264 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. [1756. 



that offence, one John Costello was this year convicted by the 

 Court at Chester and sentenced to stand in the pillory one hour, 

 on two successive days, wearing the insignia of his crime, as in 

 the case of Owen Overlacker. 



No act could be passed by the Assembly to compel persons to 

 take up arms in defence of the Province, or to organize the mi- 

 litia for that purpose, but the Quakers threw no obstacle in the 

 way of those whose scruples did not prevent them from perform- 

 ing military duty, and even went so far as to enact a law " for 

 the better ordering and regulating such as are willing and desi- 

 rous to be united for military purposes within this Province." 

 The appropriations for '■'-the king's use" were, indeed, by no 

 means niggardly. An act granting .£60,000 was passed this 

 year, and one for £30,000 in the year following. Such acts 

 continued to be passed, from time to time, while the Quakers 

 still maintained their ascendancy in the Assembly. 



Of those who joined the military service from this County, I 

 have seen no record, except that of those who happened to be- 

 long to the Society of Friends; they were dealt with and 

 disowned. Of these Radnor Meeting furnished the largest 

 number — no less than eight young men in full membership with 

 that particular meeting left their homes and went into active 

 military service in 1756. 



Previous to this time there appears to have been a difference 

 of opinion in the Society of Friends upon the subject of Pre- 

 parative Meetings being meetings of Record. The representa- 

 tives from Haverford Monthly Meeting to the quarterly meeting 

 brought back a proposal, " that Preparative meetings should be 

 meetings of Record." After being considered for some time, 

 the question was referred to a future meeting, which adopted 

 the following as a part of a more extended minute : 



" The proposal of having the Preparative meetings, meetings 

 of record, has been under our consideration and is left so; there 

 being some different sentiments thereon; We agreeing, (and 

 some are in the practice,) that it would be convenient to keep 

 records of the affairs belonging to each particular meeting, such 

 as repairing of Meeting houses, &c." 



At the following monthly meeting, which was held at Merion 

 on the 14th of May, the representatives who had attended the 

 quarterly meeting brought the following minute from that 

 meeting, which appears to have settled the question : 



"After consideration of the reports from the several meetings, 

 respecting the principle of establishing preparative meetings, 

 this meeting agrees that it will be of advantage to have such 

 meetings. And each monthly meeting is therefore desired to 

 appoint them whore they are not already settled ; and it is 



