The Largest Amount of Good: Quaker Relief in Ireland, 1654-1921 - Hardcover

Hatton, Helen E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0773509593 ISBN 13: 9780773509597

Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1993

Synopsis

The Largest Amount of Good is the first full account of Quaker relief operations in Ireland and of the evolution of the Quakers' thinking on the purposes and limitations of philanthropy and the responsibility of the state in disaster. Helen Hatton describes how the Quakers rejected orthodox economic and philanthropic theory and, without seeking profit for themselves, provided grants and unguaranteed loans to develop and revitalize Irish agriculture, fisheries, and industry. They also used publicity and political pressure to push for reform of the land-holding system. Although the power of the landowners was too entrenched to be overcome entirely, the Quakers' contribution to Ireland, Hatton demonstrates, is unquestionable. The growth of the Quaker relief service, from mutual help in the seventeenth century to an institution of international standing, has been accompanied by the gradual embodiment of their principles in the direction of the Society. Their work in the Great Irish Famine marked a turning point at which the procedures they had evolved inchoately over two centuries were formulated into a methodology that is accepted today as the basis for relief and Third World development.

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Review

"The core of this book is based on an impressively wide range of primary materials in Ireland, Great Britain, and the United States. The material has been judiciously exploited to reveal the full extent of Quaker activities and their relation with British government officials and services. The picture that emerges is rounded and convincing ... an impressive piece of scholarship, well organized and lucidly written." John Kendle, Department of History, University of Manitoba.

Synopsis

In Ireland, a nation long torn by rancour dividing Catholics and many Protestants, one Protestant sect has consistently been held in affection by the Catholic Irish: the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers. From their arrival in Ireland in 1654, Quaker responses to the condition of Ireland were positive and always distinctive. Both Irish and English Friends were actively concerned with the welfare of the population, much of which seemed sunk in eternal poverty. Their concern was especially evident in the nineteenth century, particularly during the overwhelming crisis of the 1846-49 Famine, when Quakers mounted a massive relief program. This work provides an account of Quaker relief operations in Ireland and of the evolution of the Quakers' thinking on the purposes and limitations of philanthropy and the responsibility of the state in disaster. Helen Hatton describes how the Quakers rejected orthodox economic and philanthropic theory and, without seeking profit for themselves, provided grants and unguaranteed loans to develop and revitalize Irish agriculture, fisheries, and industry. They also used publicity and political pressure to push for reform of the land-holding system.

Although the power of the landowners was too entrenched to be overcome entirely, the Quakers' contribution to Ireland, Hatton demonstrates, is unquestionable. The growth of the Quaker relief service, from mutual help in the 17th century to an institution of international standing, has been accompanied by the gradual embodiment of their principles in the direction of the Society. Their work in the Great Irish Famine marked a turning point at which the procedures they had evolved inchoately over two centuries were formulated into a methodology that is accepted today as the basis for relief and Third World development.

Edition details

• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0773509593
• ISBN 13: 9780773509597
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384