’ but as… ‘The Geoffrey Bowes’.
Two limericks
This world in itself is a mess,
So most of us have to confess,
As we grope in the night,
Someone must be right,
Whichever belief we profess.
My beliefs about the divine
Will stay, by your leave, quietly mine.
I shan’t ask of you
what you feel to be true,
So we can be friends and that’s fine. (Anon.)
