Friends, Society of
Otherwise known as Quakers, claim as their founder
George Fox (q. v.), an Englishman; born in
Drayton,
Leicestershire, in 1624.
The first
general meeting of Friends was held in 1668, and the second in 1672.
Owing to the severe persecution which they suffered in
England, a number of them came to
America in 1656, and landed at
Boston, whence they were later scattered by persecution.
The first annual meeting in
America is said to have been held in
Rhode Island in 1661.
It was separated
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from the
London annual meeting in 1683.
This meeting was held regularly at
Newport till 1878, since when it has alternated between
Newport and
Portland,
Me. Annual meetings were founded in
Maryland in 1672, in
Pennsylvania and
New Jersey in 1681, in
North Carolina in 1708, and in
Ohio in 1812.
The
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Friends have no creed, and no sacraments.
They claim that a spiritual baptism and a spiritual communion without outward signs are all that are necessary for men. They believe in the
Old and New Testaments as the Word of God, and, therefore, accept the atonement and sanctification.
Belief in the “immediate influence of the
Holy Spirit” is said to be the most prominent feature of their faith.
They have monthly meetings, embracing a number of local meetings.
They also have quarterly meetings, to which they send delegates, and these latter may deal with cases of discipline and accept or dissolve local or monthly meetings.
The highest body, however, is the yearly meeting, to which all other meetings are subordinate.
The Friends in the
United States are divided into four bodies, known as the Orthodox, Hicksite, Wilburite, and Primitive.
The first mentioned greatly exceeds the others in strength.
In 1900 they reported 1,279 ministers, 820 meeting-houses, and 91,868 members.
The last reports of the other branches showed: Hicksites, 115 ministers, 201 meeting-houses, and 21,992 members; Wilburites, 38 ministers, 52 meeting-houses, and 4,329 members; and Primitives, 11 ministers, 9 meeting-houses, and 232 members.
