Thomas Earle as a Reformer (review)

Book Reviews45 Chester County ClocL· and Their Makers, by Arthur E. James. West Chester, Pennsylvania, Chester County Historical Society, 1946. 205 pp. $4.50. CROM the primitive sundial of our remote ancestors to the finest modern jeweled chronometer, man has shown an unfailing interest, amounting at times almost to reverence, for the instrument that measures the minutes, days, and years of his existence. Probably the greatest of these, in point of historic interest in America, has been the tall clock, affectionately known at the Grandfather Clock. Individual makers of these now prized possessions seem to have been scattered throughout the colonies from about 1710 to at least 1850, when quantity production methods began to rob the profession of its art and charm. Dr. Arthur E. James of West Chester has brought to life some fifty-two names—many of them Quaker names—who in spare time or as a profession built tall clocks and lived in Chester County. Dr. James's pages, in which he describes the clocks and the men who made them, are rich in genealogical lore and intimate local interest. Much credit is due him for his painstaking research, for the many miles he traveled to examine the fine old clocks now scattered through many states and incidentally to gain the friendship and confidence of those he visited. And above all he is to be commended for the interesting manner and meticulous care with which he has recorded a wealth of material. Those who love old clocks will particularly admire the illustrations. Historians and collectors alike will welcome this volume to place on their shelves beside Dr. James's previous pioneer work The Potters and Potteries of Chester County. And for you and me, who read the name engraved or painted across the open dial of our own Grandfather Clock—if we are so fortunate as to possess one—and wonder about the man who so carefully placed it there, perhaps ours may be one of Arthur James's Chester County clocks, upon which he has bestowed such care and affection. Moylan, PennsylvaniaT. Barclay Whitson * * * Thomas Earle as a Reformer, by Edwin B. Bronner. Philadelphia, Author, 1948. 97 pp. AFTER the recent abortive attempt of a third party to make an ^impression on the political scene, it is of interest to look back one hundred years and to find that the anti-slavery Liberty Party fared no better. Thomas Earle was that party's candidate for Vice-President of the United States in 1840. The brief biography by Edwin Bronner brings to the fore the life of a man of unquestioned grace and talent, but one who was the exponent of unpopular causes and who was full of inconsistencies. He was a 46Bulletin of Friends Historical Association Jeffersonian in Philadelphia, a city of conservatives. He was of undoubted integrity, yet was disowned by his Meeting for preferring in bankruptcy some creditors to others. He was a winsome and persuasive speaker, yet all too frequently opposed motions to adjourn, to the dismay and annoyance of his colleagues. He was an enthusiast for the newly invented railroad, but thought the best method of propulsion was an engine with a horse working a treadmill. The opposition of Thomas Earle to slavery arose from real conviction , and was acted upon throughout his life with vigor, but with moderation and wisdom. In advocating political action for Abolitionists he said there were three alternatives in the Nation: "1—leave government to evil men who now control it; 2—overthrow it by revolution ; or 3—participate in government; vote and elect better men." His advocacy of the third alternative is perhaps sound advice even today. In addition to his careful treatment of the biographical material, Mr. Bronner sets forth some interesting sidelights of the anti-slavery movement at that time. It is, however, rather unfortunate that he elects to treat the life of Thomas Earle topically rather than chronologically, for somehow in so doing he deprives the reader of a cohesive and developing picture of the man, and Thomas Earle must have been a very real person indeed. To Haverfordians the book is of especial interest for the sister of Thomas Earle was the...