Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the GospelYeardley, John
Religion
Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel
Yeardley, John
Clergy -- United States -- Biography; Quakers -- Biography; Yeardley, John, 1786-1858
1823. 1 _mo_. 4.--For want of faith we are too much inclined to serve
ourselves before we are willing to serve the Great Master, thinking we may
be able to do much for him afterwards, when it will more accord with our
situation in life. But, alas! this time may never come; if we thus put by
the _acceptable season_, our lives may close with our only having
performed very imperfectly the part which had been designed for us in the
Church militant. Painful would be the sting when appealing to the Judge of
the earth, in a moment when we no longer possessed the capability of
serving him, should the declaration be, Thou hadst a desire to serve me
when in health and strength, but thou wished _first_ to _serve
thyself_. My time was not then thy time, therefore _thy time_ is
not now _my time_.
A letter to his brother, written in the summer of this year (6 mo. 9),
gives a description of the mode of bleaching in use in Germany, which
will, we believe, be interesting to the English reader. John Yeardley
says:
Wilt thou not be surprised when I tell thee that I am about to commence
yarn-bleaching? Thou mayst be sure there is a pretty certain prospect of
considerable advantages, with not much risk, to induce me to make the
attempt. The advantages are threefold--safety, expedition and cheapness.
The first consists in the simplicity of treatment and safety of the
ingredients, no chemical process being made use of; the second arises from
the heat of the climate; the last is easily accounted for from the low
price of labor and the cheapness of the raw material, which is produced in
abundance in the neighborhood. In the country around, for a very
considerable distance, almost every family make their own linen; they grow
or buy the flax, spin the yarn and get it woven, and either bleach it
themselves or send it to others who have better conveniences in water, &c.
As the spring commenced, I noticed these little bleaching-plots wherever I
went, and often wondered that the color was so good. Knowing that such
people could not possibly be at any great expense or risk in the
operation, I concluded it must be done by dint of time and labor,
supposing that the yarn and cloth must lie at least a few months on the
grass; but, on inquiry, I was surprised to find it was made quite white in
three weeks or a month. To make a further proof, I sent two bundles of
yarn to two different places to bleach; it is now returned of a very good
color and perfectly strong, though it has been in blenching only a month
and two or three days, and although the greater part of the Fifth Month
has been unfavorable for bleaching. As to any risk of the yarn being
tendered, it is quite out of the question; it seems to be done by the
operation that nature points out. I have found a very convenient place For
the purpose of making trial; there is plenty of good clear water. There is
a prospect of having honest workpeople, and at very reasonable wages--not
more than 6_d_. or 8_d_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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