IhavealreadynoticedtheimportanceoftheQuakershareinthevariousphilanthropicmovementsofthetime。TheQuakersharedmanyoftheviewsuponpracticalquestionswhichwerefavouredbythefreethinker，Bothwerehostiletoslavery，infavourofspreadingeducation，opposedtoallreligioustestsandrestrictions，andadvocatesofreforminprisons，andintheharshcriminallaw。ThefundamentaldifferencesoftheologicalbeliefwerenotsoproductiveofdiscordindealingwiththeQuakersaswithothersects；foritwastheveryessenceoftheoldQuakerspirittolookrathertothespiritthantotheletter，Allen，therefore，wasonlyactinginthespiritofhissocietywhenhecouldbeonequallygoodtermswiththeEmperorAlexanderorthedukeofKent，and，ontheotherhand，withJamesMill，thedenouncerofkingsandautocrats。HecouldjoinhandswithMillinassailingslavery，insistinguponprisonreform，preachingtolerationandadvancingcivilisation，althoughheheartilydisapprovedofthedoctrineswithwhichMill’spracticalprincipleswereassociated。Mill，too，practisedeventoaquestionabledegreethemethodofreticence，andtookgoodcarenottooffendhiscoadjutor。
Theirco-operationwasmanifestedinaquarterlyjournalcalledthePhilanthropist，whichappearedduringthesevenyears，1811-1817，andwaspublishedatAllen’sexpense。
Millfoundinittheopportunityofadvocatingmanyofhischerishedopinions。
HedefendedtolerationinthenameofPenn，whoselifehadbeenpublishedbyClarkson。Heattackedtheslave-owners，andsocameintoalliancewithWilberforce，ZacharyMacaulay，andothersoftheevangelicalpersuasion。
Hefound，atthesametime，opportunitiesforpropagatingthecreedofBenthaminconnectionwithquestionsofprisonreformandthepenalcode。