All the social doctrines can be derived directly from the primary doctrines of the Inward Light and the teachings of Jesus. This has often been done, both in the Society of Friends and in other religious societies. The Christian social gospel is of course by no means peculiar to the Quakers. However, it is probable that this particular sequence of primary producing secondary and the secondary conditioning the form of the tertiary testimonies occasions social action in the form which is characteristic of the Society of Friends. Such social action is more than a logical deduction from the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, and the ethics of the New Testament. It grows out of actual experiences in meetings for worship or business over a period of time. The individual becomes slowly sensitized to the world’s needs. The tender plant is first nurtured in the seed-bed of the meeting. When it is strong enough it can be set out to grow in a less favorable environment.
