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
"The use again of the word thou for you, as insisted upon by the
Quakers, leads them frequently into false grammar. 'Thee knowest,' and
terms like these, are not unusual in Quaker mouths. Now the Quakers,
though they defended the word thou for you on the notion, that they
ought not to accustom their lips to flattery, defended it also
strenuously on the notion, that they were strictly adhering to
grammar-rules. But all such terms as 'thee knowest,' and others of a
similar kind, must recoil upon themselves as incorrect, and as
censurable, even upon their own ground."
"The word you again may be considered as a singular, as well as a plural
expression. The world use it in this manner. And who are the makers of
language, but the world? Words change their meaning, as the leaves their
colour in autumn, and custom has always been found powerful enough to
give authority for a change."
With respect to these objections, it may be observed, that the word you
has certainly so far lost its meaning, as to be no longer a mark of
flattery. The Quakers also are occasionally found in the use of the
ungrammatical expressions, that have been brought against them. And
unquestionably, except they mean to give up the grammatical part of the
defence by Penn and Barclay, these ought to be done away. That you,
however, is of the singular number, is not quite so clear. For while
thou is used in the singular number in the Bible, and in the liturgy,
and in the prayers of individuals, and while it is the language, as it
is, of a great portion of the inhabitants of the northern part of the
kingdom, it will be a standing monument against the usurpation and
mutilated dominion of you.
SECT. V.
_Secondly against the words friend and neighbour, as used by the
Quakers--Quakers also said to be wrong in their disuse of titles--for
the use of these is sanctioned by St. Luke and St. Paul--answer of
Barclay to the latter assertion--this answer not generally deemed
satisfactory--observations upon the subject in dispute._
The subject, that comes next in order, will be that of the objections,
that are usually made against certain terms used by the Quakers, and
against their disuse of titles of honour, as sanctioned by the world.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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