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The Beautiful Soul of John Woolman, Apostle of Abolition Kindle Edition
by Thomas P. Slaughter (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars 7 customer reviews
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A biography of the famous eighteenth-century Quaker whose abolitionist fervor and spiritual practice made him a model for generations of Americans
John Woolman (1720–72) was perhaps the most significant American of his age, though he was not a famous politician, general, or man of letters, and never held public office. A humble Quaker tailor in New Jersey, he became a prophetic voice for the entire Anglo-American world when he denounced the evils of slavery in Quaker meetings, then in essays and his Journal, first published in 1774. In this illuminating new biography, Thomas P. Slaughter goes behind those famous texts to locate the sources of Woolman's political and spiritual power.
Slaughter's penetrating work shows how this plainspoken mystic transformed himself into a prophetic, unforgettable figure. Devoting himself to extremes of self-purification—dressing only in white, refusing to ride horses or in horse-drawn carriages—Woolman might briefly puzzle people; but his preaching against slavery, rum, tea, silver, forced labor, war taxes, and rampant consumerism was infused with a benign confidence that ordinary people could achieve spiritual perfection, and this goodness gave his message persuasive power and enduring influence. Placing Woolman in the full context of his times, Slaughter paints the portrait of a hero—and not just for the Quakers, social reformers, labor organizers, socialists, and peace advocates who have long admired him. He was an extraordinary original, an American for the ages.
Length: 469 pages Word Wise: Enabled Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled Language: English
Product details
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 1401 KB
Print Length: 469 pages
Publisher: Hill and Wang; Reprint edition (13 October 2009)
Sold by: Amazon Australia Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B004UNCQXM
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
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Word Wise: Enabled
Screen Reader: Supported
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
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Amazon.com: 3.5 out of 5 stars 7 reviews
R. M. Peterson
3.0 out of 5 starsA biography of a remarkable early American, but, alas, not for the general reader31 January 2009 - Published on Amazon.com
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Twenty years ago, in circumstances I no longer recall, I came across and bought a somewhat worn and battered volume in original calf binding of "The Works of John Woolman", published in Philadelphia in 1774. (According to the inscription at the front of my copy, it had been bought and was signed by Samuel Garrett on December 3, 1774.) But I did not know much about John Woolman until I bought and read this biography.
Woolman (1720-1772) was the grandson of English Quaker immigrants to the New World. He grew up on a farm near Mount Holly, New Jersey, and as an adult he made his livelihood as a storekeeper, a tailor, and a teacher. But the core of his life was his interior spiritual quest, and its outward manifestation was his ministry. In furtherance of that ministry, he went on numerous travels or missions in the English colonies, primarily to Quaker congregations but also, memorably, once to fractious Indians. His last mission was to England, during which he contracted smallpox and died.
The publication for which he is best known is his Journal, which is his "spiritual autobiography" and is a landmark of that genre. Two other noted writings are two essays on "keeping Negroes", which are landmarks in abolition literature. Indeed, today Woolman is best known as an early voice in America against slavery, one which was frequently cited by abolitionists and, later, by those in the civil rights movement.
Woolman's anti-slavery stance was based in part on an underlying belief in the equality of all creatures, something which he extended to (non-human) animals. He also is noted for his firm and well-reasoned anti-mercantilism and his critique of the drive to accumulate capital, as well as having advocated refusing to pay taxes that would be used to finance militia activities or war. Other themes in Woolman's writing and thought are "an abhorrence of violence, an ascetic sensibility, [and] a mystical temperament."
Thomas Slaughter writes that he had been interested in Woolman for over twenty years and, in a sense, worked on this biography for the same period of time. The result is extensively researched and obviously a labor of love. It includes much interesting (and necessary to an understanding of Woolman) background information about the Quakers and the religious, cultural, and societal milieu that gave rise to Woolman and in which he lived. In many respects THE BEAUTIFUL SOUL OF JOHN WOOLMAN is an admirable biography.
But it cannot be recommended, at least for the general reader. Part of the problem is Woolman. As Slaughter states: "The essential John Woolman, the meaningful core, was elusive in life; the man barely lived inside his skin. He has not gotten easier to find. He largely succeeded in detaching himself from material objects--things as well as people and himself--before he died. His trail was faint and got fainter." To fill out this biography, then, Slaughter had to engage in all sorts of empathetic speculation. Among other things, Slaughter has resorted to a detailed exegesis and interpretation of Woolman's dreams and visions (of which Woolman wrote about to great extent) -- a process that leaves me cold and somewhat incredulous.
The other, and perhaps biggest, part of the problem has to do with Slaughter as a writer. It is overly difficult to follow and track the flow of the book from topic to topic, largely because many shifts in topic -- as for example from biographical facts to background discussion of religious or cultural context -- are not signaled sufficiently clearly. Although on a gross, macro level the book proceeds chronologically, otherwise the organization is not transparent and there is too much needless repetition. There are patches of overly saccharine, precious, and labored writing, bordering on the truly bad. To top it off, Slaughter liberally inserts relatively lengthy quotes from Woolman's writings or other contemporary sources, the syntax and vocabulary of which are rather alien and trying.
I confess that mid-way through the book I began to skim it. To fully absorb the book, from beginning to end, requires some of the rare qualities of a John Woolman -- diligence, patience, self-denial, and even a little saintliness. It would be nice if there were a readable modern biography of John Woolman. This does not fill the bill.
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12 people found this helpful
Miss Lickerish
5.0 out of 5 starsThoughtful, astounding book about an amazing & admirable man16 August 2010 - Published on Amazon.com
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What can I say. This book changed my life. It also gave me great background in colonial American history, the early history of slavery in the colonies/states, early Quakers in the colonies/states, and lots more. It is written in a very interesting, involving way. Woolman's spiritual, social, and political concerns and struggles are made clear and poignant. This is a labor of love for this author, with whom I'd love to talk!!!
3 people found this helpful
Lt Baker
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars19 October 2015 - Published on Amazon.com
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Lot of good info in this book about the man and his work
JayEm
1.0 out of 5 starsThe Beautiful Soul of John Woolman, Apostle of Abolition - book22 April 2013 - Published on Amazon.com
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This is easily the worst book I ever read and could not discipline myself to finish this extremely boring true story.
Barry N. Bishop
4.0 out of 5 starsA Timeless Soul1 November 2013 - Published on Amazon.com
Thomas Slaughter's biography is sometimes too wordy and it sometimes wanders off into excessive background detail. At the same time it is a sympathetic treatment of a well-known Eighteenth-Century Quaker minister who may not be all that well understood even by those in the Religious Society of Friends. The book, presents a wide-ranging look at the societies of the United States and England at that time, including not only a growing awareness of the evils of slavery but also the internal and "inter-national" economic as well as social issues faced by the two societies, as well as growing conflicts between them. Therefore it presents a rather comprehensive context for understanding Woolman. Slaughter is an historian and the book is well-documented. He apparently is not a Quaker but he is sensitive to Friends' peculiar culture and ways of understanding their calling in the world around them. This book also, while not a hagiography of Woolman and while recognizing his idiosyncracies or "singularities", is a serious attempt to get inside the "beautiful soul" of a figure who struggled all his life with the problem of living in his world while not quite being of it. Slaughter avoids speculating freely about Woolman's thoughts or feelings, documenting instead what we can reasonably infer about these internal aspects of the man from what he wrote of himself as well as from observations of others who knew him and experienced his ministry. Questions may remain and probably are unresolvable, but the reader still develops a rather deep sense of this gentle and influential Quaker minister. In addition, many other historical figures of the time take on life, which adds to the portrait of Woolman and his world.
While the book is not exclusively about slavery, this issue was an obsessive concern for Woolman, motivating his many journeys around the colonies and ultimately to England, where he died. Therefore slavery and abolition figure throughout as a subordinate theme, as the title suggests. In addition, however, we learn much about the values and internal structure of the Society of Friends. The "testimonies" of the Friends--those corporately-held values and public declarations of these values to the world--figure prominently not only in who Woolman was but in in interactions with his fellow Quakers and others. The famous "peace testimony" emerges not only in Woolman's growing realization of the destructiveness of slavery but ultimately in his strong advocacy for the humane treatment of animals and even his concern for the treatment of plants. The "testimony on simplicity", which Quakers themselves still struggle to comprehend and articulate, leads Woolman to avoid partaking of certain products from the colonial economy, products which resulted from oppression (i.e. slave labor) and economic inequality: e.g. dyed cloth, silver, and travel by public conveyance. There is a clear demonstration of how an ethical critique of society has ramifications for how we must manage the economy, at least from a Quaker perspective.
It is touching to read how throughout his ministry Woolman, living by values related to human respect, avoids offending others even while he is driven to share with them his testimony of their moral failures. He gently chides the failure of his fellow Quakers to live by their own public testimonies before he preaches to those outside the Society of Friends. He struggles constantly to distinguish what God calls him to speak from his own personal opinions
This volume does not require of the reader to have a particular theological or moral perspective. At the same time it is a history of a man and his times that leaves one moved by his beautiful and timeless soul, even with his quirks and weaknesses. And perhaps Woolman asks us through his biographer whether or not we recognize the continuing validity of his testimonies.
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