| Description | This essay was written by Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury for publication in the 'Friends' Quarterly Examiner' in January 1899. Taylor Cadbury refers to her recent attendance at the Conference of Christian Workers which had considered the moral and intellectual training of women. She remarks that the majority of the international delegates at this conference were young middle-class women who were highly educated yet limited their 'sphere of action' by forgetting that both the intellect and the emotions should be cultivated 'so that our faith may rest on a broad and reasonable basis, not too hemmed in by creed and dogma.'
Taylor Cadbury remarks that members of the Society of Friends were no longer 'in advance of their age in matters educational', adding that the Society's 'religious and philanthropic work' had become mediocre with many women from other religious denominations entering into public life on a par with progressive Quaker women. She advocates the need amongst women for intellectual training which would 'lead to more thought and less feeling', enabling women to make decisions requiring wide knowledge and clear judgement. Taylor Cadbury concludes her address by reminding readers of the importance of awakening the spiritual needs of the soul. |