History of the Philadelphia Bible-Christian Church for the First Century of its Existence (1922)

AUTHOR: Clubb, Henry Stephen

---. “The Vegetarian Principle”
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “English Reformers”
Metcalfe, William. Bible Testimony, on Abstinence from the Flesh of Animals as Food
Mussey, Ruben Dimond. Health: Its Friends and Foes

SUMMARY (Ridvan Askin, edited Deborah Madsen)

According to the book's Preface, the Maintenance Committee was comprised of: “Edwin F. Metcalfe, Chairman; Naomi Clubb, Secretary; Rev. Henry S. Clubb, Amy H. Cariss, Edmund B. Lord, George M. Wright, Esther H. King” (iv).

As stated in the Preface, the publication provides “a brief history of the first century of the Church: 1817-1917 in Philadelphia” (iii), with the purpose “to set forth the facts, rather than to furnish a successful literary production” (iv). That veg*ism is a central doctrine of the Bible-Christian Church is apparent in the book's design: the Preface is immediately followed by a series of quotations from the Bible that provide “Biblical Authority for the Church Doctrine of Vegetarianism,” according to the table of contents. The Church was instrumental in the establishment of the American Vegetarian Society, and a separate chapter is devoted to it.

The first few paragraphs of Chapter 1 emphasize “the sincere belief that kindness and consideration towards the humble and useful domestic animals was as much a part of the Great Creator's plan as was the divine announcement 'Peace on Earth, good will toward men',” and the conviction that animals “manifest some attributes and characteristics of the human race, such as: affection, fear, anger, pleasure, pain, joy and sorrow ... so that the practice of killing these animals and eating their flesh seems to be unnatural and barbarous” (1-2). This, indeed, is “a prominent feature in the Church belief and discipline” (2). In fact, it is essential to the founding of the Church: “The sincere conviction in the mind of the Rev. William Cowherd that vegetarianism was a method of life taught in the letter and spirit of the Holy Scriptures marks the establishment of the Bible-Christian Church in England” (20). The authors also emphasize that “the temperate and vegetarian mode of life practiced by the members” is advantageous or at least not detrimental to their “health, longevity, cheerfulness, mental and physical equipment, temperament and disposition” (4). In short,

[t]he sincere conviction of the members of the Church is that the natural and Divinely appointed food for mankind consists of the products of the soil, and therein are found not only all the elements necessary for a sound mind and body, but also an unlimited field for the furnishing of a most enjoyable and delightful menu; a banquet free of the suffering, the bloodshed and inhumanity necessary to provide the table of the flesh eater (6).

Notably, the veganism of the Bible-Christian Church accompanies other reform efforts. Referencing the writings of William Metcalfe, whom the history honors as the driving force in  “sowing the seeds and cultivating the principles of Temperance and Vegetarianism and permanently establishing the Bible-Christian Church in this country” (51), the authors note that in addition to abstention from meat,  “the appointed laws revealed in the Divine Word also require abstinence … from all intoxicating liquors as beverages, and from war, capital punishment, and slavery” (33). Given that adherence to the Temperance principle also meant that “the wine used for sacramental purposes” was “unfermented,” the history claims that the Bible-Christian Church in fact “was the first temperance society, based upon the total abstinence principle, in modern times” (38). The text also notes the Church's close ties with, among others, Sylvester Graham, William Alcott, and Reuben Dimond Mussey (40-50 and passim), not least with respect to the founding of the American Vegetarian Society (43), and the Concordium at Alcott House in Surrey, England, notably through Clubb, a former resident (69-71).

Clubb himself is credited with “laying the foundation of the vegetarian movement in Germany, where so much has been accomplished in the establishment of vegetarian restaurants” (74-75) by means of his early lectures and articles on “the vegetarian principle,” which were “translated into German and circulated at Berlin” (74). The history also reports on his attempt to establish “a vegetarian colony,” Octagon City, in Kansas (78) and his election as President of the revamped  Vegetarian Society of America in 1887 (82).

The chapter devoted to the American Vegetarian Society notes that it “was organized May 15, 1850, by persons who believed in and practised a vegetarian method of life, induced by hygienic, religious, humanitarian or other motives. Many members of the Bible-Christian Church connected themselves with the Society” (158). Much of the chapter consists of (excerpts from) various society reports and proceedings as well as accounts of its activities and annual meetings. These include details of the vegetarian fare served at the respective banquets, which convey the variety and richness of a veg*an diet. Entire menus are replicated (165 and passim). The history also stresses the publishing activities of the Bible-Christian Church, most notably the involvement of  its members in the publication of the periodicals The Vegetarian Magazine and Food, Home and Garden.