First day, the 3d of 11th month. Sat our meeting to-day altogether in silence. Spent the rest of the week principally in attention to my temporal concerns, which I believe to be a Christian’s reasonable duty; except that I attended in company with some of the quarterly meeting’s committee on fifth day, the preparative meeting at Cowneck. I sat the meeting for worship in silent suffering; but was led in the preparative meeting, pretty largely to open the nature and design of the concern of the yearly meeting, with regard to the pious and guarded education of the youth of our society, particularly while young and at school, in getting their necessary school learning; that they might as much as possible, be kept out of harm’s way, by being placed at schools under the care of pious religiously concerned persons, members in society; who would be likely to co-operate with the religious concern of their parents, in endeavouring, as much as might be, to bring them up agreeably to apostolic exhortation: “In the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” For there is nothing that can more nearly and necessarily engage the minds of rightly exercised parents, next to their own souls, than the religious welfare of their children: for parents who can live in the neglect of this great and incumbent duty, must be dead to every right exercise and concern for the preservation and everlasting welfare of their tender offspring. First day, the 10th. Sat our meeting in silence: then rode several miles to visit a person who was sick, and returned the next day. I had to reflect on the great and serious loss sustained by a large portion of mankind, from the want of due attention and a right perseverance in the way of known duty while young in years; that when they are advanced in age, and bodily infirmities interfere and increase upon them, they are tossed up and down in their minds, and can find no sure place of refuge for their souls; like a ship in the midst of the ocean without a helm, and which can find no safe anchoring ground. On fourth day attended the funeral of a young woman on Cowneck, who was taken away very suddenly, with about three hour’s illness. I had an open time among the people that were assembled on this solemn occasion, and was led to call their attention to the propriety and necessity of an early preparation for death; and to show that it manifested great presumption in such a poor impotent creature as man, who was so sensible of the uncertainty of time, to dare to lay his head down at night to take his natural rest, without knowing his peace made with his God. Fifth and sixth days. Attended, in company with some of the committee of the quarterly meeting on the subject of schools, the preparative meetings of Martinicock and Bethpage; both of which were open favoured seasons, while the subject of our appointment was under consideration.