In the 1730's a man, Benjamin Lay, who had been born with a spinal deformity (dwarfism and hunchback) stood up in Burlington Quaker Meeting, and struck a sword through a pig bladder of red liquid spraying it upon those slave holding Quakers who were profiting from the sin and abomination of enslaving their fellow man. An emigrant from England, immigrant to Philadelphia, Pa. Benjamin had been cast out, persecuted, shunned and tormented for his belief that enslaving people was an immoral and un-Christian practice. It is hard for us in our modern, post-Civil War period to imagine that a group so pious as the Quakers would betray and persecute one of their own for witnessing to what we hold to be a truth today about the enslavement of people.
A close friend of mine and fellow history aficianado, Barbara Solem, recommended the book "The Fearless Benjamin Lay" written by Marcus Reducer. She had attended a book lecture and heard him speak. She bought the book, loved it and loaned it to me.
This book has great interest to me for three deep reasons: 1. I was once a member of the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, which I had to leave after I moved and was so beset with employment to support my child and myself, that I couldn't and wouldn't give up my only day off from work to go to meeting in New Jersey AND I had no car which would have required me to pack up my child and take buses to the nearest meetings. I was exhausted. I tried to keep up my attendance in Philadelphia until the morning that my daughter and I were endangered on the bus home by a drug addicted bus driver who kept swerving into the oncoming traffic when he drifted down on the nod. I was released from membership by retained my belief in the basic tenets of the Society of Friends, the light within that guides us to humane and righteous behavior when we listen to it, and a respect for and practice of egalitarian behavior to all creatures, human and animal. Though the last tenet is more characteristic of early 'Primitive Quakerism' there are still many practicing Friends who believe in it.
From time to time, after I retired and my mother gave me her old car, I was able to visit various meetings and remembered with warmth and affection my years with the Friends. Frequently I consider attending again as I have met some meetings that seem populated with truly good Friends and have amongst my acquaintance people who attend there, such as the Medford Meeting.
Also, 2. I have always been interested in those courageous people who stand out against accepted wrongs of their contemporary society to put their safety between the exploitation of the vulnerable and the abuse of the weak by the powerful "Speaking Truth to Power" This is as relevant in today's headlines as it has been in other periods of time. Today we confront the evil behavior of rich and powerful men towards those who fall under their power from Harvey Weinstock abusing women to Kevin Spacey abusing and exploiting young men. You don't have to look far to find other kinds of abuses, of farm workers, of animals, of poor workers producing products for American consumption in slave like factories in foreign countries with unregulated labor practices.
Finally, Benjamin Lay joins a pantheon of heroes of mine from my home-places Philadelphia (where I was born) and South Jersey (where I have lived all my adult life). These people include Alice Paul who fought for women's right to vote, and Abigail and Elizabeth Goodwin who lived devoted to abolition and the support and aid of fugitives from slavery, John Woodman, and all the strands of history that unite good people doing great work - including Harriet Tubman who has ties to South Jersey history through the Underground Railroad and her employment in Cape May. Almost every path that I take near my home, brings me in the vicinity of some good work - the Saddler's Woods for example, and my many samples over the asphalt trails of South Jersey have always taken me by Quaker Meetings from Haddonfield to Greenwich and the dozen or more in between.
I strongly recomment the book "The Fearless Benjamin Lay" to anyone with an interest in humanitarian activism, the history of our country, the Civil War, Anti-slavery movements, South Jersey and Philadelphia history, and religion and religious activism.
Sometimes the trails are sandy hiking paths, sometimes asphalt highways, backroads, and often, the trails are intellectual throughout time and allowing us to enjoy the companionship of great minds.
Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
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