Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

History

Byberry’s Zoom Book Club

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It is October —  so in recognition of “All Hallows’ Eve” we suggest you get reading about  “The Witch’s Advocate”, the true story of Thomas Maule of Salem, Mass; a Quaker; and a witch’s advocate.  (Don’t worry, you have until November 9th to finish it, though).
Join us for an interesting (and equally disturbing) journey back to the life of Thomas Maule.  (Worthy of doing a bit of a Google search about him), Maule was whipped and imprisoned multiple times, and tried in 1696.  His acquittal is considered a pivotal event leading to the adoption of the First Amendment.Better than Google, read the book and join our discussion at 7PM on Monday, November 9th, to hear about this interesting Quaker, and seeker of truth.

Quakers in Education: Nitobe Inazo, Elizabeth Gray Vining, and Joseph Wharton

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This is the second in a series of articles about Quakers who’ve impacted the fields of education and contributed to global scientific, medical, political, or economic leadership. The first article was published on September 23 and covered Elise Goulding, Ezra Cornell, and Johns Hopkins.

Nitobe Inazo (1862-1933) was a Japanese Quaker who became the first Under Secretary General for the League of Nations. Nitobe was born into a samurai family on Honshu, the main island of Japan. While in college, he became a Christian and later a Friend. In 1884, He moved to the US for post-graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University. There he began attending Quaker meetings, telling friends, “I very much like their simplicity and earnestness.”

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Quaker Farms – Then and Now

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Not long ago, a typed narrative from a transcribed letter written by a Quaker farmer in “Chester Township” Pennsylvania showed up in some files. It was dated 10th month, 1725, and began “Dear Sister Mary Valentine, this goes with a salutation of love to thee, brother Thomas, and the children…”

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