Memorial concerning Joseph Bewley (1795–1851):
Humility was a conspicuous trait in the character of Joseph Bewley; for although he had acquired considerable influence..., he sought no pre-eminence. ‘A meek and quiet spirit’, united with kindness of heart and equanimity of temper, obtained for him the love and esteem of a large circle of relatives and friends.
He was naturally diffident and retiring... But his desires for the welfare of his fellow-men, and his sympathies for the sorrowing and afflicted, were not circumscribed by the bounds of religious association. His heart was open to feel for the sufferings of every class...
The wide-spread affliction, resulting from the general failure of the potato crop in 1846, called forth in his mind feelings of deep commiseration for his famine-stricken countrymen. He originated the movement for their assistance which led to the formation of the ‘Friends’ Relief Committee’; and, as one of its secretaries, he devoted himself with unwearied assiduity to the arduous endeavour to alleviate the distress which then... prevailed.
Dublin Monthly Meeting, 1852.
Photo: Quaker soup kitchen in Cork City, from Illustrated London News, 1847.
