Sheep, leather, and religion were the principal things which George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, looked after.  In boyhood he was a shepherd, in youth a shoemaker, in manhood an expounder of Christianity.  No one could have had a series of occupations more comprehensive or practical.  The history of the world proves that it is as important for men to look after their mutton as to “save their bacon;” that, after all, “there is nothing like leather;” and that there can be nothing better than religion. 219 years since the ancestors of those who now follow the “inner light” were termed Quakers.  An English judge—­Gervaise Bennet—­gave them this name at Derby, and it is said that he did so because Fox “bid them quake at the word of the Lord.”  Theologically, Quakers are a peculiar people; they believe in neither rites nor ceremonies, in neither prayer-books nor hymn-books, in neither lesson reading, nor pulpit homilies, nor sacraments.  They are guided by their spiritual feelings, and have a strong idea that a man has no right to open his mouth when he has got nothing to say, and that he should avoid keeping it shut when he has something worth uttering.

This is an excellent plan, and the world would be considerably benefited if it were universally observed both in religion and every-day life.  Creation is killed and done for daily through an everlasting torrent of meaningless talk.  Compact and quiet as it may appear, Quakerism has had its schisms and internal feuds.  Early in this century, the White Quakers, who dressed themselves in light suits when outside and didn’t dress at all—­stripped themselves after the manner of Adamites—­when within doors, created much furore in Ireland.  About 30 years since, the Hicksite Quakers, who denied the divinity of Christ and the authority of the Bible, made their advent; afterwards the Beaconite Quakers put in an appearance; and then came the Wilburites.  Taking all sections into account, there are at present about 130,000 Quakers in the world, and Preston contributes just seventy genuine ones to their number.  In this locality they remain unchanged.  Today they are neither smaller nor larger, numerically, than they were thirty years age.  In the early days of local Quakerism, the country rather than the town was its favourite situation.  Newton, Freckleton, Rawcliffe, and Chipping contained respectively at one time many more Quakers than Preston, but the old stations were gradually broken up, and Preston eventually got the majority of their members.  A building located somewhere between Everton-gardens and Spring-gardens was first used as a meeting-house by them.  In 1784 a better place was erected by the Friends, on a piece of land contiguous to and on the north side of Friargate; and in 1847 it was rebuilt.  Although no one was officially engaged to map out the place, a good deal of learned architectural gas was disengaged in its design and construction.  It was made three times larger than its congregational requirements—­