The papers of Thomas Kelly consist of correspondence, studies, sermons, photographs, miscellaneous and posthumous collections of some of his writings, as well as a biography written by Richard Kelly and his correspondence concerning the book,
Thomas Kelly's correspondents included Mary Farquhar, Rufus Jones, Lael Macy Kelly, Clarence Lewis, Legh Reid, Merrill Root and Douglas Steere.
There are peaks in the correspondence for the years 1917 when Thomas Kelly was in England with the Y.M.C.A., and for 1924-25 and the summer of 1938 when he was in Germany as a representative of the A.F.S.C. On his first mission he worked in an army canteen and with German prisoners of war. His second mission was to bring the Quaker message to Germany, as well as to nurture the young German Quaker movement. In 1938, he met with German Friends bringing support in a time of crisis.
In between these “peaks”, his correspondence reveals an ardent striving for academic achievement. His field was philosophy (though he was an ordained minister as well), and he made his greatest contributions in mysticism.
Richard Kelly's correspondents included Moses Bailey, Howard Brinton, Senator O. Vincent Esposito, Eugene Exman, Mary Farquhar, Dean Freiday, T. Canby Jones, Clarence Lewis, Herbert Nicholson, Clarence Pickett, Merrill Root, Douglas Steere and Elizabeth Yarnall.
The A.F.S.C. archives contain some Kelly letters.
Several printed items on Thomas Kelly and on his biography have been removed to the pamphlet collection.
Thomas R. Kelly's Haverford College senior thesis written in 1914 entitled "An Historical Sketch of the Friends Africa Industrial Mission" is available in the Haverford College archives.
Gift May, 1977.
No publication, other than quotes or scholarly references, without permission of Richard Kelly and/or Lois Kelly Stabler
Thomas Raymond Kelly (1893-1941) was born on a farm near Chillicothe, Ohio, the son of Carlton W. Kelly and Madora Kersey Kelly. Thomas Kelly received a B. S. in chemistry from Wilmington College in 1913, then came as a science student to Haverford College. He began a teaching career at Pickering College in Canada in 1914, but also received a B. D. in 1919 and a Ph.D. in 1924 from Hartford Theological Seminary. In 1919, Kelly married Lael Macy. A Quaker, Kelly was head of Friends' work in Berlin, Germany after World War I, but then continued to teach philosophy at several colleges, including Haverford College in 1936, and returned to Germany in 1938 to again perform work under the auspices of the American Friends Service Committee.
Thomas R. Kelly was an author of several works, perhaps his most famous,
Biographical information from the Dictionary of Quaker Biography, biographical sketches in typescript, Special Collections, Haverford College Library.
*Not all correspondence is indexed here. Letters have been chosen for content or author.
[mentions teaching literature (in addition to science at Pickering College, a Quaker Prep School in Ontario, Canada); trying to study subjects needed for Seminary, so can take other subjects when there.]
[has bought some books, including Henri Bergson's Intro. to Metaphysics; (Bergson's thought is the subject of his master's thesis under Rufus Jones); thinks he might like to teach in Japan]
[is teaching botany.]
[thinks it important to stir up Young Friends Movement to the needs of Quakerism if they are to stay with it, to bring conviction & concern to people.]
[A person who wants to be effective in teaching religion must have a good personality, must be a “good sport;” the next few weeks will be crucial for his future.]
[has been asked to serve as Secretary for Young Friends of Indiana Y.M., however, still thinks he would like to teach in Japan.]
[is teaching an honors math course.]
[his feelings on the dissemination of Quakerism & Christianity.]
[work he is doing at Hartford Seminary.]
[wants to go to H.C. to work on his M.A.; feelings about the profession of teaching.]
[more on future work in preaching.]
[while other denominations esteem their ministry, Quakerism apologizes for theirs, because they are not as well trained and are not credited as professionals.]
[feels he will be offered job to teach at Moses Brown School, but will turn it down.]
[tells of courses at Seminary.]
[Rufus Jones has visited Seminary & felt T.R.K. should go to Meeting at Providence; holds traditional Q. pacifist ideas and if matters become more urgent in the war, wants to work with Red Cross or with relief organization; feelings about the war; includes ts. entitled “Paradoxes and Contradictions.]
[is looking into work for Y.M.C.A. among soldiers in training camps.]
[will be going to England with international Y.M.C.A., going first to Bordeaux and Paris.]
several personal letters.
[will be going to Haverford to talk with Rufus Jones and Henry Cadbury to see what Friends might do in the war effort that there not be a confusion on pacifist grounds to national obligations.]
[has received wire from Y.MC.A. that he could go to England and will leave as soon as possible.]
[Christian reasons why he feels he must go to England to serve with Y.M.C.A.]
[describes experiences on board ship “Espagne” carrying him to Europe.]
[his ship's encounter with enemy submarine.]
[gives war picture from French perspective.]
[missionary work he will be doing among German p.o.w.'s.]
[on his way to Blackpool to the camp where he is to work.]
[describes camp and its activities.]
[describes his job in the canteen at the camp at Blackpool.]
[Y.MC.A. criticized for employing c.o.'s, which charge was denied; however, T.R.K. may be moved to a different camp, because some may conclude he is a c.o. if he is a Q.]
[has been asked to be a leader at Cowlarus camp.]
[comparison of obedience of soldier and spiritual obedience.]
[spirit of the English in the war.]
[what he feels the work of the Y.MC.A. is in England.]
[has relocated to work in the canteen at Barrow camp.]
[her husband has passed his physical under the draft board, but will file for exemption and enter Reconstruction Unit training at H.C.]
[postulates the war will be over in a year in favor of the Allies.]
[talks of German prisoners; ideals for which the war being fought greater than material means.]
[examples of the kinds of duties and events in the Y.M.C.A. canteen.]
[his philosophy of being and conception of callings.]
[has had some personal unpleasantness in the camp, and has written to someone at Oxford U., so that if he must leave, he will have somewhere to go.]
[he will definitely be doing p.o.w. work, though doesn't want to tell anyone in the camp as they would have no sympathy for his Quaker position “probably the most despised class of people.”]
[has been accepted at Oxford -- free; also a possibility of working with German prisoners in England or France.]
[writes from London, though he doesn't yet know if he will get prison work; understands Fox's pacifism, but there may be more practical ways to express Christianity, including his prison work.]
[places he is visiting in London].
[views on the best aspects of Quakerism; his views on war are changing; will have to take German lessons to work with prisoners.]
[doesn't think the work he is doing in the canteen has sufficient Christian purpose]
[will, in the future, want to teach in a college, particularly in the New England area; chastises Society of Friends for incomplete devotion to the service of Christ; cites exemplary Friends as Rufus Jones and Henry Hodgkin.]
[has decided not to go to Oxford lest it be suspected that he stayed in England to avoid conscription.]
[feels family relationships are holy; war is anti-Christian.]
[shows how he is sometimes torn between how he deals with situations & how he would wish to.]
[realizes people will be very much against him when he begins his German p.o.w. work; describes area of his new residence.]
[his desires for inner strength.]
[air-raid described; his p.o.w work classified as patriotic service, though he thinks it Christian service, living his beliefs; thinks of their future home life as a sacred altar.]
[encourages her to think as he does on the subject of war and Christian faith.]
[has been studying treatment British prisoners get in Germany.]
[thinks of his work as Christian rather than nationalistic.]
[tirade against a talk by Mrs. Pankhurst and questions giving suffrage to women such as she.]
[was to have visited 3 p.o.w. camps, including a hospital visit, bible class, talking with committees — a mixture of social & religious.]
[can only act in the way he feels is most Christian, and when he returns will not preach peace but live the most Christian life.]
[his position on war is that if Christ was against war, then it is always wrong and not to be waged as a means to come up to a more Christian life.]
[thinks there will be an order that personnel either keep unsanctioned views to themselves or get out; doubts about his true Christian feelings and counts on her support, though not of argument or of intellectualizing.”]
[his definition of conscientious objection].
[is packing to leave for home.]
[reason he left was that Y.M.C.A. was not the place for someone of his convictions; also, men of military age will probably all be recalled from Eng.; is starting again at the Seminary.]
[thinks there will be an opening with Armenian-Syrian relief work following summer or perhaps will go to Wilmington Yearly Meeting.]
[went to N.Y. to attend conference of Syrian-Armenian relief committee.]
[feels there is equal blame and atrocities on both sides in the war, though America gets a lopsided picture.]
[has received letter from president of Wilmington College asking if he would be interested in teaching there; talks of pros and cons of taking the job.]
[tells of difficulties in accepting teaching position that has been offered.]
[possible jobs for him; great desire to get his degree “to be on an equal footing.”]
[has received letter telling that action has been taken to record him as a minister.]
[has accepted position at Wilmington College.]
[has taken on a job of visiting Friends and former Friends families in the locality of Milton, N.Y.]
[is working on his thesis of Paul's writings and on atonement.]
[has started speaking at street meetings on prohibition.]
[has finished thesis; will try for Ph.D. later, but must decide whether to follow educational lines or straight ministry.]
[has been preaching steadily.]
[will be at Wilmington College in the fall; will be going with Seminary class to N.Y. to meet “big” preachers.]
[T.R.K. went “limp” while driving and car overturned — thinks it may be nervous exhaustion.]
[has told family about necessity of leaving Ohio because of health of Lael's parents; explains changes in himself — in business sense, i.e. would work not among Friends if it brought more income.]
[is writing letter to Pres. Jay to inform him of leaving Wilmington College (letter of resignation attached); worried about conservative atmosphere.]
[has been in debate on political issues.]
[talked with President of Wilmington College, who told of a vacancy at Worcester Friends Meeting.]
[is trying to get a job at Moses Brown School.]
[would like to get ministerial position in Wilson.]
[talks of classes and faculty with whom working on his Ph.D.]
[has accepted pastorate at Wilson Church.]
[would greatly prefer teaching to preaching “pastoral work not my line”]
[has been offered pastorate of Portland M Me. Friends Meeting, also possible opening as pastor at Whitman College, but he'd only want it if included teaching.]
[job of chairman in department of philosophy may be available — is T.R.K. interested?]
[would be interested in job in philosophy dept.; gives his curriculum vitae.]
[letter of recommendation for T.R.K.]
[letter of recommendation for T.R.K.]
[would like to take up his suggestion that he be able to spend a year in Germany, giving reasons why before taking up position of chairman of philosophy dept.]
[offers position to Kelly.]
[will apply to A.F.S.C. for work abroad for the next year.]
[quotes letter from Wilbur Thomas that his work in Germany will involve student feeding.]
[have received word from A.F.S.C. that they will be sailing to Hamburg and from there to Berlin.
[work in Germany will probably bring them in contact with student life.]
[on board boat to Germany; has spoken with many who have lost their faith in Christianity because the conventional form sanctions hate and war.]
[will be going to Hamburg for a conference of all American and English workers in Germany; later will go to a conference of all friends of the Quakers; will be working with university students and university life very different here.]
[feeding program coming to an end, but the “intangible Message” work only beginning.]
[describes situation in Germany as a result of the war in terms of undernourishment, etc.]
[elaborates on his perceptions of post-war German conditions.]
[at a conference of students from all over Europe].
[are spending a week touring to see the work of child-feeding and TB prevention.]
[Elbert Russell has arrived with plans to visit various groups and universities; A.F.S.C. and its German and Eng. counterparts combining to make up the working force of Friends in Germany plus an executive committee made up of a rep. from each of those countries — T.R.K. being the Am. rep.]
[attended Worlds Peace Congress in Berlin.]
[organizing new quarters for a students' club.]
[will attend a conference of all workers in England, America, Germany to discuss the entire program of work in Germany; does not care for the “executive” part of his job, would rather just teach.]
[in Holland on vacation, then back to Germany.]
[reasons why Germans are falling back to a reactionary, militaristic attitude; loss of German Friends Meeting in Pyrmont for lack of Quakers; visiting people; will be attending
[will speak to delegation of Austrian Friends; political situation in Germany.]
[discusses his upcoming teaching & bringing German books and students to Earlham.]
[more of their travels and meetings at which he spoke.]
[was at conference of all workers in Germany. Discussed possibility of Quakers doing something to relieve pressure on minorities, to remove causes of war — thinks this a very important matter, as important as anti-slavery work or prison reform.]
[from London Yearly Meeting.]
[return from vacation; now able to read and speak German and acquainted with German method of university education; sees Germans as having their own cultural traits; Gilbert MacMaster will take TRK's place as head of German A.F.S.C. operations when he leaves; wants to get his thesis published.]
[spoke to a large audience on prohibition; will speak at another conference & go to German Y.M.]
[concerning establishment of a Friends Y.M. in Germany]
.Copy
[decision made to set up a German Y.M.]
[loves teaching at Earlham.]
[will speak at a conference of Pacifist Churches; hopes to join a group to bring Orthodox & Hicksite together.]
[asked to be head of Woolman School, but not interested.]
[has developed lumbago]
[his parables are very good, but they do not need any more for their journal].
[meaning of Quakerism and Christianity, and difficulties for him in Friends Church.]
[has spoken to Clarence Pickett about his proposal that TRK go to Paris or Berlin for 3 years, but turned it down, as teaching most important; may go to Harvard on a fellowship to work on a Ph.D.]
[gives critical analyses of a paper.]
[requests leave of absence for next academic year to study at Harvard.]
[leave of absence granted.]
[from Harvard -- relates courses he is taking: will be preaching bi-weekly at Moses Brown School.]
[Kelly will be teaching assistant at Radcliffe.]
[is excited to be teaching philosophy; philosophical concept of “rising”.]
[recommends extension of T.R.K.'s leave of absence.]
[will be teaching philosophy at Wellesley.]
[emphasis on scholarship.]
[various positions which he has considered; Rufus Jones' recommendation that he return to Earlham so best to serve Friends.]
[working under Prof. Whitehead; tells of course work and teaching; reference to some position in Beirut; probably will return to Earlham, though it is not most desirable -- much prefers New England.]
[part of his original dissertation will be published.]
[will, unhappily, return to Earlham; C.I. Lewis has advised him to publish copiously.]
[working on paper on French philosopher Emil Meyerson.]
[he may not be candidate for Harvard Pd.D. because Harvard doesn't want their degree compared with that of Hartford Theological Seminary.]
[points out that Harvard had earlier agreed to allow him to take his Ph.D.]
[Harvard Board reversed itself and agreed to let T.R.K. be a candidate for Ph.D.]
[doesn't think T.R.K. should take position at U. of Hawaii.]
[discusses Kelly's acceptance of position at U. of Hawaii and his Ph.D. at Harvard]
[depressed & melancholy.]
[doesn't feel degree from Harvard is important enough to lose his health over.]
[thesis is completed; desire to study Oriental thought main reason for his move to Hawaii -- part of his life plan; hates the Middle West]
[will postpone taking his orals though he has every intention of taking them in the future.]
[would very much like to go to Germany, but Hawaiian trip prevents; reviews his Quaker interests.]
[possibility of starting a Friends group in Hawaii.]
[hopes to get his thesis into print.]
[impressions of Hawaii.]
(fragment)
[news from Earlham]
[interests in Oriental philosophy; has not been well due to sinuses]
[talks of his work.]
[H.C. has offered him a position — has high opinion of it; ambition overriding all other concerns, wants very much to take Haverford job.]
[Easter pageant described.]
[if one learns Chinese and Indian philosophy, one has the fountainheads of Oriental thought — he has been studying both.]
[believes in Quakers of Phila. area, distrusts Western Quakers, discouraged with Protestantism.]
[getting started on his study of Kant.]
[will be teaching a course in Indian philosophy & hopes to do one on Chinese philosophy.]
Letter with drawings.
[Will be promoted to assistant prof.]
[praise for a paper of Kelly's.]
[contacts he will make in Germany.]
[en route to Germany; is staying at Penn Club in Eng.]
[some Quakers consider Hitler regime will be short-lived and that his replacements should be cultivated with internationalist, pacifist ideas]
[has been working on the lecture he will give.]
[meeting with various people and groups, giving talks.]
[role of totalitarian govt. in the lives of the people.]
[tells where he has been in Germany; will be going to Y.M. in Bad Pyrmont.]
[has given important talk at Y.M.]
(written from France, so not censored; * Transcript - is only fragment of original)
[appearances vs. reality in Germany, insecurity of people, “group” mentality, treatment of the Jews, etc.; Quakers' mission in Germany is to minister to the spiritual suffering of the Germans; this summer opened up “a new sense of unreserved dedication... to God... an internal influence... God working within me... I seem at last to have been given peace.”
[meeting with people in whom he finds trust and devotion.]
[experiences in meeting with different people; speaks of his “sensitized” life.]
[encourages Jews to help each other spiritually.]
[compliments on his Penn Lecture]
[is in Washington to apply for a grant for Oriental books for H.C.]
a Japanese pacifist.
[will come to Yale to speak on the mystical experience; is chairman of Fellowship Council of AFSC]
[has two pieces published recently in
[is purchasing a lot and cabin in Maine]
[is glad to hear that 3 of his papers may be published.]
[would have liked Pendle Hill to publish one of his lectures.]
[about publication of 3 of his papers; a small group, a Blessed Community, has gathered around the stimulus of Gerald Heard.]
[condolence letter.]
[encloses a summary of T.R.K.'s work at Earlham.]
[tells of her situation after T.R.K.'s death.]
(introduction to Annual Report of the Wider Quaker Fellowship).
corrected; they were to have been published together
corrected. Different state from other tss.
corrected. Different state from other tss.
Gift . Acc. no. 4682
Gift , December, 1992.
These papers consist of materials relating to Kelly's “Holy Obedience”, including the typescript copy read by him at Yearly Meeting in c. 1940 and inscribed to daughter, Lois; and other of his mss., including “In on a Secret”, “Where are the Springs of Hope”, “Miraculous Living”; correspondence, especially concerning the publication of “Testament of Devotion.” Placed in box 12.