Spring Meeting, 1948: Friends Historical Association

SPRING MEETING, 1948 FRIENDS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION WiLLisTOWN Friends, in Willistown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, commemorated this year the 150th anniversary of the building of their meetinghouse in 1798. As part of the celebration they invited Friends Historical Association to come to Willistown for its Spring Meeting, on Saturday, May 22, 1948. About 125 Friends gathered at 3.30 p. m. to hear talks on early Willistown Quakers by their descendants. Lauretta Smedley Dutton spoke of Morgan B. Hall, his sermons and his nature poems, of Mordecai Bartram, and of her own father, Lewis B. Smedley, who long acted as superintendent of the Willistown First-day School. Thomas S. Bartram, Sr., read excerpts from the diary of his father, Mordecai Thomas Bartram, which told of lyceum sessions in the meetinghouse, and of the "Benton Society" and the "Biographical Society," educational features of a world devoid of radios, movies, and consolidated public schools. C. Marshall Taylor reminisced, in a lighter vein, as to his own boyhood at Willistown. His humorous stories of ancient HicksiteOrthodox peculiarities and differences served to emphasize the unity which now exists among Friends in the two Philadelphia Yearly Meetings, and in organizations such as Friends Historical Association. President William W. Comfort remarked that this was the first occasion on which Friends Historical Association had met at Willistown , and hoped that Willistown Friends would join the Association in promoting interest in Quaker historical activities. George N. Highley welcomed the Association on behalf of Willistown Meeting. After the formal talks were over most Friends remained to have box suppers, and enjoy the beautiful view of the Chester County countryside which may be seen from the knoll on which the old Willistown meetinghouse stands. ABRIEF and unique Quaker biography is the memoir by John Rich, printed in the very attractive collection of the unpublished poems and devotional thoughts of his father, Max I. Reich (1867-1945). The book is called Sweet Singer of Israel (Chicago, The Moody Press, 1948). 83 ...