On Labor
I feel sincere Desires in my Heart, that no Rent nor Interest might be laid so high as to be a Snare to Tenants; that no Desires of Gain may draw any too far in Business; that no Cares to support Customs which have not their Foundation in pure Wisdom, may have Place in our Minds; but that we may build on the sure Foundation, and feel our Holy Shepherd to lead us, who alone is able to preserve us, and bring forth from every Thing which defiles. (389)
On Pure Wisdom and Human Policy
While we proceed in this precious Way, and find ardent Longings for a full Deliverance from every thing which defiles, all Prospects of Gain that are not consistent with the Wisdom from above, are considered as Snares, and an inward Concern is felt, that we may live under the Cross, and faithfully attend to that Holy Spirit which is sufficient to preserve out of them. (385)
On Schools
By cherishing the Spirit of Pride and the Love of Praise in them, I believe they may sometimes improve faster in Learning, than otherwise they would; but to take Measures to forward // Children in Learning, which naturally tend to divert their Minds from true Humility, appears to me to savour of the Wisdom of this World. (390-91)
From the testimony of Friends in Yorkshire, at their Quarterly Meeting held at York, the 24th and 25th of the 3rd month, 1773, concerning John Woolman:
He was a man endued with a large Natural Capacity, and being obedient to the manifestations of divine Grace, having in patience and humility endured many deep Baptisms, he became thereby sanctified and fitted for the Lord's Work, and was truly serviceable in his Church, dwelling in awful fear and watchfulness, he was careful in his public appearances to feel the putting forth of the divine Hand so that the Spring of the Gospel Ministry often flowed through him with great Purity and Sweetness as a refreshing stream to the weary Travellers towards the City of God. Skilful in dividing the Word, he was furnished by Him in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge, to communicate freely to the several States of the People where his lot was cast; his Conduct at other times was seasoned with he like watchful circumspection, and attention to the Guidance of Divine Wisdom; which rendered his whole conversation uniformly edifying. (327)
From a testimony of the Monthly Meeting of Friends, held in Burlington, the First Day of the Eighth Month in the Year of our Lord 1774, concerning our esteemed friend, John Woolman:
His ministry was sound, very deep and penetrating, some times pointing out the dangerous situation which indulgence and custom lead into, frequently exhorting others, especially the youth, not to be discouraged at the difficulties which occur, but to press after purity. He often expressed an earnest engagement that pure wisdom should be attended to, which would lead into lowliness of mind and resignation to the Divine will, in which state small possessions here would be sufficient. (331)
In the minutes of the meeting for ministers and elders for this quarter, at the foot of a list of members of that meeting, made about five years before his death, we find in his handwriting the following observations and reflections; ".... The Lord who was the guide of my youth hath in tender mercies helped me hitherto; He hath healed my wounds; He hath helped me out of grievous entanglements; He remains to be the strength of my life; to whom I desire to devote myself in time and in eternity. JOHN WOOLMAN"
In the latter part of the eighteenth century the Quaker minister John Woolman journeyed and preached throughout the American colonies. His Journal, a recognized American classic, portrays an ethical sensitivity comparable to that of St. Francis or Albert Schweitzer; and his keen sense of social injustice speaks directly to our affluent and increasingly divided mass society. His essays widely influenced social thought in the United States, and in England as well, where he was esteemed by Lamb and Coleridge. Eighteenth and nineteenth-century editions of Woolman's works are known to be faulty, and the two editions of his Journal published in this century were mistakenly based on Woolman's preliminary manuscript. Professor Moulton's edition of Woolman's major works based on a thorough examination of all relevant manuscripts in America and Britain-is the first to reflect with fidelity and scholarly accuracy Woolman's final intentions. Woolman's analyses of the roots of social evil carefully trace individual responsibility from motive to action, and follow the ever-widening consequences of that action. In 'A Plea for the Poor" he relates poverty to wasteful consumption, brings the rich and powerful to account, and calls for simplicity as a style of life. In 'Considerations on Keeping Negroes," one of the earliest attacks on slavery, he deals with the corruption of the oppressors and the demoralization of the oppressed, and even brings up the question of reparations to the Blacks. Only this edition of the journal includes Woolman's whole discussion of tax refusal as a form of anti-war protest and civil disobedience. The "how" of social change is one of Woolman's greatest concerns; and the methods he suggests, springing from a right relationship to God, emphasize nonviolence and express love that encompasses both the wrongdoer and the wronged. The present volume includes an introduction by the editor, a chronology and glossary, biographical notes, an annotated bibliography, detailed notes to the text, appendices, and an index. Phillips P. Moulton, Visiting Scholar at the University of Michigan and Former Professor of Philosophy at Adrian College, has twice held the T.W. Brown Fellowship in Quaker Studies at Haverford College. He has published many articles on John Woolman and on other subjects in professional and religious journals. "The only American book I ever read twice was the Journal of Woolman, a Quaker preacher and tailor, whose character is one of the finest I ever met with . . . Get the writings of John Woolman by heart." --Charles Lamb