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John Bright-Nineteenth Century Humanitarian

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John Bright-Nineteenth Century Humanitarian Twelfth Month 17, 1936 THE FRIEND 217 John Bright-Nineteenth Century Humanitarian By LEONARD s. KENWORTHY [In this issue we continue our policy of printing, the Penketh School,'J Ackworth, Newton-in-Bow­ from time to time, articles of more than temporary land, the Haddon School, and what is now known interest. The article is presented both for its own as Bootham, formerly York School. These schools sake and as preparatory material for the World Con­ were good for their day, but according to Bright, ference of Friends. The author is now Master of "even in Quakerdom there was room for education­ history, Brunswick School, Greenwich, Connecticut. al amendment." He is a graduate of Westtown School and Earlham More valuable inl,:;his development than the College, holding an M. A. degree from Columbia formal learning was the atmosphere which per­ University. He is the author of a recently pub­ vaded the schools he attended. Emphasis was lished biography, "The Tall Sycamore of the Wa­ placed on simplicity, straightforwardness, and bash."-Eds.] sincerity of living with John Bright was born high regard for the worth "on the sixteenth day of of every individual and the eleventh month, one the necessity for personal thousand and eight hun­ guidance by direct com­ dred and eleven," at munion with God. "Greenbank," Rochdale, The influence of this en­ England. His father, vironment is inestimable. Jacob Bright, was owner One biographer has em­ and proprietor of "The phasized it by writing:- Hanging Road Mill" and " His boyhood had in the community a judge been passed in the in Israel, acting as con­ atmosphere of the sultant in business affairs, Society of Friends, adviser in personal mat­ that intangible but ters, and friend to all. pervading spirit which The character of Martha instills rather than Bright, his mother, is best teaches the doctrine revealed in the words she of the equality and penned in her notebook brotherhood of men in 1819:- and women, of rich "I have no wish at and poor; the useless­ all," she wrote, "to ness of worldly dis­ see my children great tinctions; and the su­ or noted characters, preme duty of humane neither have I any conduct.'' right to expect that This is indeed high testi­ they will be distin­ monv to the educational guished for any ex­ and · religious ideals of traordinary talents. Friends, but it does not But that they may seem like an overstate­ be found filling up ment in the case of John their station, however JOHN BRIGHT Bright when one senses humble it may be, throughout his public work with uprightness and integrity, is both at this " that intangible but pervading spirit" to which time and often my humble pr~yer." Trevelyan refers. His ancestors were industrious middle class Barred as a Dissenter from the universities, he workers, quite typical of the stratum of society to never attained the thorough classical education which he gave his entire life. Some of them had considered essential to a well-bred man in nine­ suffered persecution for their religious beliefs. He teenth century England. His lack of grounding was a representative of their finest qualities, their in the classics was compensated by his knowledge highest ideals. For ~uch a background he was of the English language, in which the Bible and eternally grateful, often expressing his gratitude Milton's writings were his textbooks. publicly. At fifteen he went to work in his father's mill His education was limited to short periods of and began his life-long associations with the work­ attendance at the Townhead School in Rochdale, ing classes of England. His education meanwhile 218 THE FRIEND Twelfth Month 17, 1936 was rounded out by many activities. In the his membership in it. He was one of its outstand­ Rochdale Literary and Philosophical Society he ing exponents. gained information, knowledge of parliamentary Rufus Jones has written that: procedur~ and experience as a speaker, all of which "No other Friend since William Penn has stood him in good stead later. A Mediterranean put the Quaker peace position to such a trip, including Greece, Egypt, Palestine, Sicily public test, and no other Friend has succ~eded and Italy, and an extended trip to Ireland, gave to the extent he did in carrying Quaker 1deals him the broadening experience of travel before he into practice as the sound and stable basis was twenty-five. of national policy." Bracketing him with an entirely different ex­ FRIENDS AND HUMANITARIAN REFORMS ponent of Quakerism, he further says that: His family background and education had con­ "In John Bright and John G. Whittier the tributed much as early influences shaping his ordinary group-level of life was transcended character and his views on life. Important as and Quakerism received an interpretation into these were, the influence of the Society of Friends life through persons who were undoubtedly was even greater. This group provided him with men of genius." the essential philosophy and outlook on life which One reason for his importance to the Society of pervaded his thinking and dominated his actions Friends lies in the fact that he helped to rescue the in his crusades for humanitarian reforms. group from a period of self-consciousness in wh~ch To John Bright, as to those of his faith, man is it was introspective to a damaging degree, worrymg ofJinfinite value in the universe, transcending in over its own soul and forgetting too often the souls importance reason or any of the faculties of the of others. mind; nature, or any of its forces. It is his endow­ The impetus he gave to a group struggling .to ment with a spark of the divine which makes him free itself from doctrinal disputes and renew 1ts of infinite value and places his life, not in the hands testimonies in the field of service to humanity of men to arrange in rank, classify in position, cannot be over-estimated. He opposed the practice differentiate in .opportunity, segregate by race, or of disowning members and encouraged Friends to subjugate in social or economic slavery, but in the take an active part in political and social reforms. hands of God whose guidance he must seek and Throughout his public career, he was encourag­ whose leading he must follow. This is the nearest · ing by precept and example the application of !he that Friends approach to a creed; this the nearest Quaker testimony for social reforms. Paralleh!lg that John Bright subscribed to any dogma. such activities as the extension of the franch1se There is unanimity among the biographers of and the repeal of the Corn Laws were the Qu~ker John Bright as to this influence. It could hardly movements for the abolition of capital pumsh­ be otherwise. His most famous biographer, George ment, the passage of laws and the provision of Trevelyan says:- institutions for the more humane care of the insane "He was also a Friend, and the Friends are and criminal, the organization of the Adult Schools, a spiritual aristocracy. He practiced the the formation of the Home and Foreign Missionary silence of his sect, and drew thence the strength Associations, and the rise of the First Day School of his soul, the purity of his heart, and the Association. quality of his speech." To Friends then and to Friends today his life embodies two cardinal essentials of Quakerism­ . The best expression of this influence comes from individual character and social consciousness. Charles A. Vince in his study of John Bri?.ht. After discussing the various factors which shaped his life, he concludes:- THE ANTI-CORN LAW AGITATION "It is still more important that the student The first major issue to which John Bright de­ of his career should not for a moment forget voted his talents and his energy was the repeal of that he was a member of the Society of Friends. the iniquitous Corn Laws which had been passed The discipline of that society has been pre­ as protective measures against foreign trade dur­ eminently successful in promoting both private ing the French Revolution and had never been virtue and a generous sense of public duty. relaxed. Bright's religion was the foundation of his During the 30's and 40's conditions among the public as well as of his private character; and poorer classes had been aggravated so rnuch by the faith he possessed by inheritance and by these laws that life was intolerable. Home trade education was that of a sect whose present­ was poor; foreign trade stagnant. Grain from ment of Christianity has sedulously given to abroad had been excluded, thereby limiting an the consecration of daily life priority over already insufficient supply. The landed oligarchy observance and doctrine." had profited from this scarcity by an increase in prices at the expense of the middle and lower If Bright profited by his contacts with the classes. Society . of Friends, the Society also profited by In the case of a medium sized family Cobden Twelfth Month 17, 1936 THE FRIEND 219 calculated that the tax on bread would consume The main power of the League came through the about one-fifth of the family income. To their personalities of its leaders, Bright and Cobden, entreaties for aid these people often received such who were "a matchless combination." Cobden advice as was offered by a protectionist duke who was the strategist, the cautious planner; Bright, said that they should take an occasional pinch of the emotionalist, the fervid mover of masses. curry powder with water to replace food. "While Cobden moved the reason, Bright moved Once the populace had purchased what little the heart." They were often joined by a third food money could buy, there was little left with speaker, William Johnson Fox, a Unitarian minister which to buy manufactured goods.
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