Early Quaker education in PennsylvaniaWoody, Thomas
History
Early Quaker education in Pennsylvania
Woody, Thomas
Education -- Pennsylvania -- History; Society of Friends -- Education -- History; Thesis (Ph. D.)
At a quarterly meeting held at Abington, November 8, 1792, the
subject of schools coming under consideration, it is thought
expedient that the meetings be earnestly requested to take that
matter into solid consideration and send up in their reports
next quarter how far the advice of the yearly meeting has
been complied with in that respect. The clerk is requested to
furnish each member with a copy of this minute extracted from
the minutes of the quarterly meeting.
NATHAN CLEAVER, Clerk.
The clerk is directed to furnish the preparatives with a copy
of the above minute, and they are desired to inform this
meeting of their situation in the above respects.[503]
[Sidenote: The poor educated; 1792]
The report of the monthly meeting in 1792 indicates that that meeting’s
concern for the education of the poor was comparable to others mentioned;
they state that all of the children “partake of learning freely”
and their and other Friends’ children “are placed among Friends” as
apprentices.
[Sidenote: Warrington]
[Sidenote: Youths’ meetings]
The earliest Quaker settlements in Warrington were in 1735,[504] and
their first meetings for worship were held with the Friends at Newberry.
Warrington Preparative Meeting was organized in 1745;[505] while the
monthly meeting records date to 1747.[506] For nearly thirty years there
is no notice in the records concerned with education, saving those which
refer to the settling of youths’ meetings. Those were very frequent.[507]
The report on the youths’ meetings in 1779 was as follows:
Some of the Friends appointed to attend the Youths’ Meeting
report that four of them attended it and gave it as their sense
that it was a good meeting, and that if it should be as well
attended in the future, it might be of use.[508]
[Sidenote: Committees of men and women named on schools]
Three years later, 1782, it was considered necessary to leave off
holding the youths’ meetings, for what reasons it is not known, but on
a protest from some members it was concluded that it might be continued
for at least another meeting.[509] In 1778 the yearly meeting extract
was received, in which the establishment of schools was recommended;
committees of both men and women were at once named for the service and
desired to report.[510] In the year following, the report was made on the
part of Warrington Preparative Meeting:
Warrington Meeting informs us that they have made choice of
William Underwood, Peter Cleaver, Benjamin Walker, and Joseph
Elgar for trustees and overseers of a school, with which this
meeting concurs.[511]
The trustees thus appointed, it seems, were not so successful as might
have been desired, if we may judge by their report made in 1780.
[Sidenote: No progress reported 1780]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account