A Journal of the Life, Travels, Religious Exercises, and Labours in the Work of the Ministry of Joshua Evans (1837)

AUTHOR: Evans, Joshua

Evans promotes ethical veg*ism, primarily on the basis of biblical ethics and Quaker ideals of temperance. Evans believes that humans do not have sovereignty over the life of any other of God’s creatures as “life was intended to be at the disposal of him who gave it; – that as all creatures, even the least insects, have generally a sense of danger; therefore, as we cannot give life, I believed we ought to be cautious of destroying it” (28). But humans have responsibility towards their fellow nonhuman beings:

At seasons, my mind was enlarged in love to God and to my brethren, my neighbours and fellow creatures, throughout the world. My spirit was often bowed in awful reverence before the Most High, and covered with feelings of humility and tenderness; under which I had to believe that we ought to attend to Divine instruction, even in disposing of and governing the inferior part of his creation; that all our actions might be done, as much as may be, to the Lord’s honour. I considered that life was sweet in all living creatures, and the taking it away became a very tender point with me. The creatures, or many of them, were given, or as I take it, rather lent us to be governed in the great Creator’s fear: and I feel free to refer my readers to his order and allowance in early times, while all the Lord’s works were in harmony, and pronounced by him to be very good (27-28).

It is predominantly for this reason that Evans claims to be weary of taking the life of and eating animals. “[T]hose who decline the taking away of animal life,” he writes, “or the use of animal food, can scarcely be deemed offensive to God: and is there sufficient cause for such to be censured or condemned by men?” (29). Accordingly, he adds: “I did believe it was the Lord's requiring of me, for causes best known to himself, that I should be cautious of taking life, or eating any thing in which life had been” (30). He also refers to the passage in Genesis suggesting that all beings were created vegetarian: their “meat” being “every herb” and “bearing seed” (28).

Evans explicitly links ethical veg*ism with frugality because food is an important component of his ideal of frugality: “A cottage and spare diet, with peace of mind and leisure to run on the Lord's errands, are better than large business and much dealings” (72). He is an advocate of temperance for the same reasons as he condemns “high, luxurious eating, and drinking cider, wine, &c. plentifully” as well as “smoking tobacco” (108). His Abolitionist beliefs, too, are presented in connection with his praise of moderation and temperance. He deems it wrong to use goods inherited as opposed to earned. He also strongly favors the consumption of local or home-grown goods rather than the likes of tea and other luxuries imported from distant places. Evans consistently links health and longevity to a simple diet and a frugal (as opposed to indulgent or “delicate”) upbringing (61, 120). In one instance, he suggests that enslaved Black people have greater longevity because they are fed a frugal diet – “coarse and mean fare” (194) -- although, elsewhere, Evans expresses compassion for enslaved people and their insufficient diet: “The allowance of the slaves, in many instances, is confined to a peck of Indian corn for a grown person, a week, to cook it as they can, without meat, fat, or other addition. – My heart was often tenderly affected with their condition” (140).

 

Last updated on August 29th, 2024

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