[What’s Behind the Names of Pennswood’s Buildings?]
BENSON – Freedom of belief & Integrity
Pennswood’s “B” Building
One of Quaker core beliefs is living “integrity and truth,” expressed as “Let your life speak.” Quakers do not take oaths on a Bible, believing that a person’s word should always be truthful.
Gervase Benson (d. _____) was an influential lawyer of his time, a notary public, an alderman, mayor, and justice of the peace. He became a Quaker after he heard George Fox speak. Benson became a key spokesperson for the Quaker movement in legal and administrative matters. He also represented other Quakers in court over issues of freedom of religion and oath-taking and published pamphlets on these subjects.
The Quaker belief in integrity and truthfulness created the practice of setting a fixed price for a quality product. Many people came to trust Quakers in trading and banking. Thus, in recent times, the Quaker name or image has been adopted by businesses (oil, oats) even if they were not Quakers.