Early Labors in the Ministry.
Probably the first official public service to which Elias Hicks was
ever assigned by the Society related to a matter growing out of the
Revolutionary War. Under the new meeting-house in New York was a large
room, usually rented for commercial purposes. During the British
occupation this room was appropriated as a storehouse for military
goods. The rent was finally tendered by the military commissioner to
some representative Friends, and by them accepted. This caused great
concern to many members of the meeting, who felt that the Society of
Friends could not consistently be the recipient of money from such
a source. The matter came before the Yearly Meeting in 1779. The
peace party felt that the rent money was blood money, and should be
returned, but a vigorous minority sustained the recipients of this
warlike revenue. It was finally decided to refer the matter to the
Yearly Meeting of Pennsylvania for determination. A committee to carry
the matter to Philadelphia was appointed, of which Elias Hicks, then a
young man of thirty-one, was a member.
He made this service the occasion for some religious visits, which
he, in company with his friend, John Willis, proceeded to make _en
route_. The two Friends left home Ninth month 9, 1779, but took a
roundabout route in order to visit the meetings involved in the concern
of Elias. Instead of crossing over into New Jersey and going directly
to Philadelphia, they went up the Hudson valley to a point above
Newburgh, visiting meetings on both sides of the river. Their most
northern point was the meeting at Marlborough, in Ulster County, New
York. They then turned to the southwest, and visited the meetings at
Hardwick[16] and Kingwood, arriving at Philadelphia, Ninth month 25th.
Elias attended all the sittings of the yearly meeting until Fourth-day,
when he was taken ill, and was not able to be in attendance after that
time. He was not present when the matter which called the committee
to Philadelphia was considered. The decision, however, was that the
money received by the New York meeting for rent paid by the British
army should be returned. This was done by direction of New York Yearly
Meeting in 1780. It may be interesting to note that in 1779 the Yearly
Meeting of Pennsylvania began with the Meeting of Ministers and Elders;
Seventh-day, the 25th of Ninth month, and continued until Second-day,
the 4th of Tenth month, having practically been in session a week and
two days.[17]
[16] Hardwick was in Sussex County, New Jersey. It was the home meeting
of Benjamin Lundy, the abolitionist.
[17] From 1755 to 1798, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting was held in Ninth
month.
Following the Yearly Meeting in Philadelphia, the meeting at Byberry
was visited, as were those at Wrightstown, Plumstead and Buckingham,
in Bucks County, Pa. On the return trip he was again at Hardwick,
after which he passed to the eastern shore of the Hudson, and was at
Nine Partners, Oswego and Oblong. Turning southward, the meetings at
Peach Pond, Amawalk and Purchase were visited. From the latter point he
journeyed homeward.
This first religious journey of Elias Hicks lasted nine weeks, and in
making it he traveled 860 miles. Forty years later, many of the places
visited at this time became centers of the troublesome controversy
which divided the Society in 1827 and 1828.
Four years after the concern and service which took Elias Hicks to
Philadelphia in 1779, he undertook his second recorded religious visit.
It was a comparatively short one, and took him to the Nine Partners
neighborhood. He was absent from home on this trip eleven days, and
traveled 170 miles.
In 1784 Elias had a concern to visit neighborhoods in Long Island not
Friendly in their character. He made one trip, and not feeling free of
the obligations resting upon him, he made a second tour. During the two
visits he rode about 200 miles.
He seems to have had a period of quiet home service for about six
years, or until 1790, when two somewhat extended concerns were
followed. The first took him to the meetings in the western part of
Long Island, to New York City and Staten Island. This trip caused him
to travel 150 miles. The next visiting tour covered a wide extent of
territory, and took him to eastern New York and Vermont. On this trip
he was gone from home about four weeks, and traveled 591 miles.
The year 1791 was more than usually active. Besides another visit to
those not Friends on Long Island, he made a general visit to Friends
in New York Yearly Meeting. This visit took him to New Jersey,
Connecticut, Massachusetts and up the Hudson valley as far as Easton
and Saratoga. The Long Island visit consumed two weeks' time, and
involved traveling 115 miles. On the general visit he was absent from
home four months and eleven days, and traveled 1500 miles.
In 1792 a committee, of which Elias was a member, was appointed by the
Yearly Meeting of Ministers and Elders to visit subordinate meetings
of that branch of the Society. In company with these Friends every
meeting of Ministers and Elders was visited, and a number of meetings
for worship were attended. On this trip he was at Claremont, in
Massachusetts, and desired to have an appointed meeting. It seemed
that the person, not a Friend, who was to arrange for this meeting did
not advertise it, for fear it would turn out a silent meeting, and he
would be laughed to scorn. The attendance was very small, but otherwise
satisfactory, so that the fearful person was very penitent, and desired
that another meeting might be held. Elias says: "But we let him know
that we were not at our own disposal; and, as no way appeared open in
our minds for such an appointment at present, we could not comply with
his desire."
An appointed meeting was also held near Dartmouth College, but the
students were hilarious, and the occasion very much disturbed. Still,
the visitor hoped "the season was profitable to some present."
In the following year, 1793, he had a concern to visit Friends in
New England, during which he attended meetings in Rhode Island,
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine and the Massachusetts islands. On
this trip he traveled by land or on water 2283 miles, and was absent
about five months. It may be interesting to note that the traveling
companion of Elias Hicks on the New England visit was James Mott, of
Mamaroneck, N. Y., the maternal grandfather of James Mott,[18] the
husband of Lucretia.
[18] Adam Mott, the father of Lucretia's husband, married Anne,
daughter of James Mott.
The New England Yearly Meeting was attended at Newport. The meeting
was pronounced a "dull time" by the visitor. This was occasioned in
part, he thought, because a very small number took upon "them the whole
management of the business, and thereby shutting up the way to others,
and preventing the free circulation and spreading of the concern, in a
proper manner, on the minds of Friends; which I have very often found
to be a very hurtful tendency."
It seems that in those days the Meeting of Ministers and Elders
exercised the functions of a visiting committee. Accordingly, the
Yearly Meeting of Ministers and Elders in 1795 appointed a committee
to visit the quarterly and preparative meetings within the bounds of
the Yearly Meeting. As a member of this committee, Elias performed
his share of this round of service. On this visit a large number of
families were visited.
The visits were made seasons of counsel and advice, especially in the
"select meetings." In these, he says, "My mind was led to communicate
some things in a plain way, with a view of stirring them up to more
diligence and circumspection in their families, the better ordering and
disciplining of their children and household, and keeping things sweet
and clean, agreeably to the simplicity of our holy profession; and I
had peace in my labor."[19]
[19] Journal, p. 57.
Possibly his most extended visit up to that time was made in 1798. The
trip was really begun Twelfth month 12, 1797. It included meeting's in
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. On this trip
he was from home five and one-half months, traveled 1600 miles, and
attended 143 meetings, nearly an average of one meeting a day.
It was on this journey that he seriously began his public opposition to
the institution of slavery. On the 12th of Third month, at a meeting at
Elk Ridge, Md., he says:
"Truth rose into dominion, and some present who were slaveholders
were made sensible of their condition, and were much affected. I felt
a hope to arise that the opportunity would prove profitable to some,
and I left them with peace of mind. Since then I have been informed
that a woman present at that session, who possessed a number of
slaves, was so fully convinced, as to set them free, and not long
afterwards joined in membership with Friends; which is indeed cause
of gratitude and thankfulness of heart, to the great and blessed
Author of every mercy vouchsafed to the children of men."[20]
[20] Journal, p. 67.
His personal correspondence on this trip yields some interesting
description of experiences, from which we make the following extract,
from a letter written to his wife from "Near Easton, Talbot County,
Maryland, Second month 12, 1798":
"Mary Berry, an ancient ministering Friend, that Job Scott makes
mention of, was with us at the meeting. On Seventh-day we attended
a meeting with the black people at Easton, which we had appointed
some days before. There was a pretty large number attended, and the
opportunity favoured. Mary Berry observed she thought it was the most
so, of any that had ever been with them. They were generally very
solid, and many of them very tender. The white people complained much
of some of them for their bad conduct, but according to my feeling,
many of them appeared much higher in the kingdom than a great many of
the whites.
"Some days past we were with the people called Nicolites. They dress
very plain, many of them mostly in white. The women wore white
bonnets as large as thine, and in form like thy old-fashioned bonnet,
straight and smooth on the top. In some of their meetings three or
four of the foremost seats would be filled with those who mostly had
on these white bonnets. They have no backs to their seats, nor no
rising seats in their meeting-houses. All sat on a level. They appear
like a pretty honest, simple people. Profess our principles, and most
of them, by their request, have of late been joined to Friends, and I
think many of them are likely to become worthy members of Society, if
the example of the backsliders among us do not stumble or turn them
out of the right way. There was about 100 received by Friends here at
their last monthly meeting, and are like for the first time to attend
here next Fifth-day, which made it the more pressing on my mind to
tarry over that day."