USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > Extracts from the minutes of the yearly meeting of Friends held in Philadelphia, 1923 > Part 1
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EXTRACTS 5
FROM THE 1
MINUTES
- OF THE
Yearly Meeting of Friends
HELD IN PHILADELPHIA
By adjournments, from the twenty-sixth of the Third Month to the thirtieth of the same inclusive
1923
MIENUS FREE Printed by
Arch Street Printing House 018-1020 Atch Street
Philadelphia GERMANTOWN
EXTRACTS
FROM THE
MINUTES
OF THE
Yearly Meeting of Friends
HELD IN PHILADELPHIA
By adjournments, from the twenty-sixth of the Third Month to the thirtieth of the same inclusive
1923
FRIENDS FREE Printed by Arch Street Printing House 1018-1020 Arch Street
Philadelphia GERMANTOWN
3
EXTRACTS
At a Yearly Meeting of Friends held in Philadelphia by adjournments from the 26th of Third Month to the 30th of the same inclusive, 1923.
The Meeting convened in joint session Second-day the 26th. The representatives from the Quarterly Meetings were called, all but four responded; for the absence of ยท all of these reasons were assigned and two of them attended later sessions. The representatives, 138 in all, were, for Philadelphia, Joseph Thomasson and others.
A special minute of the Indian Committee was intro- duced at this time, that if way opened, a Committee might be appointed at this Yearly Meeting to give the matter alluded to in the minute careful consideration during the coming year.
The minute of the Indian Committee is as follows : To the Yearly Meeting:
At a regular meeting of the Indian Committee, held 2nd Month 28, 1923, the following minute was adopted :
"A proposition was now presented by the Philadelphia Indian Aid Association looking toward the possibility of combining their work with that of the Indian Committee of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
"It was stated that several Friends were members of both Committees and that an earnest concern had arisen on the part of the former group that unnecessary dupli- cation of the work of Philadelphia Friends for the uplift of the Indians might as far as possible be eliminated.
"After careful consideration it was the united judgment of all present that this subject should be forwarded by special minute to the Yearly Meeting, with the suggestion that if the latter thought proper, the proposal should be referred to a judicious committee of men and women
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Friends who would be expected to submit their report to the Yearly Meeting in 1924."
On behalf of the Indian Committee,
WM. BIDDLE, Clerk.
The meeting gave a sympathetic hearing to the subject, and appointed the following to nominate to a future ses- sion Friends who shall have the matter under care, and if way opens for it, shall report the names of Friends at our meeting next year to serve in the capacity indicated, should the Yearly Meeting at that time accept the report.
Richard S. Dewees and others.
At our Yearly Meeting held in 1919, as appears on the Minutes of that meeting, certain Friends were appointed to represent us on the American Friends' Service Committee.
Our membership has been kept well informed of the important work of this Committee through the weekly issues of The Friend and through other channels, but the Yearly Meeting has in the interval of the four years since the appointment of said Committee received no specific report from them.
There have been a few resignations from the Com- mittee and a few additions to it within the period, but they now make the definite suggestion that a fresh appoint- ment be made for a period of three years.
The Meeting uniting with the suggestion, Charles Evans and others were named to nominate to a future session of this Yearly Meeting, Friends to serve in this capacity.
The Committee appointed last year to confer with the Friends' Foreign Missionary Association of Philadelphia, as fully minuted at that time, now submitted a report which was read and duly considered. The report had previously received considerable publicity through its pub- lication in The Friend for the 22nd inst.
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The report of the Committee is as follows :
To the Yearly Meeting :
The Committee appointed a year ago to consider ways of co-ordinating the missionary interests of our Yearly Meeting under a central body has met a number of times and has very carefully gone over plans of organization.
We wish to state as fundamental our conviction that Christianity is a universal and an essentially missionary religion, and that in so far as Quakerism realizes its early designation, "primitive Christianity revived," it too will be driven by its world vision to the uttermost parts of the earth.
We rejoice in the outreach of the members of this Meeting in their desire to carry the light of the love of Christ to dark places.
The work in Japan, which has been so faithfully carried on by the Foreign Missionary Association of Friends of Philadelphia, must be the first interest of the new Board. The educational work of the girls' school, the international work which our Friends are doing there and elsewhere, and the gospel work of all members of the Mission, de- serve our co-operation and support. The young Yearly Meeting in Japan looks to us especially, and we cannot but feel a close tie with it.
While our Meeting is especially responsible for the work in Japan, the new Board should not confine its inter- ests to any one field alone. We are thankful that our Yearly Meeting is feeling the impulse to minister to the needs of the world for Christ's Gospel, and that an increas- ing number of our members are actively responding to the opportunities for spreading His Kingdom at home and abroad. We desire that the proposed Board may help to bind these workers together, giving them the strength of fellowship with the great body of our Yearly Meeting at home, for we feel that this spiritual obligation should be felt by our whole membership. Realizing the need for better co-ordination of the various missionary. activities of the members of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, we would
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offer the following plan for consideration, it having been approved by the present Foreign Missionary Association of Friends of Philadelphia :
Proposed Organization of a Missionary Board of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends
We recommend that there be established a Missionary Board of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends com- prising a General Board, an Executive Board and Local Boards.
General Board-The General Board shall consist of the members of the Executive Board and at least two addi- tional members, to be appointed by each Monthly Meeting. A Monthly Meeting may also appoint one additional rep- resentative to the General Board for each hundred or fraction thereof by which its membership exceeds two hundred.
It shall endeavor to foster missionary interest through- out the Yearly Meeting and shall present the needs of various fields before our membership generally.
It shall consider and decide on all questions of general missionary policy.
It shall, upon nomination of the Executive Board, make all appointments of workers.
Executive Board-The Yearly Meeting shall appoint fifteen persons for a term of three years to constitute an Executive Board. When organized, the Board may add to its membership if the need seems to warrant, such nominations to be passed upon, however, by the Repre- sentative Meeting.
It shall serve as an Executive Committee to care for such business as usually pertains to such bodies or which arises between the sessions of the General Board.
It shall be the duty of the Executive Board to consider and foster individual concerns for missionary work and nominate to the General Board such workers for the various fields as it may approve.
It shall, after careful study, prepare annually a budget for submission to the General Board for its approval.
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It shall supervise the raising of funds with the aid of the General and Local Boards.
It shall each year prepare and submit for the approval of the General Board a draft of report to be forwarded to the Yearly Meeting, covering the missionary activities of the preceding year and such other subjects as it thinks should be brought to the attention of the Yearly Meeting.
Local Boards-A Local Board shall consist of the mem- bers of the General Board belonging to a Monthly Meeting and such additional members as may be appointed by the Monthly Meeting to compose it. It shall represent the Executive and General Boards within the limit of a Monthly Meeting. .
The Local Boards shall co-operate with the Superior Boards in enlisting and stimulating interest among Friends and others in their neighborhoods in the missionary activi- ties of the Yearly Meeting.
The Trustees of the Yearly Meeting should be author- ized to receive from the Treasurer of the Foreign Mis- sionary Association of Friends of Philadelphia such capi- tal moneys and securities as said association may wish to place under the care of the Yearly Meeting. The Execu- tive Board of the said association should, by appropriate minute, set forth the purpose and conditions under which the said moneys and securities are to be held by the Trustees of the Yearly Meeting.
In order that there may be no confusion in transferring responsibility to the new Missionary Board, we suggest that the present Executive Board of the Foreign Mission- ary Association be associated with the group about to be appointed until reports can be received from the different Monthly Meetings and the new General Board properly constituted.
On behalf and by direction of the Committee,
JOHN WAY, EDWARD G. RHOADS, ELIZABETH A. ROBERTS.
Philadelphia, Third Month 21, 1923.
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The Meeting entered into sympathy with the proposition presented in this report and the judgment prevailed that it would be right to appoint a few Friends to constitute the Executive Board ; with this end in view, the following were appointed to nominate to a future session this year fifteen Friends to constitute such a Board, such body to continue in office for three years, or until their successors shall be appointed.
The Nominating Committee consisted of Wm. B. Har- vey and others.
The following were appointed to audit the accounts of Wm. T. Elkinton, Treasurer, to examine the securities under his care, the property of the Yearly Meeting, to consider the appropriations to be granted to the Yearly Meeting the coming year, and in conjunction with him to give any other needed attention to the financial interests of the Yearly Meeting.
David G. Yarnall
Alice H. Yarnall
Morris E. Leeds
Jean Mason Smith
T. Barclay Whitson Rachel W. Conard
Charles W. Ash Frances E. Zook
Henry Marshall Alice A. Balderston
Henry H. Albertson Edna T. Lovett
Joseph Barton
Anna M. Darnell
The plan of holding two sessions of the Yearly Meeting daily has left little time free for important committees to confer between sessions. It is therefore the judgment of this Meeting that the Treasurer's audit should be made prior to Yearly Meeting week and the Yearly Meeting now directs that the Committee just named shall continue under appointment until Yearly Meeting week of 1924 and that prior to that time and at the convenience of our Treasurer, an audit of his accounts shall be made and the other duties specified in the earlier part of this minute shall be performed by them as has been done in previous years.
There was introduced from one of the Quarterly Meet- ings a suggestion that the time has again arrived when our
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Book of Discipline should be carefully considered for cor- rection and revision. A brief minute was forwarded from the Quarterly Meeting, calling our attention to concrete cases in which a revision was called for.
The Yearly Meeting felt unity with the judgment reached by the subordinate meeting and the decision was: arrived at to refer the matter to a special committee, de- siring that this committee give it the careful and weighty consideration we feel it merits, and that it be in no degree. confined to the topics referred to by the Quarterly Meeting introducing the subject.
Albert H. Votaw and others were appointed a nominat- ing committee.
The attention of the Meeting was called to the fact that article six of the Charter of Friends" Fiduciary Corporation calls for a triennial election of Corporators.
It having been three years since the Corporation was established, the Meeting now appointed Samuel L. Smed- ley and others to suggest to a future session of this Meeting the names of 30 Friends to represent the Yearly Meeting as Corporators, being mindful of the loss we have sustained in the original list of Corporators by the death of our beloved Friends Brinton P. Cooper and George S. Hutton.
Again, as on previous occasions like the present, we are in receipt of many letters from Friends in various parts of the world. Time was insufficient for the reading of all these communications (about 22), but we have been thoughtful to acknowledge the receipt of, them all, in each case accompanied by a message of sincere love on the part of this Yearly Meeting.
Letters were read from Friends of Chengtu, West China, the General Meeting of Friends in Australia, held in Melbourne, Ninth Month 28, 1922; from Mount Leb- anon Three Months Meeting, held at Brumana, Syria, First Month 13th of the present year ; one from a group of Friends at Stuttgart, Germany, dated Fourth Month 16th and 17th, 1922; one from Fritchley General Meeting of Friends, England, held the 3rd and 4th of Fifth Month
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of last year ; one, the covering letter from London Yearly Meeting, issued by that Yearly Meeting in connection with their General Epistle of last year (the latter having been printed in The Friend soon after its publication, and having received a very general circulation among our members, was not read) ; also three Epistles addressed to us by Yearly Meetings of Friends held at Westerly, R. I .; Barnesville, Ohio, and Paullina, Iowa.
The meeting is grateful for these messages of helpful counsel and desires that the feeling of fellowship mani- fested between those who issued them and ourselves may strengthen and increase and that we may all know a true travail of spirit for the advancement of the Master's Kingdom upon the earth.
Having continued in session as long as seemed profit- able, the Meeting directed that the representatives confer at the close of the session to propose tomorrow the names of Friends to serve the Meetings this year as Clerks and Assistant Clerks.
Then adjourned to meet in joint session tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock.
Third-day of the Week and Twenty-seventh of the Month
The Meeting convened at the hour appointed.
The representatives reported that they had met as di- rected in separate conference. The representatives to men's meeting were united in proposing that Davis H. Forsythe serve their meeting as Clerk and John D. Carter and Francis R. Taylor serve as Assistants ; the representa- tives to women's meeting were united in proposing Anna Rhoads Ladd as Clerk to their meeting and Mary R. Williams and Sarah Emlen Moore as her assistants.
These nominations were separately considered and united with by the respective meetings, and the Friends named were accordingly appointed for the current year.
A brief letter of loving greeting from our dear Friends Wm. C. and Elizabeth C. B. Allen, written on shipboard
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en route from Australia to South Africa, and dated Sec- ond Month, 14th, had been received byour Clerk ; arriving as it did too late to be read at the Meeting of Ministers and Elders, to which body it had been addressed, it seemed right to read it here.
The Meeting was dipped into a very real feeling of love and sympathy for our dear Friends.
Referring to the letters read at our session yesterday, and the one just alluded to, the Meeting now appointed the following Friends to seriously consider the duty and privilege that rest upon us as a body to draft replies to them. The Committee is left at liberty to address other bodies of Friends as they may feel a call to do so, all letters to be submitted to our session on Sixth-day.
The Committee is as follows :
Wm. Bishop and others.
Closing the list of communications addressed to the Yearly Meeting was a letter issued by a group of our own members and signed by some of them. The letter is as follows :
Philadelphia, Pa., 3-23-1923.
Dear Friends :
This letter is presented to our Yearly Meeting by a representative group of fifty or more Philadelphia Friends who have met several times since last Ninth Month to prayerfully consider the various phases of Christian Evangelism.
In a recent letter, the Executive Secretary of the Phila- delphia Federation of Churches says : "The fact that there are upwards of one million people in Philadelphia who are not members of any church, either Roman Cath- olic, Protestant or Jewish, is a challenge that no one interested can ignore." (This means about one-half the population of Philadelphia.) Then he urges us "to make definite plans for the intensive cultivation of Evangelism" in the vicinity of our meetings, if possible.
Have we an answer to this challenge ?
F
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Do we truly believe that Jesus Christ came "to seek and to save that which is lost?" and "to give His life a ransom for many ?"
"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith in me," Acts 26:13. May we not "be disobedient unto" this "heavenly vision !"
In these days of doubt and unbelief we need to help and strengthen all of our own members so that they may become well established on the only true Foundation. When our heart-hunger is met through yielding our lives completely to our Lord, Christ Jesus, we will become whole-hearted witnesses for Him, and a lasting "passion for souls" will be ours.
"As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you." Jno. 20:21.
Now "thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of His knowledge in every place." 2 Cor. 2:14.
The Christians of the First Century preached repentance and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. And we well know how the early Quakers shook England with this same Gospel message, and within fifty years most of the nations of the earth and the islands of the sea had been visited by them in the love of the Gospel.
We have been praying for a World Revival. Our friend Alfred C. Garrett said just before he went to Germany : "Pray for Germany-the only thing that will save her is a revival !"
We hope to continue to meet together and we believe it is of the utmost importance that groups of our mem- bers in all of our meetings should meet together often for earnest discussion and prayer for the work of our Yearly Meeting in all of its activities.
"But ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you and ye shall be my witnesses both in
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Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth." Acts 1:8.
We are, with Christian love, your friends,
Signed by sixteen Friends.
It was received in the spirit that had actuated those who had issued it, and it was felt to be a timely message for all of us to take to heart.
It is directed that the letter be sent to each of our Monthly Meetings, with the request that it be given the greatest publicity practicable, not only among our indi- vidual membership, but as widely afield as possible.
The increasing amount of business that comes before our Yearly Meeting has made it quite apparent the last few years that we cannot accomplish the task we set ourselves with the dignity that should characterize our deliberations without the addition of more time. The meeting of Ministers and Elders on Seventh-day last appointed a few Friends, Wm. B. Harvey and others, to confer with a committee of this Meeting (should way open for it on our part) to present a plan of Meetings for next year which shall make it possible for that Meeting to hold its two sessions on two different days and one of them during the week of Yearly Meeting, as has been its practice until this year, and for the Yearly Meeting to have such time at its disposal as will enable it to consider with reasonable deliberation all matters that should claim its care ; to constitute our representation on such a com- mittee, we appointed Arthur R. Pennell and others, the same to report to a later session this year.
A summary of the minutes of the Representative Meet- ing prepared by the Secretary of the Yearly Meeting was presented and read as far as time permitted. The hour for adjournment having arrived, the reading of the rest
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Third Day Afternoon
The meeting again convened at the appointed hour.
The reading not completed at our morning session was now finished.
This summary included reports of standing committees, items requiring a decision on the part of the Yearly Meeting, and many other matters of importance and of general interest to the membership. Expressions of ap- proval of the Committee's work during the year were voiced.
Our attention was called to the World Conference on Faith and Order planned for Fifth Month, 1925, to be held at Washington, D. C., and to include the Christian churches of the world.
The matter had so far met the approval of the Rep- resentative Meeting, that that body was a unit in forward- ing it to the Yearly Meeting for its action ; it elicited our interest and approval also, but with little knowledge at hand on which to base a fair judgment, the Yearly Meet- ing did not at present feel at liberty to go further than refer the subject to the Committee on Organic Church Union now under appointment, giving them full liberty to nomi- nate delegates to the conference if that course seemed a wise one to follow. The Committee is directed to report to the Yearly Meeting next year.
By decision of the Yearly Meeting last year, a minute of one of the subordinate meetings was referred to the Representative Meeting for its careful consideration. This had respect to a change in the Fifth Query, eliminat- ing reference to any specific diversions and directing attention forcibly to the general question of the use of our leisure time.
The Representative Meeting proposed a new form of Query. This as well as the Query now in our Book of Discipline was read and the decision upon due deliberation was reached that the form submitted by them be adopted. It is as follows :
At our meeting last year in connection with the report of the Social Order Committee, the proposition that the language of the Eighth Query be altered to conform to certain recommendations made in their report received the approval of the Yearly Meeting so far as to direct the Representative Meeting and the Social Order Committee to confer, and if way opened for it to revise said Query.
Report was submitted through the minutes of the Rep- resentative Meeting and the recommendations made by them were approved.
The report of the joint committee is as follows :
The Committee which has had under consideration revision of a portion of the Advices and the Eighth Query presented a proposed form for each; these were read and considered, and with very slight alterations approved and directed to be forwarded for final action by the Yearly Meeting.
The section of Advices and Query follow :
Proposed Paragraph for the Advices
(To be inserted at bottom of page 149 of the Discipline just before the paragraph beginning "Friends are ex- horted")
Let us remember that as followers of Christ we are called to help in establishing the Kingdom of God upon earth. May our sense of brotherhood with all men be strong, leading us-as workers, as employers, and in all other relations-to make the chief aim of our lives service rather than gain. May it inspire in us a deeper sympathy with those whose development is hindered by meagre in- come, insufficient education and too little freedom in di- recting their own lives. May it lead us not only to minister to those in need, but to seek to understand the causes
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Wat spiritual growth, rammy ine, the interests of the church and public welfare call for their due share of time and thought? Are you punctual to your promises, just in the payment of your debts and honest in all your dealings among men? Are you endeavoring to carry out the spirit and principles indicated in that paragraph of the Advices encouraging us to do our part in bringing in the Kingdom of God?
The recommendation of the Committee appointed to interpret our minute of 1921 concerning children having one parent a member was approved and the minute adopted. It is as follows :
The Committee appointed at the last Meeting to consider the request from the Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Western District for a clearer inter- pretation of the report adopted by the Yearly Meeting of 1921 in regard to children having but one parent a mem- ber, etc., report that they have had a conference with the Committee on Records of Membership, and as the result are united in the view that the evident intention of the Yearly Meeting was, that where non-members married to members are referred to, it means non-members of the Society of Friends, and that where their children are re- ferred to, it means minor children. We therefore suggest that the correct reading of the sentence in the report of the Committee, paragraph 1, which appears on page 5 of the Extracts from the Minutes of the Yearly Meeting of 1921, should read that Monthly Meetings are directed
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