A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 1: Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of FriendsClarkson, Thomas
Religion
A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 1: Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of Friends
Clarkson, Thomas
Society of Friends
I might proceed, till I made a little vocabulary of Quaker-expressions;
but this is not necessary, and it is not at all consistent with my
design. I shall therefore only observe, that it is expected of Quakers,
that they should use the language of the society; that they should
substitute thou for you; that they should discard all flattering titles
and expressions; and that they should adopt the numerical, instead of
the heathen names, of the days and months. George Fox gave the example
himself in all these instances. Those of the society, who depart from
this usage, are said by the Quakers to depart from "the plain language."
SECT. IV.
_Great objections by the world against the preceding alterations by the
Quakers--first against the use of thou for you--you said to be no longer
a mark of flattery--the use of it is said to be connected often with
false Grammar--Custom said to give it, like a noun of number, a singular
as well as plural Meaning--Consideration of these objections._
There will be no difficulty in imagining, if the Quakers have found
fault with the words and expressions adopted by others, and these the
great majority of the world, that the world will scrutinize, and find
fault with, those of the Quakers in return. This in fact has turned out
to be the case.--And I know of no subject, except that of dress, where
the world have been more lavish of their censures, than in that before
us.
When the Quakers first appeared as a religious community, many
objections were thrown but against the peculiarities of their language.
These were noticed by Robert Barclay and William Penn. But, since that
time, other objections have been started. But as these have not been
published (for they remain where they have usually been, in the mouths
of living persons) Quaker writers have not felt themselves called upon
to attempt to answer them. These objections, however, of both
descriptions, I shall notice in the present place.
As the change of the pronoun thou for you was the first article, that I
brought forward on the subject of the language of the Quakers, I shall
begin with the objections, that are usually started against it.
"Singularity, it is said, should always be avoided, if it can be done
with a clear conscience. The Quakers might have had honest scruples
against you for thou, when you was a mark of flattery. But they can have
no reasonable scruples now, and therefore they should cease to be
singular, for the word you is clearly no mark of flattery at the present
day. However improper it might once have been, it is now an innocent
synonime."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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