Transcribed from the 1850 C. Gilpin, R. Y. Clarke, and Co. edition,
New Series,No 9.
or
OBITUARY
of the
MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS
In Great Britain and Ireland,
for the year 1850.
LONDON:
SOLD BY C. GILPIN, R. Y. CLARKE, AND CO., DARTON AND CO.,
AND E. MARSH: GEORGE HOPE, YORK.
1850.
We have again to present to our friends the Report of the AnnualMortality in the Society of Friends, in Great Britain and Ireland. It has frequently been observed, how nearly the number of deaths ineach year has approximated, but we have this year to notice a considerablediminution in the annual return. We are not disposed, however,to attribute the diminished numbers, chiefly to any special cause connectedwith health, but consider it rather as one of those fluctuations whichare ever found to arise in a series of years, in the mortality of asmall community. The number of the dying, however, may be expectedto bear, as respects the average, a pretty uniform relation to the numberof the living. And if the fact be, as all our late inquiries leadus to believe it is, that we are, though slowly, a diminishing body,we must expect that our average number of deaths will also be foundgradually to diminish.
p. ivWehave often anxiously pondered over the question,—Why the Societyof Friends should be a diminishing body? And we propose to givein this place a few of the thoughts which have been suggested to usin the course of our consideration.
In the first place, let us notice the natural causes which tend tothe decrease of our Society. We have formerly shown that the mortalityamong our members is less than in the community at large, which so faras it extends, is of course a reason for the increase rather than thediminution of our numbers. But then we have, on the other side,the well-ascertained fact, that whilst in the community at large, theregistered births exceed the deaths, by 45 per cent; in the Societyof Friends, the registered deaths actually exceed the births! The cause of this fact is to be found, not only in connection with thenumber who marry out of the Society, but also in the operation of thatprudential check on entering into the married state, which will alwaysprevail amongst a moral people, where the means of subsistence cannoteasily and with certainty be obtained. But to whatever we mayattribute the cause, the fact itself is a complete answer to the question—Whyp. vweare a diminishing rather than an increasing people?
It may be said,—Why are not our religious principles aggressive?—Why,if they be true, do they not find converts among the various Christiancommunities of our land?—Why, as in the early times of our Society,are there not numerous conversions, and fresh bodies of warm-hearted,and sound-minded believers, added to our numbers?—These are deeplyimportant and very interesting questions, and we are willing to offera few thoughts upon them, with the seriousness and modesty with whichit becomes us to speak on the subject.
We believe, that a mistaken view prevails, in regard to the truestChristian principle being that which will be accepted by the largestnumber of persons. The experience of all the past ages of theChurch contradicts the assumption, and shows clearly that there is inman a deep-seated opposition to th