John Woolman: Exemplar of Ethics

JOHN WOOLMAN: EXEMPLAR OF ETHICS By Phillips Moulton* In 1797 Mr. Thomas Poole asked Samuel Taylor Coleridge to write him a series of letters which would constitute an autobiography of the great poet. Coleridge agreed to do this. It is illuminating to note the one autobiographical work to which he referred as he began the series. In the first letter we read: "I should almost despair of that man, who could peruse the life of John Woolman without an amelioration of heart."1 This statement by Coleridge has been confirmed in my own experience. My first reading of Woolman's Journal at the age of twenty-eight was very rewarding. Woolman not only confirmed and enriched some of my unconventional ideas, he also challenged several of my assumptions and revealed new levels of ethical thought and action. As an exemplar of ethics, one who applied moral principles to personal and social experience, Woolman is one of the most significant figures in world history. The study of Woolman has particular relevance today in that he dealt with social issues which were similar in significant respects to those which confront us. His attitudes and methods of approach deserve special study in reference to our present-day racial revolution. Before we consider what distinguishes him as a great figure, a brief biographical sketch is in order. Woolman lived in colonial New Jersey during the heart of the eighteenth century (1720-1772). He was married and had two children, only one of whom survived infancy. Before our age of specialization, he was engaged, successively or concurrently , in the following occupations: farmer, merchant, tailor, * Phillips Moulton is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Adrian College , Adrian, Michigan. He read this paper at the sessions of the American Academy of Religion, Rocky Mountain Section, held on October 16-17, 1964 at the University of Wyoming. 1 Collected Letters of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, ed., E. L. Griggs (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1956-59), I, 302. 81 82Quaker History surveyor, scrivener and conveyancer, teacher, author, and itinerant Quaker minister. In the latter capacity he traveled, during a period of twenty-nine years, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware , Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Long Island, and New England. He died while visiting England. He was the most notable of hundreds of itinerant Quaker ministers in America and England between 1655 and the Revolutionary War. The chief literary work produced by Woolman was his Journal. Recognized as a classic, it is often included in anthologies of American literature. From his pen came also a variety of essays and letters. His primary concern was the issue of slavery, long before most other religious leaders recognized it as a major evil. Regarding his significance in this respect, Dr. Frederick B. Tolles of Swarthmore College writes: "More than any other single influence , it was Woolman's clear and steady voice that woke the conscience of the Quakers and ultimately, through them, of the Western world to the moral evil of slavery."2 I would amplify Dr. Tolles's statement only to suggest that his "voice" was heard as much through his life as through his words. Another concern which commanded Woolman's attention was participation in war, which became relevant when the conflicts between the British and the Indians reached his vicinity. He did much to establish more friendly relationships between whites and Indians. He also dealt with man's relationship to his fellows in economic life—in business, agriculture, and foreign trade. Relevant to all of these issues was Woolman's emphasis upon simple living. Although he did not advocate poverty, he definitely belongs among the great spiritual leaders of mankind, notably Francis of Assisi and Albert Schweitzer, who sought to live on as low an economic level as was consistent with accomplishing the divine will. What factors account for Woolman's greatness? This is comparable to asking: In what respects was the teaching of Jesus unique? Practically everything Jesus taught can be paralleled in the writings of his Jewish predecessors. We should not expect to find just one reason why Woolman stands out above the other Quaker ministers and writers of journals. The answer lies, rather, 2 The Journal of John Woolman and...