Aaron Goforth's Remonstrance

DOCUMENTS.17 ?. Committee on Finance, to consist of three members, who with the Treasurer shall collect and control the income and disbursements of the Society, and shall have the custody of the Permanent Fund and securities comprising it. 2.Committee on Historical Research. 3.Publication Committee. 4.Membership Committee. 5.Entertainment Committee. 6.Sites and Relics Committee. ARTICLE VII. Curator. The Directors shall be empowered to appoint a Curator for the custody of the Collections of the Association. ARTICLE VIII. Amendments. Amendments to these By-Laws may be adopted at any meeting of the Directors, by a majority vote of those present, due notice of the proposed amendment having been given at least one month previously. DOCUMENTS. AARON GOFORTH'S REMONSTRANCE (The following item is contributed by Amelia M. Gummere from an original manuscript now placed among the collections of Friends' Historical Association. It tells its own story of one phase of the problem of ministry among early Friends in Philadelphia.—Ed.) ye IS day ye 4 month 1724. ifriend Ebenezer Large this may Acquaint y* y* ffriends as they are call'd of ye 7 day meeting is Mightily Incenzed Against me : at ye Bank meeting on ye 31 : day of ye I month 1723 : I had very good Service I thought, though I Sat two thirds of ye time & felt nothing upon my mind to stand up : but on A sudden it came upon me to Speak & then I stood up & Introduced my i8 BULLETIN OF FRIENDS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. Matter thus: ffriends I bless ye Lord I feel ye Stone to be removed from ye wells Mouth which makes me to rejoyce & say, "Spring up 0 Well I will Sing unto ye " : and so I went on in A Methodicall way & came off clear, & Clean & had A Prayer Agreeable to my testimony: for this my Adversary stir'd up yB 7 day meeting Against me & their was Such as Ordered A paper to be writ & Sent me : & Accordingly they Came & brought it Y« Words is as followeth : " Aaron Goforth senior, offering to pray & some joyning & some not, ye meeting Appoints Rd:Hill Sa: preston Jo: Goodson & WiI : Lawrance to Advice him not to preach or pray in our publick meetings untili ye sense of yemonthly Meeting be known Concerning their unity with his Ministrey — Phil : ye 6 day ye 4 month 1724." Now my friend there is two things to be observed : first, they saye some joyned with it : & some not: I was told all joyned with it :but James Steet : & its known what his unity is in : Secondly : there is but 3 or 4 :open their mouths Against me & Griffitts rides on yefore horse& yerest followeth & this 3 or 4 is said to be ye meeting : judg this matter : they have Abused me most grossly, calling me an Imposter A Devil A Deceiver A Cheate :& that I am possessed with an Evil Spirit & such like: I think I ought to have Satisfaction : I brought A good Certificate with me: & I have behaved myself :since I came here this 11 yeare without rebuke: So when the time comes if thou have anything in thy mind to speak in my behalfe Speak it in Gods name & fear for their is none Y' do ought for God but shall have their reward :& this is ye cause I stay from yemeetings & I dare not come in Until ye Matter be ended for as sure as I come so sure is ye fire of Wrath blown up Against me : and envy, who can stand against it? So my ffriend I would not be troublesom to ye but I know thou can Speak: so I shall leave it to ye and remain thy friend in what I may or can Aaron Goforth. WESTTOWN RULES (In connection with the school rules printed in the Bulletin of last Autumn it seems worth while to make the record more complete by printing the early rules of Westtown School. The following, supplied by the kindness of Gertrude Rhoads, is apparently a compilation from the rules, drawn up for boys and girls separately, found in the Minutes of the. first Westtown School Committee. The reprint below is from the earliest printed copy preserved at Westtown, which is undated, but was apparently published near the time of the opening of the...