On their return from Plymouth they stopped at Sidcot, where they spent some time at the Friends’ school.  Here the subject of offering prizes to children came under the notice of J.Y., and like all other subjects connected with education, engaged his serious reflection.

It would certainly be better, he says, if the basis of good actions could be laid in the children’s minds on a principle of rectitude and justice, so that they might be taught to do well from a love of truth, and not from a fear of punishment or a hope of reward; but so long as human nature remains unchanged, a check against the one and an incitement to the other seem to be necessary, as a help to overcome the evil in the mind, until that which is good shall become predominant.

They returned to Yorkshire through Warwick and Leicester, and on reviewing the journey John Yeardley has the following reflections:—­

2 mo. 22.—­Almost all the meetings we attended on this journey of 800 miles are very small, except Birmingham and Bristol, and the life of religion is low among the members in general; which is not much to be wondered at, when we consider that many of those meetings are constituted [chiefly] of a few individuals who have had a birthright in the Society—­born members but not new-born Christians, without the power or form of religion, no outward means to excite them to faith and good works.  If they neglect the spirit of prayer in themselves, it is not surprising they should grow cold in love and zeal for the noble cause of truth on the earth.  But in the lowest of these [meetings] there is something alive to visit, and in going along we felt the renewed evidence that we were in our right allotment in thus going about, endeavoring to strengthen the things that remain; and though we have had to pass through much suffering, both outward and inward, yet we have also experienced times of rejoicing in doing the will of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

After the Quarterly Meeting in the Third Month they visited each of the meetings within their own Monthly Meeting, “thinking,” says J.Y., “a little pastoral care was due to our Friends at home, seeing we are often concerned to go abroad.”

In the Fifth Month they went up to the Yearly Meeting, via Lincolnshire, taking several meetings in the way.  Among the subjects which occupied Friends in their annual conference this year was that of missions to the heathen, which, it was proposed by some, should he taken up by the Society.

The subject, writes John Yeardley, was fully entered into, and the interest was very great.  Many Friends spoke their sentiments freely and feelingly, and the subject was taken on minute to be revived nest year.  If this important matter were brought home to each individual of us, there would be more missionaries prepared and sent forth to labor; but we love ease and our homes, contenting ourselves with reading and talking about what is going forward in the great cause of religion and righteousness in the earth.