DOCSLIB.ORG

THE ROWNTREE HISTORY SERIES and the GROWTH of LIBERAL QUAKERISM: 1895-1925 by ALICE SOUTHERN

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
THE ROWNTREE HISTORY SERIES and the GROWTH of LIBERAL QUAKERISM: 1895-1925 by ALICE SOUTHERN THE ROWNTREE HISTORY SERIES AND THE GROWTH OF LIBERAL QUAKERISM: 1895-1925 by ALICE SOUTHERN A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Theology and Religion College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham March 2010 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT This dissertation explores how some leading Quakers in the period 1895-1925 promoted liberal views within the Religious Society of Friends in Britain and the U.S.A. It focuses on the use of denominational history as a medium through which to transmit these ideas, in particular on the Rowntree History Series. I argue that the Rowntree History Series played a vitally important role in the construction of Liberal Quaker identity throughout this period: I focus on the attitudes of influential Quakers John Wilhelm Rowntree, Rufus Jones and William Charles Braithwaite in order to demonstrate that the Rowntree History Series was presented to enable Liberal Quakers to affirm Quaker tradition whilst at the same time justifying fundamental theological changes. I therefore conclude that the Rowntree History Series can be understood primarily as an intended resource for education and preparation for ministry. For John and Joan TABLE OF CONTENTS Page no. CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1 Outline of Dissertation ....................................................................................... 11 Significance of this Research ............................................................................. 14 Methodology ...................................................................................................... 15 Literature Review ............................................................................................... 16 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER TWO – THE BENEFIT OF HISTORY .............................................. 23 An Influential Friendship ................................................................................... 23 A Vision of a Quaker History ............................................................................. 26 The Unfolding Reality of the Rowntree History Series ..................................... 33 The Evolving Vision .......................................................................................... 35 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER THREE – PERCEPTIONS OF THE ROWNTREE HISTORY SERIES ................................................................................................................... 39 Academic Argument ........................................................................................... 39 Rufus Jones ......................................................................................................... 42 William Braithwaite ........................................................................................... 44 Significance ........................................................................................................ 45 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER FOUR – IMPLEMENTING THE VISION: WILLIAM CHARLES BRAITHWAITE .................................................................................................... 47 Misrepresentation of Puritanism ........................................................................ 48 Positive Understanding of Human Nature .......................................................... 49 Excusing Quaker „Extravagances‟ ..................................................................... 52 Leadership and Travelling Ministers .................................................................. 57 The Development of Organisational Structures ................................................. 59 Ambivalence Towards Quietism ........................................................................ 61 The Importance of Education to a Rational Religion ......................................... 62 Emphasising the Superiority of Quakerism ........................................................ 65 Comparisons with early Christianity .................................................................. 66 Emphasising the Universal Message of Quakerism ........................................... 67 Presenting Early Quakers as Social Activists ..................................................... 69 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................... 71 CHAPTER FIVE – IMPLEMENTING THE VISION: RUFUS JONES 73 Quakerism‟s Origins in Medieval Mysticism .................................................... 74 Positive Understanding of Human Nature .......................................................... 75 Verification by Inward Authority ....................................................................... 76 Ambivalence Towards Quietism ........................................................................ 77 The Value of Denominational Unity .................................................................. 79 Re-interpreting Evangelicalism .......................................................................... 82 Valuing of Personal Experience Above Dogma ................................................. 85 Transforming Energy of an Outward Looking Faith .......................................... 86 Presenting Quakers as Social Activists .............................................................. 87 Importance of Education to Rational Religion ................................................... 89 Biblical Criticism ............................................................................................... 91 Revitalisation of Unprogrammed Ministry ....................................................... 93 Leadership and Travelling Ministers .................................................................. 96 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................... 97 CHAPTER SIX – DENOMINATIONAL IDENTITY FORMATION ................. 99 Non-Creedal Identity .......................................................................................... 99 Liberal Quaker Identity .................................................................................... 102 Chicago Divinity School .................................................................................. 105 Methodism ........................................................................................................ 108 Evangelical Quakers ......................................................................................... 111 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................. 113 CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSION .................................................................. 115 Consequences for Scholarship .......................................................................... 117 Future Research ................................................................................................ 119 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................. 122 Bibliography CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION In this dissertation I explore how some leading Quakers promoted liberal views within the Religious Society of Friends in Britain and the U.S.A.1 In particular, I focus on the use of denominational history as a medium through which to strengthen and redefine Quaker identity according to a liberal theology. The Quakers involved in this project held pivotal roles in the envisioning, initiating and establishing of educational initiatives, such as summer schools,2 Woodbrooke3 and the Friends‟ Historical Society4 thereby influencing significant 1 When considering the American context I may refer to one of several yearly meetings. In the British Context I will be referring to London Yearly Meeting (now Britain Yearly Meeting). The term London Yearly Meeting refers to an annual business meeting (which as the name suggests usually takes place in London) wherein proposals were considered which affected the corporate life of all Quakers in Britain. However, it is also used to refer to all Quakers resident within its geographic boundaries because all Quakers were eligible to attend the annual meeting and participate in its decisions. The Religious Society of Friends worldwide is divided into several yearly meetings. These frequently correspond to the borders of countries, although in the U.S.A. there are several yearly meetings. London Yearly Meeting includes England, Scotland and Wales but not Northern Ireland which is a part of Ireland Yearly Meeting. 2 Summer Schools were ventures organised by liberal Quakers in
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 45 Packer Joseph and Seebohm Rowntree
    JOSEPH AND SEEBOHM ROWNTREE Ian Packer analyses the interwoven careers of two committed Liberals: Joseph Rowntree(–), founder of the family confectionary firm and the Trusts that still bear his name; and his son, Seebohm Rowntree (–), the businessman and social investigator, best known as the author of Poverty: a Study of Town Life (Macmillan, ). Unique and many- sided individuals, there was nobody else quite like them – though their enthusiasm for the collection and analysis of statistics helped to usher in a time when social investigation would be professionalised and impossible to combine with running a major industrial enterprise. Joseph Rowntree, on the cliffs at Scarborough, c. 1918; Seebohm Rowntree in his study, 1930s. All pictures accompanying this article kindly supplied by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. 4 Journal of Liberal History 45 Winter 2004–05 JOSEPH AND SEEBOHM ROWNTREE he name Rowntree A family firm learning to master and refine the was familiar in two Joseph Rowntree was born at production process. contrasting places for York on May . He was Joseph was obsessive about the much of the twenti- the second son of another Joseph quality of his products, urging eth century. The first Rowntree, a relatively wealthy his office staff to ‘Have a nibble, Twas as the manufacturer’s name and well-respected wholesale now and again’ to test them. The on some of Britain’s best-selling grocer in the city, and Sarah turning point for the firm was sweets and drinks, such as Elect Stephenson, whose family came the decision to manufacture fruit cocoa, Rowntree’s pastilles and from Manchester.
    [Show full text]
  • Liberal Education in York Since 1815, with Special Reference to Provision for Non-Vocational Adult Education
    Durham E-Theses Liberal education in York since 1815, with special reference to provision for non-vocational adult education. Ashurst T. B, How to cite: Ashurst T. B, (1972) Liberal education in York since 1815, with special reference to provision for non-vocational adult education., Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/9737/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 LIBERAL EDUCATION IN YORK SINCE 1815,, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO PROVISION FOR N ON-VOCATIONAL ADTJLT EDUCATION. A thesis submitted for examination for the degree of Master of Education in the University of Durham. Terence Bailey Ashurst, 1972. I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS \ I wish to acknowledge the kind assistance of the Librarians of York City Library, St. John's College Llbrarjr, York, and the Rowntree-Mackintosh, York, Technical Library.
    [Show full text]
  • Is There Such a Thing As an Absolute Poverty Line Over Time?
    Is There Such a Thing as an Absolute Poverty Line Over Time? Evidence from the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia on the Income Elasticity of the Poverty Line by Gordon M. Fisher (An earlier version of this paper was presented October 28, 1994, at the Sixteenth Annual Research Conference of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management in Chicago, Illinois. A 9-page summary of this paper is available on the Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines Web site at http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/poverty/papers/elassmiv.htm.) For a brief summary of the U.S. evidence in this paper, see Gordon M. Fisher, "Relative or Absolute--New Light on the Behavior of Poverty Lines Over Time," GSS/SSS Newsletter [Joint Newsletter of the Government Statistics Section and the Social Statistics Section of the American Statistical Association], Summer 1996, pp. 10-12. (This article is available on the Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines Web site at http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/poverty/papers/relabs.htm.)) The views expressed in this paper are those of the author, and do not represent the position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. August 1995 (202)690-6143 [elastap4] CONTENTS Introduction....................................................1 Evidence from the United States--General Comment................2 Evidence from the United States--Quantitative Studies of Standard Budgets...........................................3 Evidence from the United States--Additional Quantitative Data on Standard
    [Show full text]
  • Victorian Philanthropy and the Rowntrees: the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust Mark Freeman University of Glasgow
    Quaker Studies Volume 7 | Issue 2 Article 5 2003 Victorian Philanthropy and the Rowntrees: The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust Mark Freeman University of Glasgow Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/quakerstudies Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, and the History of Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Freeman, Mark (2003) "Victorian Philanthropy and the Rowntrees: The osJ eph Rowntree Charitable Trust," Quaker Studies: Vol. 7: Iss. 2, Article 5. Available at: http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/quakerstudies/vol7/iss2/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Quaker Studies by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 192 QUAKER STUDIES QUAKERSTUDIES 7/2 (2003) [193-213] ISSN 1363-013X Stanley D. Brunn Mailing address: Department of Geography, 1457 Patterson Office Tower, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, USA Email: [email protected] Elizabeth J Leppman Mailing address: Department of Geography, Saint Cloud State University, 720 Fourth VICTORIAN PHILANTHROPY AND THE ROWNTREES: THE Avenue South, Saint Cloud, Minnesota 56301, USA JOSEPH ROWNTREE CHARITABLE TRUST Email: [email protected] Mark Freeman University of Glasgow, Scotland ABSTRACT Through an examination of the establishment and early grant-making priorities of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, this article explores the development of Quaker philanthropy in Britain in the Victorian and Edwardian periods, especially in the context of the long-standing Quaker interest in adult education. It locates Joseph Rowntree's view of philanthropy in the wider contexts of the changingpatterns of Victorian and Edwardian philanthropic theory and practice, the nineteenth-century growth of Quaker social concern, and the changing perceptions of the problem of poverty during Rowntree's lifetime.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    INTRODUCTION Most investigations of early twentieth-century Liberalism have centred on the politics of Campbell-Bannerman and Asquith's cabinets, the thought of Liberal intellectuals, and the struggles of local parties.1 But the world of the backbencher remains relatively obscure. When he has been studied, it has usually been in the mass as historians have sought to chart changes in the social background of Liberal MPs or tabulate their opinions, as expressed in parliamentary divisions, on topics like social reform or the relative merits of Asquith and Lloyd George.2 Much less is known about the lives of backbench MPs. This is largely because few of these men left any detailed records. The only published diary of a backbench Liberal MP for this period is that of R.D. Holt, MP for Hexham 1907-1918, and this can be supplemented by a handful of similar sources in archives around the country.3 The letters which Arnold Rowntree wrote to his wife, Mary, while he was MP for York in 1910-1918 provide an important addition to the existing material. They are particularly significant for three reasons. Firstly, Rowntree was, in many ways, a fairly typical Liberal backbencher. He was a middle-aged nonconformist businessman, sitting for a constituency that was his home and the location of his business. But he provides an important corrective to the idea that all men from this background were, like R.D. Holt, necessarily enemies of the New Liberalism. Secondly, Rowntree's letters are not just concerned with parlia- mentary politics. They cover all his interests, including his family, business, and religion and his charitable work.
    [Show full text]
  • Creating the Slum: Representations of Poverty in the Hungate and Walmgate Districts of York, 1875-1914
    Laura Harrison Ex Historia 61 Laura Harrison1 University of Leeds Creating the slum: representations of poverty in the Hungate and Walmgate districts of York, 1875-1914 In his first social survey of York, B. Seebohm Rowntree described the Walmgate and Hungate areas as ‘the largest poor district in the city’ comprising ‘some typical slum areas’.2 The York Medical Officer of Health condemned the small and fetid yards and alleyways that branched off the main Walmgate thoroughfare in his 1914 report, noting that ‘there are no amenities; it is an absolute slum’.3 Newspapers regularly denounced the behaviour of the area’s residents; reporting on notorious individuals and particular neighbourhoods, and in an 1892 report to the Watch Committee the Chief Constable put the case for more police officers on the account of Walmgate becoming increasingly ‘difficult to manage’.4 James Cave recalled when he was a child the police would only enter Hungate ‘in twos and threes’.5 The Hungate and Walmgate districts were the focus of social surveys and reports, they featured in complaints by sanitary inspectors and the police, and residents were prominent in court and newspaper reports. The area was repeatedly characterised as a slum, and its inhabitants as existing on the edge of acceptable living conditions and behaviour. Condemned as sanitary abominations, observers made explicit connections between the physical condition of these spaces and the moral behaviour of their 1 Laura ([email protected]) is a doctoral candidate at the University of Leeds, and recently submitted her thesis ‘Negotiating the meanings of space: leisure, courtship and the young working class of York, c.1880-1920’.
    [Show full text]
  • Next Great Next Great
    Points of interest on the walk The Rowntree Family Joseph Rowntree (1836-1925), was the son 1. 28 Pavement 6. Penn House of another Joseph (1801-1859) who was Joseph’s father started a high-class grocery business here. Family and Known as “Top House” in his lifetime, Penn House was Joseph’s a grocer in York, and his wife, Sarah. twelve apprentices lived above the shop until Joseph was nine years home off and on for nearly forty years, from the time of his marriage Starting out as an apprentice in the York’s old. George Cadbury (founder of Cadbury’s) was an apprentice for two to his first wife Julia in 1862. Julia died just a year later and Joseph York’s shop, the younger Joseph went into years. Rats infested the kitchen, children swung off the banisters and married Emma Antoinette Seebohm (known as Antoinette) in 1867. partnership with his brother Henry Isaac nextnext greatgreat created chemical explosions in the attic, but philosophy, parliamentary It had been his parents’ house, and when he first moved in, it was at the struggling cocoa factory in 1869. In debates, Quaker thought and sugar, coffee and tea prices were ingeniously divided by his mother so that the two households could the course of his own lifetime, he turned discussed over dinner. live closely but separately within the same building. The house is now Rowntree’s into one the most famous part of Bootham School. In 1905 Joseph and Antoinette moved out to chocolate factories in England. Joseph Clifton Lodge. married twice - first to Julia Seebohm, who 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree (1871-1954)
    Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree (1871-1954) ‘New occasions teach new duties; time makes ancient good uncouth.’ Joseph Rowntree, confectioner and philanthropist, liked to quote these lines by the American poet James Russell Lowell. Joseph’s second son, Seebohm, followed closely in his father’s footsteps and became a world-renowned innovator in business management and champion of the poor, unemployed, homeless, and old people. In these roles he was a significant influence behind the founders of the welfare state and industrial democracy. Little is known about Seebohm the man, as he famously burnt his papers shortly before his move to Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire (ironically, given his Liberal and Quaker heritage, to the former home of Benjamin Disraeli). But the titles of his works are a sure sign of the continued relevance of many social questions still being debated today. For example: The Human Factor in Business, The Human Needs of Labour, We can Conquer Unemployment, Industrial Unrest, Mixed Farming and Muddled Thinking, How Shall we Think of Society and Human Relations?, The Present State of the Housing Problem, A Survey on the Problems of Ageing and the Care of Old People. Though a shadowy figure in modern British history, by his work in linking Poverty, Social Policy, and Business Efficiency, and working at the heart of government through two World Wars, Seebohm Rowntree has come to be regarded as one of the major pioneers in the shaping of modern Britain. POVERTY STUDIES Rowntree’s ground-breaking work Poverty a Study of Town Life (1901) became a classic in the emerging field of empirical sociology.
    [Show full text]
  • POSTER-Rowntree-Soci
    Rowntree’s Writings Seebohm Rowntree died over 60 years ago, at his home in Hughenden Manor – ironically, given his Liberal and Quaker leanings – at the former home of Benjamin Disraeli. Though a shadowy figure in modern British history, by his work in linking Poverty, Social Policy, and Business Efficiency, and working at the heart of government through two World Wars, Rowntree has come to be regarded as one of the major pioneers in the shaping of modern Britain. Little is known about Seebohm the man, as he famously burnt his papers shortly before his move to Buckinghamshire. But the titles of his works are a sure sign of the continued relevance of many of the social questions still being debated today. The Rowntree Company and the Philanthropic Trusts Seebohm’s father Joseph built up his wealth by developing gums and pastilles. Chocolate drinks were promoted by Quakers as an alternative drink to alcohol for the working man. The rapid growth of the company led to the building of ultra-modern new factory premises, as well as a garden village in response to Seebohm’s work on Poverty in York. In 1904 Joseph put half of his wealth into three philanthropic trusts with the aim of creating a fair, equal and democratic society. Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree (1871-1954) Quaker scion of the Rowntree confectionery company in York. Innovator in business management, champion of the poor, unemployed, homeless, and old people. Key architect of the welfare state, industrial democracy, and scientific management. Rowntree and Poverty Studies Rowntree and his workers’ welfare Poverty, a Study of Town Life became Rowntree introduced a range of a classic text in the emerging field pioneering welfare benefits for the of sociology.
    [Show full text]
  • Jonathan Bradshaw on Social Policy Selected Writings 1972–2011
    Jonathan Bradshaw on Social Policy Selected Writings 1972–2011 Jonathan Bradshaw on Social Policy Selected Writings 1972–2011 Edited by Richard Cookson, Roy Sainsbury and Caroline Glendinning © J R Bradshaw, R A Cookson, R Sainsbury and C Glendinning 2013 Copyright in the original versions of the essays in this book resides with the original publishers, as listed in the acknowledgements. Published by University of York. Edited by Richard Cookson, Roy Sainsbury and Caroline Glendinning. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, adapted, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright holders. The rights of J R Bradshaw, R A Cookson, R Sainsbury and C Glendinning to be identified as the authors of this work have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-1-907265-22-8 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-907265-23-5 (epub) ISBN 978-1-907265-24-2 (mobi) Cover design by Richard Cookson and Clare Brayshaw Prepared and printed by: York Publishing Services Ltd 64 Hallfield Road Layerthorpe York YO31 7ZQ Tel: 01904 431213 Website: www.yps-publishing.co.uk Contents Notes on the editors Acknowledgements Introduction 1. The taxonomy of social need 1 2. Legalism and discretion 13 3. The family fund: an initiative in social policy 35 4. Energy and social policy 71 5. Evaluating adequacy: the potential of budget standards 81 6. Policy and the employment of lone parents in 20 countries 105 7.
    [Show full text]
  • BRITISH QUAKER WOMEN and PEACE, 1880S to 1920S
    BRITISH QUAKER WOMEN AND PEACE, 1880s TO 1920s by MIJIN CHO A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Theology and Religion College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham July 2010 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT This thesis explores the lives of four British Quaker women—Isabella Ford, Isabel Fry, Margery Fry, and Ruth Fry—focusing on the way they engaged in peace issues in the early twentieth century. In order to examine the complexity and diversity of their experiences, this thesis investigates the characteristics of their Quakerism, pacifism and wider political and personal life, as well as the connections between them. In contrast to O’Donnell’s view that most radical Victorian Quaker women left Quakerism to follow their political pursuits with like-minded friends outside of Quakerism, Isabella Ford, one of the most radical socialists, and feminists among Quakers remained as a Quaker. British Quakers were divided on peace issues but those who disagreed with the general Quaker approach resigned and were not disowned; the case of Isabel Fry is a good example of this.
    [Show full text]
  • Berridge, V (2005) Temperance: Its History and Impact on Cur- Rent and Future Alcohol Policy
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by LSHTM Research Online Berridge, V (2005) Temperance: Its History and Impact on Cur- rent and Future Alcohol Policy. Technical Report. Joseph Rowntree Foundation, London. Downloaded from: http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/427981/ DOI: Usage Guidelines Please refer to usage guidelines at http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/policies.html or alterna- tively contact [email protected]. Available under license: Copyright the publishers Temperance Its history and impact on current and future alcohol policy Virginia Berridge This report examines the history of temperance, and how it can inform alcohol policy in the present and future. Published at a time when alcohol consumption has occasioned much public and media debate, the report relates the past to the present by examining the culture of drinking, and how it could be changed. In the past, temperance helped to create a ‘respectable working class’ and an ethos which would now be called ‘ social capital’. The report explores whether this culture can be brought up to date. It also discusses the role of the media,of pressure groups and of local government, the prominence given to women’s’ drinking, the potential for religious influence in a multi cultural society, health messages about alcohol, and alliances between medicine, public health and the police. The report also reviews the political possibilities for alcohol. For the first time for many years alcohol is a political issue, as was temperance. The report looks at whether those with an interest in health should work with the drinks industry, explores the role of international networks of influence and considers how the history of action against tobacco can inform future alcohol strategies.
    [Show full text]