Pendle Hill Pamphlets

For more than sixty years, Friends have used A Guide to Quaker Practice to demystify Friends’ activities. Howard Brinton wrote the guide assuming that somebody would improve on his work as the Religious Society of Friends grew and changed in the second half of the twentieth century. His guide proved more durable than he anticipated. It saw three printings during the 1940s. Following a thorough revision in 1950, it was reprinted ten times before its next revision in 1993. One explanation for its durability can be found in Brinton’s own writing. Analyzing the sense of the meeting in the lecture “Creative Worship,” Brinton described Quaker business practice as an evolutionary one. He argued that Friends’ communities tend to adapt slowly to changing conditions rather than revolutionizing themselves constantly. In this light, the gradual revision of Brinton’s guide makes more sense than its wholesale replacement.