THE 
 
 NIVERSALIST CENTENNIAL 
 
 
 
, 
 
PROCEEDINGS 
 
 AT THE 
 
 Universalist Centennial 
 
 HELD IN 
 
 GLOUCESTER, MASS., 
 
 SEPTEMBER 20th, 21st, & 22nd, 
 
 1870. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 UNT7ERSALIST PUBLISHING HOUSE, 
 
 37 CORNHILL. 
 

 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by the 
 
 Universalist Publishing House, 
 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
 35 o4-7 
 N D3. 
 

 NOTE. 
 
 The volume here presented to the reader is made up largely from short-hand re- 
 ports of the several meetings held at Gloucester during the great Jubilee Convention of 
 Sept. 1870. Pains have been taken to furnish a complete and reliable account of the 
 largest and most important assembly of Universalists ever gathered. It is believed 
 that the effort has been unusually successful; and the publishers offer the volume to 
 the Universalists of America as at once a record and a memorial of the greatest event 
 in the history of their Church. 
 
EEPORTS. 
 
 Report of the Board of Trustees. 
 
 To the General Convention of Universalis in 
 
 the United States of America. 
 
 The Board of Trustees herewith, present 
 their Fifth Annual Report. 
 
 They have held seven meetings during the 
 year. 
 
 The Rochester Parish, having at the solici- 
 tation of the Convention, released Dr. Saxe 
 from his engagement with them, he entered 
 upon his duties as General Secretary, Oct. 7th, 
 1869. A report of his work for the year is 
 hereto appended. 
 
 To secure the safe and judicious investment 
 of the Murray Fund, the following Committee 
 was appointed : — Hon. I. Washburn, Jr., Me. ; 
 
 A. A. Miner, D. D., Mass. ; Benj. F. Romaine, 
 Esq., N. Y. ; Chas. H. Rogers, Esq., Pa. ; Chas. 
 
 B. Sawyer, Esq., 111. 
 
 UNIFORM ORGANIZATION. 
 
 The Board has been notified of the re-organ- 
 ization of the Georgia and Alabama State 
 Conventions ; and of the adoption by the Illi- 
 nois Convention of the Constitution recom- 
 mended by this body. Twenty-one States are 
 now organized in Conventions. 
 
 THE WASHINGTON MOVEMENT. 
 
 The Board has furnished regular pulpit sup- 
 plies to the Washington Society, during ten 
 month's of the year. The Society has been 
 steadily gaining ground, and its prospects for 
 permanent success are improving. And while 
 the Board would gladly recommend the Con- 
 vention to build for them a Church, or even at 
 less outlay to supply a settled pastor, it is yet 
 their opinion that the immediate and pressing 
 needs of the Convention are such, that at pres- 
 ent it is inexpedient to adopt either plan. 
 
 CONVENTION SCHOLARSHIPS. 
 
 The Funds of the North- Western Confer- 
 ence having been exhausted by the surrender 
 of the missionary work of that Conference to 
 the General Convention, the Board adopted its 
 Beneficiaries, five in number, and has granted 
 besides fifteen new scholarships of $180 each 
 per annum. 
 
 Since the Convention commenced this work, 
 (1865) 45 scholarships have been granted. Of 
 the number thus aided, one has died, one has 
 abandoned the ministry, 14 are still in the 
 Schools, and 29 are at work in the Ministry. 
 
 BEQUESTS. 
 
 The Board has been notified that Mr. W. S. 
 Gunn of Nyack, N. Y., has bequeathed the 
 sum of $8,000 to the Convention, in trust for 
 the relief of disabled clergymen. 
 
 STATISTICS. 
 
 Complaint having been made in former 
 years that the statistical blanks furnished by 
 the Convention were too complicated and elab- 
 orate in detail, a blank was this year prepared 
 which demanded only such facts as it seemed 
 must be within the reach of every clerk or 
 pastor. But the results, although perhaps 
 more favorable than those of former years, are 
 not such as afford us any accurate estimate of 
 our strength. The State Secretaries gener- 
 ally have displayed the utmost zeal and dili- 
 gence — the fault is with the Parishes. 
 
 The Convention of last year instructed the 
 Permanent Secretary to " make honorable men- 
 tion of all who promptly and faithfully respond 
 to his call ; and that the officers of subordi- 
 nate bodies who fail in this regard be named 
 in the Report, to become a part of the Record." 
 Honorable mention is therefore made of the 
 following Secretaries, who have made as com- 
 plete returns as possible, with the materials at 
 their command. 
 
 Rev. C. Weston, Maine; Rev. S. H. McCol- 
 lester, N. H. ; Rev. G. S. Guernsey, Yt. ; Rev. C. 
 J. White, Mass. ; W. S. Johnson, R. I. ; J. S. 
 Hussey, Ct. ; Rev. A. A. Thayer, N. Y. ; Thos. 
 J. Pullen, N. J. ; Henry E. Busch, Pa. ; Rev. 
 E. L. Rexford, Ohio ; Rev. M. B. Carpenter, 
 Mich. ; Rev. W. W. Curry, Ind. ; Rev. T. H. 
 Tabor, 111. ; Rev. J. Britton, Wis. ; W. H. 
 Fleming, Iowa ; N. H. Hemiup, Minn. ; Rev. 
 J. H. Ballou, Kansas ; Rev. Stephen Hull re- 
 ports for Missouri ; Jas. M. Phillips for West 
 Virginia, and Rev. L. F. Andrews, for Georgia. 
 
UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 THE MISSIONARY BOXES. 
 
 This report closes September 8th. From 
 January 1st, 1870, to this date, 10,097 boxes 
 have been heard from, giving an aggregate of 
 $10,380 81, an average of Si 02 per box. 
 The Board believes that the success of this 
 method of raising money depends very largely 
 upon the hearty co-operation of the clergy, and 
 efficient laymen in the parishes. With such 
 co-operation, the Boxes can be made to yield 
 a permanent income to the Convention of 
 from $15,000 to $20,000 per annum. Refer- 
 ence is made to the Report of the Committee 
 hereto appended, for details of construction 
 and distribution. 
 
 FINANCES. 
 
 The Buffalo Convention in its preoccupa- 
 tion with Centenary affairs seemed to overlook 
 the fact that this Board could not carry out the 
 plans of the Convention without money. 
 
 It was voted to raise $200,000 Murray Fund, 
 and a General Secretary was elected to super- 
 
 vise the work : the Missionary Box plan was 
 approved ; the Board was instructed to render 
 the Washington Society all the aid in its 
 power, the granting of Scholarships to worthy 
 young men desiring to enter the ministry was 
 approved, &c. : but the fact was overlooked 
 that, pending the raising and investment of the 
 Murray Fund, the Board had only $2,309 35 
 to carry on the work of this most important 
 year. At the first meeting of the Board after 
 the Buffalo Convention, it became apparent 
 that to carry out the expressed desire of the 
 Convention, and not to abandon the work al- 
 ready begun, or recede from the pledges al- 
 ready made, there was a deficiency of some 
 $16,000 to be met, for which no provision 
 whatever had been made. The Board resolved 
 that it would carry on the work committed to 
 it at all hazards, and has accordingly borrowed 
 the Funds necessary to keep these various en- 
 terprises alive, to the amount of $15,000 ; and 
 it now asks the Convention to provide for the 
 same, and relieve it from the responsibility it 
 has thus incurred. 
 
 Permanent Treasurer's Beport 
 
 To the General Convention of Universalists in the 
 United States of America: 
 
 The undersigned begs leave to present here- 
 with his annual Report, with an account cur- 
 rent of the expenses and disbursements of the 
 General Convention for the year ending on the 
 morning of the third Tuesday of September, 
 1870, and also a statement of the receipts for 
 account of the Murray Centenary Fund, and 
 of its investment so far as the same has been 
 made, together with the proper vouchers ac- . 
 companying the respective amounts. 
 
 An abstract of the accounts is given here- 
 with, for the details of which reference may be 
 had to the accompanying documents. 
 GENERAL ACCOUNT. 
 
 18G9 RECEIPTS. 
 
 Oct. 15. So Balance received from the late 
 
 Treasurer $2,309 35 
 
 Dec. 28. " Borrowed from the New York State 
 
 Convention 2,000 
 
 Dec. 31. " Received from Missionary Boxes to 
 
 date 165 32 
 
 1870. 
 
 June 2. " Proceeds of Note discounted at Trade- 
 man's National Bank, Philadelphia. 2,936 50 
 
 July 20. " Borrowed upon the obligation of Board 
 
 Trustees 10,000 
 
 Sept. 12. " Received from the Permanent Sec- 
 retary ._. . ,,, 974 22 
 
 DISBURSEMENTS. 
 
 Construction and Expressage Missionary Boxes, 3,174 86 
 
 Scholarships, 3,900 
 
 General Secretary's salary 3,208 26 
 
 Permanent Secretary 500 
 
 Travelling Expenses 934 60 
 
 Aid to the Washington D. C. , Society 1,159 85 
 
 Office expenses, Stationery, &c 1,591 22 
 
 14,468 79 
 
 In Treasury— General account, 3,916 70 
 
 MURRAY CENTENARY FUND 
 ACCOUNT. 
 
 RECEIPTS. 
 J. M. Pullman, Permanent Secretary for, 
 
 Received from Missionary Box collections $10,380 81 
 
 " Prom other sources, 23,827 46 
 
 $34,208 27 
 DISBURSEMENTS. 
 Invested under the direction of the Investing 
 
 Committee, 10,000 
 
 $18,385 49 
 
 In Treasury— Murray Fund Account $24,208 27 
 
 The present indebtedness of the General 
 Convention is as follows : 
 
 Due New York State Convention for Loan and inter- 
 est $ 2,105 
 
 " Note discounted at Philadelphia, due Oct. 5th, 
 
 1870 , 3,009 
 
 " Loan from Murray Fund and interest, say. .... . 10,175 
 
 " Construction of Missionary Boxes 235 
 
 " Installment to Beneficiaries — Due Octobet 1st, 
 
 1870, 1,500 
 
 Total $17,015 
 
 All of which is respectfully submitted. 
 
 D. L. Holden, Permanent Treasurer. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 Receipts for general account to December 
 
 31,1869, $368 09 
 
 Receipts for account of Murray Fund 
 
 from Jan. 1 to June 30, 1S70, 2,629 58 
 
 From July 1 to September 8, 1870 7,751 23 10,380 81 
 
 Eeport of the Committee on the Missionary Army 
 
 To the Board of Trustees : 
 
 Your Committee beg leave to report that 
 agreeably to your instructions they have 
 caused an adequate supply of Missionary 
 Boxes to be constructed from time to time, as 
 they have been required during the year, and 
 have promptly forwarded them to oarties desir- 
 inp; them. , 
 
 Total receipts from the army. 
 
 The whole cost of constructtion and expres- 
 sage to this date is 
 
 $10,748 90 
 
 ,707 26 
 
 There have been prepared for distribution to Boxes 
 
 this date 30,000 
 
 Distributed prior to October 1, 1869 3,000 25,560 
 
 Distributed the current year 22,560 
 
 Number of Boxes ready for issue,. . . . 4,440 
 
 The above distribution has been principally 
 to State Agents, Pastors, and Sunday School 
 Superintendents, though quite a large number 
 have been sent out by mail singly to individu- 
 als. Your Committee avail themselves of this 
 opportunity to express their thanks to H. B. 
 Metcalf, Esq., of Boston, through whose exer- 
 tions over ten thousand Boxes have been dis- 
 tributed through the New England States. 
 
 The gross receipts since the organization of 
 the army are as follows : — 
 
 Returns of deliveries of Boxes to the mem- 
 bers of the army have been received, showing 
 a very satisfactory result, and when fully re- 
 ported will increase the number of names up- 
 on the Register to eighteen or twenty thousand. 
 
 Your Committee believe this to be one of the 
 best methods that can be employed to unite 
 our friends in their efforts to advance the inter- 
 ests of the denomination, and they trust that its 
 usefulness will be felt in a still greater degree 
 in the future, and that the efficient engine 
 which this Auxiliary has shown itself to be 
 may be retained permanently in the service of 
 the General Convention. 
 
 Respectfully submitted, 
 
 D. L. HOLDEN, 
 
 J. M. Pullman, 
 
 Committee. 
 
 General Secretary's Eeport 
 
 To the Board of Trustees of the General Con- 
 vention of Universalists : 
 As the Session of our Supreme Denomina- 
 tional Body approaches, which will consummate 
 a year of unusual activity and unprecedented 
 importance in the history of our Church, it be- 
 comes my duty to submit my annual Report, as 
 General Secretary of the Convention. 
 
 I accepted the position to which the voice of 
 the Convention called me with very great re- 
 luctance, distrusting most sincerely my fitness 
 for the place which had been so worthily and 
 ably filled by my predecessor, and trembling 
 before the magnitude of the work to be en- 
 trusted to my superintendence. 
 
 Our Centenary year was about opening and 
 a comprehensive plan had been projected for 
 making it memorable. 
 
 It involved scarcely less than the inaugura- 
 tion of a new era in our history. The denomi- 
 national heart was to be fired with a new zeal 
 by the unfolding of inspiring possibilities — the 
 giving spirit was to be quickened — large sums 
 of money to be raised while the very machinery 
 for money raising in the main was to be cre- 
 
 ated. The leadership in this work as well as 
 the responsibility was to be devolved upon the 
 General Secretary. 
 
 Nor was there anything encouraging in our 
 past experience. Although local undertakings 
 had prospered and creditable sums had been 
 raised in some of the States to establish Insti- 
 tutions of Learning, yet all attempts to raise 
 money by and for the General Convention had 
 simply humiliated us by their results. 
 
 The first attempt to raise a fund by this 
 body we find set forth in a resolution adopted 
 at its Session in Swanzey, N. H., held in 1801. 
 It is as follows : 
 
 "Resolved, That a fund be raised by such 
 ways and means as may hereafter be devised ; 
 the amount of such fund is to supply the wants 
 of Brothers sent forth to preach, to aid in the 
 printing of useful books, and to answer all such 
 charitable purposes as the Convention may 
 judge proper." 
 
 A Serious objection was made to this move- 
 ment on the ground that such a fund might be- 
 come an engine of ecclesiastical despotism. 
 
 At the next Session the Report of the Treas- 
 urer showed that no response whatever had 
 
8 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 been made. The call was reiterated, and the 
 disbursement of the money so guarded as to 
 meet the objections urged. At the memorable 
 Winchester Session, held in 1803, it was found 
 that of the forty societies then in fellowship, 
 only fourteen had responded, the total amount- 
 ing to $32.03 1-2. 
 
 Such is the history of our first attempt at 
 money raising ; and from that time to the 
 opening of our Centenary movement, embrac- 
 ing a period of nearly seventy years, during 
 which, as a Church, we have grown from forty 
 Societies and twenty-two Ministers, to one 
 thousand Societies and six hundred Ministers, 
 with more than an equal per centage of in- 
 crease in wealth, I do not suppose that, all told, 
 the Convention had raised one tenth of the 
 sum now proposed as the work of a single 
 year. And when we take into consideration 
 that this Central Fund was to come from the 
 pockets of a people who were expected to con- 
 tribute at least eight hundred thousand dollars 
 more for local purposes, it is not surprising that 
 I should consider it an undertaking of no mean 
 magnitude. But the exigency demanded that 
 some one should take the field, and I did not 
 feel warranted in refusing the call. And I may 
 here be permitted to say that — thanks to the 
 preparation made by my predecessor by his in- 
 defatigable labors and his brave strong words 
 — the earnest co-operation of the President — 
 the constant and consecrated application of the 
 Permanent Secretary, and the chairman of the 
 Committee on Missionary army — the courtesy 
 and kindness of every member of the Board — 
 the ability and efficiency of our denominational 
 Press, of which too much cannot be said in 
 praise — the prompt support of nearly all our 
 ministers and the Centenary zeal which has 
 burned in the hearts of the people, many diffi- 
 culties have been smoothed and my work has 
 been rendered comparatively pleasant. 
 
 While the results at this stage of our under- 
 taking are not up to the maximum of our 
 wishes, I am happy to say they are encouraging, 
 being as a whole creditable to the liberality of 
 our people, and equal at least to my expecta- 
 tions. 
 
 THE PROJECTED WORK OF THE YEAR. 
 
 By vote of the Convention and resolutions of 
 the Centenary Committee, endorsed by the 
 Board, the Centenary work was made to em- 
 brace the payment of Church debts, building 
 
 and improving parsonages, establishment and 
 endowment of Schools and Colleges, together 
 with the raising of a memorial fund of two hun- 
 dred thousand dollars to be known as the Mur- 
 ray Centenary Fund. All money raised for 
 denominational purposes outside of current 
 church expenses was to be regarded as Cen- 
 tenary offerings, it being accumulated denom- 
 inational capital, and to be counted in the 
 general aggregate. It was indicated that the 
 sum of all these offerings ought to amount to 
 one million dollars. This, then, is the objective 
 point toward which we have been working. 
 We have held from the beginning that to ac- 
 complish this is success. 
 
 METHODS AND MACHINERY. 
 
 State Conventions were recognized as the 
 sole constituency of the General Convention, 
 and through them the canvass has been con- 
 ducted. The plan of work contemplated the 
 appointment of Financial Agents in all the 
 States, to have in charge the several objects 
 embraced in the Report of the Centenary Com- 
 mittee. Missionary boxes, the receipts from 
 which were to be incorporated in the Murray 
 Fund, have been distributed under the immedi- 
 ate direction of the Board, although to a con- 
 considerable extent they have been placed in 
 the hands of the people by agents of State Con- 
 ventions. 
 
 In addition to these instrumentalities the 
 Women's Centenary Aid Association was in- 
 stituted, having for its object the obtaining of 
 at least one dollar from every Universalist 
 woman in America. This organization has 
 proved a powerful auxiliary and made for itself 
 a splendid record. It has collected the sum of 
 $21,029.24. Such was the machinery we re- 
 solved to operate, leaning firmly upon the min- 
 isters, who everywhere manifested warm sym- 
 pathy and an unshaken determination to fur- 
 ther our purpose. 
 
 VISITS TO STATE CONVENTIONS. 
 
 With a view of putting this machinery in 
 motion I visited, early in the year, the States 
 of Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsyl- 
 vania, District of Columbia, New Hampshire, 
 Vermont and Maine, meeting and consulting 
 with the constituted denominational authorities 
 in each state. I was kindly received every- 
 where, and in all the States thus visited Finan- 
 cial Agents were appointed, excepting Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 9 
 
 The -work in the last named State was de- The following is the statement of the Cen- 
 
 livered over to me, but subsequently, and be- tenary work of the year 1870, which, it should 
 
 fore I was ready for a canvass, said action was be remembered, is work accomplished outside 
 
 reconsidered, and a State agent put into the of the current expenses of the denomination for 
 
 field by appointment of the President of the Con- the year. 
 
 vention. Of the States not visited, Massachu- Subscribed and paid for Murray Fund §102,228 
 
 ■vt "\r 1 i ivr* ^~+„ ™:*K rmn„t-r. Other Centenary offerings, wuich embrace Payment 
 
 setts, ISew lork and Minnesota, with agents of Church debts, Building of Churches, Endow- 
 
 appointed, were in harness for work before the ment of Schools and Colleges during the year : 846,309 
 
 Centenary year opened. At an early day making a sum total of the years ^vork of $948,53 
 
 Michigan and Iowa put each an agent in the This sum total embraces reports received 
 
 field, Connecticut organized for the campaign, f,<om the various States, and those reports be- 
 
 while Rhode Island, by a spontaneous impulse, ing in many particulars incomplete, it is cer- 
 
 decided, without organization, to do its work tain when full returns are all in, the total will 
 
 in a summary way. The result of this prelim- be considerably increased, 
 
 inary work was the following amounts pledged It is proper to add to this statement, that 
 
 for the Murray Fund. 25,500 Missionary Boxes have been manufac- 
 tured and put into the hands of agents for dis- 
 
 Maine §10,000 . r - - 
 
 k ew Hampshire 6,000 trioution. Of these, 12.91 7 have been placed 
 
 Gona^Acui^.\\\\\\\\\\'.\\\\\\'.'.''.\\\\\'.\'.'.'.'. b^OO i* 1 tne hands of the people. Returns have been 
 
 Ke£ d r.S and 20 000 received & om l °> 0[) 7 boxes, giving an aggre- 
 
 Pennsyivania gate of $10,380.81, and an average of $1.02 per 
 
 Ohio 10,000 t 
 
 Indiana 5,000 box. i or a more full statement, with returns 
 
 Wi^nsin.' '. '...'.'.'.'. '^.'..... ....... '. '. . ! '. '. ...... 3,000 to tn ^ s branch of our work, I refer you to the 
 
 Minnesota 5,000 report of the Committee on Missionary Army. 
 
 §129,000 The States which have already made good 
 
 In addition large sums were voted in Maine, their pledges by Subscription, are, Rhode Is- 
 
 Vermont, Connecticut, New York, Ohio, Mi- land > Connecticut, Minnesota and New York. 
 
 nois and Wisconsin for educational and other Tbe State wh * lch has pledged and raised the 
 
 local purposes. Vermont, Michigan and Iowa largest sum for the Murray Fund is Massachu- 
 
 resolved through the Boxes, Women's Aid As- setts - The State wnidl has raised most for 
 
 sociations, and°other instrumentalities, to raise educational purposes, is Ohio. The State 
 
 the utmost possible for the Murray Fund, but which has raiscd most above its <l uota for the 
 
 pledged no definite sum. Murray Fund, is Minnesota, that gallant young 
 
 State in the Northwest, which, with true Prus- 
 
 the canvass. s j an ener gy ? j n ^he space of three weeks, ended 
 
 The Canvass was inaugurated and has been the Centenary campaign in a blaze of glory. 
 conducted up to the present time by a series of The Individual who has made the largest 
 Centenary meetings. A considerable propor- Centenary offering is a noble hearted citizen of 
 tion of my own time and strength has been ex- Akron, Ohio, who has contributed thirty-one 
 pended at such meetings. I have given sermons thousand dollars to Butchel Collge. 
 and Centenary addresses bearing on our work, The large sum pledged by our people in so 
 in Maine. New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode brief a time, not only indicates that our Church 
 Island, New York, Pennsylvania, District of is one of large pecuniary resources and corn- 
 Columbia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wis- mendable generosity, but a growing conviction 
 consin and Minnesota, travelling 24,500 miles of its importance, and deepening confidence in 
 to accomplish the same. its permanence, and the grandeur of its mission. 
 
 I make the following statment of thefinan- Certainly, a Church that can add to its work- 
 
 cial status of the denomination, which I deem ing capital in a single year, $948,537, must be 
 
 of great importance to ourselves, and as an au- animated by an abiding faith that it ought to 
 
 thoritative declaration to the world of the live, and an invincible determination that by 
 
 strength and condition of our Church. divine help it shall live, until the end for which 
 
 m . • ' . „ ^ *. nnn nnn it was called into existence is accomplished. 
 
 The Church property of the Denomination §5,000 000 . x 
 
 Ourrenc Expenses 6oO,COO The significance of this result is an anncunce- 
 
 Property and Investments of Schools and Colleges, 2,000.000 tj.n-.ii 'u .i i. i j 
 
 investments in Charities and Missions 85,000 ment to all the world that we are here and 
 
10 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 have come to stay. The financial results of 
 the year also indicate that if in legislative wis- 
 dom and executive energy the Convention shall 
 prove itself equal to the disbursement of money 
 for the extension of our Church so as to pro- 
 duce visible results, the people will not fail to 
 furnish the needed funds. 
 
 MURRAY FUND. 
 
 Of the Murray Fund of $200,000 to be 
 raised within the Centenary year, I have to re- 
 port that in the nine months of the year? al- 
 ready past $135,000 has been pledged by in- 
 dividuals and States. 
 
 With yet three good months for work, it 
 ought not to be difficult to achieve complete 
 success. We should first urge upon the States 
 the fulfillment of their pledges, and help them 
 so to do. To those which, in consequence of 
 pressing local demands, do not find it possible 
 to make good their pledges at present, I would 
 commend the example of Wisconsin as one 
 worthy of imitation. It resolved to " raise all 
 it possibly can during the year for the Murray 
 Fund, toward what it has promised, and then 
 pay interest on the remainder until it is raised." 
 Let all the States take this course, and what 
 has been pledged has been practically secured. 
 
 But, after all the pledges are made good, to- 
 gether with what we have over and above the 
 pledges, we shall need at least sixty thousand 
 dollars. How shall this be provided for? 
 The Missionary of Minnesota gives the key for 
 the solution of this difficulty. He says: "Al- 
 though we are so far above what we have 
 pledged, we are going to keep on raising mon- 
 ey till January, 1871 ; and then, if the $200,- 
 
 000 is not raised, let us know how much is our 
 share of what is to be raised." A re-assess- 
 ment is the only way I know of to surmount 
 the obstacle presented. It should be made on 
 a new basis. To make the quota of a Stale 
 half the aggregate of what is paid for minis- 
 ters' salaries, wifhout taking other circum- 
 stances into consideration, has been found, on 
 being tested, to be neither just nor practicable. 
 
 1 would have a committee appointed, charged 
 with the duty of surveying the whole field and, 
 after giving every circumstance due considera- 
 tion, making the assessment. I have faith to 
 believe that no State would repudiate its quota 
 when thus assigned. 
 
 TOE FUTURE WORK OF THE BOARD. 
 
 As money is placed in the hands of the 
 Board, new responsibilities press upon it, and 
 
 new and promising fields open for its opera- 
 tions. With the Murray Fund raised and in- 
 vested, that will unquestionably need a larger in- 
 come than it will yield, to take good care of 
 the vast interests which will be placed in its 
 hands. How shall this money be obtained ? 
 Evidently a perpetual canvass is not only im- 
 practicable, but incompatible with the real 
 work of the Convention. If it is to appear 
 everywhere as the competitor of local under- 
 takings, it will soon be voted by our people a 
 clog and incumbrance rather than a help. I 
 assume that it should stand as the friend and 
 fosterer of local effort, appearing at e very- 
 point of peril in the person of its agents, and 
 by its moral support, at least, confirm the weak 
 and rally the wavering. 
 
 Its pecuniary dependence hereafter must be 
 on what may be realized through the canvass 
 of State Conventions (where they exist), and 
 from the Missionary boxes. 
 
 These boxes ought to be recognized as a 
 perpetual institution and worked with system 
 and vigor. 
 
 I am confident that with the requisite effort 
 they may be made to produce a permanent in- 
 come of at least $15,000 per year. 
 
 While in my opinion it will be found im- 
 practicable for the Board, with the means 
 which it will be likely to possess, to undertake 
 the work of building churches, unless at great 
 centers, and on territory outside the jurisdic- 
 tion of a State Convention, (which work can 
 always be much better done by local bodies,) 
 the organization of unorganized territory and 
 the education of Ministers should always be 
 recognized as irs special charge. 
 
 Missionary undertakings have been mainly 
 laid aside during the past year on account of a 
 lack of funds, and ihe pressure of other work ; 
 but the interests of our cause in the States of 
 Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, California and 
 Oregon should receive the immediate attention 
 of the Board, and the organization of at least 
 one of the above named States, be made the 
 special work of the ensuing year. 
 
 But if our Church is to be extended, if unoc- 
 cupied fields are to be occupied, the first and 
 most pressing want will be found to be — more 
 Ministers. Not only will it be found that we 
 cannot grow, but we cannot hold the ground we 
 now occupy without a marked accession to our 
 ministerial strength. 
 
 If the Board takes charge of the supplying 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 11 
 
 of this want and furnishes the means for minis- 
 terial education, it will find the first requisite 
 to be, suitable persons to be educated. We 
 have the schools and the money to aid those 
 seeking an education, and now we want a 
 largely increased number of students in train- 
 ing for the Ministry. These we shall never 
 have unless special effort is made to that end. 
 
 By some efficient instrumentality suitable 
 young persons should be sought out and, as 
 far as possible, influences brought to bear to 
 turn their attention to the Ministry. 
 
 &" a systematic effort of this kind could be 
 made in correspondence with our Pastors and 
 Educators, while (ewer unfit men would seek 
 to occupy our pulpits, we should find the work- 
 ing power of our Ministry very greatly in- 
 creased. 
 
 In surveying the year's work, nothing will 
 stir the true friend of our cause with such pro- 
 found satisfaction as the moral results which 
 will always stand out in conspicuous relief, as 
 the crowning glory of our Centenary move- 
 ment. Our splendid material gain is meagre, 
 compared whh the morale we have acquired. 
 
 We have made marked progress in acquiring 
 unity and defixdteness of purpose. We have 
 
 learned what strength there is in a common 
 rallying cry and united action. 
 
 There are ample indications that we are 
 soon to have not only a Universalist denomina- 
 tion, but a Universalis Church, which shall 
 move to its purpose, as a compact and harmo- 
 nious body, with the fiber and spiritual heart 
 to ensure success. We have made a demon- 
 stration, which, while it has lifted us into a 
 new prominence before the world, has also 
 given us a knowledge of ourselves we did not 
 before possess, imparting an increased confi- 
 dence and a larger faith. Whether we achieve 
 all we anticipate, remains to be seen ; but the 
 blessedness of giving cannot be taken from 
 us. 
 
 Emerging from the effort of this memorable 
 year with a new baptism, we should profoundly 
 thank God for his mercies, and as our anthem 
 of rejoicing is raised at our Centenary Jubilee, 
 with the thrilling associations and memories 
 with which it will be freighted, it should sig- 
 nify the pledge of a new consecration and the 
 earnest of grander triumphs in the luture. 
 
 Asa Saxe, 
 General Secretary. 
 
 Keport on the State of tlie Church. 
 
 To the General Convention of Universalists: 
 
 Brethren : — Your Committee are com- 
 pelled to begin this report as almost every one 
 lias begun, with a regret that the denomination 
 has no statistics worth the name. An attempt 
 was made to form for this paper some estimate 
 of our comparative numerical condition in 
 years recently passed ; but the first step 
 showed that the returns, where any had been 
 made, were made without a fixed method, and 
 were quite unfit for instructive comparison. 
 The difficulty probably lies in the absence of 
 any general system of parish records ; and we 
 would suggest that some simple form of record- 
 book be prepared, uniform for the whole coun- 
 try, and furnished to pastors at the lowest pos- 
 sible cost. The general use of such books 
 would, probably, in a few years, give us statis- 
 tics that might be usefully studied and col- 
 lated. 
 
 Still, we have not felt that the absence of a 
 uumeiical report would be fatal to the useful- 
 ness of this document. The life and growth 
 
 of the Church is not to be estimated by num- 
 bers, but by the more real, though perhaps less* 
 tangible evidence of spiritual activity and 
 Christian fruit. We beg leave, therefore, to 
 report, perhaps a little at length, wdiat seems to 
 us to be the present position and efficiency of 
 the Universalist Church. 
 
 The most striking feature of the last decade 
 of our first century, has been a tendency to or- 
 ganize. On all hands we see efforts to em- 
 body in institutions and gather in focal points 
 of activity all the light and energy of our faith. 
 The labors of three generations were mainly 
 consumed in giving birth and opportunity to a 
 mass of Universalist believers. Very few par- 
 allels can be found in Christian history, to the 
 looseness with which our predecessors were 
 bound together by any other ties than the fact 
 of a common belief. And this condition was 
 sought and cherished. The great battle of 
 controversy, resulting in the conquest of room 
 to dwell and leave to act — in the granting, at 
 least, of belligerent rights, if not of recognized 
 
12 
 
 UNIVERSAL! ST CENTENARY, 
 
 equality in the religious world, were fought by 
 men who stood each for himself, and who did 
 not greatly care to form any closer compact 
 with each other than that of common devotion 
 to the same great cause 
 
 But with a comparatively slackened pies 
 sure from without, and a growing sense of 
 great conquests achieved, and great responsi- 
 bilities attending them, has come to all our 
 body a sense of the looseness with which we 
 have been hitherto connected, and a desire for 
 some new system of organization, which shall 
 better consolidate and direct our immense but 
 scattered strength. The position is exactly 
 analogous to that of our country after the Rev- 
 olution ; and the existing tendency exactly 
 corresponds to that which achieved the Con- 
 stitution. 
 
 Now while this tendency conspicuously dis- 
 plays itself in educational institutions and en- 
 dowments, in efforts to give greater regularity 
 to the constitution of societies, and in the con- 
 centration of ecclesiastical authority in the 
 State Conventions and the General Conven- 
 tion, it also displays no less energy and quite 
 as promising results in the operations of the 
 Church. 
 
 Our order has never been wholly unmindful 
 of the deeper facts of religious experience. 
 The faithfulness of our fathers' labors and the 
 large success accorded them, alike prove that 
 they leaned on the Almighty arm and won the 
 Divine approval. But it is no wonder if in 
 the stress of outward attack and defense, they 
 were little led to examine those secret processes 
 of spiritual communion by which they were all 
 the while sustained. No man can accuse our 
 pioneers of having been weak in faith or irrev- 
 erent in spirit ; but they may be said — and 
 considering their circumstances without re- 
 proach — to have attached but secondary im- 
 portance to these ordinances and institutions 
 by which the feelings are enlisted in the ser- 
 vice of Christ, and the heart is brought into 
 conscious, as well as close communion, with 
 its Saviour. 
 
 But now the character of our relations is es- 
 sentially changed, and we need much less to 
 combat, and much more to cultivate ; the 
 hearts of our people far and wide turn toward 
 the Church, with its sanctions and its ordi- 
 nances. We feel the need not only of per- 
 sonal growth and consecration, but also of 
 united effort in this direction. We find that 
 
 those secret experiences of the soul, which in 
 their last refinement are absolutely incommuni- 
 cable, and must remain the hidden mystery of 
 each heart, yet crave the indulgence of sympa- 
 thy with those of like experience, and by that 
 sympathy are made clearer and more assured. 
 And so the organizing tendency which pervades 
 all the efforts of the denomination, forming al- 
 liance with the religious feeling, impels large 
 numbers of our people toward the Church. 
 
 The evidence of this great and recent move- 
 ment is seen in the increasing importance at- 
 tached to baptism, to the public pledge of 
 Christian faith in every form,' to the dedication 
 of children, to the eucharist, to prayer-meet- 
 ings, and to those pulpit ministrations which 
 steadfastly aim to purify men's hearts, and en- 
 noble their lives by filling them with the un- 
 searchable riches of Christ. 
 
 Such then, in our view, is the present atti- 
 ude of the Universalist Church. It has newly 
 awakened to the exceeding value of those 
 means of grace which it has always possessed 
 and never entirely failed to use. The people 
 ask for the bread from heaven. Disposed by 
 their education, and scarcely forbidden by the 
 growing sentiment of the world to hold the 
 cardinal doctrines of our theology, they seek to 
 make them nutritious and delightful to their 
 hearts ; and for help in this endeavor they nat- 
 urally turn to the ordinances of the Church. 
 
 Let us now consider how well fitted these 
 institutions are, in their existing form, to an- 
 swer this new demand. 
 
 In a fair degree, the Church, as it stands or 
 ganized to-day, has met the demaud. Its ordi- 
 nances have been found capable of expressing 
 far more than they once expressed, and the spir- 
 it of its earlier years proves fully harmonious 
 with the intenser religious spirit of our time. 
 We desire to bear hearty and willing testimony 
 to the manifold comforting and ennobling min- 
 istrations which the Universalist Church has- 
 bestowed upon her children, in both the near 
 and distant past. We find nothing to rebuke, 
 and very much reverently to admire and love 
 And yet your Committee must proceed to 
 point out how the enlarging demands of the 
 day seem to call for measures which may give 
 enlarged authority and power to the Church, 
 
 There has been a disposition, not by any 
 means yet extinct, to dread any large growth 
 of emotional religion among our people, as lead- 
 ing away from a rational theology, and opening 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 13 
 
 a door to pietism or priestcraft. But the past 
 seems to guarantee us against such dangers. 
 Organized bodies of men are slow to lose the 
 impress of the conditions which first drew 
 them together; and few principles are more 
 fundamental in Universalist belief than that the 
 relations of man to his Maker are essentially- 
 reasonable and informal. We do not conceive 
 that an intelligent Universalist could be found 
 who does not believe that all religious forms 
 are in themselves absolutely indifferent, and 
 committed wholly to the conscientious judg- 
 ment of those who use them. This is proved 
 by the great variety of forms used in all the 
 offices of our Church ; each society, or even 
 each minister, feeling entirely at liberty to 
 choose any existing ceremonial, or to devise a 
 new one. With such a strong original instinct 
 of liberty in the expression of our devotion, we 
 seem secure from any danger of an exces- 
 sive ritualism, and quite free to consider 
 whether we may not have allowed our worship 
 to run to the other extreme of coldness and 
 scanty significance. 
 
 We think two defects in the methods and for- 
 malities of the Universalist Church can be 
 pointed out : — First, an almost general lack 
 of heartiness and amplitude in our customary 
 mode of public worship and religious obser- 
 vance ; and, Second, a want of uniformity in 
 the ministrations of different churches. 
 
 The first defect is felt by many sensitive per- 
 sons, and goes not a little way towards account- 
 ing for the alienation of many young people 
 from our communion. A large class of wor- 
 shippers feel far more than they can express or 
 clearly conceive ; and such natures long to find 
 somewhere provided expressions for their relig- 
 ous emotions, better than they can themselves 
 devise. Moreover, where such a want is not 
 felt, there often exists the unrecognised need of 
 the educational influence which such forms 
 might exert, wakening new fervor in the wor- 
 shipper's heart by the very fervor of the wor- 
 ship in which he is invited to participate. 
 Just in this way our Master bids us pray, " for- 
 give us our debts as we forgive our debtors ;" 
 not because we habitually do forgive our debt- 
 ors, but because He would have the prayer He 
 bids us repeat suggest the spirit in which we 
 ought to pray. 
 
 The second want hardly needs explanation. 
 "Whoever has sometimes attended the services 
 of churches not familiar to him, has noticed 
 
 how the novelty of strange forms distracts the 
 attention, and how they lack for a while the pow- 
 er he is used to feel in the prayers and praises 
 of his spiritual home. Nothing has so endeared 
 the Episcopal Church to her children, as the 
 uniformity of her service. Many passages in 
 the book of Common Prayer which cannot bear 
 a moment's criticism, and would not be accepted 
 if now newly proposed, are yet dear to those to 
 whom they come hallowed by the sanctity, 
 and perfumed by the incense, of unnumbered 
 hours of worship. 
 
 We think, then, that the power of our 
 Church over the hearts and lives of our people 
 would be greatly augmented by the use of a 
 ritual, simple, uniform, and fervent, — a ritual 
 that would receive the infant in consecration 
 from its parent's arms, should train him for 
 Christian manhood, welcome him into the com- 
 munion of faithful souls, and tenderly meet 
 him at every crisis of his life, — ennobling his 
 devotion uttering the longings of his heart, 
 soothing his sorrows, sanctifying his joys, and 
 singing over his grave at last its hopeful and' 
 triumphant requiem. 
 
 To the question which immediately arises,. 
 " How shall this be obtained ? ' it is not easy 
 to answer. All thought of adopting, or even 
 of adapting any existing ritual, is certainly 
 out of the question. The desired ends of such 
 forms can only be reached when they are the 
 healthy growth and expression of the pop- 
 ular heart. A Universalist ritual, therefore, 
 must not only conform in its utterances and its 
 faintest suggestions to Universalist theology, 
 but it must also correspond to the average taste 
 cultivation, and habits of thought among our 
 people. And what they are no man can at 
 once decide. While, therefore, we suggest the 
 need and hint at the nature of a more elabor- 
 ate body of forms, we do not urge the attempt 
 to give hasty and forced authority to any par- 
 ticular 'system, old or new. We rather aim by 
 the suggestion to attract general attention and 
 stimulate thought ; hoping that little by little, 
 that which lies deep in many hearts may find 
 or make for itself a way of utterance, and the 
 common desire at last embody itself in a com- 
 mon service of praise aud worship. 
 
 Finally, to recapitulate, the report which 
 your committee have to make concerning the 
 state of the Church at the close of our first 
 century, is briefly this : Our Church is growing 
 with all the energy of vigorous and undevel- 
 
14 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 oped youth. Our people, measurably secure of 
 their outward position, are turning anew their 
 hearts towards Christ, striving not only to ap- 
 prehend the glory of His truth, but to feel his 
 power and enter into his salvation. And this 
 new endeavor reveals to us at once the ample 
 sufficiency of that divine faith which has blest 
 so many souls and sanctified so many lives, and 
 the insufficiency of any symbols we have yet 
 attained to represent to others or ourselves the 
 boundless riches of the grace of God. 
 
 May the coming century behold our Church 
 grow stronger, year by year, in the number of 
 her children, in the fervor of her utterance and 
 above all, in the profound conviction that all 
 her hope and all her power rest on our Lord 
 and Saviour Jesus Christ, without whom we 
 can do nothing-. 
 
 J. Smith Dodge, Jr., 
 J. W. White, 
 H. L. Hayward. 
 
 Report of the Coimnitee on Education, 
 
 To the General Convention of Universalists: — 
 The Committee to whom was assigned the 
 duty of presenting the subject of education at 
 this session, c dl the attention of the Conven- 
 tion to three particulars : 1. what we have. 
 2. what we have done. 3. WHAT we 
 
 OUGHT TO DO. 
 
 1. What we have. Under this we enumer- 
 ate, not only the institutions already estab- 
 lished, but those also whose existence is secure, 
 and whose equipment for service in our ranks 
 will not long be postponed. 
 Colleges. 
 
 Lombard University, Galesburg, Knox 
 County, Illinois. Established A. D. 1852, un- 
 der the name of Illinois Institute, and changed 
 to its present name A. D. 1856. Buildings and 
 grounds worth $60,000 ; real and personal prop- 
 erty $100,000. Library 4,000 vols. Cabinet 
 and apparatus sufficient for class instruotion. 
 
 St. Lawrence University, Canton, St. 
 Lawrence Co. , N. Y. Has three departments : 
 Collegiate, Theological and Law ; the last es- 
 tablished A. D. 1866. Total asset; of the 
 University, $153,150. Value of Buildings, 
 Chapel and Library (6,000 vols.)$28,000. 
 
 Tufts College, College Hill, Mass. Es- 
 tablished A. D. 1854. Total assets about 
 $900,000. Value of lands and buildings, $210,- 
 000. ' Library, Cabinets, Apparatus, $20,000. 
 
 Smithson College, Logansport, Indiana. 
 Assets, including subscriptions, monies, and 
 bequests, $55,000. Lands, twelve acres, $5,- 
 0i»0. The main College building was put un- 
 der contract August 8, 1870. Will be open for 
 students in the Fall of 1871. 
 
 Buciitel College, Akron, Ohio. Named 
 in honor of John It. Buchtel, Esq,, to whose 
 munificence the institute owes its existence. 
 
 Assets, including subscriptions and lands, 
 $85,000. The central college Building will 
 probably be commenced before the ciose of this 
 centenary year. 
 
 Academies. 
 
 Clinton Liberal Institute, Clinton, 
 Oneida County, N. Y. 
 
 Established A. D. 1821. Estimated value 
 of Buildings and Grounds, $52,000. Fund, 
 $10,000. Library, 1625 vols. 
 
 Westbrook Seminary and Female Col- 
 legiate Institute^ Stevens Plains, Maine. 
 Incorporated A. D. 1831. School opened A. 
 D. 1834. 
 
 Beside the Seminary Building the Institution 
 owns two brick Boarding Halls, known as the 
 Goddard and Hersey Halls, a dining Hall con- 
 necting the two, a Chapel, and one-third of a 
 Church which cost $15,000. Permanent fund, 
 $30,000. 
 
 Estimated value of Buildings and Grounds, 
 $80,000. New and valuable apparatus. 
 
 Green Mountain Institute, South 
 Woodstock, Vt. 
 
 Established, A- D. 1848. Assets in Heal Es- 
 tate and Funds, $12,000. Owns an Academy 
 Building, built of wood, and a brick boarding 
 house. 
 
 Dean Academy, Frank'in, Mass. Chart- 
 ered A. D. 1865. Unproductive property; 
 Buildings, Grounds, Furniture, Apparatus &c., 
 Funds, $84,000. Debt, $10,000. 
 
 Jefferson Liberal Institute, Jefferson, 
 Wis. Chartered, A. D. 1806. School Building 
 erected, A. D. 1869, Cost of Building, $32,000 
 Debt, $10,000. 
 
 Green Mountain Central Instiiute, 
 Barre, Vt. Chartered, A. D. 1833. Building 
 commenced, A. D. 1366. School opened, A. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 15 
 
 D." 1870. Cost of Building, $72,000. Debt, 
 810,000. 
 
 The school in Glover, Vt. is, we suppose, 
 still under the patronage of Universalists. We 
 have failed to receive a notice of it. 
 
 Theological Schools. 
 
 Canton Theological School, Canton, 
 N. Y. 
 
 Tufts College Divinity School, College 
 Hill, Mass. 
 
 From the above survey it -will be seen that 
 as a Cbureh we own five Colleges, seven Acad- 
 emies, and two Theological Schools, represen- 
 tin" - nearly two million dollars. 
 
 II. What we have done. Jn the first 
 place, all that we have in the line of education- 
 al facilities, is the result of a few years work. 
 Thirty years ago, instituted Universalism knew 
 very little of schools To-day they are planted 
 in nearly every great division of our country. 
 Lombard University drains the best intellect of 
 our Church in the West. St. Lawrence Uni- 
 versity is a constant invitation to the affection 
 and generosity of our people in the Middle 
 States. Tufts College is a center of inlluence 
 in New Fngland, and sheds its light over our 
 entire Ziou ; Smithson College makes a fresh 
 appeal to our friends in a region where our 
 cause is weak, and will reward the sacrifices, 
 not only of the nobb woman who endowed it 
 with her wealth, but of all who foster its growth • 
 Buchlel College is a brilliant promise and will 
 invite the Scholarship and feed the life of our 
 Church in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, 
 especially appealing to the sympathy and hos- 
 pitality of the City which has so munificently 
 welcomed it in the person of one of her most 
 gified Citizens ; Westbroolc Seminary is worthy 
 of the State which it adorns, worthy the great 
 cause it represents, and an honor to the rare 
 type of Christian character which guards its 
 life ; Clinton Institute is a standing pledge that 
 Universalist Christianity will not die out of a 
 soil which has been enriched by the tillage of 
 so many saintly men ; Jefferson Liberal Insti- 
 tute puts forth the fresh vigor of youth to win 
 converts to our faith in one of the finest sec- 
 tions of this land. The Green Mountain Insti- 
 tute is more than a memory to her children who 
 now grace so many exalted stations ; increas- 
 ing lines of interest from Southern and West- 
 ern New England converge upon that noble 
 
 monument to a good man's forecast and benev- 
 olence — Dean Academy; and our whole 
 Church gives to the Green Mountain Central 
 Institute that salutation which means success. 
 Located at the heart of a glorious Stale, the 
 pulses of its life can but be wideiy felt. 
 
 Now to have planted and protected the 
 growth of these institutions is something done. 
 
 Then aside from the direct work which has 
 been accomplished through these schools — the 
 thousands they have instructed, the hundreds 
 graduated — there is the new T sentiment they 
 have awakened, almost created, among our peo- 
 ple, in favor of sound learning, and a generous 
 culture. We begin to see that the point of 
 sympathy between teacher and taught, preach- 
 er and hearer, parent and child, is not a com- 
 mon ignorance, but that the wisest mind is the 
 one that can best adapt itself to the lowest 
 
 Our schools, too, challenge the faculties of our 
 youth. They suggest the loftier, richer mind 
 which may be reached ; they move the nobler 
 ambitions ; they give polarity to desires, pur- 
 poses which else would be aimless. 
 
 Nor is this all. Every school we establish 
 is a direct appeal to the thought and generosity 
 of our churches ; helps give direction to benev- 
 olence, and form to the growing spirit of sacri- 
 fice amongst us. Indeed we are in little dan- 
 ger of overestimating the work our schools 
 have done, and are now doing, in quickening 
 and moulding the life of our people. 
 
 111. What we ought to do — The aim of 
 the Commitee in this brief paper has been to 
 preserve the cast and color of a report ; and 
 we feel that we shall not depart from this de- 
 sign bv giving; a few hints concerning the work 
 of the future. What is the great duty of 
 American Universalists with respect to educa- 
 tion V To us, it seems the immediate duty lies 
 in the direction of our instituted work, and 
 the schools which already exist. Multiply col- 
 leges and academies as the needs of the cause 
 demand, and the wisdom of our leaders devis- 
 es ; let them grow up here and there at centers 
 where our faith is little known, even, and 
 where noble souls are moved to endow and pro- 
 tect them ; seek and select the fortunate local- 
 ities in new States and Territories, and build 
 as we are able ; push our enterprises so long 
 as any frontier bounds our advances, but plant 
 no sch )ol that we do not mean to feed and 
 nourish into complete proportions : and pause 
 before any new undertakings, when it is evi- 
 
16 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 dent that those to which we are now pledged, 
 are languishing. 
 
 It is the opinion of your Commitee that the 
 great need is a more liberal endowment of ex- 
 isting institutions, and ampler furniture with 
 which to effect the end we have in view, viz. : 
 an educated Clergy and an educated Laity. 
 We have set ourselves to this work with some- 
 thing of method; and we ought to be wis 3 
 enough to see that we shall pass into history 
 with the burden of sickly schools upon us, unless 
 we brace their life with our money, and fill them 
 with the sustaining breath of sympathy. 
 Take the best College we have, the one that 
 is the most generously environed by denomin- 
 ational loyalty, and it needs this very hour a 
 million dollars with which to erect new build- 
 ings dedicated resqectively to Science, to Let- 
 ters, and to Religion ; to provide fresh facili- 
 ties in all the higher departments of study ; 
 and to endow other Chairs of instruction. 
 Nothing in the line of iustrumentalities would 
 so increase our power as a Church, like a com- 
 plete endowment of our Schools. History 
 shows that denominations live by their institu- 
 tions: and the impressive fact for us to ponder 
 is, that this is true only as the institutions are 
 invested with strength. To do us any good, 
 our Colleges and Academies must show sisjns of 
 growth and this they will never do unless 
 they are fed by the continual favor of our peo- 
 ple. Another duty, second only in point of 
 time, to the character of our Institutions and 
 the quality of their work. Our best educators 
 cannot be said to favor what is called the New 
 Education. They adhere to the fixed, uniform, 
 and classical curriculum, as distinguished from 
 that which makes College studies largely elec- 
 tive. They believe that the prescribed course 
 in which the Classics and Mathematics are proni- 
 nent, is the one best fitted to train a man to 
 know himself and the world ; to give what 
 Milton calls the " complete and generous educa- 
 tion, that fits a man to perform justly, skillfully, 
 and magnanimously, all the offices, both public 
 and private ;" and yet they are alive to the fact 
 that instruction should be intellectual and wide ■ 
 reaching ; that there should be, not less drill- 
 work in the preparatory school, and during the 
 first years in college, but more logical and aes- 
 thetic analysis, and psychological disipline in 
 all the departments, and at every stage of intel- 
 lectual success. The Committee, therefore, all 
 the more confidently urge the point that our 
 
 schools should have a character of their own, 
 and vindicate their right to existence and pat- 
 ronage, not merely because Universalist money 
 endowed and a particular Church order controls 
 them, but because what is most radical and for- 
 mative in our noble faith pervades and 
 strengthens them. Not that we would convert 
 our halls of learning into moral lecture- rooms 
 for the explanation of the precise tenets of 
 Christian Universalism, and the illustration of 
 our doctrinal ideas ; but we would fill and en- ' 
 circle our Institutions with the spirit of the re- 
 ligion we profess. We insist that there should 
 be peculiarities of basis and superstructure, o 
 priuciple and method ; and that these should 
 color the organic life of our schools, fashion 
 our instruments, appear in our methods, and 
 give tone to instruction. Precisely what these 
 peculiarities should be, and how show them- 
 selves, we may not be wise enough to suggest, 
 even if it were right to do so in this report. 
 We simply believe that there is vitality enough 
 in our idea to shape a distinctive Church or- 
 der, and give a distinctive educational purpose. 
 The very idea of Christianity which we hold 
 makes it educational, and the very end which 
 it contemplates, the birth of character. And 
 because we maintain that all American schools 
 should be religious aud Christain, Ave think we 
 are only consistent when we plead that the 
 schools of our own Church should stand 
 for the type of Christianity which we believe 
 and that their methods should be informed, an- 
 imated, by its spirit. Let intellectual culture 
 be the direct object of our Institutions of learn- 
 ing, and let all their arrangments be directed 
 to this immediate aim, and, at the same time, 
 let our views of Religion so temper the culture 
 that they will stimulate, refine, and elevate it. 
 
 Summary. 
 
 I. What we have. Five Colleges, seven 
 Preparatory Schools, and two Theological 
 Schools, with assets amounting in all to about 
 two million dollars, and an attendance of two 
 thousand pupils, more or less. 
 
 II. What we have done. Our Schools 
 are the outgrowth of our Church, and a sign of 
 its vitality. Our people have been roused to 
 consider the relation of education to our cause ; 
 our youth have been stimulated to new endeav- 
 ors after the highest culture ; and a spirit of 
 generosity and sacrifice has been quickened in 
 all our hearts. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 17 
 
 III. What we ought to do. Plant new 
 schools especially preparatory schools. Be ag- 
 gressive ; but forget not that the immediate 
 duty is the complete endowment and equip- 
 ment of existing Institutions. Give them a 
 distinctive character, improve their methods, 
 and let them embody and express what is most 
 central and vital in our religion, 
 
 One thought we have postponed. The re- 
 current demand, more urgent to-day than ever 
 before, is for Pastors and Preachers. The Com- 
 mittee urge the importance of a work, there- 
 fore, which must begin in the Churches, in the 
 Sunday Schools, in our homes, most of all in 
 our hearts. Let prayer go up from all our 
 altars, that the Lord of the harvest will send 
 laborers into his field ; and that he will raise 
 
 up friends of theological learning in all our bor- 
 ders : that he will endue our Pastors and 
 Teachers with wisdom and grace ; that he will 
 so guide our youth that many will walk in his 
 way and learn to love his work ; and that, 
 while our hearts so flame upwards in supplica- 
 tion, he will unite the hands of our people in 
 some consecrated endeavor in behalf of the 
 Gospel ministry. 
 
 The Committee close their report with a 
 
 deepened sense of our entrusted work as Uni- 
 
 versalists, and the large share our Church 
 
 must have in the best life of the next century. 
 
 Respectfully submitted, 
 
 C. H. Leonard, 
 J. S. Lee, 
 A. Knowles, 
 
 •nard, ") 
 
 LES, ) 
 
 Committee. 
 
 Report of Sunday School Committee. 
 
 To the General Convention of Universalists in 
 the United States of America, the Committee 
 of :8G9-70, on Sunday Schools, would respect- 
 fully report : 
 
 According to your By-Laws, it is the duty 
 of this Committee to " report with reference 
 to the best methods of management and in- 
 struction, and of increasing the numbers and 
 usefulness of such Schools, and generally any 
 matters of interest connected with the sub- 
 ject." Taking these directions as their Table 
 of Contents, the Committee of 1870 will com- 
 mence with reference to methods. 
 
 I. — OF MANAGEMENT AND INSTRUC- 
 TION. 
 
 Preliminary and essential to success, in this 
 regard, is 
 
 (1.) organization. 
 
 The Sunday School is generally regarded as 
 a department or branch of the Church organi- 
 zation, which, as its parental head, is ever 
 responsible for its condition, and expected to 
 exercise over it a watchful care. This will 
 lead to the regular appointment of an advisory 
 committee, from the members of the Church 
 or Society, to form the medium of communi- 
 cation between the Church and Sunday 
 School; to the setting aside of convenient 
 apartments for the use of the School and the 
 allowance of ample time for its sessions out- 
 side of that appropriated to the regular (adult) 
 
 services; to the supply of the necessary 
 officers, teachers, and apparatus ; to the help- 
 ful mingling of the Pastor in its affairs ; to the 
 provision of a place in the Church for the 
 teachers and scholars during divine worship ; 
 and the honorable recognition of the School 
 by the Church society on all occasions. More 
 and more, from year to year, is being de- 
 manded of Societies and Churches by the 
 Schools; and the justice of the demand is 
 being more and more fully recognized. Some 
 schools there are, indeed, which have no 
 society connection, and which nourish in their 
 orphanage ; but it will hardly be denied that 
 they will be stronger when they shall come to 
 have societies or churches over them. 
 
 The Legislative authority pertaining to the 
 management of the Sunday School is, prefer- 
 ably, vested in a society composed of those 
 persons wiio are actively engaged in its work. 
 Such an association, united under a simple 
 constitution, need meet for business, but four 
 or five times in the year, provided the ordinary 
 details of its affairs can be delegated to a 
 faithful executive committee. 
 
 The direct management of the school is 
 given to a Superintendent, who, in a large 
 school, should have Assistant Officers. The 
 Superintendents, with a Treasurer, Secretary 
 and Librarian, constitute the Executive Com- 
 mittee in many Schools. 
 
 The immediate administration of discipline 
 and instruction is delegated to the teachers, 
 
18 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENAET. 
 
 who have under their charge a limited number 
 of scholars. The old complaints continue, on 
 the one hand, that teachers do not appreciate 
 their responsibility ; that many of them are 
 irreg'ilar in attendance upon the sessions, and 
 careless as to preparation for their duties ; 
 and, on the other, that so few of the church 
 and society members are willing- to take the 
 position of teacher. The system in vogue 
 depends entirely upon gratuitous services, and 
 the laborers will, therefore, in many localities, 
 be few. No one of good moral character and 
 willing to learn as well as to teach, will be 
 likely to lack employment in a School with 
 whose general purposes his or her belief is in 
 conformity. Much of the material resulting 
 from such a rule of selection will be made 
 available only by normal training. Indeed, 
 the best of teachers and superintendents will 
 be improved by it. Teachers' institutes and 
 normal classes are coming to be looked upon 
 as essential features in an efficient system ; 
 and weekly meetings of the teachers, to pre- 
 pare, with mutual aid, for the duties of the 
 following Sunday, are more generally, than 
 ever before, recognized as necessary to suc- 
 cess. The duties of the teacher are well un- 
 derstood not to be limited to the school-room 
 and session, but to involve the exercise of 
 those influences which can be brought to bear 
 by home visitation and the formation of an 
 intimate acquaintance with the pupil. 
 
 Such is an outline of the most approved 
 plan of organization, as your Committee find 
 it. As to 
 
 (2.) GENERAL MANAGEMENT. 
 
 The following prominent points are observ- 
 able : 
 
 The place for holding the Sessions of the 
 School should be conveniently situated with 
 reference to the homes of the members, but 
 as close as may be to the place of public wor- 
 ship of tnc Society or Church with which the 
 School is connected. Much attention is being 
 paid to the provision of light, airy and com- 
 fortably furnished rooms fur Sunday School 
 purposes; and special attractions, in the way 
 of flowers, fountains, pictures, illuminations, 
 banners, etc., are more than ever in vogue. 
 
 The time for holding the sessions should be 
 so appointed as to avoid, on the one hand, 
 hurry in the conduct of the exercises, and, on 
 the other, conflict with church engagements. 
 The plan of holding two sessions each Sab- 
 bath, is eminently advisable in view of the 
 fact that many children will, if they have op- 
 
 portunity, attend an afternoon and morning 
 session, which, if not of Schools of the same 
 denomination, will tend to neutralize and stul- 
 tify each other's teachings. 
 
 The regular exercises consist universally of 
 a short opening and closing devotional ser- 1 
 vice, with an interval for class lessons. They 
 are varied by singing, general questioning, 
 and addresses. The occasional, perhaps 
 monthly, introduction of a session of exclu- 
 sively general exercises (concerts) is useful 
 as breaking up monotony, which is especially 
 tiresome to children. A similar effect recom- 
 mends anniversaries, exhibitions, excursions, 
 etc., held upon week days or evenings. 
 
 All are eligible to Sunday School member- 
 ship, and it is the emulation of the day to 
 more widely and effectively advertise Schools 
 and provide, in them, attractions and helps for 
 every age, disposition and nationality. The 
 heterogeneous composition thence resulting, 
 renders good discipline a point most difficult 
 of attainment; for, since the managers of 
 schools are, to a large extent, forced to the 
 adoption of expedients which have reference 
 to the option of the pupils it involves : the 
 adaptation of all general exercises to gain the 
 interested attention of various ages, disposi- 
 tions and grades of intelligence ; careful class- 
 ification ; and the selection of the requisite 
 number of teachers, who shall have that just 
 mingling of love and authority, that alertness 
 and tact, which are necessary to maintain 
 general order and carry out, fully, class pur- 
 poses. To how great an extent rewards and 
 punishments should be devised to aid in this 
 respect, and in securing punctual attendance, 
 is becoming even a less settled question than 
 formerly. Libraries and periodicals are, on 
 all hands, esteemed legitimate means. Costly 
 presents and rewards are less used, and some 
 Schools decline to offer arbitrary inducements 
 of any kind. How far a merit system is injuri- 
 ous to the sense of moral obligation of chil- 
 dren has not been determined within the ex- 
 perience of your Committee ; but that, with a 
 degree of care and attention to details, a 
 system can be carried on without any notably 
 bad results, and with a decided effect in in- 
 creasing interest, one of its members can tes- 
 tify. He would state, however, that the ex- 
 perience of a School with which he is con- 
 nected has pretty fully determined that it is 
 inexpedient to offer rewards for negatively 
 good behavior. Let bad behavior be reproved 
 when it comes, but do not, by expressed an- 
 ticipation, allow children to suspect a fear 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 19 
 
 that rules of order will be broken or decorum 
 violated. 
 
 The keeping of faithful records is a matter 
 which should uot be neglected by school man- 
 agers. ."Minutes of proceedings, registers of 
 teachers and scholars, numerical data of the 
 attendance upon each session, should be con- 
 tinuously and accurately preserved. 
 
 Passing from matters which, though of 
 vital importance, are but accessory and sub- 
 servient to the main purpose of the Sunday 
 School, your Committee would next inquire 
 as to the advance, if any, that has been made 
 in the methods and means of Sunday Schools. 
 
 (3.) INSTRUCTION. 
 
 Late years have witnessed many varying 
 experiments in this line, which have resulted 
 in some important permanent changes. The 
 direction of attempted improvements has 
 been towards what is now, in very many 
 schools, adopted under the name of the uni- 
 form lesson. This system gives one and the 
 same Scripture lesson to each scholar in the 
 School for any given session, adapting it, 
 through the offices of the teachers, to the 
 varying ages and capacities. Loug ago it was 
 denounced as folly to employ a teacher's time 
 in eliciting different recitations from each 
 scholar in the class : and it was strongly re- 
 commended, by the experienced, that but one 
 text-book be used in any one class, and that 
 the scholars should be kept on the same 
 lesson, by assigning bright ones some extra 
 Scriptural or other outside task, and spurring 
 the dull and lazy to increased effort. There 
 can be no question as to the improvement 
 which this recommendation has effected, even 
 when we recognize in it the germ of the Uni- 
 form Lesson System, which undoubtedly pre- 
 sents such decided advantages as these : — 
 
 1. It admits of a programme of studies 
 whereby teachers, scholars and parents may 
 certainly know what subjects are to be con- 
 sidered at given dates, thus assisting the 
 memory of irregular attendants. 
 
 2. It affords peculiar facilities for prepara- 
 tion. Pastor, officers and teachers may help 
 each other to the best advantage in its use. 
 Teachers' meetings become especially helpful. 
 Parents and adult relatives may assist the 
 children at home, and, at the same time, be 
 preparing for their own duties, if they are 
 teachers in the school. Children may assist 
 each other. All, having the same subject 
 under consideration, and vying to contribute 
 
 to the general fund of information, receive 
 direct and reflex benefits. 
 
 3. It economizes time, not only in the 
 preparation of the lesion, but in conducting 
 the recitations. 
 
 4. It affords constant opportunity for gen- 
 eral questioning and reviews. 
 
 5. It utilizes the Pastor and Superintend- 
 ent, lifting them from their former respective 
 positions of speech-maker and " time-keeper" 
 to the important office of General Teacher. 
 
 6. It facilitates the management of the 
 School. The classes of absent teachers may 
 recite to others without serious loss. Teach- 
 ers and scholars may be transferred from one 
 class to another without inconvenience. 
 
 7. It saves money, since it enables teachers 
 of every capacity to administer the lesson 
 directly from the Bible, thus dispensing with 
 the necessity of question books. 
 
 Combining, thus, so much that is desirable, 
 it is not wonderful that this system is 
 received with generally increasing favor on 
 all sides, nor that some of its enthusiastic 
 admirers have been led to a more extensive 
 generalization of its theory. A uniform les- 
 son throughout all the schools of the country, 
 and, perhaps, of the world, has been talked of, 
 and a nearly unanimous attempt was at one 
 time made by the various lesson publishers to 
 unite with such a purpose, each house to give 
 its own comments and questions in connec- 
 tion with the uniform passages agreed upon. 
 This gigantic scheme, promising, as it does, 
 the advantages of a collation of the world's 
 opinion on a passage of Scripture each week, 
 seems, however, impracticable in view of the 
 failure to secure agreement as to the selec- 
 tions, an additional instance of which has 
 occurred in the late experience of the Sunday 
 School Helper, as detailed in the fourth num- 
 ber of that journal: — 
 
 "Wc have reluctantly been compelled to 
 abandon our plan of using for our series of 
 lessons the topics of the so called National 
 Series. We have been led to this conclusion 
 by the conviction, which has grown upon us, 
 week by week, that the topics of that series 
 are not, as a whole, those which are best cal- 
 culated to present the truths of the Gospel 
 as we understand them." 
 
 Whether or not the Helper's reasons for 
 abandoning the National Series were justly 
 founded, the fact that the change was made is 
 sufficient evidence that it will be impractica- 
 ble to maintain a universal uniform series. 
 We may hope, however, under the Helper's 
 
20 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 auspices, to have a uniform lesson throughout 
 our own denomination. 
 
 Your Committee wMl, in the course of this 
 report, recommend the Uniform Lesson plan 
 for general adoption, but they do not wish to 
 be understood to unanimously endorse that 
 system as one so fully adapted to the purpose 
 of Sunday School instruction that it may be 
 satisfactorily used to the exclusion of other 
 methods. The incorrigible irregularity of 
 teachers and scholars, and the brief time de- 
 voted to study and the session, indeed, render 
 the Uniform Lesson by far the best exclusive 
 system known ; yet, as an exclusive system, 
 it fails in one very important respect. It 
 affords no facilities for conducting a logically 
 connected course of study. It is of necessity 
 desultory and repetitional. Its peculiar adap* 
 tation to religious instruction is secured in 
 the facts, that the texts and themes selected 
 from the Scripture storehouse are of inex- 
 haustible interest ; and that their applications 
 are, with eminent propriety, to be enforced 
 line upon line and precept upon precept. It 
 must not, however, be lost sight of, that there 
 is an order and harmony in the Divine econ- 
 omy, which the great Text-book — made up, 
 as it is, of the writings of various men of 
 various times, mingling, as it does, history, 
 poetry, philosophy, and prophecy — will but 
 tardily discover to the youthful mind. The 
 religious belief of every well-ordered intellect 
 must be conceived to take the form of a 
 logically connected system, which has been 
 arrived at by the classifying power of the un- 
 derstanding operating upon perceived truths j 
 and such a system can foe expressed and 
 taught, just as the sequences of arithmetic 
 maybe educed from an ran trained mind; but 
 each point in the system must be thoroughly 
 mastered, seriatim, and each new student 
 must begin at the beginning; and, thus, no 
 uniformity, amid varying ages and capacities, 
 can be retained. In other words : Of the 
 t\vo distinguishable — though not distinct — 
 purposes, in Sunday school work, to wit: 
 (1.) Motive training (implanting of religious 
 feeling) ; and (2.) The inculcation of correct 
 theological views ; the former, and the more 
 pressingly important, the Uniform Lesson is 
 admirably adapted to fulfil; the latter, that 
 system will accomplish very slowly and in a 
 very uncertain manner. But the early com- 
 mencement of such consistent theological 
 training is not only an emphatic denomina- 
 tional requirement, but is of high moral 
 necessity in view of the fact that the shaping 
 
 of motive and the operation of the will de- 
 pend ultimately upon the degree of clearness 
 of perception and correctness of belief. By 
 these considerations, a member of your Com- 
 mittee has been led to attempt a combination 
 of the Uniform Lesson, with a more system- 
 atic didactic scheme. The plan thus devel- 
 oped, since it is still somewhat crude and 
 Wholly untried by experience, is presented 
 here, with great diffidence, in the hope that it 
 may, at least, lead to other and more success- 
 ful attempts to accomplish the desired object 
 The suggestions are : Use the Uniform 
 Scripture lesson three Sundays in each month, 
 and let the sessions on those days be devoted 
 entirely to the selected lesson ; for the intro- 
 duction of any other theme will but distract 
 the attention and embarrass the effect of the 
 day's teaching. Let one Sunday (call it liar-' 
 vest Sunday, to give the children a handle), in 
 each month, be set aside for categorical 
 instruction, conducted either by means of 
 text-books, or upon the following plan : — 
 
 Divide the proposed course into very short 
 lessons, numbered consecutively and printed* 
 each upon a separate slip of paper or card. 
 Give to each scholar a copy of the first lesson 
 in the course, with directions to recite, there- 
 from, on the next Harvest Sunday. Hear these 
 lessons only upon the said assigned Sunday j 
 and, if they are well learued, replace card No. 
 1, with No. 2. Let reviews of the preceding 
 lessons be printed, in condensed form, on the 
 back of each card. Review at each lesson ; 
 and allow no scholar to advance to the next 
 card who cannot, at any moment, recite the 
 matter contained by those previously studied. 
 Thus, with defaults and absences, the scholars* 
 will soon be on various Harvest lessons ; this 
 is inevitable ; it may, however, be attended 
 with a healthy emulation. Rewards and pre- 
 miums may be given, as in the old lesson sys- 
 tem, to such an extent as is deemed proper by 
 managers. The fifth Sunday occurring in four 
 months of the year, may be used for concerts 
 or reviews. To sum up : The proposed plan 
 makes use of the Uniform Lesson system, al- 
 lowing, however, a return once a month, to 
 the old lesson plan under a modified form, but 
 with many of its disadvantages, for the sake 
 of weaving a progressive scheme of instruc- 
 tion into the uniform warp of the Scripture' 
 lessons. It may be found seriously trouble- 
 some to make such frequent changes in the 
 lesson plan as this scheme calls for; but, oa 
 the other hand, these very changes may add 
 to the interest, a,nd excite the attention and! 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 21 
 
 emulation of the children to a degree, -which 
 could not be attained with an unvarying ses- 
 sion routine. 
 
 The Uniform Lesson may be conducted ad- 
 van' ageously in the use of the Helper's period- 
 ical series. With skilful teachers, the system 
 may be extended into the Infant classes. In 
 the latter department, Object teaching is being 
 extensively practised, and, in spite of many 
 far-fetched and ridiculous applications, is im- 
 proving the methods. It has evoked an abund- 
 ance of machinery, whereof the blackboard is 
 a permanent and useful representative. 
 
 Again referring to their instructions, your 
 committee w T ould proceed to consider some 
 means 
 
 II. — OF INCREASING NUMBERS AND 
 EFFICIENCY. 
 
 But would beg leave to offer, as introductory 
 and fundamental to the subject, some sugges- 
 tions pointing more particularly towards the 
 more rapid establishment of new Universalisl 
 Schools, an object which may seem of double 
 interest to your body in view of the probability 
 that churches are as likely to grow out of 
 schools as are schools to result from the 
 founding of churches. The first and most 
 comprehensive observation which your com- 
 mittee would express is that this General 
 Convention lacks the power to originate and 
 control a practical interest in the Sunday 
 school cause, and to systematically advance 
 its objects, for the want of a distinct and 
 definite Sunday School representation. In the 
 first place, they would submit, our National 
 Convention should demand that a proportion 
 of its members be so selected as to specially 
 represent the Sunday School interest. One 
 half of the lay delegates should be selected 
 with this view. Secondly, a portion of each 
 annual session should be set aside, by the 
 regular order of exercises, for Sunday School 
 business and conference. This plan is deemed 
 preferable to that of a co-ordiuate national 
 Sunday School convention; (first), because, 
 however distinct may appear to be that class 
 of the church community who are actively in- 
 terested in the Sunday Schools, it is not ad- 
 visable to take any action which may seem to 
 ignore the natural and close relationship ex- 
 isting between the church and school, and 
 their reciprocal duties; and (secondly), be- 
 cause the congruity and immense practical 
 advantages of unity of organization are pre- 
 served by the plan proposed. 
 
 Believing, therefore, a provision for Sun- 
 day School representation in our national 
 council essential to our progress in Sunday- 
 school work, your Committee would recom- 
 mend the following for your adoption : — 
 
 Eesolved, That the Constitution of this Gen- 
 eral Convention be so amended as to demand 
 that one-half, or within one of one-half, of the 
 delegates to this convention, to which any 
 State Convention shall be entitled, shall con- 
 sist of persons actively engaged in Sunday. 
 School work; and that such qualification shall 
 be specified in the credentials of the said pro- 
 portion of the delegates from any State, in 
 order to entitle them to seats ; and 
 
 Eesolved, That one-half of the Board of 
 Trustees of this General Convention shall be 
 ordered, by the appropriate change in the 
 Constitution, to consist of persons who are 
 actively engaged in Sunday school work ; and 
 
 Eesolved, That the order of exercises at 
 each session of this General Convention shall 
 be made to include a special meeting for Sun- 
 day school business and conference ; and, 
 finely, 
 
 Eesolved, That a committee be appointed to 
 prepare and submit to this body, at its pres- 
 ent session, such verbal alterations of the 
 Constitution as shall embody the above-men- 
 tioned amendments. 
 
 Your committee would, as the second item 
 under this head, suggest that requests for 
 Sunday School statistics be macie directly to 
 superintendents or secretaries, as fir as the 
 addresses of such officers can be obtained; 
 for the importance of the accurate collec- 
 tion of statistics lies, not merely in the in- 
 terest attaching to the consideration of a 
 census, but also, in the fact, that we will 
 thereby be enabled to discover where to apply 
 our missionary efforts, and that encouragement 
 will be given to the work of starting new 
 schools, when each new achievement is sure 
 to be placed upon record. The blanks now 
 issued by the Permanent Secretary, being 
 directed only to church officers, fail, in a 
 large number of cases, to elicit Suuday School 
 statistics. 
 
 (3). By tracts and persona] missionary work, 
 efforts might be made to keep before the 
 people the importance of Sunday Schools, 
 and especially of Universalist schools. Too 
 many of our people, remote from established 
 churches of our faith, rest satisfied with either 
 keeping their children at home on Sunday, or 
 allowing them to attend the schools of other 
 denominations. There are still a number of 
 
22 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 our churches, also, which have no Sunday- 
 Schools connected with them. 
 
 Finally (4), facilities for conducting Sun- 
 day Schools should he widely distributed. 
 This will include the multiplying and cheap- 
 ening of books, papers and other acces- 
 sories, and the extension of missionary aid to 
 localities without schools. Under this head 
 your Committee would present a suggestion, 
 received from Br. Pullman, of New York, to 
 wit: that the publication of an available order 
 of exercises, and some of the more essential 
 directions in regard to the carrying on of 
 Sunda/ Schools, would induce some who 
 might otherwise feel too inexperienced to do 
 so, to undertake the organization and care of 
 schools, in places where the population is 
 scanty. 
 
 The means of increasing the numbers and 
 efficiency of existing schools lie, your Commit- 
 tee conceive : — ■ 
 
 First, in the continued operation and more 
 systematic and harmonious organization of 
 general and local unions, having these objects. 
 The strength that lies in union, Sunday Schools 
 cannot afford to ignore. Each school should 
 belong to an association embracing a con- 
 venient number of its neighbor schools, with 
 which occasional meetings should be held for 
 the purpose of exchanging views and plans; 
 of deriving the stimulus which will result 
 from mutual reports of progress; of arrang- 
 ing combined anniversaries, which shall re- 
 mind the children, from time to time, that they 
 belong to a great denomination; of promot- 
 ing social intercourse between neighboring 
 schools. The local unions of each State 
 should be uniformly organized and registered 
 by a central State association ; these latter, re- 
 puting to the National Convention, whose 
 ultimate Sunday-School work need not stop 
 short of the widest advantages to be gained 
 by organized missionary effort, and the publi- 
 cation and distribution of every needed help 
 for the cause. 
 
 Secondly, in the thorough organization of 
 the Teachers' Societies, and the extension of 
 their discipline into every session. 
 
 Thirdly, in the encouragement and assist- 
 ance furnished ' to schools by the adult con- 
 gregations with which they are connected. 
 Your Committee would fully endorse the reso- 
 lution passed last year upon this subject, but 
 would respectfully suggest that it will have 
 little influence until copies shall be sent di- 
 rectly to the church officers, a measure which 
 they strongly recommend. 
 
 Fourthly, in the infusion of a missionary 
 spirit throughout our Sunday Schools By 
 this means will numbers particularly be in- 
 creased. No school ought to rest satisfied 
 with including only the children of the parish 
 to which it belongs. Every justifiable attrac- 
 tion and inducement should be held out for the 
 bringing in of the stray lambs from the high- 
 ways. Children may be made to do mission- 
 ary work with interest, and the more they do 
 of it, the more they will be strengthened in 
 the spirit of the Master. 
 
 Fifthly, in the adoption of the best methods 
 of imparing instruction, your Committee will 
 here recommend the universal adoption of the 
 Uniform lesson system; but would suggest 
 that, in connection therewith, a progressive 
 plan of doctrinal instruction be interwoven, 
 and carried out, by means of appropriate 
 question books, papers or cards or by lec- 
 tures, charts or blackboard exercises. 
 
 Sixthly, in the careful selection of the 
 workers and their tools. General intelligence 
 in teachers, and ample facilities, arc, of course, 
 highly important; but the efficiency of a 
 Universalist Sunday School is to be ultimately 
 tested by the denominational work it shall ac- 
 complish. The widest liberality may prevail 
 in the churches, but the object of the school 
 is to teach correctly; and, therefore, no one 
 should be allowed to engage as officer or teach- 
 er in the work who, not being thoroughly 
 grounded in our fairh, will be liable to incul- 
 cate doctrines which we believe are false, or 
 fail in presenting the truth as we sec it. 
 Carefully-selected libraries for both teachers 
 and scholars, and the circulation of our de- 
 nominational papers among both classes, will 
 be powerful helps. Your Committee would 
 especially recommend the children's papers to 
 the fostering care of our General Committee, 
 and urge upon the denomination the increased 
 patronage thereof. They would suggest to all 
 Sunday School societies the advisability of 
 subscribing from the school fund for supplies 
 of one or both of these papers, in order that 
 rich and poor may alike enjoy the advantages 
 they afford. The circulation, among the teach- 
 ers of every school, of our new Sunday 
 School Helper, also, is one of the most desir- 
 able objects which your Committee, in con- 
 nection with this subject, has had in contem- 
 plation. 
 
 Seventhly, and finally, efficiency will depend 
 upon the persistent aim of schools towards 
 grounding the pupils in truth and goodness 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 23 
 
 and developing the outward tokens thereof, in 
 confirmation and church extension. 
 
 Presuming that ''matters of interest con- 
 nected with the subject," and not falling under 
 the head of methods must be mainly 
 
 HE— HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL. 
 
 Your Committee would present, in conclu- 
 sion, such materials as they have been able to 
 gather for this department; which, though 
 meagre and incomplete, will be found, in their 
 indications of progress, to be full of interest 
 and encouragement. The early half of our 
 just completed century, was almost entirely 
 unblessed by Sabbath School influence. Hardly 
 a year of its latter half has passed without 
 witnessing the birth of new Universalist Sun- 
 day Schools in the United States. The interest 
 taken in the cause by successive meetings of 
 our General Convention and of its parent 
 association, the New England convention, 
 exhibits a corresponding alteration. It is in- 
 deed worthy of remark, that the first action 
 taken by the latter, subsequent to its organ- 
 ization in 1791, was to choose "a committee 
 to compose a short piece, simplifying a sys- 
 tem of religion, adapted to the capacity of 
 children, to instruct them in the first rudi- 
 ments of the Gospel of Christ; " but whether 
 the proposed work was ever submitted, extant 
 minutes do not tell, nor do we find in them 
 any reference to juvenile instruction till, in 
 1839, the Sunday Schools of Vermont begin 
 to be heard from, and Massachusetts and New 
 York report that " much attention is paid to 
 the cause of Sunday Schools, and the forma- 
 tion of Bible Classes." In 1810, the Conven- 
 tion resolved that "the proper education of 
 the young is of great importance to the pros- 
 perity and happiness of the world; and this 
 Convention affectionately recommend to our 
 brethren, scattered abroad, the duty of estab- 
 lishing Sunday Schools and Bible classes, and 
 encouraging a punctual attendance upon the 
 institutes of religion." The idea of a general 
 association, having for its exclusive work, the 
 carrying out of these purposes, seems to have 
 been early conceived. In lsl-t, " a Committee 
 appointed for the purpose, presented a pre- 
 amble and resolutions, passed at a late meet- 
 ing of the teachers and friends of Sunday 
 Schools, holden in Eoxbnry, Mass.. and also 
 a preamble and resolutions passed at a meet- 
 ing of teachers, in New York, recommending 
 the establishment of a Sunday School Union ; 
 and, after some debate, the subject was refer- 
 
 red to a Committee," who, to a brief report, 
 submitted at the following session, pronounc- 
 ing "it inexpedient under the present cir- 
 cumstances of our denomination to establish 
 such a Union," added the following para- 
 graph : " We cannot conclude this report 
 without recommending the formation of Sun- 
 day School associations in every State. We 
 also recommend each state association to take 
 such measures as it may deem practical, to 
 procure the publication of such Sunday School 
 books, as the wants of our denomination de- 
 mand." 
 
 Whether in pursuance of this advice or not, 
 Sunday School associations were, from time 
 to time, organized; and, in 1819, seven were 
 reported to be in existence. The plan of a 
 general union was not, however abandoned. 
 In 1852, a resolution that "it is expedient for 
 this Convention to constitute and maintain a 
 general Sunday School Union, to be under the 
 management and direction of the Convention, 
 assisted by a board of directors," was referred 
 to a committee, whose report does not, how- 
 ever, appear in the minutes. In 1856, a 
 "more thorough and efficient organization" 
 was resolved upon in the ■•establishment and 
 management of Sunday Schools ; " and in 1858, 
 a committee reported favorably upon the es- 
 tablishment of a Sunday School Union, and a 
 committee was appointed to call a convention 
 of Sunday School teachers in 1859. The call 
 was probably never issued. It may have been 
 thought less imperatively necessary on account 
 of the adoption, by the General Convention of 
 of a Standing Committee on Sunday schools, 
 the first members of which were appointed in 
 183G. This slender provision, however, has 
 often been of no avail ; since some of the 
 Committees have failed to respond, leaving the 
 session, in several cases, without an allusion 
 to Sunday-school work. To avoid this con- 
 tingency, and to again suggest our need of a 
 central organization, with power and adapted- 
 noss for Sunday-school enterprise, your pres- 
 ent committee have proposed a plan, the dis- 
 cussion of which, they hope, will at least lead 
 to our strengthening in this regard. Shall we 
 not commence our second century by adding 
 to onr national body an efficient arm for this 
 all-important work. 
 
 The earliest birth-date of a Universalist 
 Sunday School, which your committee have 
 been able to ascertain, is that of the Stough- 
 ton, Mass., School, which is given as 1819. 
 The Gloucester school dates back to 1820. 
 Providence, (11. I.) organized her first schooJ 
 
24 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 in 1821; and, in 1829, Massachusetts again 
 added to the list. Within the next ten years, 
 all the Eastern States and New iTork, Penn- 
 sylvania and Ohio, had Universalist Sunday 
 Schools. Before 18G0, upwards of 150 schools 
 had been started ; since that date, 200 more 
 have been actually reported, giving a vast 
 preponderance tq the last decade. In 18G9, 
 43 new schools are known to have been or- 
 ganized; while the number this year, has 
 already reached 39. These are statements of 
 facts within the knowledge of your commit- 
 tee, and do not embrace that large number of 
 schools whose date of organization has not 
 been reported. 
 
 The iigurcs which follow, also, are not mere 
 estimates, but are deduced from specific re- 
 ports of our present strength, known to be 
 within the truth. 
 
 Maine has fifty-three schools, with a roll of 
 at least 4,000 scholars. She has a Sunday 
 School Union, and has organized four schools 
 within the last ten years. 
 
 New Hampshire has organized one centen- 
 ary school. Her roll number is at least ten ; 
 and 819 scholars are reported. She has a 
 State Sunday School Convention in active 
 operation. 
 
 Vermont has thirty-eight schools, with an 
 attendance of 2,000, and, at least, two Sunday 
 School Unions. Seven of her schools have 
 been started during 1SG9 and 1870. 
 
 Massachusetts has five Sunday School Union 
 associations ; 98 schools, one or two of which 
 were started last year; and 14,500 scholars. 
 She has nearly G0,000 volumes in her Univer- 
 salist libraries. 
 
 A lady in Rhode Island organized, last year, 
 the 8th Universalist Sunday School in that 
 State. Over 1,000 children attend our schools 
 here. 
 
 Connecticut has about 12 schools, two of 
 which have been organized lately. 
 
 New York has about 80 schools, with an at- 
 tendance of 5,000. Two flourishing Sunday 
 School Unions exist within her limits. Not 
 less than 14 of her schools have started dur- 
 ing 1SG9 and '70. 
 
 New Jersey has five schools, one of which 
 is new. 
 
 Thirteen schools are in operation in Penn- 
 sylvania, with an aggregate attendance of 
 1,400. Two. or three schools have been 
 recently started. 
 
 The Wilmington school is the only one 
 known, to your committee, iu Delaware. 
 The Murray Universalist Sunday School, in 
 
 the District of Columbia, organized in 18G9, 
 reports sixty scholars. 
 
 Prom Maryland, your committee have no 
 statistics. The Baltimore School, which re- 
 ported to this convention as early as 1841, is 
 probably still flourishing. 
 
 Virginia is not known to have an organized 
 school of our faith. 
 
 In West Virginia, at Wheeling, we have a 
 centenary school. It was organized this year. 
 Its managers write: "This school started 
 with six children and three adults (after 
 preaching, which was sustained but a short 
 while, had been stopped). We have over- 
 come all obstacles that have come up, and, 
 to-day, have scholars in the school, whose 
 parents have almost insulted us for asking 
 them to let their children come. Fourteen to 
 eighteen was a good attendance for a long 
 while. Our value of property will be in- 
 creased at least $50, and our debt entirely 
 liquidated, by the time the General Conven- 
 tion meets." They have now fifty-two 
 scholars. Your committee know of no otrier 
 school in this State. 
 
 From North Carolina comes a similar inter- 
 esting report. Mrs. Julia E. Outlaw writes 
 of her little school, which was organized 
 this year, in Dublin Co. : "I commenced 
 the first Sunday iu last July with between 
 fifteen and twenty scholars. I have now 
 over forty. It is the only Universalist School 
 that I know of anywhere in the State. Uni- 
 versalists are looked upon with contempt 
 by a majority of the people in this section ; 
 but the doctrine is gaining friends very fast 
 with a great many, yet I have a great deal to 
 contend with. I have but little help to teach 
 in the Sunday School, except my children. I 
 think there are several that will come in soon 
 to assist in teaching." 
 
 South Carolina appears to have no Univer- 
 salist Sunday School. 
 
 In Georgia, two or three new schools of our 
 faith are reported as flourishing. 
 
 In Alabama we have a new school at Camp 
 Hill. 
 
 There is a Universalist School in Florida, 
 lately organized. 
 
 Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and 
 Texas are destitute. California has not been 
 heard from. 
 
 In Tama Co., Missouri, there is a Univer- 
 salist Sunday School lately started, with about 
 'thirty members. 
 
 At Sycamore, Arkansas, a school has been 
 started by our friends. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1ST0. 
 
 25 
 
 Kentucky is said to have a good Universalist 
 School at Union Hill. 
 
 Ohio has fifty-three schools, with a member- 
 ship of 4,000. Her State Sunday School Con- 
 vention is vigorous. Nine of her schools 
 belong to the centenary epoch. 
 
 Thirteen schools in Michigan have 77G chil- 
 dren. One was organized in 18G9. 
 
 Illinois has thirty-four schools with an 
 aggregate attendance of more than 2,000. 
 One was organized in 1869, another in 
 1870. 
 
 Wisconsin reports fourteen schools, with 
 over a thousand members. One is a centen- 
 ary school. Here we have a State Sunday- 
 School Union. 
 
 The number in Iowa is thirteen, three of 
 which are centenary. Nearly 1,500 scholars. 
 
 Minnesota has seventeen schools, nine of 
 which belong to the centenary roll. The ag- 
 gregate membership exceeds 1 ,000. This State 
 has held a Sunday School Convention. 
 
 Kansas has three centenary schools, with 
 150 scholars. 
 
 Several Union Sunday Schools have been 
 heard from, in the South and West, in which 
 the Universalist element predominates. 
 
 There are a number of schools of our faith 
 in Canada. 
 
 The whole number of Universalist Sunday 
 Schools known to exist within the limits of 
 the Convention is 500 : and the aggregate 
 children's membership thereof is about 40,000. 
 
 Eighty -two schools have been established 
 since January, 1860. Once more, let your 
 Committee state that these are inside figures, 
 and that the truth is, beyond all doubt, far in 
 excess of them. 
 
 The number of families reported to be iu 
 society membership bears to the number of 
 schools given ubove, the ratio of forty to one ; 
 to the whole number of scholars it stands in 
 the ratio of one to two. The number of 
 church members reported is, in proportion to 
 the number of scholars, nearly as one to 
 three. 
 
 The number of societies registered last year 
 is largely in excess of the number of schools 
 here reported; but this is due, in great meas- 
 ure, to the fact that many societies have 
 schools from which your committee have not 
 heard. Twenty societies are known to be 
 without schools, and at least ten schools exist 
 independently of societies. Of the whole 
 number of superintendents whose names 
 are reported (373) thirty-six are ministers. 
 Twenty- six lady superintendents are men- 
 
 tioned. The whole number of teachers can 
 only be estimated ; there are 3,000 in Massa- 
 chusetts, New York and Ohio. 
 
 Your committee have no means of estimat- 
 ing the amount of money used for Sunday- 
 School purposes, during the year, nor the 
 value of our Sunday-School property. The 
 number of library books included in scatter- 
 ing reports from only ten States is 66,170. 
 The Very careful report of your committee of 
 1868, gave but 00 ; 08G volumes as the returns 
 of seventeen States. Oar wealth, in this 
 respect, therefore, may be judged to have 
 largely increased. 
 
 The contributions of children daring this 
 centenary enthusiasm have been, in the aggre- 
 gate, large ; yet coming through such diverse 
 channels as to be difficult of estimation. Single 
 Sunday-School boxes have been often found to 
 cover sums comparatively large, reaching, in 
 several cases, $30 and $10. Children's cen- 
 tenary aid associations have done good work 
 in many of the schools ; fairs, festivals, and 
 exhibitions held under such auspices having, 
 in a number of cases, netted amounts running 
 from 8200 to $400. Mite and impromptu fairs 
 arranged by children have resulted in a profit 
 of between $100 and $200 on several reported 
 occasions. A number of schools have set 
 aside the proceeds of a regular collection; and 
 many, by a single effort, have raised consid- 
 erable sums for the Murray fund. Schools, 
 here and there, have contributed $103, $500, 
 and $1,500 toward local church purposes. 
 Exact amounts and names might be given, 
 but the information of ycur committee upon 
 this subject is so scattering that the result 
 would be invidious and notoriously incom- 
 plete. Could the facts be properly set forth, 
 however, the centenary record of the Sunday 
 Schools would be a bright one. The practice 
 of taking collections iu schools has, your com- 
 mittee believe, become far more general since 
 the action taken with reference thereto by 
 your body in 1868. The prescribed half for 
 general missionary purposes has been set 
 aside, however, in but comparatively few in- 
 stances ; a delinquency which is undoubtedly 
 owing, in a large measure, to the fact that no 
 official communication of the request was 
 made to the managers of schools. The chief 
 methods used by our schools to raise money, 
 aside from various collections, seem to com- 
 prise festivals, pic-nics, and exhibitions, 
 under their various forms. Such entertain- 
 ments, held under the auspices of our schools, 
 are heard of from all sections of the Northern 
 
26 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 States, and appear to be generally profitable 
 in their results. 
 
 Monthly or quarterly concerts are now a 
 standard feature in a large number of our 
 schools. Many, also, revive the interest of 
 the children in the history of the school by 
 holding a special anniversary of its organiza- 
 tion. The annual reports are often read upon 
 these occasions. General anniversaries are 
 held in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and 
 Cincinnati, in which all the Universalist 
 schools of the respective cities participate 
 each year. The observance of Christmas and 
 Easter by our schools is becoming every year 
 more general. The former is, in nearly all 
 our schools, the great day of the year; and 
 very interesting exercises in connection with 
 the latter occasion have been reported by a 
 number of schools. Thanksgiving receives 
 much less attention than it should ; why may 
 not children be interested in a short devo- 
 tional observance of that day, and be taught 
 thereby to appreciate its meaning and feel its 
 help? 
 
 No observance, however, has so rapidly 
 grown into popularity, and exhibited such a 
 widespread unity of purpose as our Children's 
 Day, — Flower Sunday, Rose Sunday, or Lily 
 Sunday, as it has been variously called. By 
 casual reports, collected from various sources, 
 your committee have ascertained the names 
 of thirty-six schools that held Children's Day 
 in 1868; of fifty-eight that held the day in 
 18G9 ; and of sixty-four wherein it has been 
 observed this year. The figures which, in 
 many cases, were given with these reports, 
 make a total of 2,188 dedications; which, 
 though of course it falls short of the actual 
 number, shows a considerable addition to the 
 Children's Church. There is every indication 
 that the beautiful appropriateness of this ser- 
 vice in the Sunday- School year, and its tender 
 and solemn function of formally blending and 
 harmonizing the purpose of church and school 
 are becoming widely appreciated. May we 
 not hope for the time when every one of our 
 schools and churches shall realize the bene- 
 ficial influence of the observance of this sacred 
 anniversary? 
 
 It might be here remarked that compara- 
 tively few of our schools have been careful to 
 hold this occasion upon the recommended 
 second Sunday in June ; in many instances, 
 undoubtedly, because no notice had been 
 received of the recommendation ; but chiefly, 
 in all probability, because the height of 
 the flower season, with which Children's 
 
 Sunday is often appropriately appointed to 
 correspond, varies the time of its recurrence 
 in differing latitudes. It will be difficult to 
 confine the observance to a uniform date. 
 Your Committee would suggest that records 
 be preserved, both by church and school, of 
 the names of those dedicated. Let us keep 
 careful account of the lambs so expressly and 
 solemnly confided to our care. 
 
 In regard to general efforts in behalf of the 
 cause, your committee have but to report we 
 lack that central organization whence such 
 efforts might be expected to radiate, and 
 under whose auspices they would be most 
 efficiently carried out. There are, within the 
 Convention limits, at least thirteen Sunday 
 School Unions, threeof which are State or- 
 ganizations. The New Hampshire Convention 
 holds quarterly sessions. The New York 
 Central Sunday School Convention meets four 
 times in the year, and listens to essays upon 
 appropriate subjects. Through a committee 
 appointed at their last session, the Ohio 
 Sunday School Convention has recommended 
 (1st) the holding, monthly, of a "Murray 
 Fund Sunday," with a collection ; (2d) that 
 the missionary boxes be kept in view at all 
 sessions and be frequently referred to ; and 
 (3d) that in June one entire service be 
 devoted to a jubilee meeting for the children, 
 and that a special collection be taken on that 
 clay for the fund. These recommendations 
 were embodied in a circular letter addressed 
 to officers, and have undoubtedly caused the 
 Ohio schools to take prominence in contribu- 
 tions to the Murray Fund. Wisconsin has 
 organized a State Union, and a general meet- 
 ing of delegates from the Minnesota schools 
 has been held in the latter State 
 
 Our repertory of library and lesson books 
 has not been greatly increased during the 
 year. The Helper's series of lesson papers 
 has been adverted to. A new service-book 
 and a new siuging-book are announced by the 
 Boston House. The latter, to be edited by 
 Br. G. L. Demarest, will supply a great need. 
 FeeHng as they must, the necessity of fresh 
 and stirring music in the services, our school 
 managers are often troubled, in making their 
 selections, by the objectionable sentiments 
 conveyed by the words in mauy of the popular 
 publications. While it is probable that the 
 printed music is often an aid in singing, to 
 teachers and advanced scholars, it is worthy 
 of consideration whether, it would not be 
 well to have a carefully prepared selection of 
 lively Sunday School songs and hymns, 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 27 
 
 adapted, not only to our doctrines, but to the 
 metres of the newest and best-liked tunes. 
 The prize has been recommended by our 
 Western Publishing House; and your com- 
 mittee, in looking over i«t, have discovered 
 very little that is exceptionable. A member 
 of your Committee has enjoyed an opportunity 
 of expurgating all that was positively objec- 
 tionable in Silver Wings, a late Boston issue ; 
 and editions thereof, subsequent to the second, 
 will be found to to be tolerably well adapted, 
 as regards words, for use in our schools. 
 
 The rapidity with which periodicals for 
 juveniles have sprung into existence, within 
 the last few years, is worthy of note. There 
 are now published in the United States over 
 one hundred papers and magazines of this 
 class ; a majority of which are Sunday School 
 journals. Prominent among these, in respect 
 to size and liveliness and originality of matter 
 is our own Guiding Star, which already circu- 
 lates 10,000 copies semi-monthly, supplying 262 
 schools. The Myrtle, too, in a new and 
 beautiful dress, continues its ministrations to 
 our Schools. Its managers have introduced 
 in its conduct several novel features which are 
 undoubted improvements. The extent of the 
 circulation of this paper your committee have 
 been unable to learn ; it is probably equal to 
 that of the Star. To teachers, the Sunday 
 School Helper, started last January, — the only 
 periodical of its class in the denomination, — 
 will be found an interesting companion and 
 an invaluable aid. 
 
 In the generally increasing enthusiasm 
 which prevails throughout the Christian world 
 in regard to the Sunday-School cause, our de- 
 nomination abundantly shares ; and among us, 
 as among all the churches, that special 
 department is found to furnish, to the lay 
 element in particular, a field of increasing 
 usefulness and power in advancing the gospel 
 standard. And this, certainly, not to the 
 
 building up of a distinctiveness of purpose 
 between church and school; for nothing is 
 more obvious than that those of the laity who 
 are actively engaged in the Sunday Schools 
 are the very ones who are most zealous in 
 church movements. Indeed, the circumstance 
 that such are, perhaps, not in the majority 
 among church-goers, is entirely due to the 
 fact that many who are lukewarm in the de- 
 nominational cause will, for various reasons, 
 hold society and church membership, which 
 involves but little sacrifice of comfort; while 
 the Sunday-School workers are, in a large 
 measure, selected for their denominational 
 consistency, and gained by reason of their 
 denominational zeal. Then, too, the flourish- 
 ing churches that have grown up from mere 
 schools, and the harmony, as between schools 
 and churches, that is being more and more 
 practically and formally displayed throughout 
 all denominations, are proofs that the cause 
 of one of these bodies cannot be forwarded 
 without a corresponding advance in that of 
 the other. Yet the Sunday-School cause, 
 pre eminently needs specially adapted organ- 
 ization for its success, from the fact that its 
 methods are necessarily distinctiveness, and 
 its workers practically select. All experience 
 proves that the presence of the proper 
 element in a national body is the only method 
 of pushing on the cause as a national one ; 
 but we cannot afford a distinct national Sun- 
 day-School convention. The very unity of 
 our purposes, with the comparative smallness 
 of our numbers would render it impracticable 
 to rally the desirable attendance for two 
 national councils. In recognizing our general 
 Convention, therefore, let us be sure to make 
 provision that our Sunday Schools be specially 
 represented. 
 
 Geo. G. Neediiam. 
 
 Andrew Wilson. 
 
 Sidney Periiam. 
 
CElSTTEISr^RY SERMOHST. 
 
 BY 
 
 KEY. A. A. MINER, D. D. 
 
 "Iam Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the 
 first and the last."— Rev. xxn: 13. 
 
 "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years , and a 
 thousand years as one day." — II Peter, iii : 8. 
 
 Beloved Friends : — In the name of all 
 the churches I bring you Christian greeting. 
 As you come to-day from your various fields of 
 labor — from your pulpits, your churches, your 
 Sunday-schools, your institutions of learning, 
 your homes made peaceful by gospel grace and 
 hope — I bid you welcome ; one and all, most 
 welcome ! 
 
 From the rugged East and the outstretched 
 West ; from the shores of our Great Lakes and 
 the rising States beyond ; from the Briti&h 
 Provinces and the Pacific Coast, you come 
 with your garnered sheaves of a gladdening 
 harvest. Meditating with gratitude upon the 
 extending light of the centuries past, look- 
 ing with still kindling joys upon the promise of 
 the centuries to come, and recognizing the 
 providence of God in all, you gather at this 
 Mecca of our Church, buttressed by mountain 
 ranges on the one hand, and by the sounding 
 sea on the other, and, listening, hear the echoes, 
 as it were, of the Revelator's prophecy — a 
 prophecy which the church scarce yet dares 
 believe — " I am Alpha and Omega, the begin- 
 ning and the end, the first and the last." 
 
 Such promise at the close of the sacred vol- 
 ume recalls the sublime declaration with which 
 it opens, — " In the beginning, God created the 
 heavens and the earth." Such a solution of 
 the problem of the universe, such an affirma- 
 tion of Monotheism, such an implication of the 
 divine unity, and all in an age before human 
 science or philosophy was born, stamp with the 
 signet of heaven the Mosaic announcements. 
 In a kindred spirit, Moses elsewhere (Ps.xc.,) 
 says, " Before the mountains were brought 
 forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and 
 the world, even from everlasting to everlasting 
 thou art God." 
 
 In reverence of the everlasting God are we 
 met to-day. In honor of his servant, who, a 
 century ago, landed on our shores, and after- 
 
 ward planted on this rockbound coast the first 
 Universalist Church in America, do we confess 
 our faith. In hope of the full redemption of 
 our race, when God shall be the End as he is 
 the Beginning, do we take up the refrain of the 
 angelic hosts, and shout, " Glorv to God in the 
 highest ! and on earth peace ; good will toward 
 men." 
 
 Nature Justifies our Hope. 
 
 Nor is this an idle confidence. As biogra- 
 phy reveals individual character, and history 
 the character of nations, so the universe reveals 
 the wisdom, goodness, and power of God. The 
 ever-changing aspects of the earth and heav- 
 ens, the manifold laws of crystallization, — 
 shaping myriad forms, from the snowflake to 
 the diamond, the exuberant beauty and fra- 
 grance of the floral world, the sportive delights 
 and swelling harmonies of animated nature, all 
 attest that God is powerful, wise and good. 
 
 Even his rational creatures, sinful though 
 they are, are not thereby excluded from his 
 care. Instantly, as we shrink from that which 
 bruises the flesh, the recuperative energies of 
 the body begin its restoration, thus illustrating 
 the forgiveness of sin, when we shrink from its 
 fatal power, as that which bruises the spirit. 
 Goodness then becomes mercy, wisdom brings 
 deliverance, and power is seen enthroned in 
 the moral domain. Even the facts seemingly 
 conflicting with this benevolent order are found 
 in many ways to subserve it. The severities 
 of climate, the rage of the elements, the feroc- 
 ity and deadliness of various creatures, and 
 the manifold maladies of our race, discover 
 many kindly and wholesome relations. The 
 part they play in the complex problem of 
 physical good is not wholly unknown ; and the 
 relation they bear to the development of man's 
 moral nature, has been the theme of many a 
 moral essay, showing that they are among the 
 instrumentalities of human culture. Noth- 
 ing here seems to the devout soul impossible. 
 While science boldly traces the transmutations 
 of the black mold of the earth into the blush 
 
GLOUCESTER. 1870. 
 
 29 
 
 of the maiden's cheek and the flashing fire of 
 the eye of genius. I cannot doubt the power of 
 God to make the virulence of nature, not less 
 than the wrath of man,, to praise Him, and the 
 remainder to restrain. 
 
 We hesitate not, then, to say with the Psalm- 
 ist. •• The Lord is good to all. and his tender 
 mercies are over all his works." There is, 
 moreover, a unity of design in nature, which 
 subordinates every seeming refractory element 
 to the ends of the whole. By virtue of this 
 unity. Science alone would establish Monothe- 
 ism as agaiust Polytheism : and, after a like 
 fashion, immortality being granted, may. at 
 Length, establish Universalism as against Par- 
 tialism. Does net the Pievelator hint this in 
 recognizing but one aim in creation ? " Thou 
 art worthy. Lord, to receive glory and honor 
 and power ; for thou hast created ail things, 
 and for thy pleasure they are and were cre- 
 ated." 
 
 The reverent joy begotten by the simplest 
 aspects of nature is in no wise abated by the 
 boasted light of modern science. Let Geology 
 demonstrate her innumerable ages since Crea- 
 tion began ; let the nebular hypothesis be ac- 
 cepted as showing the process of world-rnak- 
 let the Darwinian doctrine of develop- 
 ment deliver us from catastrophes and the di- 
 rect creation of species : let Spencer add his 
 suggestion of development in the direction of 
 least resistance ; let Buckle still ride on the 
 t; winzs of the wind." substituting mountain for 
 miracle, the mountain itself remaining one of 
 the greatest of miracles : let Huxley establish 
 his doctrine of the physical basis of life, with 
 his protoplasm and proteine : let Prof. Barker 
 prove the correlation of forces, both potential 
 and actual — the possible resolution into each 
 other of light, heat, electricity, magnetism, mo- 
 tion, the vital forces generally, and even 
 thought itself : What then? Because we have 
 traced the dominion of law up to the very 
 threshold of the temple where dwells the Law- 
 giver, is there therefore no Lawgiver ? Be- 
 cause we can observe the correlation of parts 
 in the creation of God, is there therefore no 
 Creation of God ? Is this interpretation of 
 nature a work of thought, and is nature herself 
 the product of no thought ? Does man resolve 
 the universe, and yet is man himself, at his 
 best estate, only level to the ordinary things 
 of that universe ? Because thought is expend- 
 ing force, has man no soul, no immortality, no 
 
 blessed destiny ? Can Science answer such 
 questions as these ? Or shall we not rather 
 say. with a modern disciple of science, ;; These 
 questions lie beyond her boundary ': '' Zso 
 crucible, no subtle magnetic needle, can answer 
 them. Xo word but His who formed us can 
 break the awful silence. In presence of such 
 a revelation, Science is dumb, and Faith comes 
 in joyfully to accept those higher truths which 
 can never be the objects of physical demon- 
 stration. Rejecting all that is Pantheistic, or 
 possibly Atheistic even in tendency, in the 
 averments of modern Scientists. I would say, 
 with Stirling, i; This universe is not an acci- 
 dental cavity, in which an accidental dust has 
 been accidentally swept into heaps for the ac- 
 cidental evolution of the majestic spectacle of 
 organic and inorganic being. That majestic 
 spectacle is a spectacle as plainly for the eye 
 of reason as any diagram of the mathematician. 
 That majestic spectacle could have been con- 
 structed, was constructed, only in reason, for 
 reason, and by reason. From beyond Orion 
 and the Pleiades, across the green hem of earth, 
 up to the imperial personality of man. all, the 
 furthest, the deadest, the dustiest, is for fusion 
 in the invisible point of the single Ego — which 
 alone glorifies it. For the subject, and on the 
 model of the subject, all is made ! " * 
 
 Leaning, then, on the arm of Faith, we ac- 
 cept, wiih our wonted joy. the testimony of the 
 Psalmist : " The heavens declare the glory of 
 God, and the firmament shovreth his handi- 
 work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and 
 night unto night showeth knowledge." Has 
 not the Saviour himself ascribed unto God the 
 upholding of the sparrow, and the clothing of 
 the grass of the fieido in a glory transcending 
 the glory of Solomon '? 
 
 Revelation Affirms it. 
 
 But while nature teaches us of God. God 
 has not exhausted himself in nature ; nor has 
 He abandoned his children to the realms of 
 nature for the more subtile readings of the 
 realm of grace. It would be absurd to suppose 
 an earthly father would make possible the good 
 of his child in mature life, only by an accurate 
 interpretation of the prophecies of its being in 
 childhood. A wise father. I imagine, would 
 give his child many a kindly counsel, which, if 
 obeyed, would bring him good all along the 
 path of youth itself. So God has spoken to us 
 
 * Stirling's reply to Huxley! 
 
30 
 
 UNIVERSALTST CENTENARY, 
 
 of present duty and of ultimate destiny. By 
 the mouth of Patriarch and Prophet, of Christ 
 and his Apostles, wisdom has guided the world, 
 and the grace of heaven has been revealed to 
 man. 
 
 Mark that grace ! Far above the sea of hu- 
 man passion, rises the love of Heaven. Quite 
 beyond the narrow channel of sectarian sym- 
 pathy, flow the merciful designs of God. From 
 the beginning to the end of the sacred volume, 
 the tone is the same. The prophecy, to the 
 first pair, of the destruction of evil ; the patri- 
 archal promise, thrice repeated, and endorsed 
 by an apostolic interpretation of universal 
 blessing through Christ ; the ever enduring 
 nature of divine mercy, as announced by the 
 Psalmist, resulting in the satisfactory posses- 
 sion, by Christ, of his full inheritance, even 
 the heathen and the " uttermost parts of the 
 earth;" the flowing of all nations unto the 
 house of the Lord in the top of the mountains, 
 and the wiping away of tears from off all faces, 
 which so kindled the enthusiasm of Isaiah; the 
 giving of all peoples, nations and languages, in 
 everlasting dominion, to the Son of Man, so 
 grandly foretold by Daniel ; the destruction of 
 death and hell, predicted by Hosea, eonlbrm- 
 ing to the faith of Paul, that mortality shall be 
 swallowed up of life; the calling of the 
 anointed of God Jesus, because he shall save 
 his people from their sins ; his tasting death 
 for every man, giving himself a ransom for all, 
 to be testified in due time ; his assurance that, 
 if he be lilted up from the earth, he will draw 
 all men unto himself; Paul's rendering of it, 
 " He became obedient unto death, even the 
 death of the cross : wherefore God also hath 
 highly exalted him, and given him a name 
 which is above every name : that at the name 
 of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in 
 heaven, and things in earth, and things under 
 the earth ; and that every*tongue should con- 
 fess that Jet.us Christ is Lord, to the glory of 
 God the Father ; " * and, above all, the Reve- 
 lator's vision, " And I beheld, and I heard the 
 voice of many angels round about the throne, 
 and the beasts, and the elders ; and the num- 
 ber of (hem was ten thousand times ten thou- 
 sand, and thousands of thousands ; saying 
 with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that 
 was slain to receive power, and riches and wis- 
 dom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and 
 blessing ; and every creature which is in heaven, 
 
 *Phil.ii: 8-11. 
 
 and on the earth, and under the earth, and such 
 as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard 
 ] saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and 
 power, be unto him that sitteth upon the 
 throne, and unto the Lamb forever" : * — all are 
 parts of one great whole ; all are varying har- 
 monies upon the same keynote. 
 
 Such are the teachings, of the sacred 
 Word in regard to the destiny of the race • 
 such the ground swell of Gospel grace. As 
 Christian experience is deepened, and a sense 
 of the brotherhood of the race intensified, the 
 easier of acceptance becomes this hope — ever 
 "an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast." 
 After a century of enlightened criticism, the 
 darker dogmas of the church rest to-day on an 
 illogical, strained interpretation of biblical 
 rhetoric ; while the all-conquering power of 
 Divine love blazes from every page of the 
 sacred Word. 
 
 Early Faith of the Jews. 
 
 Corresponding to these teachings was the 
 earlier faith of both Jew and Christian, to 
 whom the Scriptures were given. Confess- 
 edly, the Old Testament deals only in tem- 
 poral rewards and punishments ; and not 
 until the captivity, when the Jewish mind be- 
 came imbued with Pagan thought, have we 
 any traces, among that people, of a belief in 
 punishment beyond the grave. These traces 
 appear in those apocryphal writings, following 
 the Old Testament histories and prophecies, 
 chiefly interesting to-day, in a dogmatic point 
 of view, for the friendly shelter therein given 
 to doctrines, which, through all the darker 
 ages of the church, notwithstanding their hea- 
 then origin, have been claimed to be the very 
 bulwark of virtue. 
 
 Faith of Early Christians. 
 The faith of the early Christians likewise, 
 there is reason to think, was a genial faith. 
 Christianity at first was embraced by very 
 few, as compared with the whole ; and these 
 few were chiefly of the lower classes. The 
 labors of those who immediately succeeded the 
 apostles were mostly confined to the establish- 
 ing of the facts of Christ's ministry and his 
 resurrection from the dead. Down to the mid- 
 dle of the second century, fifty years after the 
 death of the Apostle John, very little appears 
 in what were regarded as orthodox writings, 
 bearing on the destiny of the race ; and that 
 
 *Rom.v: 11-13. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 31 
 
 little, when we consider all the circumstances 
 of the case, must be considered ambiguous. 
 Moreover, the faith of the Christians was al- 
 ready in process of corruption. Modified by 
 both the Greek and the Oriental philosophies 
 on the one hand, it was also influenced by the 
 leaven of the Pharisees on the other. Among 
 the Gnostic sects of this period, and especially 
 among those which arose in Egypt, the doc- 
 trine of the ultimate salvation of all souls 
 appears to have prevailed. And while the 
 orthodox fathers vehemently assailed many of 
 their notions, it does not appear that their 
 Universalism was among the number. 
 
 Everlasting Punishment not Endless 
 Punishment. 
 
 The next half century exhibits an apparent 
 development of the sadder views of destiny, 
 along with the ambiguities of position of some 
 prominent men, and the continued prosperity 
 of such Gnostic sects as taught the salvation 
 of all. Both during this period, and some cen- 
 turies following, the punishment of the wicked 
 was termed everlasting, equally by those who 
 did and those who did not believe it to be end- 
 less. A high authority on this subject, the 
 late President Ballou, — mainly from whose 
 work published forty years ago, and now out 
 of print, I draw an outline of the history of 
 our leading thought down to the Reformation, 
 for the benefit of the younger portion of our 
 church, — after passing in review the opinion 
 of every writer, down to A. D., 190, whose 
 works are extant, says that nearly all the or- 
 thodox writers allude to future punishment; 
 seven of them call it the everlasting, the eternal 
 fire or torment; all the rest are silent as to its 
 duration. Of these seven, one accepts Univer- 
 salism, two annihilation, showing that they did 
 not think that punishment endless ; and four 
 leave their views unexplained. The morose 
 Tertullian, a century atter all the apostles had 
 passed away, is believed to be the first Chris- 
 tian writer expressly to assert that " the tor- 
 ments of the damned will be of equal duration 
 with the happiness of the blest." Though the 
 great Clemens Alexandrinus had already con- 
 spicuously taught Universalism, no controversy 
 arose. Whatever diversity of opinion existed 
 upon this subject, among either the orthodox 
 or the heretical sects, at the opening of the 
 third century, there was no division, and no 
 censure of the most liberal views. The great 
 
 array of the orthodox against the heretics was 
 on (juite other matters; and Universalists were 
 found indiscriminately in the ranks of both 
 classes of combatants. 
 
 Origen and Universalism. 
 
 But Universalism was destined soon to chal- 
 lenge more general attention. The renowned 
 Origen, who flourished during the first half and 
 middle of the third centurv, was one of the 
 ablest and most learned of all the Christian 
 writers before the Reformation. The doctrine 
 of Universalism, taught in his earlier and in 
 his later writings, in his popular discourses, 
 and in his systematic treatises, — taught, not 
 in controversy, save in defence of Christianity 
 itself, and in refutation of Gnostic errors, — 
 made rapid progress. Of his numerous disci- 
 . pies, not a few continued the instructions of 
 their master, and added to his fame. Though 
 the unbounded praises lavished upon him 
 awoke the spirit of envy and abuse, and led 
 many to impeach his orthodoxy, there is no 
 proof that his Universalism was involved. 
 Nor was it involved when, forty years after his 
 death, these controversies were renewed. It 
 was not until the renewed controversies had 
 lasted a century, that Epiphanius addressed his 
 lefter to John, Bishop of Jerusalem, himself a 
 Universalis, censuring Origen, not exactly for 
 his Universalism, but for his belief that even 
 the devil would be restored. It does not 
 appear that his belief in the salvation of all 
 men was even then deemed offensive. Nor 
 when, shortly after, the Roman Pontiff and 
 the Synods of Alexandria and Cyprus con- 
 demned Origenism, does it appear that his 
 Universalism was the occasion. The contro- 
 versy continued to rage ; personal and party 
 feeling became more and more deeply involved ? 
 until, A. D. 553, the Fifth General Council' 
 convened at Constantinople, condemned Ori- 
 gen's Universalism, and fixed permanently the 
 creed of the Catholic Church. 
 
 During the three centuries that elapsed from 
 the death of Origen to this condemnation of 
 his doctrine, Universalism held prominent place 
 in the Orthodox or Catholic Church. Nearly 
 all the leading Origenists, who, be it remem- 
 bered, were of this party, were Universalists;* 
 and, at about the close of the fourth century, 
 Universalism appears to have been received 
 
 * Ancient History of Universalism, Ch. vi. Sec. 22. 
 
32 
 
 u:n t iversalist centenary, 
 
 for a while, by a majority of the most eminent 
 orthodox fathers in the East.* 
 
 Dark Ages of the Church. 
 
 The sun of Christianity was now growing 
 dim. Universalism, however, does not appear 
 to have fled the church. During a period of a 
 little more than three hundred years, ending 
 with the Eighth General Council, A. D. 869, 
 it was four times condemned in Council, three 
 of the Councils being General, indicating its 
 disturbing presence. 
 
 In the early part of the eighth century, it 
 made some noise in the East, as shown by the 
 opposition of Germanus, the Archbishop of 
 Constantinople ; and a little later it appeared 
 in both France and Germany, where several 
 congregations were gathered by one Clement, 
 an Irishman, formerly a Romish priest. 
 
 From the middle of the ninth to the middle 
 of the eleventh century, a period of darkness and 
 corruption, no new heresy disturbed the church. 
 The clergy are described as '•shamefully igno- 
 rant, especially in religious matters, equally 
 enslaved by sensuality and superstition, and 
 capable of the most abominable and flagitious 
 deeds." The historian already quoted, calls 
 this the " golden age of profound ignorance 
 and undisturbed orthodoxy." f 
 
 Traces of Universalism are found at this 
 period among the Paulicians, who had already 
 flourished some centuries ; and, in the eleventh, 
 twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries, 
 among the Albanenses, Albigenses, Cathari, 
 and Waldenses, scattered through Italy, France, 
 and Germany. At the end of the twelfth 
 century it appeared in France, advocated by 
 one Rainold, of the monastery of St. Martin, 
 and, at the beginning of the thirteenth, proba- 
 bly by Amauri, an eminent professor of logic 
 and theology at Paris. % 
 
 In the early part of the fourteenth century, 
 there were twenty-four thousand followers of 
 Walter Lollard, a Universalist, in Germany 
 alone ; and, in the latter part of the same cen- 
 tury, the Archbishop of Canterbury found Uni- 
 versalism attracting so much attention in Eng- 
 land as to make it worth his while to condemn 
 it, in a formal Council. In the fifteenth cen- 
 tury it showed itself in Flanders, in Italy, and 
 probably in Spain. 
 
 * Ancient History Universalism, Ch. vi. Sec. 15. 
 
 I Ancient History Universalism, Appendix, Sects, i. to iii. 
 
 % Appendix to Ancient History of UniveisaUsm. 
 
 The Reformation. 
 
 We thus approach the great Reformation. 
 Begotten of principles of the first moment in 
 religious progress, the Reformation was at- 
 tended with results quite unanticipated. The 
 human mind set free, boldly sought for truth 
 wherever it might be found. 
 
 The late Dr. Whittemore, — from whose 
 work * mainly I condense the history of Uni- 
 versalism from the Reformation to the time of 
 Murray, — tells us that some of the leading 
 Reformers themselves, such as Luther and 
 Zuinglius, betrayed not a little hesitation in 
 regard to the absolute endlessness of pun- 
 ishment; and many, influenced by the gen- 
 eral spirit of the Reformation, did not hesitate 
 altogether to reject it. 
 
 There were not a few of these among the 
 Anabaptists, who flourished in Germany, Swit* 
 zerland, and other countries, in the early part 
 of the sixteenth century. The most promi- 
 nent leaders of these in Germany were Denck- 
 ius, Iletzer, and Pannonius, who distinguished 
 themselves in authorship; the work of the first; 
 mentioned being republished at Amsterdam a 
 century later, indicating a demand therefor in 
 that region. In lower Germany there pre- 
 vailed a sect called Libertines, or Advocates of 
 Spiritual Liberty, who rejected the doctrine of 
 endless punishment. The Davidians, or Geor- 
 gians, followers of one David George, a Uni- 
 versalist, prevailed in Holstein, Friesland, and 
 other countries. 
 
 The severe persecutions yisited upon the 
 Anabaptists and their sympathizers, in several 
 of the Continental countries, accompanied in 
 some cases by the penalty of death, led many 
 of them to seek an asylum in England under 
 the presumption that a Protestant country 
 would afford them protection. In this they were 
 sorely disappointed. Persecution still followed 
 them, even with unmitigated penalties. Uni- 
 versalism still spreading, the faith of the Church 
 was recast under Edward VI., in the form of 
 the Forty-Two Articles, in the last of which it 
 was especially condemned. On the accession 
 of Elizabeth this condemnation was expunged, 
 leaving the members of the Church free to 
 cherish the broadest hopes. It must be con- 
 fessed, however, that the currents of spiritual 
 life in that church do not naturally flow in 
 that direction — whether from a hereditary 
 
 ♦Modern History of UniversalisSQ (New Edition )', Vol. i„ 7 
 Book i, 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 33 
 
 taint, descending from Rome, from a post-natal 
 acquisition of pride, or from some other cause, 
 does not clearly appear. 
 
 Time of the Puritans. 
 
 Coming now to the age of the Puritans, Uni- 
 versalists, with other heretics, are persecuted 
 with new vigor. The latter part of the six- 
 teenth and the first part of the seventeenth 
 century witness new parties in the conflict. The 
 indignation of Parliament is poured out upon 
 Universalism, but the heresy continues. The 
 penalties of imprisonment and even death are 
 inadequate to suppress the rational belief in the 
 fullness of divine love. Gerard Winstanley bore 
 testimony to the truth in several published 
 works, one of which was issued during the sitting 
 of the very Parliament which threatened such as 
 he with imprisonment. "William Earbury, a 
 popular preacher among the Independents, and 
 Richard Coppin, at one time an Episcopalian, 
 and at another a Presbyterian, ably defended 
 the doctrine by speech and pen. The latter 
 was indicted at Worcester for blasphemy, tried, 
 and found guilty ; but the verdict was set aside 
 by the judge. At a subsequent trial at Oxford, 
 Coppin was discharged. ISTor were his legal 
 persecutors more successful in their later en- 
 deavors. After public debate with several 
 leading champions, he was again thrown into 
 prison, where he continued a prolific author. 
 Not less than a dozen works, first and last, is- 
 sued from his pen. Several anonymous works 
 in defence of Universalism appeared about 
 A. D. 1G60. Sir Henry Yane Ihe younger, the 
 son of a nobleman, educated at Magdalen Col- 
 lege, who became Governor of Massachusetts, 
 and afterwards a member of Parliament, was a 
 Universalist, and having opposed the restora- 
 tion of the line of Kings, was honored by an 
 execution upon the scaffold on Tower Hill, in 
 1662. 
 
 The Century before Murray. 
 
 We have now reached to within about a cen- 
 tury of Murray's arrival in America. That 
 century is pregnant with evidences of Univer- 
 salism in England, and in various parts of the 
 Continent. From the nature of the case, his- 
 tory having been chiefly in the hands of ene- 
 mies, relatively few of the whole number who 
 espoused it can have become known to us; and 
 yet the number known is so great as to pre- 
 clude more than partial mention. Rev. Jeremy 
 
 White, Chaplain to the Protector, Richard 
 Stafford, Jane Leadley, the founder of the Phil- 
 adelphian Society, were all influential authors ; 
 the latter numbering among her followers sev- 
 eral distinguished persons, some of whom were 
 themselves authors, such as Dr. Francis Lee, 
 Dr. Pordage, Rev. Mr. Bromley, Dr. Edward 
 Hooker, with many other persons of note, and 
 some noblemen. 
 
 Too well known as Universalists to require 
 mention, but for the greater adequateness of our 
 survey, are Dr. Henry More, Dr. Isaac Barrow, 
 Archbishop Tillotson, with his defenders, Mr. 
 Kettlewell and the eminent LeClerc, Dr. Thom- 
 as Burnet, William Whiston, Sir Isaac Newton, 
 Dr. Samuel Clarke, Bishop Warburton, Dr. 
 George Cheyne and the Chevalier Ramsay, the 
 latter not less a Roman Catholic than Univer- 
 salist. The works of several of these men, as 
 of the renowned WTuston, called forth much 
 controversy, and led to the publication of coun- 
 ter works, furthering, no doubt, in the end, a 
 a knowledge of the truth. 
 
 Passing several humble defenders of the faith, 
 like Rev. John Barker, Samuel Colliber, Mr. 
 Roach and Wm. Dudgeon, it should be remem- 
 bered that Dr. Doddridge, Dr. Watts, and even 
 Dr. Edward Young,* staunch believers in end- 
 less punishment though they seem to be, have 
 shown themselves, in some of their writings, 
 ready to find consolatfon in a little reasonable 
 doubt. 
 
 Favorable to the sublime truths of the gos- 
 pel, were William Law, the " ingenious " Dr. 
 Steed, as he has been called, William Duncom- 
 be, Soame Jenyns, Henry Brooke, Dr. Kippis, 
 George Walker, Robert Robertson, Archdeacon 
 Paley, Professor Ilcy and Dr. Lettsom. 
 
 Universalism in Germany. 
 
 In the meantime, the truth that cannot but 
 gladden the hearts of all men, made progress 
 in several continental countries, especially in 
 Germany. For the cultivation of this field, and 
 the development of this most important portion 
 of the history of our doctrine, our whole Church 
 is deeply indebted to Rev. Dr. Sawyer, Packard 
 Professor of Christian Theology in Tufts Col- 
 lege. From him we leam that among the ad- 
 vocates of Universalism in Germany, for the 
 two centuries preceding Murray's arrival in 
 America, were John Scalidecker, Franciscus 
 Georgius, Franciscus Mercurius, William Pos- 
 
 *Mod. Hist. U"m, Ed 1S30, Appendix to Ch. It 
 
34 
 
 UXIYERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 tell— represented as an independent thinker, 
 and one of the most learned men of his time — 
 Theodore Raphael Camphuy.-en, Samuel IIu- 
 ber, Professor of Divinity at Wittenberg, Ernest 
 Sonner, Peter Serarius, John W lliam Peter- 
 son — one of the most efficient Universalists of 
 any age, doing more to advance the doctrine 
 than any man since the time of Origen — George 
 Klein Nicolai, or, as better known, George 
 Paul Seigvolk, Gerhard, a Professor of Theolo- 
 gy in the University of Rostock, and within 
 the last half of the eighteenth century, Jung 
 Stilling, and probably the great Immanuel 
 Kant. Considerable numbers of men of less 
 •weight added their inliuence, and various pub- 
 lications, some attacking, odiers defending the 
 doctrine, agitated the public mind ; so that, 
 on the whole, a century ago, Universalism in 
 Germany extensively prevailed. A few years 
 later, whole sects avowed it ; and sixty years 
 later (1829), a distinguished theologian of Con- 
 necticut, Dr. D wight, on returning irom his 
 travels through Germany, declared in reference 
 to the eternity of punishment:, that he had met 
 with but one person in Germany who believed 
 it, and but one other who was wavering on this 
 subject. 
 
 Thus all along the pathway of human toil 
 and trial has shone the light of hope. In Eng- 
 land, in Germany, in Holland, in France, in 
 Scotland, its genial rays were welcomed. Many 
 a heart, else overburdened, was lined up into 
 the confident enjoyment of divine love. Surely, 
 my friends, with such a historic background, 
 ■we need not blush to honor the man who, life e 
 a morning star, rose a century ago upon the 
 darkness of American theology, and to-day 
 blends his light with that of the fully risen sun. 
 
 Let it be borne in mind that these defenders 
 of the faith, scattered all along the ages, have 
 iienerally been public men, many of them 
 preachers, most of them authors, some of them 
 distinguished civilians and men of high social 
 rank. Every one of them had his immediate 
 circle of influence, and, wi h many of them, that 
 circle was a large one. The conclusion is that 
 the number of believers in the doctrine of the 
 o-reat salvation, at various times, and especially 
 in the aggregate, must have been immense. 
 And yet there was no attempt to organize 
 under its banner ; no banding of believers in a 
 separate church ; no great landmarks of its 
 progress were reared ; no institutions embodied 
 its transcendent hopes. To the eye of the cas- 
 
 ual observer, England, Scotland, France, Hol- 
 land, Switzerland, Germany even, would pre- 
 sent an almost dead level of unbelieving con- 
 formity. As a consequence, the attention of 
 the non-reading world would be but slightly 
 arrested, while the brilliant discoveries of tru.h 
 would rise like bubbles upon the crest of the 
 wave, break, and disappear forever. The dis- 
 tinctive glory of the last century lies in the 
 correction of this folly. In our rapidly im- 
 proving organization, in our multiplying insti- 
 tutions of learning and religion — institutions 
 greatly enhancing our power and promise ; and 
 much of that glory belongs to the present gen- 
 eration. 
 
 Landing of Murray. 
 
 The landing of Murray on the New Jersey 
 shore marks a new era in the history of Uni- 
 versalism. A short, shrewd man, genial and com- 
 panionable, with large abilities and quick wit, 
 deeply devotional in spirit, tempered and disci- 
 plined by sorrow, firm in faith and persistent as 
 the "sun, he was well fitted to awaken an interest 
 in the new cause. The few flashes of gospel light 
 that had preceded his coming, in the teachings 
 of Dr. George De Benneville, of Germantown,, 
 Pa., Rev. Richard Clark, of Charleston, S. C, 
 Dr. Jonathan Mayhew, of Boston, and pos- 
 sibly some others, especially a sect of Baptists 
 in Pennsylvania, had illumined apparently few 
 minds, and quickened the germs of faith in few 
 hearts. The colonies were a vast wilderness 
 of theological error. The spirit of liberty, how- 
 ever, intensified by our revolutionary difficul- 
 ties, prepared the way for a favorable hearing 
 in quarters which would otherwise have been 
 inaccessible. 
 
 During the first three years of Mr. Murray's 
 ministry, from Sept. 1770, to Oct. 1773, he 
 preached in New York and Philadelphia, and 
 the regions between those cities. At the latter 
 date, he made an excursion into New England, 
 preaching in Newport, Providence, Boston, and 
 many other places, reaching Portsmouth in the 
 spring of 1774, where an invitation to a pasto- 
 rate was declined. 
 
 Settlement in Gloucester. 
 His first visit to Gloucester was on the 3d of 
 March, 17 74. A society was here organized, 
 Jan. 1, 1779, and a church built in 1780. 
 Meantime three other preachers had arisen, in- 
 dependent of Mr. Murray, namely Adam Street- 
 er, Caleb Rich and Thomas Barnes. Elder 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 35 
 
 Rich was ordained "as minister of the united 
 societies of Warwick, Richmond and JafFrey — " 
 the former town being in Massachusetts, and 
 the two latter in New Hampshire — not earlier, 
 probably, than 1780, and possibly as late as 
 1781. 
 
 At about the same time, the close of 1 780, 
 Rev. Elhanan Winchester, then in Philadel- 
 phia, became a Universalist, and by his emi- 
 nent abilities and popular address, achieved 
 great success, rivaling, perhaps, in public favor, 
 the distinguished Murray himself. 
 
 Such was the result of the first ten years ot 
 the century now closing — two societies, a few 
 other congregations, and four or five clergymen. 
 But there was one circumstance especially 
 worthy of notice. Among the children in the 
 town of Richmond, who were observant of the 
 interest evinced by their fathers in the preach- 
 ing of Caleb RLh, was a lad of less than ten 
 years of age, whose name has since become a 
 household word throughout our land. Ten or 
 eleven years later, in 1791, we find him in the 
 ministry, and his apostolic career you all well 
 know, Hosea Ballou undoubtedly accomplished 
 more for the kingdom of God than any other 
 man of the century. 
 
 "Weakness of our Canse in 1791. 
 Of the strength, or rather weakness, of our 
 cause at that time, Mr. Ballou has borne testi- 
 mony. Sitting in his own pulpit, on an anni- 
 versary occasion of his Sunday school, he said, 
 .*' There is a better understanding of the gospel 
 of our blessed Lord, and more ability to win 
 souls to its acceptance, in that band of Sunday 
 school teachers than in all our ministry when I 
 £ entered it." 
 
 "Winchester Profession. 
 
 In 1785, the General Convention of Univer- 
 salis ts, the body here sitting, was organized at 
 Oxford, Mass., and the Winchester Profession 
 was adopted by the Convention at the session 
 in Winchester, N. H., in 1803. 
 
 Made necessary by the legal exigencies into 
 which Universalists were then brought, it has 
 providentially saved us from all the evils of 
 a long-drawn creed, and yet has firmly anchored 
 us to the word-of God. Repeated attacks of 
 infidelity within our own ranks have been suc- 
 cessfully repelled, and it is now manifest that 
 no amount of evasion or subterfuge can give a 
 rejecter of Christian authority protracted influ- 
 ence with any of our parishes or public bodies. 
 
 Like a nation that has added to its external 
 conque-ts the subjugation of a civil rebellion, we 
 have conquered our wiliest foe. In this re- 
 spect our experience is in happy contrast with 
 that of others about us. 
 
 Increase of our Strength. 
 
 Thirty years from the beginning of Mr. Mur- 
 ray's labors here, that is, in 1801, there were 
 but twenty- two preachers of Universalism in all 
 our land ; a dozen years later, in 1813, there 
 were forty. Coming down twent}'-?even years 
 to 1840, about half way to our own time, there 
 were four hundred and sixty-thive. Now there 
 are probably six hundred and fifty, with more 
 than a thousand parishes. 
 
 Nor does this increase in the numbers of our 
 clergy show our real increase in strength. Our 
 lists, latterly, have been more closely pruned ; 
 our parishes have been greatly strengthened ; 
 our bases of operations have been fortified ; our 
 clergy have made great advance in " devising; 
 liberal things ;" and our laity, possessing far 
 greater wealth, and holding far higher social 
 positions than foruierty, more nobly respond, 
 and with greater alacrity, to the far-sighted de- 
 mands now so frequently made upon them. 
 There are scores of our parishes in the various 
 sections of our Zion, any one of which can now 
 be moved to a greater work for a worthy ob- 
 ject outside its own interests, than could our 
 whole Church twenty-five years ago. 
 
 Educational Efforts. 
 
 At that time we had no colleges, no divinity 
 schools, no well-endowed academies. West- 
 brook Seminary, in Maine, incorporated in 
 1830, Clinton Liberal Institute, in New York, 
 founded in 1832, with the Orleans Liberal In- 
 stitute at Glover, Vt., and the Green Moun- 
 tain Institute, at South Woodstock, Vt., which, 
 severally, were but feebly, if at all endowed, 
 were all the institutions of learning we could 
 boast. 
 
 As early as 1814, a seminary was projected ; 
 and in the three or four following years, com- 
 mittees were enjoined to raise the sum of five 
 tiiousand dollars to carry the project into ef- 
 fect. Nothing, however, was accomplished. 
 Various other enterprises were meditated, from 
 time to time, but were either never started or 
 came to a premature end. 
 
 But about twenty years ago, almost simulta- 
 neously east and west, there were put forth 
 well-considered efforts for the founding: of higher 
 
36 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 institutions of learning. The immediate results, 
 after much toil, were Lombard University, in 
 the west, and Tufts College in the east, both but 
 meagerly endowed. A new impulse, however, 
 seemed almost at once to move our whole 
 Church, and its fruits have been most happy. 
 
 St. Lawrence University, with its two pro- 
 fessional schools, in northern New York ; Dean 
 Academy, with its magnificent endowment, in 
 Massachusetts ; Jefferson Institute, with its 
 elegant edifice, in Wisconsin ; Green Moun- 
 tain Central Institute, with its most solid and 
 commodious structure, in Vermont ; Smithson 
 College, handsomely begun, in Indiana ; Buch- 
 tel College, so munificently assured, by Hon. 
 John R. Buchtel, in Ohio ; and the strength- 
 ening every way of institutions previously es- 
 tablished, are the remoter results and the proph- 
 ecy of a better day for our Church. 
 
 Now we number not less than seven acade- 
 mies, five colleges, established and establishing, 
 Ihree professional schools, two of divinity and 
 one of law, possessing an aggregate property of 
 not less than two millions of dollars. 
 
 Fifty years ago our whole Church stood ap- 
 palled by the proposition to raise five thousand 
 dollars for educational purposes ; now we have 
 two millions invested and employed to the 
 same end. Twenty years ago, some of our 
 wisest men were in grave doubt whether, in 
 all our land, we could raise a hundred thou- 
 sand dollars for the founding of a college. Not 
 only was this accomplished, but there has been 
 contributed, for the same general purpose? an 
 average of a hundred thousand dollars a year^ 
 ever since , and in our centenary period alone 
 we are proposing to raise millions. Surely, 
 "■ to him that hath shall be given, and he shall 
 have abundance." 
 
 Religions Literature. 
 
 In the domain of religious literature, there 
 are issued in the interests of our Church, six 
 weekly newspapers, two semi-monthly, three 
 monthly publications, one quarterly and one 
 annual, with I know not how many volumes 
 devoted to theological and biblical discussions. 
 Five of these periodicals^ and more than a 
 hundred and twenty-five volumes, including 
 commentaries on the entire New Testament, are 
 from our Publishing House, Boston, whose as- 
 sets are not less than $40,000. Exclusively a 
 public interest, as soon as its rapidly diminish- 
 ing debt is extinguished, its profits, already 
 amounting to several thousands a year, will ac- 
 
 crue to the Church itself. In the mean time, 
 the learning and ability of our book issues, and 
 the elevated tone of our periodicals through- 
 out the country, are exerting a most salutary 
 influence upon the progress of our cause. 
 Theological Changes. 
 
 With such instrumentalities in hand, look 
 abroad upon your field of labor. How 
 changed the face of the theological world I 
 A century ago, it was night. Now the Sun of 
 Righteousness shines from the heavens. A 
 century ago, innocent women trembled at the 
 very thought of God, and the repose of child- 
 hood was disturbed by the terrors of infernal 
 dreams. Now timidity itself looks hopefully 
 unto heaven, and the tender youth delights in 
 a Father's love. 
 
 Who to-day believes that the sin of the first 
 pair corrupted the whole realm of nature, not 
 only making human obedience? without miracle? 
 impossible, but creating the manifold evils of 
 life ? Who to-day believes that sin gave birth 
 to the claws, the teeth, the gastric juices, and 
 the corresponding instincts of the beasts of 
 prey ? Who to-day believes that it is the 
 cause of the thunderbolt, the earthquake, the 
 tornado, the pestilential winds? and the gene- 
 ral severities of climate ? Who now believes 
 that it is the primal source of the physical 
 deaths which these occasion? or of the waste of 
 which death is but the consummation ? Who 
 bow believes that our recuperative energies., 
 which repair this waste by the appropriation 
 of nutriment J or that the adjustment of the? 
 heavenly bodies^ necessary to the changing 
 seasons and the autumnal harvests affording 
 this nutriment, though manifestly parts of the* 
 same grand scheme^ were occasioned by 
 Adam's sin ? Confessedly, ** Great is the mys- 
 tery ot godliness ? " but faith in these doc- 
 trines is happily no longer reckoned an element 
 of godliness. Original sin no longer means the 
 sin of having parents, but the evils which attend 
 the blessings of hereditary laws. Total deprav- 
 ity? that darling creation of Augustine, in the 
 fourth century, and the very corner-stone of Cal- 
 vinistic theology in the sixteenth, without which 
 the doctrines of particular election, sovereigns 
 grace and miraculous regeneration could have 
 no place, no longer means " inability to do a 
 good deed, speak a good word, or think a good 
 thought," but merely more or less imperfection 
 in all that we do. Indeed, "the five points" of 
 Calvinism^ as they used to be called have suak 
 
GLOUCESTER, 
 
 37 
 
 below the horizon of theological controversy, 
 and are as little known to the present genera- 
 tion as are the cycles and epicycles of the 
 Ptolemaic system of astronomy. 
 
 Long after the premises of an argument 
 have been swept away, however, the conclu- 
 sion may remain. The fundamental principles 
 of the darker theologies have yielded to the 
 light of science and the force of just criticism; 
 but vague forebodings, in regard to the des- 
 tiny of the race, have not wholly lost their 
 power. A wonderful advance, however, has 
 been made in the last century. At home and 
 abroad, the literal fires so long maintained by 
 the churchj burn low ; and conscience is more 
 ■widely recognized as the divine avenger, in 
 whatever world retribution is experienced. 
 
 Divine Judgments Constant. 
 
 In like manner, faith in the formalities of a 
 fixed and literal j udgment day, when an overt 
 and extraneous condemnation shall be visited 
 upon the guilty soul, is giving way to the doc- 
 trine, both biblical and philosophical, of a per- 
 petual judgment day, here and now, in which 
 the uniform action of the moral sense awards 
 approbation to the good and condemnation to 
 the bad. 
 
 Nor can this exposition of the divine judg- 
 ment be overturned except upon the hypothe- 
 sis of an utter denial of retribution in this 
 world. If there be retribution here, there 
 must be preceding arraignment, trial, deter- 
 mination of guilt, and condemnation here, and 
 these, however effected by the various laws of 
 God, are essential judgments. "Now," says 
 Christ, "is the judgment of this world," 
 
 We shall look almost in vain to-day for lead- 
 ing philosophic minds, who will deny the cur- 
 rent retributions of life. It is, perhaps, among 
 the more marked characteristics of the pulpit 
 ministrations of our time, that they illustrate 
 and emphasize those spiritual laws of our 
 being, which involve, here and now, our chief 
 good ; and which give significance and value 
 to all other good. 
 
 The importance of this element is begin- 
 ning to be keenly felt. I will not deny that 
 some philosophers are wary, and seek to turn 
 aside the issue, while others broadly recog- 
 nize it. 
 
 Jouffroy's Doctrine. 
 Jouffroy, the distinguished French ethicist, 
 is of the latter class, He says, " Every being 
 
 has his own peculiar nature ; and this nature 
 destines him to a certain end ; . . . and, 
 ■were we fully acquainted wiih the nature of a 
 being, we might thence infer his destiny. . . 
 
 . . From the moment when an organized 
 being begins to exist, . . . its nature tends 
 to the end to which it is destined.'' As our 
 author goes on, he represents reason as com- 
 prehending these principles, and through such 
 comprehension, aided by conscience, involving, 
 of course all the complexities of moral experi- 
 ence, tending to the realization of man's high- 
 est good. * 
 
 -John Stuart Mill's. 
 John Stuart Mill indicates his acceptance 
 of a sound philosophy of retribution, by hig 
 rejection of the unsound, though long received. 
 Of the latter he says ; " It holds out the hope 
 of heaven and the threat of hell, as the ap- 
 pointed and appropriate motives to a virtuous 
 life, in this falling far below the best of the 
 ancients, and doing what lies in it to give to 
 human mortality an essentially selfish charac- 
 ter, by disconnecting eich man's feelings of 
 duty from the interests of his fellow creatures, 
 except so far as a selfrinterested inducement 
 is offered to him for consulting them." f 
 
 Herbert Spencer's. 
 Mixed with a somewhat singular 
 
 tli. 
 
 eory 
 
 the utility of error, in undeveloped minds, as 
 temporarily serving good ends, the doctrine of 
 natural retribution is substantially aiiirmed by 
 Herbert Spencer. lie says, " To see clearly 
 how a right or wrong act generates consequen- 
 ces, internal and external, that go on branching 
 out more widely as years progress, requires a 
 rare power of analysis. To mentally repre- 
 sent even a single series of these consequences, 
 as it stretches out into the remote future, re- 
 quires an equally rare power of imagination. 
 And to estimate these consequences in their 
 totality, ever multiplying in number while di- 
 minishing in intensity, requires a grasp of 
 thought possessed by none." % 
 
 President Chadbourae's. 
 
 Of those perceiving the retributive power of 
 conscience, and yet unconsciously seeking to 
 conclude against the adequateness of that ret- 
 ribution, 1 may mention President Chadbourne 
 of one of our Western Colleges, formerly Fro- 
 
 * Introduction to Ethics, Lee. ii, 
 t^lill on Liberty, p. 96- 
 JFirst Principles, p. 117, 118. 
 
38 
 
 UNIVERSALIS! CENTENARY, 
 
 fessor in Williams College. " Conscience," 
 says he, "is the monitor and ruler of man. and 
 there is no peace for him but in following its 
 commands. It not only brings punishment for 
 wrong doing by its action, but it docs this 
 chiefly by a foreboding of other punishment to 
 come. The idea of futurity seems ever linked 
 with it." * 
 
 Now it is well settled in the realm of moral 
 philosophy that the practical workings of con- 
 science are made up of two elements ; the first 
 one being the product of the empirical reason 
 — that is to say, of reasoning — by which we 
 judge not only what is right and what is wrong 
 in a given case, but also when, where, and 
 how we are liable to be rewarded or punished 
 therefor. This is the realm of conviction, of 
 belief. It is the fruit of education and of rea- 
 soning, It is variable, being different in differ- 
 ent persons at the same time, and different 
 in the same person at different times, accord- 
 ing as his information in respect to right and 
 wrong is extended. 
 
 The other element in the workings of con- 
 science is the idea of right and wrong — a con- 
 ception of the substance of the rule of right — 
 born of the a priori reason, and accompanied 
 by a sense of obligation, and consequent ap- 
 proval or disapproval, peace or woe, according 
 as we seek to obey or disobey its divine behests 
 in applying it to any given case. This element 
 is invariable ; being the same in all men who 
 have come to any moral responsibility. 
 
 Now our woe in wrong-doing, President 
 Chadbourne recognizes as punishment. Of 
 course it is the divine chastisement, as it comes 
 of divine law. Will he assert that a law di- 
 vinely established for our present retribution, 
 is inadequate ? or that it does its work chiefly 
 by prophecy? That the idea of futurity so 
 frequently connected with it lies in the invari- 
 able condemnatory element of conscience, and 
 not in the variable educational element ? That 
 conscience prophecies other punishment than 
 its own in the next world on any other grounds 
 than those on which it prophecies other pun- 
 ishment in this world ? Is it not anticipated, 
 in both cases, simply because we are taught to 
 anticipate it ? Besides : what is that "other 
 punishment to come," which conscience fore- 
 bodes ? Are the penal fires of a former age 
 still burning ? If not, would it not be a little 
 odd, in the workings of law, were conscience 
 
 to punish us now, and yet that the chief part 
 of that punishment should consist in a proph- 
 ecy that the same conscience will punish us 
 more by-and-by ? 
 
 President Hopkins. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Hopkins, President of Williams 
 College, appears to be an exception to our re- 
 mark. If I understand him, he substantially 
 denies present retribution. In a very able 
 work recently published,, he says of conscience, 
 "It affirms obligation before the act, approves 
 or disapproves after the act, and in doing this 
 indicates future reward and puni>hment." * 
 
 He does not appear to regard it any part of 
 the office of conscience to punish, thus differ- 
 ing from President Chadbourne. Indeed, he 
 expressly denies that it does punish. He says, 
 " The consiliences within the moral being 
 hii^elf, of violating obligation, the shock that 
 may ensue, whatever that may be, is not pun- 
 ishment. Ifc cannot be. Punishment is the 
 vindication by a person through some positive 
 infliction, of violated rights Gov- 
 ernment being by authority, is an expression 
 of Will, and if punishment is to sustain govern- 
 ment, that too must be, and must be known to 
 be, an expression of the same will. .... 
 Evil from the laws of nature regarded as im- 
 personal, is not punishment." f 
 
 That is, I suppose, " Evd from the laws of 
 nature regarded " as blind forces, and as the ex- 
 pression of no will, would not be punishment." 
 Very well, but why so regard them ? Are not 
 the laws of nature established by the divine 
 will ? Are not their inflictions expressions of 
 that will? Are not the pangs of a violated 
 conscience as well known beforehand a any 
 other consequences of law, and known to be a 
 divine infliction ? And can it be that the in- 
 fections of conscience are no part of the divine 
 penalty for sin ? Is modern theology driven 
 to the strait of denying the common sense of 
 the world in regard to the infliction of punish- 
 ment by conscience. Is it seen that if God 
 here and now punishes men through conscience 
 for their transgressions, that such punishment 
 is undoubtedly adequate ? In asserting the ne- 
 cessity of -" positive inflictions," does this 
 learned divine mean to say, that the very na- 
 ture of government, is such that God cannot 
 establish it, in the soul of man, by laws which 
 will execute themselves ? In thus abrogating 
 
 Natural Theology, p. 280. 
 
 * Tlie Law of Lore, and Love as a Law, p. 
 t lb. pp.241, 24^. . 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 39 
 
 the punitive power of eon- 
 lie too fall back upon penal 
 
 theoretically, 
 science, does 
 fires ? 
 
 Some twenty years ago, in public discourse, 
 our author said, (I quore from memory), " He 
 who seeks and attains the highest good, name- 
 ly, righteousness, does in that very success at- 
 tain all compatible subordinate good, " * Such 
 a man evidently is adequately rewarded, un- 
 less he merits some good not compatible with the universal^' of the diviue love, enjoining 
 righteousness. The philosophy of this re- upon all men the obligations of fraternal aflee- 
 mark is pointedly opposed to that of the pre- tion, and begetting the hope that, forever, in 
 
 li-t tastes. Let there be but a presumption 
 that an is^ue of any other than the Universa- 
 lis t press teaches Universalism, and it* sale 
 will be as wide as the continent. The "Minis- 
 ters wooing," "Old Town Folks," and '-Gates 
 Ajar" illustrate this remark. The works of 
 Charles Dickens, are far more emphatic illus- 
 trations of the eame truth. The vhole current 
 of his writings is tempered by the doctrine of 
 
 ceding, and is, in my judgment greatly to be 
 preferred ; especially as it is endorsed by the 
 Savior : "Seek first the kingdom of God and 
 his righteousness and all these things shall be 
 added unto 3 ou." 
 
 However there may be individual exceptions, 
 I am sure that the great mass of thinkers to- 
 day regard the laws of nature, and the laws of 
 our moral being especially, as retributive agen- 
 cies in the hand of God ; administering both 
 rewards and punishments ; and preceded, 
 therefore, by all the realities of the divine 
 judgments. What modifications these funda- 
 mental principles require in the theory of the 
 future life, I need not stop to show. 
 
 Tone of the Modern Pulpit. 
 
 They are indicated, however, in the change 
 of tone in the leading pulpits of our country, 
 of which the popularity is in the ratio of their 
 liberality and hopefulness. Of course there is 
 much heaving of the earthly elements beneath 
 them ; much taking hold and letting go ; much 
 criticism and counter criticism. But a con- 
 tinual shifting of philosophies in defence of the 
 barbarous, as in the "Conflict of Ages," and 
 in the basing of endless punishment upon end- 
 less sinning, rather than upon the sins of this 
 Hie; a breaking away of giant minds from the 
 thrall of petrified creeds ; the adoption of an- 
 nihilation here, of pantheistic absorption there 
 and of vague uncertainty in other places, to 
 avoid the necessity of affirming final woe even 
 of a tingle soul — an affirmation which, when 
 speeiheally made, arouses the indignation of 
 almost the entire secular press — all show- 
 that the aggressive power of truth is deeply 
 and widely felt. 
 
 Tone of tlie Heligious Press. 
 
 The religious literature, also, of the sects 
 about us indicates the prevalence of Universa- 
 
 Uefore Boston Young Men's Christian Association. 
 
 the language of Tiny Tim "God v ill bless us 
 every one." 
 
 The poetry of the age is a marked exhibi- 
 tion of the fact, that the profoundest emotional 
 drift of the genius of the world is into the open 
 places of God's favor. * 
 
 From the fugitive and newspaper issues of 
 the various sects, we come to the same conclu- 
 sion. Rarely now do these rise to the explic- 
 itness of former times in their affirmations of 
 the severer doctrines ; except, perhaps, the is- 
 sues of the American Tract Society, for which 
 nobody in particular is responsible, and which 
 apparently emanate from a region unillumined 
 by divine grace. Some of the newspapers, 
 though begotten in all the darkness of theolog- 
 ical gloom, and speaking at first with all the 
 sharpness of sectarian narrowness, have been 
 tempered to the gentleness of the cooing dove, 
 and, at length, like the New York Independent, 
 avowedly bursting their cerements, hare risen 
 in light and beauty — things of joy forever. 
 
 Re-statement of Doctrines Difficult. 
 
 This growing dissatisfaction with the nar- 
 rowness of their former faith, is manifest when- 
 ever the sects attempt a re-statement of their 
 doctrines. The Congregationalists, at their 
 Convention in Boston, a few years ago. wrestled 
 long with the problem, how they could state 
 what they themselves have come to believe, 
 without appearing to deny v. hat the fathers be- 
 lieved. And it was not until they had adjourned 
 to the tombs of Plymouth, and had evoked the 
 shades of the Puritans, that they were able, 
 even "for substance," to reaffirm the faith of 
 old ; and all farther attempts to clothe that 
 "substance" in verbal forms and make it a 
 living thing of to-day, were, by common con- 
 sent abandoned. 
 
 A natural sensibility to the demands of jus- 
 
 * See " Testimony of the Foots.'' 
 
40 
 
 UNIVERSALIS!' CENTENARY, 
 
 tice and to the more generous impulses of the 
 heart, has disposed not a few of the best minds 
 anions; the Baptists, like Rev. John Foster, of 
 England, to cherish the hope of the final re- 
 demption of the race. 
 
 The Jews, also, appear to be returning, or to 
 have returned, to their most ancient faith. At 
 a recent meeting of Rabbis, in Cleveland, 
 Ohio, in view of the "religious commotions now 
 agitating the public mind in both hemispheres," 
 six propositions were unanimously declared, of 
 which the last points to the ultimate unity of 
 the race, and indicates the supposed means of 
 its attainment : 
 
 " We expect the universal elevation and fra- 
 ternization of the human family to be achieved 
 by the natural means of science, morality, free- 
 dom, justice and truth." 
 
 Boston Pulpits. 
 
 Ifthetoneof thinking in certain localities 
 may be taken as an indication of the faith of 
 the wider public, the prospect is most hopeful. 
 The growing sect of Unitarians has almost 
 wkoiiy cast off its former reserve. I suppose 
 that of a hundred and thirty pulpits in Boston 
 to-day, taking all religions together, in very 
 few, if any, are the chilling doctrines of divine 
 wrath proclaimed as of old, while in at least 
 thirty-five to forty, the most encouraging views 
 of the efficiency of divine grace are openly nur- 
 tured. 
 
 Overthrow of Slavery. 
 
 Nor can we overlook the influence of Uni-. 
 versalism upon our civil institutions i 
 
 The growth of the idea of the common brother- 
 hood of our race has made this idea a "consum- 
 ing fire," and slavery has disappeared, great- 
 ly enlarging our field of labor. Where Sherman 
 mavched with musketry and cannon, the church 
 militant can now march with the "sword of the 
 spirit." It is now manifest that while the em- 
 bodiment of great social injustice in the domes- 
 tic institutions of a people, is no barrier to the 
 progress of the limitarian churches in their 
 midst, it absolutely excludes Universalism. We 
 thus have a divine refutation in the very prov- 
 idences of God, and on a broad scale, of the 
 long standing charge that Universalism is 
 grateful to the carnal heart. Every lineament 
 of its visage is the home of the social virtues — 
 justice, mercy, love and truth. 
 Drift Abroad. 
 
 This most gratifying drift of thought, appar- 
 ent in our own land, may also be seen abroad, 
 
 both in Great Britain and on the Continent. 
 The English Church, whatever may be its nat- 
 ural tendencies, has never been without emi- 
 nent expounders of the ultimate efficiency of 
 divine grace. In our own time, as well as in 
 the time of Cromwell, such men have been 
 found in intimate relations to the Court. Rev. 
 Stopford A. Brooke, Honorary Chaplain in Or- 
 dinary to the Queen, has clearly indicated his 
 faith in the world's redemption, not alone as 
 biographer of Rev. Frederick W. Robertson, 
 himself a believer, but more recently in a vol- 
 ume of sermons marked by a deeply religious 
 tone. 
 
 The Unitarian Church in England, also, un- 
 like its namesake in this country, has been 
 open in its defence of Universalism from the 
 beginning. Those motives of prudence, for- 
 merly urged upon them by American Unitari- 
 ans, and which have now ceased to have influ- 
 ence even here, were never made effective in 
 suppressing the glorious gospel of the blessed 
 God. 
 
 The English Unitarians have ever exhibited 
 their independence and love of liberty by af- 
 firming, the American by denying. The 
 French, in this respect, have followed the Eng- 
 lish. Led for many years by the late distin- 
 guished Athanase Coquerel, they have defended 
 in the clearest and most emphatic manner the 
 sublimest doctrine of the gospel. 
 
 But I must not continue this very inadequate 
 survey. The light which has arisen upon the 
 several European countries, and by which not 
 Great Britain and France alone, but Switzer- 
 land, Germany and other lands have been 
 blessed, is relatively inefficient, because unem- 
 bodied and unassured. It. is fitful, unsteady, 
 transient. Embodied in institutions of learn- 
 ing and religion, it becomes a sun in the heav- 
 ens, illumining the whole firmament, and 
 transforming by its glory every object in na- 
 ture. 
 
 In this respect, as well as others, the Uni- 
 versalist church of America is a most impor- 
 tant contribution to the civilizing forces of the 
 world. Begun, like Christianity, in the lower 
 walks of life, it flung its unequivocal banner to 
 the breeze, and hung it proudly on its outer 
 wall. Inscribed with the impartial love of 
 God, it was borne by our fathers in the van of 
 every conflict, and waves to-day in unprece- 
 dented splendors. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 4 1 
 
 The Fathers. 
 
 To those fathers we owe*an incomputable 
 debt of gratitude. Clergy and laity alike 
 braved the malignity of the church in an age 
 of great sectarian bitterness. Though socially 
 ostracised, they marched boldly Zionward, and 
 brought the church in gladness to the mount of 
 God. They were sturdy men, of whom any 
 cause might well be proud. 
 
 Others, whose names leap to our lips for ut- 
 terance, in mere recent times have gone to 
 their rest, distinguished for their learning, fidel- 
 ity and great sacrifice. Some of these have 
 wrought their very lives into the institutions of 
 our church — institutions which will forever re- 
 main their proudest memorials. 
 
 Such worthies have we the honor to succeed. 
 Their mantles have fallen upon our shoulders. 
 Shall we prove ourselves worthy our trusts ? 
 Have we consecrated ourselves to our work, as 
 they consecrated themselves to theirs ? Has 
 Christ by his spirit baptized our souls? Are 
 we living his life, laboring in his strength, 
 and rejoicing in his hope ? Do we feel, as we 
 ought, that it is through " Christ's constrain- 
 ing us" that we " can do all things"? Do all 
 our energies express themselves in the divine 
 formula of prayer, " Thy kingdom come " ? 
 In the midst of life's trials and disappoint- 
 ments can we say, " Not my will, but thine be 
 done "? 
 
 Do we fully appreciate the opportunities of 
 the present hour? Shall our Centenary work 
 fill up the scope and grandeur of its design ? 
 It is yet too early, perhaps, to determine this 
 question ; but the enthusiasm with which the 
 work has been entered upon, the oneness of 
 spirit and purpose throughout the country with 
 which it has been pursued, and the uniform 
 success attending local efforts, are pledges' of 
 success in the entire field. The more difficult 
 portion of the work, the raising of the Murray 
 Fund, has made good progress. The weekly 
 reports show State after State, in various sec- 
 tions of the country, falling nto line with those 
 whose quota is complete. The women of our 
 Church have especially distinguished them- 
 selves in these labors, abundantantly justify- 
 ing the pre-eminence customarily accorded 
 them, in personal consecration and Christian 
 work. 
 
 Centenary Period. 
 
 It seems inevitable that our Centenary period 
 must ran on into next year. Many enterprises 
 
 prompted by its spirit and begun last year 
 are developing this, and will demand another 
 to reach their maturity. Local obstacles have 
 held in check some sections of our Zion ; and 
 an apathy, from which they are but tardily 
 aroused, may have delayed others. But, belore 
 the period shall have wholly passed, [ am con- 
 fident that the call of God will be heard, and 
 every branch of Zion will put forth its 
 strength. 
 
 Few are the details which have come to 
 hand. The returns are as 3 et incomplete 
 even in Massachusetts ; but enough is here 
 known to assure us that, aside from its quota 
 of fifty thousand dollars of the monumental 
 fund, it has thus far pledged for general pur- 
 poses not less than three hundred thousand dol- 
 lars. It is well known that New York also, and 
 the great Northwest, are putting forth unwonted 
 efforts. I cannot doubt that when our churches 
 all along_the lines in all the larger and the 
 smaller States shall have .spoken, their united 
 utterances will be millions. 
 
 But valuable as these millions will be, as an 
 arm of power, still more valuable will be 
 our deepened sense of strength, unity and 
 zeal in our Master's cause. With a proper 
 appreciation of the possibilities of the hour; 
 with, our hundreds of clergy and well appoint- 
 ed parishes, as strengthened bases of opera- 
 tion ; with our improving press and religious 
 literature: with our Publishing Houses of 
 growing strength, East and West ; with our 
 relatively well-endowed and multiplying insti- 
 tutions of learning ; with the greatly increased 
 general resources which a returning summer 
 should find in our hands ; and with a field 
 white already to harvest, it. cannot but be that 
 united and persistent effort will be crowned 
 with a success transcending all assignable 
 limits. The close of another century ought 
 to witness the thorough leavening of the civ- 
 ilized world. The temper of the world makes 
 it possible ; all the omens prognosticate it : the 
 spirit of our holy religion prophecies it. Re- 
 member that 'the gospel is the power of God 
 unto salvation to every one that believeth." 
 Remember the Itevelator's prophecy, " I am 
 Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, 
 the first and the last." And, if the way seem 
 long, remember the lesson of the ages, that 
 "one day is with the Lord as a thousand 
 years, and a thousand years as one day." 
 
42 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 MEETING IN THE TENT. 
 
 Wednesday Afternoon. 
 
 The convention met at the tent, and so 
 great was the crowd that it was found impos- 
 sible to accommodate all, and an open air 
 meeting was therefore improvised in the 
 neighborhood of the tent, where a large con- 
 gregation was addressed by Rev. Dr. J. E. 
 Forester, Rev. J. G. Bartholomew, and 
 others. 
 
 Before the meeting was called to order at 
 the tent, Rev. H. F. Ballou, of Vermont, exhib- 
 ited the last cloak worn by the Rev. John 
 Murray, which he said had been handed clown 
 as an heirloom in his family ; but as he did not 
 feel that he was entitled to wear it as a man- 
 tle, if he could see some one whom he thought 
 could fill it, he should be very glad to dispose 
 of it ; or he would give it to the Convention 
 
 on condition that they would agree to find 
 some safe place of deposit, where it could be 
 kept until another Centennial Convention. 
 
 The President, on calling the convention to 
 order, stated that the first business was to 
 hear the report of the committee on educa- 
 tion. 
 
 On motion of Rev. Dr. Brooks, it was voted, 
 that when the convention adjourn, it be to 
 meet at seven o'clock in the evening, at some 
 place to be announced by the President, for 
 the purpose of considering the report of the 
 committee on revision of the constitution. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Brooks then moved that the re- 
 ports on Education, State of the Church, and 
 Sunday Schools be submitted by their titles, 
 Carried, 
 
 Address of Rev, R. Fisk, Jr., &,B, 
 
 Rev. Dr. Eisk, of Canton, N. Y., was then 
 introduced, and addressed the convention as 
 follows : — 
 
 I have been invited, with others, to make 
 ten or fifteen minute speeches upon the 
 reports. You who are accustomed to public 
 speaking know very well how much easier it 
 is to make a half hour or an hour speech than 
 a ten minutes speech. The necessarily brief 
 time into which we are to throw the words 
 which we have to say concerning these re- 
 ports, forces me, particularly upon this report 
 on education, to adopt, very much in opposi- 
 tion to my own convictions and methods, the 
 cramming system in my speech. I have, m a 
 general way, but a few words, therefore, to 
 offer at this time. I am very sorry, however, 
 if you have not the report on education 
 before you, that its headings and something 
 of its character have not been stated to you ; 
 for therein rests the foundation upon which 
 certain remarks which I have to make are to 
 be made. I shall, therefore, offer what I have 
 to say in a more general way than I purposed ; 
 and I wish to put it in the form of two ques- 
 tions, and indicate the answers to those ques- 
 tions. 
 
 I wish, in the presence of this atfgust mul- 
 titude and assembly y to ask this question, 
 first, What are we more than any other 
 organic branch of the Christian'Churck ? Why 
 have we a right to be independent, as -a 
 church, in the great movements of the relig- 
 ious world of our age ? If we can but indicate 
 the true answer to this question, then I be- 
 lieve we have the great reason for putting 
 forth vigorously our efforts for the endowment 
 and establishment of schools of education. I 
 therefore put this question first concerning 
 our church, concerning the existence of our 
 denomination, as leading to a true answer to 
 the question why, in the midst of a land where 
 there are so many educational institutions, 
 we put forth all our efforts and exhibit our 
 self-sacrifice to establish schools of our own r 
 What are we more than any other organic 
 branch of the Christian Church? 
 
 Now, it is a grand thing for any people to 
 have arisen with a distinctive idea in the 
 Christian Church, — so distinctive as to have 
 caused them to stand apart from all the rest,, . 
 if not by their own will, then by the will of 
 others, who would not have them stand toge- 
 ther. It is a grand thing, I say, to have such 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 43 
 
 a distinctive idea, and to have stood forth and 
 battled for it, and even though, after one hun- 
 dred years, we but now find ourselves with an 
 assured position in the Church, yet if, after 
 that one hundred years, we stand upon an 
 assured position, conceded by all Christian 
 people, within the lines and bounds of the 
 Christian Church, then, I say, it is a grand 
 thing for any one to have had any part in 
 such a conflict; and to-day it is a grand thing- 
 to have a part in this celebration of the victory 
 which we have achieved in securing that posi- 
 tion in the future. 
 
 And now, I wish to say this one thing, 
 which I believe to be a new argument that 
 to-day has been completed in the heart of 
 Universalism, and which furnishes a sufficient 
 cause for the existence of the denomination 
 as a distinctive branch of the church. I 
 mean this : that we have been the educator of 
 the world upon one of the most important 
 questions which to-day is agitating the minds 
 of the religious people of this country ; I 
 mean, more particularly, the liberal-minded 
 religious part of the Orthodox churches of the 
 land. Where there is not a profound conviction 
 that the old theology is true, and that every 
 thing is an error, there is necessarily a query 
 existing in the mind as to whether the old 
 dogmas of the Church are really essential to 
 the existence of the Church, or to the truth 
 and goodness which the Church has in its care. 
 If, therefore, we as a people have demon- 
 strated this grand truth, which I believe we 
 have, then we have achieved one of the mo- 
 mentous successes of the religious age in 
 which we live ; namely, we have shown to the 
 world that there can be a Christian Church 
 rooted and grounded in the Christian Scrip- 
 tures, firmly attached to the one Rock, Jesus 
 Christ ; and with all the spirit, with all the 
 energy, with all the consecration, with all the 
 self-sacrifice that are essential to carry for- 
 ward the religious and the educational move- 
 ments of our period, without any one 
 of the old motives to piety, to self-sacri- 
 fice, or for obedience to God which 
 the Orthodox church, even in its liberal 
 forms, maintains are necessary to-day. I say, 
 we stand before the world as a Christian 
 church, utterly bereft of and having castaway 
 all the old hopes of heaven for having done our 
 duty, and all the old fears of hell if we do not 
 do our duty. Therefore we stand before the 
 world in this new aspect, of a church grounded 
 in the Scriptures, loyal to Jesus Christ, and 
 yet going forward with zeal and determina- 
 
 tion to do the work of the Church of Jesus 
 Christ and establish his kingdom in the earth, 
 without any of those old motives and incen- 
 tives which we have been told so many times 
 are absolutely essential to the perpetuity and 
 maintenance of a Christian church in this 
 wicked world. 
 
 I say, this is wherein we are more than any 
 other branch of the Christian Church to-day; 
 and I tell you, I maintain that it is a new 
 argument for Universalism; for if we can 
 prove, as we are now able to demonstrate* 
 that the doctrine of endless damnation is a 
 useless doctrine in an educated land, then we 
 have shown to the world a new argument, 
 which utterly does away with that which God 
 has no longer any need of in this world, and 
 which especially man has no longer any need 
 of. However we may regard, in the light of 
 general intelligence, the existence of certain 
 old, erroneous ideas and dogmas, in the disci- 
 pline and education of the world, yet, when 
 the world grows to that point wherein it dis- 
 cerns that the old idea is an error, then the 
 world casts it aside, while still the grand and 
 noble movements of the world go on without 
 it, although that idea may have been held and 
 cherished as a profound truth by those who 
 have been engaged in the noblest works and 
 reforms of the world. 
 
 Then, I say, in the first place, we are edu- 
 cators of the Christian Church universal upon 
 this one great point, — that you can have all 
 that is essential in the teachings and the life 
 of Jesus Christ, and carry on his church, inde- 
 pendent of the fear of hell or the hope of 
 heaven as the chief incentive. 
 
 I was reading, the other day, the last lecture 
 of Max Miiller on the " Science of Religion." 
 He finds — what the theologians of our denom- 
 ination have from the first asserted — that 
 there is some good and some truth in every 
 religion that has been indigenous to the 
 human race ; that there has been some good 
 and some truth in all, subserving God's provi- 
 dential purpose in the discipline or education 
 of the race. Max Miiller has now discovered 
 that on the scientific method which he is able 
 to institute ; and to those who to-day object 
 to his discovery — as many able and even 
 learned men do, seeing great mischief and 
 scepticism in it — he makes this reply : " They 
 say, on the other side, that these old religious, 
 these old heathen mythologies, exhibit so 
 many terrible, ghastly and blighting effects in 
 the history of man, that the little germ of 
 
44 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 truth which perhaps they may have had is no 
 evidence that whatever religion they may 
 have had was not wrong, and base, and un- 
 founded. So I can affirm with regard to the 
 purest religion on earth to-day; I can affirm 
 equally with you against the old heathen 
 mythologies, that the Christian Church has 
 also exhibited the very foulest things that 
 can be said of the most terrible superstitions 
 into which the mind of man can be h d." But 
 the thing to which I wish particularly to call 
 your attention in Max Miiller is this; that, 
 in reply to these objectors, he places the doc- 
 trine of endless punishment among those 
 excrescaices of the Christian Church and 
 Christian religion which are the offsets to the 
 throwing of innocent children to Moloch, in 
 the old heathen mythologies. 
 
 Here, then, we stand before the world, a 
 church shorn of the excrescence of the doc- 
 trine of endless punishment; and we say that 
 here we can present before God and man the 
 evidences of our hearty interest and our pro- 
 found belief in the Christian religion, with a 
 zealous purpose to carry forward the reforma- 
 tion and salvation of the world in the line of 
 the doctrines of the Savior of the world. 
 
 My other question is this, and then I am 
 done : What is a Universaiist college or 
 theological school more than any other col- 
 lege or any other theological school? We 
 are pitted against the old ideas. We stand in 
 the Christian Church, in the eyes of the world, 
 for the doctrine of the discipline of God in 
 the punishments he inflicts upon men. As 
 you have been eloquently told this forenoon, 
 the other idea is that of probation, with a 
 denial of the discipline and providential ad- 
 justments brought about by the exigencies and 
 experiences of this world. Here, then, is 
 Probation versus Discipline. Here is a world 
 in which God is holding us up to a higher 
 Christianity, which we maintain is the salva- 
 tion of the world when attained. 
 
 Here, then, are schools distinctively out- 
 side of all other schools that you can name. 
 Whether they are ecclesiastical or unsecta- 
 rian, our schools peculiarly stand by them- 
 selves. We are attempting a higher course 
 of education, — the preparation of a class of 
 men for the ministry who shall be thoroughly 
 
 drilled, thoroughly disciplined, thoroughly in 
 fused with the dea that the discipline of Goel 
 for the human family is that which a father 
 may hold over his children; and there is not 
 another institution in this land, except ours, 
 that stands distinctively upon these ideas at 
 the base of its educational system. 
 
 Therefore, to the first question in the Re- 
 port, "What are we to do?" I say this: we 
 are to go forward resolutely, endowing amply 
 our schools, and inculcating, through our 
 teachers, our professors, and the officers of 
 those schools, these grander ideas which shall 
 reconstruct the whole faith of the world; for 
 it is not saying too much to say that the doc- 
 trine which we peculiarly cherish, and which 
 has created us as a people and a church, has 
 been and is to be as fundamental in the recon- 
 struction of the religious ideas of the world, 
 as has been the discovery of the law of gravita- 
 tion in reconstructing Hie old ideas concerning 
 this material universe. One reaches just as 
 far, just as universally, just as deep as the 
 other. That which is paralleled, therefore in 
 the physical world, by the law of gravitation, 
 we find in the moral and religious world in the 
 idea of the universal love and persistent good- 
 ness of Almighty God. 
 
 I beseech you, then, beloved brethren, let 
 us go forward establishing our schools and 
 our colleges, and so endowing them that they 
 shall be able to present not only the intellec- 
 tual record that is essential to compete with 
 other institutions, but also a record of a 
 higher Christian theology and moral disci- 
 pline than the world has yet unfolded in any 
 system; because to-day, we as educators in 
 your schools are not able yet to find the wri- 
 ter upon moral or intellectual philosophy who 
 adequately sets forth these ideas, which we 
 alone most amply and squarely represent. 
 Therefore, what we are to do is to go on with 
 our schools, raising up scholars who shall 
 have an intellectual discernment and grasp 
 which is ample enough to correlate all these 
 grander moral and physical forces, and to 
 show men that equally with the law in the 
 physical world, there is an eternal law in the 
 moral world which shall match it and equal it 
 forever and ever. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 45 
 
 Address of Prof. W. R. Sliipman. 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen : The subject to 
 which I propose to devote the few moments 
 allotted to me in the discussions this after- 
 noon, is the intimacy of that relation with 
 the educational world to which w T e have 
 already attained, and hope hereafter to attain, 
 by means of the denomination represented 
 here to-day, the currents of whose life have 
 never flowed so full, so strong - , so free as now. 
 
 The report which is before you makes no 
 very large claim for the work which has been 
 done as yet by our denomination in behalf of 
 education ; but, taking this as an earnest of 
 wiiat shall be, as a guarantee of the spirit of 
 our people, calls attention to that lying before 
 us which should be done. But the little we 
 have done has been of value to us, — a value 
 that cannot be over-estimated. It has helped 
 to continue our life to the end of this hun- 
 dred years. Not the life of those ideas which 
 have the assent of this denomination ; that 
 seed grain, once planted, its increase is in- 
 sured ; but the life of the organized denomi- 
 nation. That life I venture to say, has been 
 greatly strengthened by even the little that 
 has been done by our people in the way of 
 schools of different grades ; for the connection 
 we have had with education has furnished us 
 with something to do ; and doing has kept us 
 from dying, as it always will. While we are 
 turning our faces in upon ourselves, while 
 we are discussing endlessly the various topics 
 which arise within our organization, our 
 efforts are paralyzed, we are preparing the 
 way for death. It is only as w T e have some- 
 thing upon which to lay our hands, something 
 to which to address our efforts, something to 
 do, that we are in a way of growth that can 
 be called life, that shall insure life. 
 
 And not only has this work furnished to our 
 hands something to do, but even already it 
 has shown us the results of our doing, for our 
 encouragement for the greater efforts to 
 come. Even now, when called upon to show 
 what evidences of vitality there is in the 
 Universalist denomination, are we not ready 
 to point to what has been done by our people 
 for schools within the last twenty or thirty 
 years ? We have nothing that more completely 
 expresses our determination to do, we have 
 nothing that shows more plainly the results of 
 our labor. Not only this, but w T e have been 
 helped to understand ourselves. And of this 
 we had need. In taking hold of the work of 
 
 education, we have put ourselves into compe- 
 tition with other Christian organizations all 
 about us, most of whom had possession of the 
 field before us. We have been brought to a 
 trial of strength with them, and sometimes 
 we have failed to equal their efforts. It is 
 worth much that we know wherein we have 
 failed; worth perhaps as much as to know 
 wherein we are strong enough to insure good 
 results hereafter. But the little we have done 
 shall be increased. There seems to be no 
 reason w 7 hy we cannot go on and take the 
 foremost place in the educational work of this 
 country. Certainly, our doctrines have not 
 been known to flourish best in times of dark- 
 ness. We have sought the light. There 
 seems to be no reason why a faith so large 
 as ours, why aspirations such as ours, why 
 hopes so lofty as those which are cherished 
 by our people, should not result iu the great- 
 est work, even in secular education, that can 
 be done. 
 
 Assuming that we shall go forward, what 
 may we count on as the result of our w T ork in 
 time to come? How shall our connection 
 with the educational interests of the land 
 insure us life, — insure us life for another 
 hundred years from this time, and, it may be, 
 for hundreds of years,— as an organized Chris- 
 tian denomination ? This w 7 ork, with our other 
 work, will help to bring us abreast of the 
 times. We have takeu hold of the educational 
 work because it was something to be clone. 
 Not because, like the Catholics, w T e propose 
 always to confine all education within our 
 own limits, but because we have found a 
 need, in our experience, of certain schools to 
 be established and maintained. Recognizing 
 this need, we have taken hold of the work; 
 we have found ourselves, brought into sym- 
 pathy with the times; we have made our- 
 selves in a degree useful to those with whom 
 our lot has been cast; and it is only as 
 we identify ourselves with the interests 
 of the times that we can hope to 
 live. There are some interests that are 
 sure to abide. Enlightenment must extend; 
 the world must move on in that career of 
 progress upon which it has entered, and any 
 system which discards the wisdom of modern 
 times is sure to die; any system which 
 opposes itself to the increasing enlightenment 
 of the age is sure to die. It is only as we 
 take hold of those movements that are iu 
 
46 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 progress in the world, that we insure our 
 own life. 
 
 The educational interests are among the 
 leading interests that can be guaranteed to 
 stand the same a hundred or five hundred 
 years hence as now; and if we succeed in en- 
 terprises of education, we shall be prepared 
 to succeed in other enterprises. If our eyes 
 are once lifted in this direction, our vision 
 will be enlarged, and our ideas will be exalted 
 on all things ; and in this way, pursuing this 
 line of work upon which we have entered, we 
 shall be cherishing a worthy pride within our 
 borders, we shall be doing a work to which 
 we may point, glad to indicate it as our work. 
 And whose are the honored names to which 
 now we point with glad affection? If we have 
 named those whose labors and sacrifices es- 
 tablished us as a people, are we not ready to 
 name those who, in these later days, in the 
 last ten or twenty years of the hundred 
 which we celebrate to-clajr, have identified 
 themselves with our interests, have com- 
 mended themselves to our love, by endowing 
 these institutions from which we hope to reap 
 the fruits hereafter? After the names of 
 Murray and Ballou, do not the names of 
 Tufts and Goddard rise readily to our lips? 
 Are not the names of those living among us 
 dear? Do they not already draw to them our 
 honoring regard, our reverent affection, — the 
 names of Dean, of Buchtel, and others 
 that might be added ? To what can we point 
 with more affectionate regard than to the 
 efforts which are being made in this direction? 
 A work which draws forth the sympathies of 
 men and women for such enterprises as these, 
 a work that draws forth the sympathy and 
 affection of the whole denomination, stretch- 
 ing over the broad land, should not fail. That 
 work must be of vital and of lasting import- 
 ance to those who have undertaken it. 
 
 But let me say, in conclusion, that we have 
 nothing to hope for as we look forward to the 
 future of our educational interests, unless we 
 rest all our hopes on the quality of the work 
 that we shall do. It is only as we shall be 
 able to do gcod work, only as by-and-bye we 
 shall be able to do the best work, that we shall 
 draw to ourselves the strength that may come 
 from the right fostering of educational insti- 
 
 tutions. We are not to go forth asking 
 patronage for our schools because they are 
 ours, but, being ours, we, in the discharge 
 of our duty, are to make them such that they 
 shall compel patronage. It is only as we pro- 
 vide the instrumentalities for educating the 
 people, it is only as we open the way to an 
 education in some respects higher or broader 
 than any denomination, that we can go 
 before the public, and ask for sympathy 
 and patronage. Our school system must 
 abide. Our education can never be 
 hemmed in within the lines of sect or party. 
 We, then, if we would maintain ourselves as 
 educators in this land, must make our educa- 
 tion better than any other that can be afforded. 
 And the more we do for our schools, the more 
 they will do for us. Whatever may be their 
 grade, they all stand waiting for your favor. 
 Not one of them whose efficiency would not 
 be more than doubled were its resources 
 doubled ; not one of them is doing what it 
 could do ; not one of them is doing what it 
 ought to do ; but every one waiting for more 
 of that favor in which, thus far, they have 
 stood ; waiting to send you back an increase 
 for your investments and your labors that can 
 come to you from no other way in which you 
 can invest money and labor. And thus, 
 while we labor for our schools, they work 
 for us ; and while they shall draw the best of 
 our life, they shall increase our facilities for 
 work in other directions, and shall strengthen 
 our hands for whatever work may be given us 
 to do. 
 
 The report of the Committee on Education 
 was then adopted. 
 
 The President. If Mr. John R. Buchtel, 
 of Ohio, is in the tent, he is requested to come 
 to the platform. Some friends waut to see 
 him. 
 
 Mr. Buchtel came forward, and the Presi- 
 dent introduced him to his "friends," which 
 comprised the whole audience, as follows : 
 
 Members of the Convention, — I am very 
 happy now to introduce to you a gentleman 
 who has recently contributed, as a part of the 
 work which he is to do in this centennial year, 
 thirty-one thousand dollars for one of our 
 literary institutions. (Loud applause.) 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 47 
 
 Address" of Mr. John R- BucMel. 
 
 My Brothers and Sisters, — I do not think it 
 is fair that I should be called from oat this 
 congregation upon the stand. I consider that 
 the President practised a deception upon me 
 in asserting that there were some friends here 
 who wished to see me. 
 
 A Voice. " We all want to see you." 
 (General applause.) 
 
 Another. "We are all your friends." 
 (Renewed applause.) 
 
 Mr. Buchtel. It is well known to some of 
 the gentlemen on this stand that I am not in 
 the habit of making public speeches ; that is 
 not my forte, if I have any. But I say, 
 brothers and sisters, that I am glad to meet 
 you. I am glad that I have been blessed with, 
 this God-given privilege to see you all. (Ap- 
 plause.) In what I have done, I have clone 
 no more than I considered it my duty to do ; 
 and I hope, if I live, that 1 may be blessed 
 and prospered, that I may do still more. 
 
 I have one request to make of this Convem 
 tion, and that is, to stand by their institutions 
 of learning. Ko institution of learning can 
 be conducted without money. I w 7 ould espe- 
 cially call upon the ministers that are from 
 Ohio to stand by the college that we expect to 
 establish in the city of Akron, 0. Not many 
 of you, probably, have seen our flourishing 
 little city. It is a wide-awake, go-ahead 
 Yankee town — if I am a Dutchman myself. 
 (Great laughter and applause.) 
 
 A few w T eeks ago, while in the city of Cleve- 
 land, a clergyman for -whom I have great re- 
 spect, and with whom I have had a great 
 many pleasant business associations, said to 
 me that he was very sorry I had invested so 
 much money in an institution that had no in- 
 fluence and no strength. Now, I was think- 
 ing, while sitting in the congregation this 
 forenoon, and listening to our worthy brother, 
 that if my Cleveland friend could only be 
 upon this platform and look into the faces of 
 this intelligent audience, he would admit that 
 he was mistaken, I want you to stand by 
 me, and I want to satisfy that brother that 
 the word " failure " is not to be found in the 
 dictionary of the denomination to which we 
 belong. (Applause.) 
 
 I do not know as I should call myself a 
 TJniversalist. I have only come in at the 
 eleventh hour. I have been united wdth this 
 church but a very few months. I belonged to 
 one of the so-called evangelical churches 
 
 when I was a boy ; but when I came to inves- 
 tigate and think for myself, when I came to 
 reason for myself, I found I was out of 
 my element, that I could not stay in the 
 church, and I left it. I was honorably dis- 
 charged. (Laughter.) After I had left, the 
 church commenced to persecute me. They 
 called me an infidel. I never had heard but 
 one or two Universalist sermons in my life ; 
 but when I came to investigate the doctrines 
 and principles of TTniversalism, I found I had 
 been a "TJniversalist for twenty-five years. 
 (Applause.) 
 
 Now, my brothers and sisters, I hope you 
 will excuse me, for I have been, probably, a lit- 
 tle noisier than I should have been. You must 
 excuse me, because the church to which I 
 formerly belonged was the Methodist church ! 
 (Great merriment.) 
 
 Rev. T. J. Sawyer, D.D., then made an 
 appeal to the audience for contributions to a 
 fund for the purchase of a German library for 
 the use of Tufts College. 
 
 Tue President. After the admirable speech 
 of Bro. Buchtel, it has been suggested that 
 our friends will feel just in the mood to do 
 the thing that it would seem must be done at 
 this convention ; namely, to raise some more 
 money than has yet been raised for the pur- 
 pose of doing the legitimate work of the 
 convention. I propose now to introduce to 
 you some of our friends, who will explain the 
 needs of the convention, and tell us something 
 in regard to our duties in that respect. 
 
 Rev. Mr. Bartholomew then made a state- 
 ment in regard to the wants of the Conven- 
 tion and the necessity for the raising of money 
 to pay the amount which had been borrowed, 
 as shown by the Treasurer's Report, to carry 
 on the operations of the General Convention 
 during the past year. He made an urgent ap- 
 peal to the friends present to contribute lib- 
 erally in order that the great work in which 
 they were engaged might be carried forward 
 successfully. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Ryder followed in an address of a 
 similar character. It is all very well, he said, 
 to sing these hymns, to crier these prayers ; it 
 is all very well to shout "Jubilee," and thank 
 God for victory ; but I tell you, if we are to 
 do anything as a church on earth, we must have 
 the right arm of financial power. (" Amen.") 
 If you want to build up Universalism, pour 
 out your money here this afternoon. If you 
 
48 
 
 UNIVERSALIS!? CENTENARY. 
 
 believe in God, testify it by this expression of 
 your gratitude. If you believe in the Univer- 
 salist denomination, do something toward 
 building up that denomination ; and as we arc 
 grateful (as grateful we are), here and now, by 
 the surges of the sea, and in the midst of this 
 sublime presence, let our gratitude speak 
 louder than all other exhibitions of our power, 
 testifying before one another and before God 
 that we are not only united, strong, and ear- 
 nest, but generous as well. 
 
 Dr. Ryder concluded by introducing Rev. 
 Dr. Eolles, who, he said, "expected to make 
 a few feeble remarks." (Great merriment.) 
 
 Rev. E. C. Bolles. Ladies and Gentle- 
 men. — The great northwestern elephant 
 has gone over the bridge, and it has not 
 broken through. I guess I am safe? 
 (Laughter.) 
 
 Dr. B. then proceeded to state some of the 
 difficulties under which the Eoard of Trustees 
 had labored during the year, from the want 
 of funds, and expressed the hope that the 
 devotion and self-sacrifice of the great as- 
 sembly would equal its numbers and enthusi- 
 asm. i\ll enthusiasm, said he, is valuable 
 only as it coins itself into substantial acts; 
 all self-sacrifice is precious only as it lifts us 
 out of the domain of the merely shadowy and 
 ideal to serve, in a practical way, the kingdom 
 of our Lord which we profess to love. It is 
 not simply the office of this ocean which lies 
 so grandly at our feet to dash upon the rocks 
 when the storm rages behind it ; nor yet to 
 twinkle with its many glancing waves beneath 
 the sun or the moon, but to bear upon its broad 
 bosom, as the highway of nations, the fleets 
 of the world. So the magnetism of this con- 
 vention will not be simply in the dash of its 
 enthusiasm, the splendor of its rhetoric, the 
 warm fraternity of its greetings, but will be 
 in its acts of generosity and justice; and this 
 aet, if you relieve your trustees of the bur- 
 den which re<ts upon their minds to-day, will 
 be one of generosity and of justice combined. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Oiiapix. Mrs. Partington said she 
 had great objections to being introduced to 
 anybody she was not acquainted with; and, 
 although I have the happiness of being 
 acquainted with a great many of you, I have 
 the unhappiness not to he acquainted with 
 you all. I am the poorest beggar in creation; 
 I can't beg; I don't know anything about it. 
 All I can say is, that if you lake up the sub- 
 scription in the time I am talking, it will be 
 the quickest subscription ever heard of. One 
 of the brethren wanted to know if I wouldn't 
 
 endorse a note for this amount of $15,000. I 
 w r ould gladly endorse the note, but I hope 
 some one will sign it, or you will have a hard 
 time collecting it. (Laughter.) 
 
 I can only stand here and say, as has 
 already been said, that this is a practical tes- 
 timony of our gratitude upon an occasion like 
 this; a practical, embodied, crystallized ex- 
 pression of our faith in the work which has 
 been done in the hundred years that have 
 passed ; it is the way in which we touch the hun- 
 dred years to come. We reach out our hands, 
 moved and warmed by the impulses of our 
 hearts, and shake hands with the old fathers 
 of the past; and we reach forward to-day, by 
 this practical action, and shake hands with the 
 young and coming future. When we shall 
 have mouldered in our graves, when other 
 centenaries shall have followed this, the influ- 
 ence of your action may be felt, and speak 
 with trumpet tongue, to rouse other genera- 
 tions to still higher and nobler action. I 
 therefore say to you, as Dean Swift did when 
 he was called upon to preach a charity sermon : 
 "He that giveth to the poor, lendeth to the 
 Lord. If you like the security, down with the 
 dust!" That was his sermon. In no way 
 can you advance our cause so practically as 
 by the action you are called upon to take. 
 
 We are about starting forth upon a new 
 voyage of another hundred years. We have 
 commemorated the past. Our sails are set; 
 they are filled with a favoring breeze ; the 
 banner of Christ's universal love waves over 
 us. The good ship rides bravely upon the 
 deep. Fire all along the line one grand salute 
 of greenbacks! (Loud applause.) This is 
 the most practical way of honoring the past 
 and blessing the future. 
 
 Hon. P. T. Barnum, of Conn., offered to 
 give $100, provided nine other persons would 
 agree to give $100 apiece. After some 
 urgency of appeal on the part of Dr. Ryder 
 and Rev. II. F. Miller, of Indiana, the requi- 
 site amount was raised ; and then it was pro- 
 posed to raise another thousand dollars, in 
 $100 contributions, which was done, and 
 something more, the contributors being Chas. 
 Stickney, of New York; Hon. Mr. Mason, of 
 Penn. ; F. Mackin, N. J. ; I). C. Gately, Conn. ; 
 1. C. Lewis, of Meriden, Conn.; Hon. S. C. 
 Hubbard, of Micldletown, Conn. ; Samuel F. 
 Hersey, of Bangor, Me. ; Josiah Barbour, of 
 Auburn, N. Y. ; Sara'l Druilard, of Buffalo, 
 N. Y. ; Robt. Fears, Gloucester, Mass., ($200) ; 
 Dr. Daniel Ranson, Buffalo, N. Y. ; Geo. W. 
 Townsend, Buffalo, N. Y. ; Mrs. Philo Price, 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 49 
 
 of Williamsburg, N. Y. : Benj. Lombard, of total of collections and pledges being about 
 
 111.; Chas. E. Carpenter, of Providence; $2,800. 
 
 James M. Jacobs, Henry B. Metcalf, and This work having been performed, Rev. Dr. 
 
 Newton Talbot, of Boston ; Ira Tafft, of Brooks announced that through the kindness 
 
 Bennington, Vt., and some other friends of their friends of the Orthodox Church, that 
 
 whose names were not given. B. F. Romaine, building would be opened for the business 
 
 of New York, gave $50, and a collection session in the evening, and the Convention 
 
 was taken up amounting to about $600; the adjourned. 
 
50 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 "WOMAN'S CENTENARY AID 
 ASSOCIATION. 
 
 On Wednesday evening, the Universalist 
 Woman's Centenary Association held a pub- 
 lie meeting at the Universalist church 
 Gloucester, which was attended by one 
 of the largest congregations gathered, out- 
 side of the tent, during the jubilee clays. 
 Long before half-past seven, the hour fixed 
 for the meeting, the spacious church was 
 densely packed, — the women, as was fitting, 
 largely preponderating, — and probably as 
 
 many more were unable to obtain admittance, 
 and turned disappointed away. In this state of 
 things, it was deemed advisable to anticipate 
 the hour announced for the commencement of 
 the meeting, and soon after seven o'clock, the 
 exercises commenced with the singing of a 
 hymn by the choir, after which Mrs. Caro- 
 line A. Soule, of New York, the President 
 of the Association, delivered the following 
 address : — 
 
 Introductory Remarks of tlie President. 
 
 Out of the fact that we as a denomination 
 had been blessed with an hundred years of 
 life, there arose a duty — a duty too positive 
 and too solemn to be disregarded. Summed 
 up in a single sentence, that duty was the ex- 
 pression of our gratitude to God for all the 
 mercies vouchsafed to us and to the beloved 
 gone before. 
 
 There is but one way in which the finite can 
 express its gratitude to the infinite. " Lovest 
 thou me ? " said Jesus to his disciples. " Feed 
 my lambs." 
 
 Here is the lesson for all people — for all 
 time. If we would testify our love to God, we 
 must do good to those whom God loves, — in 
 other words, to the world at large. Having 
 drank ourselves of the waters of Eternal 
 Life, shall not we hold a brimming cup to the 
 lips of others? Having eaten ourselves of 
 the Bread of Heaven, shall we not lead other 
 famished ones to the same bounteous Hand? 
 Having been solaced ourselves in days of 
 mourning, having been upheld in days of 
 weakness, having had the veil lifted from our 
 own eyes, and been permitted to look " over 
 the river," and see a Heaven broad enough for 
 
 all the children of God, shall we not make 
 every possible effort to bring others of the 
 sad, the weary, the doubting of the human 
 race into that same bright, beautiful, blessed 
 faith which has sanctified to us all the dispen- 
 sations of Providence ? 
 
 Recognizing the loving wisdom of the olden 
 lesson, the Centenary Committee determined 
 that all our Centenary work should be practi- 
 cal. They might have decreed that each of 
 our States should bring up stones from its 
 quarries, and erect here, on this, to us, holy 
 ground, a monument that should tower high 
 towards Heaven. Instead, they decreed that 
 each State should gather up its dollars, and 
 bring them up to this Mecca, and thus raise a 
 fund that should be a perpetual reminder of 
 our Centenary year, — a fund consecrated by 
 the sainted name of the first herald of our 
 faith in America. 
 
 To assist in raising this fund — the Murray 
 Fund — the Woman's Centenary Aid Associa- 
 tion was organized in the City of Buffalo one 
 year ago. The results of that organization are 
 to be made known to you at this time. 
 
 Report of the Corresponding Secretary. 
 
 Mrs. F. J. M. Whitcomb, Corresponding 
 Secretary of the Association, then read the 
 following report : — 
 
 When at the General Convention in Buffalo 
 it was decided to raise two hundred thousand 
 
 dollars as a permanent fund, the ladies were 
 called upon to assist in this great enterprise. 
 Desirous to show their willingness to aid in 
 a cause which is equally vital to them, they 
 immediately set at work. The initiatory step 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 51 
 
 was to call a woman's meeting. It was the 
 first one ever called by them at a General 
 Convention. They were comparatively stran- 
 gers to each other — strangers to the work 
 before them. It was believed there was 
 ability enough to carry on any portion of the 
 work assigned them ; but their labors thus 
 far had been mostly confined to their own 
 societies, and their knowledge of each other 
 extended little beyond their own localities. 
 But from this strange unassimilated body 
 came an organization now known by Univer- 
 salist women throughout the land as the 
 " Woman's Centenary Aid Association." It 
 was thought by the General Committee that if 
 the women raised ten thousand dollars of the 
 iuud they would do Well ; — how far we have 
 succeeded the Treasurer's Report will show. 
 But however successful we may have been 
 in a pecuniary point, I estimate it as small in 
 
 comparison to that greater gain which comes 
 from the moral influence of our individual and 
 united effort. 
 
 And as we bring our offering to the great 
 centennial gathering, I can but congratulate 
 each one of you upon that perfect bond of 
 peace and unity, which binds us in a common 
 sisterhood. And our desire is that the work 
 so well begun shall not now be ended, but 
 that our bond may be made brighter and 
 stronger by years of united effort, that when 
 the next centennial year rolls round, and we 
 shall all be gathered to that home where labor 
 is love, that there may be those left on this 
 spot who will bless the day when mothers and 
 daughters, wives and sisters, took up their 
 line of march in the great struggle for Chris- 
 tian humanity. 
 
 On motion, the report was accepted. 
 
 Report of the Treasurer. 
 
 The Treasurer, Mrs. J. G. Adams, then sub- 
 mitted her report, as follows : — 
 
 Received from Massachusetts, $11,825.50; 
 New York, $5,801.22; Maine, $3,115; Illinois, 
 83,278.87; New Hampshire, $1,101.17; Con- 
 necticut, $1,990.10; Vermont, $SG5 10; Rhode 
 Island, $filG; Pennsylvania, $1,021.25; Ohio, 
 $262; Iowa, $219,32; Indiana, $231.25; New 
 Jersey, $155; Michigan, $135; Minnesota, 
 $2,307; Wisconsin, 8101; California, $39; 
 Washington, D. C, $75; Kansas, $15; Mary- 
 land, $25; Virginia, $23; Nebraska, $18; 
 Missouri, $17. Total, $33,359.88 
 
 The report was, on motion, accepted. 
 
 The President. We will sing the sixth 
 hymn on the programme — "Blow ye the trum- 
 pet, blow!" (Enthusiastic applause.) 
 
 Mrs. E. H. Cobb. I move that the thanks 
 of the Association be presented to the Presi- 
 dent, Vice President, Treasurer and Secre- 
 tary, for the faithful, persevering and suc- 
 
 cessful manner in which their labors have 
 been performed in the great work in which 
 they have been so perseveringly engaged. 
 All those in favor of the motion will manifest 
 it by saying "aye." 
 
 The motion was carried amid great ap- 
 plause. 
 
 The President then stated that she had 
 hoped to be able to present to the audience 
 every one of the gifted women of the denom- 
 ination who had occupied either pulpit or 
 platform, and letters had been sent to them 
 all, but some were not able to be present. 
 They sent their cordial greetings, and the 
 assurance that they should be here in spirit, 
 and look with great interest for the report 
 of the meeting. 
 
 Believing, said Mrs. Soule, that Massachu- 
 setts should speak first on this occasion, I 
 have the pleasure of introducing to you Mrs. 
 Bowles, of Cambriclgeport. 
 
 Address of Mrs. Bowles. 
 
 Mrs. President and Ladies and Gentlemen,— 
 I think you will all agree with me, that it 
 requires no ordinary amount of courage to 
 speak, whether yon are a woman or a man, 
 after such a report as that to which we have 
 
 listened, followed by such a blast of trumpets. 
 I think that I came to Gloucester with a very 
 small measure of sense, and I think that the 
 larger portion of that has been shaken out of 
 the t;ps of my fingers in the continuous 
 
52 
 
 UNIVERSALIS? CENTENARY, 
 
 greetings of this tented field. But what little 
 I have left enables me to see that this is not 
 the place for me to make a long- speech, so 
 that, in the few words I have to utter, I wish 
 to speak of the work that our people have 
 done here in Massachusetts, and to testify to 
 the readiness, the eagerness, indeed, with 
 which our women have entered into this 
 work of gathering up this Murray Fund. 
 
 Let me speak a few words in attestation of 
 the devotion of our own women in our own 
 parish, — the first Universalist Parish of Cam- 
 bridge. I was appointed to collect the money- 
 there, but owing to some engagements of my 
 own, the work fell into the hands of my hus- 
 band. I know it was very pleasant work for 
 him. He had hardly to call upon a single per- 
 son for money. It came in voluntarily, in 
 sums from one dollar to three hundred dol- 
 lars, until it rolled up to more than a thousand 
 dollars ; I think the total amount exceeds 
 $1,200. You know that parish has been under 
 good training ; under such men as Dr. Paige 
 and Dr. Whittemore. 
 
 I felt this morning, as we were gathered in 
 the great tent, and listened to that grand 
 
 occasional sermon, where Dr. Miner showed 
 us so plainly that our blessed faith was coeval 
 and coincident with God himself, Oh ! what 
 a glorious amen is rolling out on this rocky- 
 shore, from God's priesthood by the sea ! What 
 an amen is going up from all these gathered 
 hearts ! And then my mind went back to the 
 time, some twenty years ago, when over that 
 same rocky shore, and over that very field, I 
 wandered godless ; when God was to me but 
 a being of wrath and vindictiveness, that no 
 human heart, as it seemed to me, could wor- 
 ship; and as I listened to the Saobath bells, 
 pealing thro' the summer air, I marvelled that 
 the bells to such a God could ring so sweetly. 
 But after a while, when from this old church 
 tower there came to me that blessed peal, I 
 felt that it was a continual call to 
 
 " Ring out the old, ring in the new, 
 Ring out the lalse, ring in the true." 
 
 So I came to know that there was a God 
 whom every heart could worship in spirit and 
 in truth; and I rejoice that our women to- 
 day have an opportunity to do so much for 
 the spreading of this blessed Gospel of glad 
 tidings. 
 
 Address of Rev. Miss. A. J. Cliapin ? of Iowa. 
 
 Bear Friends and. Members of this Associa- 
 tion, — I have come to you from the far west, 
 and I have to regret that I am not so familiar 
 with the workings of this woman's Associa- 
 tion as I wish I were. My own endeavors 
 during this centennial year have been wholly 
 given to the channel of the general work. I 
 have been associated with the missionary- 
 work of the west in several of the different 
 States more or less actively, but in this 
 Woman's Aid Association I have done very 
 little, except to wish with all my heart that 
 this blessed work of theirs might be crowned 
 with abundant success. 
 
 I have been delighted beyond expression 
 with the reports I have heard. The splendid 
 results that you have achieved, are worthy of 
 Universalists. 
 
 In the West, we intend to do our part of 
 this work. Much remains to be done in the 
 next three months, and then we shall send 
 our report to the Treasurer, and perhaps it 
 will appear that we have done our part also. 
 
 I am delighted with the work that woman 
 has found it her privilege and within the 
 
 scope of her ability to do during this jubilee 
 year of our great church. It is peculiarly 
 fittings that women should work with enthu- 
 siasm and with zeal, that we may bless the 
 church with cur abundant offerings upon the 
 altar of truth. Universalism, the great prin- 
 ciples of truth that we received with the doc- 
 trine of the great redemption, has made 
 woman what she is; has done for woman all 
 that has brought her up irom the realms of 
 barbarism, I might say, to the proud position 
 that she occupies to-day. The great principle 
 of the Gospel, " There is neither male nor 
 female, bond nor free, Jew nor Gentile, out 
 ye are all one in Christ Jesus," is the uplifting 
 principle that has blessed the world and 
 brought woman up from the condition of slav- 
 ery and ignorance to her present position ; 
 when multitudes of our best schools open 
 wide their doors to her, and when she no 
 longer ignorantly looks on that which is hap- 
 pening under the sun, but looks over the 
 world with comprehensive views, and sees 
 with clear vision all that is done. She sees 
 what the errors of the past have been ; she 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 53 
 
 sees what the needs of the future are, and 
 she sees that one of the great needs of the 
 time is, that she shall come up to a perfect 
 comprehension of her own influence in the 
 world. 
 
 We have been told what that influence is. 
 Let us, sisters, use our influence in its widest 
 power. To this gospel of the great salvation 
 which has done so much for us, which com- 
 forts every mother's heart in the hour of 
 bereavement, which blesses the world, and 
 comes to every needy heart with a benedic- 
 tion which to the poor, the suffering and the 
 tempted is just what they need, and which 
 glo rifles all the blessings of our prosperous 
 hours, — to this faith, it is peculiarly proper 
 that woman should consecrate herself. 
 
 When, after long struggles, through ways of 
 darkness, with no one to counsel, a child in a 
 school of an opposite faith, I came to a knowl- 
 edge of this great truth, it seemed to me a 
 foregone conclusion, that there could be noth- 
 ing in this world for me to do but to give 
 my powers and my life to the promulgation 
 of the great, the glorious truth, whieh is the 
 one thing whieh this world needs to bring to 
 us the dawn of the millenniuni morning, when 
 upon every tented field that can be found upon 
 the face of this whole earth there shall come 
 
 forth, not conquering hosts, sweeping over 
 the earth, and bringing bloodshed, suffering 
 and ruin in their train, but the armies of the 
 Prince of Peace, as they come from this tented 
 field. And! look to the influence of woman 
 in the future, added to the influence of our 
 brother man, who has so long and so grandly 
 w 7 orked — I look to her influence and to her 
 work, as she shall wisely use the abilities 
 whieh God has given her, to hasten on the 
 time when on every tented field we shall hear 
 the triumphal notes of the Gospel, and the 
 hosts of Zion shall go forth to victory; when 
 the kingdoms of this world shall be subdued 
 and become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, when there shall be " one Lord, one 
 faith, one baptism," and " w T e all shall be one 
 in Christ Jesus." 
 
 Miss Graves, of Massachusetts, was then 
 introduced, and addressed the audience very 
 briefly, apologizing for not making a long- 
 er speech by saying that she was not a good 
 extempore speaker, and she had not prepared 
 any address for the occasion, as she had in- 
 tended to do, when she received the invitation 
 to speak. 
 
 After singing by the choir, Mrs. Mary A. 
 Liveraiore was introduced, and was received 
 with hearty applause. 
 
 Address of Mrs. M. A. Livennore. 
 
 My Friends,— It is no new thing for women 
 to be interested in the work of the Christian 
 church. When the Lord Jesus Christ com- 
 menced his ministry, aud coming out before 
 a Pagan world, said, " If any man or woman 
 desires hunger, thirst, nakedness, persecution, 
 the dungeon, the fagot, death, let them follow 
 me," women gave him a large following. 
 They were always his beloved disciples, — 
 hanging on his lips, ministering to his wants, 
 following him even to the dreadful cross, 
 w T eeping over him, as their dead hopes also 
 compelled them to weep, as he was laid in the 
 sepulchre, and they were first at the grave on 
 the morning of his resurrection, with the ha.f 
 born hope within them, that perhaps their 
 Leader was not dead. 
 
 All along through the early years of the 
 Christian Church, which history shows us 
 traced with blood, you can follow the foot- 
 prints of women, tracking their way with 
 Uoody feet. The doctrines of Christianity 
 
 were dear to them. Christ came into the 
 world and found woman a slave. Everywhere 
 she was under the ban of sex. Even 'n Eome, 
 where grand things were done, whjre epics 
 w r ere written, where statues were carved that 
 are immortal, the life of woman was so 
 worthless that she threw it away in suicide, 
 until at last the Roman Senate passed a de- 
 cree, so that women who committed suicide 
 had their own modesty violated, and that 
 alone restrained them. But with the coming 
 of Christ, womau began to come up. She 
 heard the voice of God in the new dispensa- 
 tion saying, " Come out of your graves," and 
 to-day, what women are enjoying in Christen- 
 dom the world over is due largely to this 
 blessed religion that Jesus Christ introduced 
 into the world. 
 
 The apostle Paul found large and grand 
 helpers among women. He received them 
 gladly; and those who will take the trouble 
 to look again into the New Testament, and to 
 
54 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 read a Jittle more carefully, will see a new 
 meaning in the language of the apostle, who 
 gave the right hand to women, as workers 
 and helpers in the largest and noblest way. 
 
 When religious sects began to be formed, 
 women came to the front almost immediately^ 
 Death had no terrors for them. When they 
 fully understood what Christianity was, they 
 were willing to take it to their hearts, although 
 it conferred upon them only martyrdom. 
 Looking into the early history of the Baptists, 
 with which I was for years more acquainted 
 than with the history of any other denomina- 
 tion, I saw very early in life how much that 
 church owed to its women missionaries. My 
 mind goes back to the little humble home 
 where sat my father and my mother, my 
 father reading aloud, in a voice husky with 
 emotion, and with tears streaming down his 
 face, the wonderful history of Ann ilaseltine 
 Juclson, the first missionary sent by that 
 denomination to India. Then, when I began 
 to look into the remarkable history of the 
 Methodist church, I saw how largely the mar- 
 vellous success of that denomination was clue 
 to the enthusiasm, the inspiration and the 
 activity of woman ; how John Wesley invoked 
 the aid of women; how women talked, 
 labored, preached, and went from house to 
 house making converts. And it is largely 
 owing (the Methodists themselves being wit- 
 nesses) to the fact that the women of that 
 church were the grandest helpers they ever 
 had, that to-day it is so large, broad, gener- 
 ous, and is the pioneer of our American civ- 
 ilization; for, if you shall go out to the very 
 utmost western boundary of our country, I 
 will promise you, that though you may be a 
 thousand miles from a railroad, though you 
 may find nothing but an adobe hut or an ordi- 
 nary tent, you will be sure to find there a 
 Methodist minister. 
 
 It has been so all the way through. Women 
 have always come to the help of Christianity. 
 They have given it grand service. Macaulay 
 attributes the vitality of the Roman Catholic 
 Church largely to the fact that it utilizes all 
 the forces within it. The Catholic Church 
 has quiet retreats for the mystics; it has 
 wars for the martially disposed; it has 
 prayers and penances for the pious ; it has 
 miracles for the ignorant; it has libraries for 
 the scholars ; and the power and services of 
 its women it has used to the utmost. Mother 
 Angea, converted from Protestantism in the 
 city of Philadelphia, has founded in Indiana 
 an order of nuns which is increasing im- 
 
 mensely from the very first families of the 
 country; and under her tutelage, assisted by 
 the most accomplished Catholic nuns of the 
 country, there are to-day five hundred Prot- 
 estant girls, not one of whom shall go out into 
 the world from under that roof until she is 
 inoculated with the doctrines of the Catholic 
 Church. Madam Galway, as she is known to 
 the American world, the chief of the Order of 
 Sacred Hearts, an order recruited from the 
 noble families of Europe, is at the head of 
 one hundred and eighty convents in this 
 country and elsewhere, all taken together. 
 She is to-day erecting a convent building in 
 St. Louis, and has expended upon it, I think, 
 $250,000, collected from servant girls, washer- 
 women and poor women who have no spare 
 money. And this is but one of one hundred 
 and eighty institutions more or less like it. 
 
 These are but two instances of w T hat the 
 Catholic Church has done. I take the 
 broad ground, that if a Christian church, be 
 it called by whatever name it may, ever con- 
 quers the world to God, ever wins this sin- 
 stained, sin-scarred earth to the great God 
 that loves it, it must conscript all its forces — 
 the men, the women, the children — every sort 
 and kind of talent. There has already been a 
 very great waste of moral power in all the 
 churches, and that waste of moral power Irs 
 been large in our church. "Until within a very 
 short time, Universalist women have done 
 comparatively little, in a cohesive and organ- 
 ized way, for their faith. They have gotten 
 up fairs to help eke out the minister's salary ; 
 they have very often held festivals to put a 
 bell or a clock in the steeple, to buy a Sunday 
 school library, or to do some other work of 
 this kind ; and that is honorable work, which 
 can never be omitted, and they are deserving 
 of all credit for it. But until within this last 
 year, Universalist women have never under- 
 taken any very great enterprise for their 
 church. When I took up our denominational 
 papers a year ago, and saw that the General 
 Convention at Buffalo, then in session, had 
 devised great things for this centenary year, 
 and that immediately there had sprung up the 
 embryo of a Woman's Centenary Association, 
 I had no faith in it ; I did not believe it would 
 amount to anything. 
 
 Universalist women were not very well 
 acquainted with one another; they had no 
 organization in the States that bound them 
 together ; they had not learned to work toge- 
 ther, and I did not believe they could get into 
 working order and accomplish anything be- 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 55 
 
 foro the centenary year was over. They have 
 rebuked my disbelief in the most splendid 
 manner ; and at last, under the impetus and 
 excitement of their work in various ways, I 
 myself, during the last six months, have 
 united in it : and to-night, as the result of 
 what they have done since last October, they 
 come to the church and lay on its altar the 
 sum total of thirty-three thousand dollars. 
 This has been gathered by Universaiist women 
 in various ways ; through fairs, through fes- 
 tivals, by self-denying efforts, in small sums and 
 in large sums ; and it has been given cheer- 
 fully. In some instances, the sums first given 
 have been doubled, and the hearts and spirits 
 of Universaiist women have turned again to 
 their faith with a new baptism of consecra- 
 tion, such as they had when they first be- 
 lieved. 
 
 I .thank God for it, for I see in this record of 
 the past year, a prophecy that my church, 
 dear to me, to which I am pledged while I 
 live, and to which I am pledged when I die, 
 and afterwards, — for the truth of God here is 
 the truth of God there, and the doctrine of 
 God's fatherhood, the dotrine of the broth- 
 erhood of the race, and the final holiness 
 and happiness of mankind, are eternal truths, 
 that can never become falsified while God 
 lives, and so I am pledged to it for all eternity, 
 — I see in this an indication that my church, 
 this dear church, is yet to clothe itself with 
 new power ; that the Universaiist head, — the 
 logical power of the ministers, the executive 
 ability that we find in our ministers, in our 
 publishing houses, in our newspapers, in our 
 pulpits, — is to be married to the warm, gene- 
 rous, enthusiastic, loving, consecrated heart 
 of woman ; and I hope and expect, and I shall 
 labor for that end, that when we get through 
 with the special work of this centenary year, 
 as women, we shall all join hands, and com- 
 mence a new organization, pledged to carry 
 forward the work of our church in some way 
 in which we shall all agree. 
 
 It is said that that is hardly necessary, that 
 the men are now organized, and the women 
 can come in with them. Yes, I know it ; but 
 while I think men are as good workers as 
 women, and while I am specially interested 
 in drawing men and women together, and 
 moulding and cementing the masculine and 
 the feminine, though I almost regard that as 
 my special work, I look into the family and I 
 see that the work of the father is one work 
 and the work of the mother another work, 
 
 and that the interests of the family are most 
 carefully guarded and most harmoniously 
 developed when each works in his or her own 
 sphere ; and so I think the women of our de- 
 nomination must have some work which is 
 specially their work, and which they can carry 
 it on without in any way dividing themselves 
 from the interests men have. It is all one work, 
 only they labor in one department and we in 
 another. It is all towards one end. It is two 
 streams, running along side by side to the same 
 great ocean. It is the two parallel lines of 
 railroad that converge to the same terminus, 
 and which will keep on with equal pace, one 
 by the side of the other; and, since they are 
 two, able to accomplish more, to carry on 
 more, to do more. 
 
 Some ten days ago, Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, 
 of Boston, the pioneer woman physician, who 
 is known to you all by name, sent for me to 
 come and see her. She has been for ten 
 weeks confined to her chamber by sickness. 
 She is not now connected with our church, 
 but a member of the Swedenborgian Church. 
 The interest of this centenary year had even 
 surged up into her sick chamber; it had lifted 
 her off her feet, and she longed to talk about 
 it. It brought back to her memories of John 
 Murray, who baptized her, and who used to 
 take her on his knee and invoke God's bless- 
 ing on her, in his peculiarly fervent and 
 enthusiastic way. " Before God," said she, 
 "that inspiration and that blessing have 
 followed me even until to-day." Taking up a 
 little Bible, she said, '-This Bible, which he 
 gave me, and in which he wrote my name, I 
 read constantly. I shall never part with it 
 while I live, and I shall bequeath it to my 
 nephew, who will cherish it as a sacred heir- 
 loom, and will derive inspiration and comfort 
 from it, as I have done, because of its history 
 and its associations." Said she, " Say to the 
 Universalists, that John Murray was as 
 humane a man, as honorable, as enthusiastic, 
 as religious, as manly, as social, as much bap- 
 tized with the spirit of God, as even John 
 Wesley was. They have reason to be proud 
 of the founder of American Universalism." 
 She besought me to bring that Bible here, to 
 have the clergymen who conducted the ser- 
 vice read from it, and I should have done 
 so, had I not been so much engaged that I 
 had no time to go for it. So, to make some 
 atonement, I have given you this little in- 
 cident. 
 
 If the blessing of this one man, if the inspi- 
 
56 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 ration that came from the benediction of the 
 founder of our faith, who has gone into the 
 skies, have followed this woman have shaped 
 her life and linger about her to-day, so that 
 as she sits in her room, the dead come back 
 to her, in spirit — and though she does not 
 claim to see them with eyes of flesh, she 
 believes they are about her, and she only 
 needs to drop the mortal to stand with them 
 face to face — if this is the case with her, how 
 should this faith itself inspire us women, one 
 and all? For to women, especially, do I desire 
 to talk to-night. I long for the women of our 
 church to come up to their birthright, to take 
 their places. I do rot mean by this that I 
 have any thought that they shall oust men 
 from any place they occupy, that they shall 
 crowd themselves in officiously where men de- 
 sire to stand ; I only mean by this, that when- 
 ever they find a chance to help the cause of 
 Universalism or advance this glorious faith, I 
 long to have them do it. 
 
 If we women of the Universalist church were 
 all consecrated, were all of one mind, and 
 had the same zeal and the same enthusiasm 
 that we have sometimes as individuals, we 
 should be able to lift this church up into the 
 very first Christian power. It is because we 
 lack faith in ourselves, it is because we do not 
 fully take in all that our faith is, that we are 
 weak. My friends, I do not know but I have 
 said this to you before, but 1 must continue to 
 say it. This faith of Universalism, during the 
 twenty-five years that I have believed it, has 
 grown upon me, until to-day it is the one cen- 
 tral thing with me. I do not now, and I can 
 not hereafter, engage in anything that is not, 
 as I see it, the outcome of this faith. Univer- 
 salism is to me synonymous with Christianity. 
 I do not mean that we have the whole, com- 
 plete, but I think that we are the nearest in our 
 faith, theoretically, to the doctrine that Jesus 
 Christ taught, of any church on earth* If 
 this be boasting, then I boast, and I am glad 
 to do so. Through the doctrines of Univer- 
 salism, through its simple faith, I expect the 
 world to be conquered. 
 
 Through the doctrines of Universalism, I 
 expect sin to be overcome. Through the 
 doctrines of Universalism, I expect this na- 
 tion to become what God intended it to be — 
 the beacon light of the world ; upheld, mov- 
 ing forward, exalted, with the grandest gov- 
 ernment, with tlie noblest people, so that all 
 nations may not only flock unto it, but pattern 
 after it. I have no hope for the race only as 
 
 it is the outcome of my faith. Wellington is 
 said to have rested on a certain hollow 
 square, by which he won the great battle of 
 Waterloo, after defeat was imminent; and so I 
 rest myself upon the doctrine of Universalism, 
 which with me is synonymous with Chris- 
 tianity; and through it I expect the world to 
 be conquered. Do you say that I am using 
 small weapons for great purposes ; that these 
 doctrines are but the pebbles of the brook, 
 which David will take to kill the Goliath of 
 wickedness and sin. Look at them! See 
 what they are ! Look at the doctrine of God's 
 fatherhood ! All denominations believe it, I 
 am told, constantly. Yes ; but nevertheless, 
 they do not believe it as we do; for the 
 doctrine of God's fatherhood means what 
 Christ taught us in that beautifui parable in 
 15th of Luke : " What man of you, having a 
 hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth 
 not leave the ninety and nine in the wilder- 
 ness and go after that which is lost, until 
 he find it? " Mark the words — " until he find 
 it." Not search until he concludes it is 
 hopelessly lost, or until he is wearied and 
 abandons the search ; He said no such thing 
 as that ; but search " until he find it." Up amid 
 craggy mountains; down into deep, dark 
 ravines ; in the teeth of the tornado, — 
 search "until he find it," sometime, some- 
 where. Then what? "And when he hath 
 found it, he layeth it on his shoulders 
 rejoicing." Mark the language again, — it is 
 not mine, but Christ's, — "rejoicing more 
 over it than over the ninety and nine that 
 w T ent not astray." And so, friends, if we hug 
 ourselves in Pharisaical self-complacency, and 
 imagine ourselves higher in the regard of God 
 than the poor drunken brother in the gutter, 
 than the poor fallen sister, from whom we 
 gather our skirts as we pass, lest contact be 
 pollution, Christ has taught us differently, 
 for he has taught us that God, who has all 
 that there is of love in his nature, — the love 
 of father, mother, brother, sister, — a love 
 that is infinite, eternal, overwhelming and 
 omnipotent, — Christ has taught us that God 
 our Father will pass us by, who need no sal- 
 vation, and hunt for the poor brother or the 
 lost sister until he find them, and then rejoice 
 more over them than over us, who need no 
 salvation. 
 
 So, I say we mean more by the doctrine of 
 God's fatherhood than clo the other denomina- 
 tions. But let me tell you that this doctrine 
 ean be believed by the world. The doctrine 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 57 
 
 of God's fatherhood can penetrate down into 
 the heart, when oppressed by sin, anxious, 
 despairing about the future, going along 
 through the world in the great trouble that 
 comes to every one. lonely, beset within and 
 without. We cannot make our passage 
 through life, carrying this great seed truth of 
 God's fatherhood in our hearts and talking it 
 to others, without producing a good effect. 
 
 I tell you, the doctrine of God's love, we 
 have not tried it. We do not dare to take 
 hold of it iu its power and seek to win the 
 world with it. There is still great practical 
 disbelief iu Christianity, even among those 
 who have named its name. I go to Music 
 Hall, and hear an eloquent clergyman talk in 
 rapt language concerning the doctrine of 
 Christ. I hear him boast of its omnipotence, 
 its wonderful power, its adaptation to every 
 condition of life and every circumstance to 
 which mortal flesh is heir. I am so uplifted 
 by the sermon, my soul becomes so glowing, 
 so all on tire, that the next day I seek him in 
 his study, I say to him, " Thank God that you 
 believe absolutely in the omnipotence of Chtis- 
 tianity. I begin to hope that w T e may have 
 you, here in this city of Boston, as a teacher, 
 that there will be a large following, and that 
 eventually, we shall dry up these streams of 
 drunkenness, we shall kill out this social evil, 
 we shall lift up these poor sisters, against 
 whom good women, with their white hands, 
 bar the doors of society, and say ' they are 
 lost,' — as if anybody could be lost, when God 
 lives and Christ lives," — and he coolly folds 
 his arms and says, " Oh, my dear madam, 
 don't believe you can ever extirpate drunken- 
 ness or the social evil. Drunkenness has ex- 
 isted for six thousand years ; the social evil is 
 part and parcel of human nature ; you can 
 never get rid of it. All that is Utopian." 
 
 I take up a newspaper, and I read an edi- 
 torial that has certain words that burn and 
 glow about the victories for Christ that are 
 to be achieved. I immediately go to that edi- 
 tor's study. I find him, I shake hands with 
 him, aud I say, "Thank God for that editorial ! 
 It has lifted a great weight off my heart. I 
 am filled again with new hope, for with you I 
 believe that Christianity is equal to the abso- 
 lute conquest of the world and its restoration 
 to God " And he says to me, " Oh, my clear 
 madam, you area fanatic; you are a vision- 
 ary. Your enthusiasm runs riot; it never can 
 be." I don't believe it! If I understand 
 Christianity, then I say Christianity is to con- 
 
 quer this world; to kill out its sin; to win it 
 to God ; to swing it forward to that blessed 
 time that prophets have foretold and poets 
 have sung, which we call "the golden age," 
 " the good time coining," " the millennium;" 
 and if you prove to me that I am a fanatic, a 
 visionary, an enthusiast on this point, then 
 you prove to me that Christ has lived and 
 died in vain, and that Christianity is to be 
 always a failure. And that I will not believe, 
 for Christianity is of God, an outcome of his 
 nature, and He is immutable and omnipotent. 
 
 Aud so I appeal to the women of my church 
 who believe this glorious faith, to whom it is 
 dear, who have taken it to their hearts, and 
 who have carried it with them in all the sor- 
 rows of life. And the experience of women is 
 deeper and more peculiar than that of men, 
 for they go down into the valley of the shadow 
 of death, aud win the child of their love by 
 struggliug for it with death itself, and then 
 this dearly-bought child is part and parcel of 
 their own nature ; their natures mould and 
 guide it. It may be blind, so that only the 
 chrism of immortality can open its eyes; it 
 may be crippled beyond all the power of sur- 
 gery to give it feet; it may be imbecile, so 
 that only God can waken the poor, bewildered 
 mind to life when he brings it into the sun- 
 light of heaven, but it is the mother's child 
 still, and dear to the mother's heart, who finds 
 it easier to make sacrifices for the unfortunate 
 child than for the child who is richly endowed 
 and needs nothing. 
 
 And then, when death comes, and the little 
 one is laid away, to be seen no more forever, 
 when the strong arm on which the wife has 
 leaned fails, with the cares and burdens of 
 maternity, she takes on the duties of the 
 father, and endeavors to win bread for the 
 children he has left behind him, then she 
 goes to God with a deeper prayer, and God 
 often answers her with a larger, fuller answer. 
 
 Women have a need of religion, I have 
 sometimes thought, beyond what men have. 
 I think Christianity signifies more to women 
 than to men, and especially to the women of 
 my church, who have this large interpretation 
 of Christianity given them. I hope, when this 
 centenary work is over, we shall all join hands 
 again, as we have joined hands this last year, 
 in a covenant that only death shall annul; 
 that we shall take up some grand work of the 
 future, and continue to labor and do for it as 
 long as we live. 
 
 My friends, we can help make Universalism 
 
58 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENAKY, 
 
 more of a power than the world dreams of. 
 Do you tell me that it is unpopular, —that the 
 world pours shame upon it ? What if it does ? 
 Does that signify anything? So much the 
 more let us cling to our faith, bind it upon our 
 brows, carry it in our souls, and let the whole 
 world see we are not ashamed of this blessed 
 gospel of Jesus Christ. 
 
 I thank God for this centenary year. I 
 thank God for what the women of my church 
 are doing. I have seen for a long time that 
 the hour has struck when women are to wake 
 to a new sense of power, when they are to be 
 more in the future of the country than they 
 have been, and this movement of the last year 
 gives an additional, an intensified meaning to 
 what I have read for a long while in the signs 
 of the times. And so, my friends, I hope we 
 shall not get over the enthusiasm and inspira- 
 tion of this centenary year. I hope we shall 
 carry them away with us. We have begun a 
 work for the next century. We are done with 
 the last hundred years, — we are now to work 
 for the next century. Christianity has lain in 
 the heart of humanity like a great seed, 
 germinating and fructifying. It is to come, 
 in the future, to beautiful blossom and fruit- 
 age. Here and there, in the past, there has 
 sprung up a little sprig, a little blossom, to 
 show how lovely it is ; but it is for us to see 
 its ultimate, complete fruition. There is 
 something to work for in the future that we 
 have not had in the past. Let us carry this 
 work forward. 
 
 Mrs. Liverraore concluded with a feeling 
 and eloquent tribute to the earnest, self-sacri- 
 
 ficing, and devoted labors of the President of 
 the Association, Mrs. Caroline A. Soule, of 
 New York, and proposed that five hundred 
 dolJars be raised for her, as a testimony of 
 appreciation of her labors, and sympathy for 
 the great trials and bereavements through 
 which she has passed. 
 
 This appeal met with a prompt response 
 from the audience, and in a very few moments 
 the money was raised. While the contribution 
 was being taken up, Rev. D. C. Tomlinsox, of 
 New York, bore cordial testimony to the 
 labors of Mrs. Soule, with which he had been 
 personally familiar. 
 
 When the result was made known, Mrs. 
 Soule, though almost overcome with emotion, 
 expressed her thanks in a few words. She 
 said : — 
 
 I do not know what to say to you, and if I 
 should attempt to say what is in my heart, I 
 should break down entirely. I have only to 
 say, that I never had so much money in my 
 pocket in all my life as I shall have when I get 
 the $500, and having gone through an expe- 
 rience which I trust very few of you will ever 
 go through, having been obliged usually to 
 fast a meal when I gave a meal, I shall know 
 how to appreciate your generosity. I did not 
 expect such a conclusion to the meetiug. I 
 expected, when Mrs. Livermore got through, 
 to call upon some other women and some of 
 our brothers here; but you have used up all 
 the time in helping me. I can only say, may 
 God bless you for it ! 
 
 The Doxology was then sung, and the 
 audience dismissed with the benediction. 
 
MASS MEETING- 
 
 THURSDAY, A. M. 
 
 In consequence of the press of business be- Church, and the tent was occupied by a mass 
 fore the delegates, it was found necessary meeting, over which Hon. Israel Washburn, of 
 to hold an extra session at the Universalist Maine, presided. 
 
 Remarks of Hon. Israel Washburn, Jr. 
 
 Mr. Washburn, on taking the chair said : 
 
 Assembled to celebrate the Centenary of the 
 organization of Universalism as a positive form 
 of Christianity, one of the first things we shall 
 naturally consider, is, its true position or place 
 in the Christian Church. 
 
 Determining this, we shall perceive the na- 
 ture of its present work, and the means by 
 which that work may be best performed. 
 
 Strictly speaking, the Universalist is not a 
 Protestant Church. It is not an offshoot from 
 another Church, but is rather an independent, 
 original, subtantive Church, grounded in an 
 idea that is peculiarly and distinctly its own. 
 In this fact reposes in part my confidence in 
 its strength, growth and permanence. For I 
 know that seedlings are more vigorous than 
 cuttings. No doubt churches, like plants, may 
 be improved by cultivation, but the more per- 
 fect and healthy the original stock, and the 
 more natural to the soil, so to speak, the great- 
 er are their possibilities of improvement. 
 
 In religion there is but one truth and one 
 error ; all other truths and errors are but 
 parts and modifications of these. In the Chris- 
 tian Church there are two fundamental ideas — 
 only two : there is room for but two. God's 
 love unlimited, is one ; Gods love limited, is the 
 other. And there are essentially but two 
 churches, representing or expressing respec- 
 tively these ideas. They are as distinct, as two 
 nations can be. As the nation may have pro- 
 vinces, States, or other subdivisions, each with 
 its own local laws and peculiar forms, so may 
 the Church have its sects and denomina- 
 tions — but the nation is really one and the 
 Church is one. 
 
 In the early centuries of Christian history, 
 while the world was yet groping in the thick 
 darkness of paganism and Judaism, men saw 
 God indistinctly, for they were surrounded by 
 the mists and smoke of human ignorance and 
 
 passion, and they caught but faint and distort- 
 ed glimpses of the Sun of Light and Life. 
 They saw only a God of limitations ; they 
 could fully apprehend no other. But there 
 was some light in the world, and in it the 
 Catholic Church was founded, and while this 
 Church had gleams and visions of God, it saw 
 but an imperfect deity after all, one in whom 
 appeared more of the human than of the di- 
 vine. He was a sovereign not a father. His 
 government was patterned after those of men. 
 He was a God of fear and gloom, of partiality 
 and revenge; and yet so far as was consistent 
 with these characteristics, he was, also, a God 
 of love. A higher conception had been at- 
 tained than Paganism or Judaism ever under- 
 stood, and this leaven of truth and love, poor 
 and partial as it was, was nevertheless a great 
 thing. From its working in the Church came 
 the Reformation and the protestantism of 
 the modern orthodox schools, and, with these, 
 an open Bible and free discussion. 
 
 It, however, remains true that the English 
 Church, the Scotch, the dissenters' churches of 
 England, the various Evangelical churches so- 
 called, on the continent and in America, have 
 descended from the Catholic Church, and are 
 to this day, in exact truth, branches of it, agree- 
 ing with it in doctrine in all things essential 
 and vital, and differing and protesting only on 
 secondary questions ; protesting not against its 
 statements of doctrine, but against its supersti- 
 tions, abuses, and methods. They are all, one 
 as much as another, based on a God of love lim- 
 ited — a God, who, as the Rev. Dr. Thompson of 
 New York argues, is the father of a part only 
 of the human family. 
 
 Now, here is the final and relentless defini- 
 tion ; and if the Universalist Church, after an 
 existence of a century, shall not recognize this 
 fact, or shall fail to perceive that it determines 
 its policy and points out its work, there would 
 
60 
 
 UNIYERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 seem to be no occasion for its continued exis- 
 tence as a separate body of Christians. Tried 
 by this definition the Catholic and Protestant 
 churches, are substantially the same. They 
 all agree that God's saving love is limited to a 
 part of the race, and that he is, in a religious 
 sense, the father of but part. 
 
 The Catholic Church was perhaps the best 
 the world was ready for during the ages in 
 which it most flourished, and the world owes it, 
 at least, this debt, that by such truth as it pos- 
 sessed and taught, men were educated, enlight- 
 ened and advanced until they could see a God of 
 love unlimited, the Universal Father. Such is 
 the vitality and fructifying power of truth, 
 that no germ of it, however feeble, ever dies — 
 once planted, it expands and grows forever. 
 
 "One accent of the Holy Ghost 
 The heedless world has never lost." 
 
 When these views of God's nature, and re- 
 lationship to all men, came to be embraced, 
 and what they implied and required, to be con- 
 sidered, it was manifest that there was no place 
 for them in any of the sections of the Catholic 
 Church, and a church more Catholic still was 
 needed for their embodiment and expression. 
 Tnis church would not merely dissent from or 
 protest against the errors and absurdities of a 
 church which in essential matters of doctrine 
 was sound, but it would upheave and displace 
 a, church that upon the fundamental ideas of 
 Christianity was unsound. It would say in ef- 
 fect to the latter, " There is room for but one 
 of us. Your foundation is the true one or 
 mine is. This is a question upon which, from 
 its nature, there can be no compromise* This 
 church is more than Catholic as that term has 
 come to be understood, it is universal in its 
 scope and ultimate membership — it will em- 
 brace the world. So its members are called 
 Universalists. It is not only broader, but, in 
 its constituent principles, it is older than yours, 
 and will survive it. If there is to be any pro- 
 tecting, it must be on your part, whose organisa- 
 tion is but a temporary instrumentality and not 
 a final church." 
 
 From this view of the posiiion of Universa- 
 lism in the Christian world, the proper work 
 and special duty of those who accept it, are ap- 
 parent. They must labor earnestly and faith- 
 fully to build it up as the best agency for the 
 inculcation of truth and the elevation and hap- 
 piness of mankind. If its great doctrine be 
 true, it is the basis of all spiritual and moral 
 
 growth, and it behooves those who receive it 
 to become its advocates and champions. No 
 one would think it wise to give the execution 
 of the Constitution of the United States into 
 the hands of the House of Hapsburg or of the 
 House of Bourbon. He would rather confide 
 that authority and trust to an intelligent and 
 and patriotic people who believe in the good 
 sense and wisdom of its provisions, and are 
 thoroughly attached to its principles. So, no 
 wise man would suggest that the custody and 
 practical development of the sublimest truth 
 of heaven and earth — that of God's impartial 
 and omnipotent love — should be committed to 
 those who deny that truth or are indifferent in 
 regard to it. Therefore a necessity and a dutv 
 are laid upon Universalists to take this great 
 cause into their own keeping, and with all 
 assiduity and earnestness, in faith and affec- 
 tion, by precept and example, commend it to 
 the judgments and hearts of m^n, and labor 
 for the upbuilding of the Church which shall 
 best represent it, until that Church shall be- 
 come the church of Christendom and Cluisten- 
 dom shall be co-extensive with the earth. 
 
 And while, on this occasion, we reilect on 
 the grandeur of the cause itself, and conrdder 
 its everlasting foundations, we should not for- 
 get the extraordinary, I may say, perhaps, 
 Providential, circumstances of its introduction 
 and organization as an independent, outward 
 form of Christianity. Not until seventeen hun- 
 dred years of preparation had done thtir work, 
 not until Luther and the Reformers had broken 
 away from the sophistries, superstitions and 
 crimes of the Catholic Church, and the spirit of 
 inquiry had been sent abroad on ample pinions, 
 not until the God-given truths of the dignity of 
 human nature and the inherent rights of man, 
 had been proclaimed by Algernon Sidney, An- 
 drew Marvel and John Milton to those who 
 were, under God, to shape the destinies of a 
 new world, not until the time had come for the 
 occupation and settlement of a continent where 
 these truths could have an open field and fair 
 play, not until the school house had been 
 erected for every child in New England, not 
 until men, thus instructed and educated, be- 
 gan to feel that the time was approaching for 
 the establishment upon the earth of a " govern- 
 ment of the people, by the people and for the 
 people," not until the year — annus mirabilis — 
 in which the first gun of the Revolution was 
 fired — at Boston, iu the massacre of 1770 — 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 61 
 
 did John Murray the apostle of Universalism 
 as a distinctive church, make his appearance 
 in America, marking not only by the doctrine 
 which he taught, but, also, by the time of his 
 advent, the hour which was to ring in the prac- 
 tical recognition of the Democracy of religion 
 as well as of politics. It was the faith of John 
 Murray upon which alone could be maintained 
 the declaration " that all men are created 
 equal ; that they are endowed by their Creator 
 with certain unalienable rights ; that among 
 these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happi- 
 ness;" which justified the assertion by Mad- 
 ison, Ellsworth, and Hamilton, in their ad- 
 dress advocating the adoption of the Articles 
 of Confederation, " that it has always been the 
 pride and boast of America that the rights for 
 which she contended were the rights of human 
 nature ;" upon which, as a corner-stone, the 
 Constitution of the United States, designed to 
 " promote the general welfare " and to " secure 
 the blessings of liberty" to all the people, must 
 rest. ; and which inspired the fathers to say and 
 maintain that all true governments are founded 
 " upon the consent of the governed." It is ob- 
 vious that these fundamental principles of this 
 government are identical with those of Univer- 
 salism, and are radically inconsistent with 
 those of the old Church. 
 
 This new Church, as this government, is 
 founded in the intuitions and affections of the 
 people — " in the common sense of most." Its 
 beginning was among the common people and 
 it is still cherished and supported by them, al- 
 though its doctrines are now accepted by those 
 who largely and honorably represent the most 
 cultivated and intelligent classes in modern so- 
 ciety, its most earnest life is in the zeal and de- 
 votion, in the courage and manhood of the class 
 by whom its cradle was rocked. And so it 
 
 happens (and there can be no better evidence 
 of its genuineness or augury pf its ultimate suc- 
 cess) teat it flourishes in an atmosphere when 
 affords no refreshment lor insincerity, for half- 
 beliefs, or for ind.fierence, and m which tiur>key- 
 ism of every fo; m and type finds most painful 
 re?piration. Men abide in it and labor for it, 
 because as sincere, brave, honest men, believ- 
 ing it, tbey must". It is theirs to serve and wait, 
 and God wi;l help them in proportion to their 
 fidelity. Wi h Henry before Agincourt, they 
 will mourn no man's ab-ence who has not a 
 stomach for the fight. If their Church differed 
 from others on secondary questions only ; ques- 
 tions like transubstantiation, .the sacraments, 
 the Immaculate Conception, the Trinity, the 
 Unify of the Godhead, forms, rites, &c, there 
 would be no occasion for its existence. But 
 when it differs on questions touching the na- 
 ture and character of God and his relationship 
 to, and purpose with, man, and the essential 
 character of his moral government, as whether 
 founded on love or fear, a separate organiza- 
 tion is a necessity. That organization has 
 been accomplished, and there is no choice but 
 to maintain it. -Its work for a century is be- 
 fore the world, and on the whole it has been 
 well done. As it stands at the gateway of 
 another century, a different and perhaps more 
 difficult labor confronts it. Let it enter there- 
 upon humbly, yet trustfully and full of faith, 
 and, with the blessing of God, the second cen- 
 tury of its existence will show a world better, 
 brighter, wiser and more Christian than is the 
 world which now witnesses the completion of 
 its first. 
 
 The band then played "Hail Columbia, 7 ' 
 after which Mrs. Mary A. Livermore was 
 introduced, who received a most cordial 
 greeting. 
 
 Address of Mrs. Livermore. 
 
 A year ago, when the General Convention 
 held its session in Buffalo, and it was decided 
 to make this Centennial Year glorious and 
 immortal, the women caught immediately the 
 inspiration of the time, and came together, — a 
 small company, — and said, " We will raise of 
 this $200,000 Murray Fund, $25,000." None 
 of us believed it could be done; I doubt if 
 those even who pledged it believed it possible ; 
 but they took for their motto that of Daniel 
 O'Connell, "Demand the uttermost, and you 
 Will get something." And so they asked the 
 
 uttermost, not by any means expecting to 
 attain to it. After the lapse of a year, we 
 come together here, women in great compa- 
 nies, as well as men, and we are able to report 
 to-day the sum of $33,000 given by the women 
 of the Universalist Church. (Hearty applause.) 
 Their work is not yet over; they will hold on 
 until the first of January next year, working 
 and receiving contributions; and they now say 
 $4-0,000 shall be the sum which Universalist 
 women shall lay upon the altar of the church. 
 This does not by any means include every 
 
62 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 dollar which women have given, for large 
 .suras of money have been given into the 
 Murray Fund that are not credited to this 
 woman's fund. One woman gave $500 to the 
 Murray Fund, and $1.00 to the woman's fund, 
 and the thing stands thus on the record 
 books. And then, we cannot take any statis- 
 tical account of the noble, kindly, affectionate 
 influence which women have exerted upon 
 the hearts of men, their own souls kindled, 
 so that they have unloosed plethoric pockets, 
 that otherwise would not have been opened. 
 I do not speak of this boastingly ; I speak of 
 it gratefully ; for, with a church like ours, and 
 a faith like ours, ultimate success, complete 
 victory, cannot be possible until we marry the 
 head and the heart of the church in a union 
 that shall never know divorce. You have, in 
 the clear, cold intellectual ism of the men, the 
 Universalist head; you have, in the warm, 
 glowing heart of the women, the heart of 
 Universalism. Thank God that the heart is 
 kindled, that it is to-day alive; that, while it 
 has been outwardly married to the head, it is 
 to-day in living union ; and from this my hope 
 grows great for the future, and my prophecy 
 is larger than ever it was before. 
 
 What the President of this meeting has so 
 powerfully and so beautifully said, many of us 
 have long felt, but have not had the language 
 to express it. When John Murray went, more 
 than a hundred years ago, to call on a woman 
 who believed in Universalism for the purpose 
 of converting her, he was himself converted, 
 and converted so thoroughly, heart, soul and 
 conscience, that he immediately put his her- 
 culean shoulder to the work, and said, "By 
 the blessing of God, I will swing back the 
 church to Christianity," — for the church of 
 the past had not been a Christian church, but 
 pseudo-Christian. He commenced his work, — 
 commenced it under the most discouraging 
 circumstances. His wife gave him a good and 
 generous backing. A woman of high temper, 
 of invincible energy, of undaunted courage; 
 a "strong-minded woman," if the term had 
 been used in those days, who, when her hus- 
 band engaged in loud and stormy debate with 
 an opponent in the parlor, went to the head of 
 the stairs and rebuked him, saying, " Mr. 
 Murray, this house was built for the home of 
 the family, and not for a debating school." 
 " Yes, my dear," said he, and closed the door, 
 so that she might not, with her family above, 
 be disturbed with the din of conflict. A 
 " strong-minded woman," who, when Father 
 Ballou, who, having 
 
 broader outlook than John Murray, preached 
 in Boston a different form of Universalism 
 from that which John Murray preached, rose 
 in her place and said, — standing by the mem- 
 ory of her husband, for which let all wives 
 thank her; standing by the truth that her 
 husband believed, — " This is not the Uni- 
 versalism that Mr. Murray preached." A 
 " strong-minded woman," who, during the 
 last six years of his sick, broken and worn-out 
 life, nursed him as tenderly and much more 
 wisely than a weak-minded woman might have 
 done. (Applause.) It was fitting, then, that 
 Universalist women should come up to the 
 work. They have done a vast deal of work 
 during the last few years. They have worked 
 in a small way everywhere, and if the aggre- 
 gate of what they have done could be counted, 
 it would make no mean show ; but not until 
 this centenary year had struck, did the 
 women of our church come up to their place 
 and take their birthright. I ask you, now, 
 Universalist women, after having had your 
 hearts kindled during this last year, after 
 having looked this faith of yours in the face 
 and appreciated it as never before* and pledged 
 yourselves to it as never before, are you 
 going to lay off the harness at the end of the 
 year, and drift back into the little driblets of 
 work that contented you before ? God forbid 2 
 Let us, when this Centenary Association is 
 dissolved, reorganize into an Universalist 
 Association, to do the work that woman can 
 do in the future. We have a place in the 
 Christian church, and that place is by the - 
 side of our brothers everywhere, — wisely, 
 womanly, delicately, judiciously; not in a 
 spirit of contention, not in a spirit of aggres- 
 sion, not in any way to make any dis- 
 harmony, but so as to harmonize every- 
 thing, and make the work of our Lord go on 
 more gloriously. For realize, my dear sisters, 
 that this forty thousand dollars of yours is 
 your contribution to the work of the next 
 century. The last hundred years are behind 
 us, with their sufferings, with their sacrifices. 
 We are now to gird up our loins and reach 
 forward to the work of the next hundred 
 years, which is to be infinitely grander 
 and more glorious than that which has 
 closed. 
 
 Mr. Washburn has told you how the Lord 
 God had been making ready for the introduc- 
 tion of Universalism, — how he had prepared 
 the way. So those of us who are looking and 
 listening with instructed eyes and ears, see 
 how the Lord God is to-day abroad in the 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 63 
 
 earth, getting ready for a still greater consum- 
 mation. To-day, we have the space over our 
 heads net-worked with telegraphic wires, by 
 which we can read thoughts quick as light- 
 ning, backwards and forwards over the coun- 
 try; we have wedded the Atlantic and the 
 Pacific with a ring of iron ; we have brought 
 the Occident and the Orient face to 
 face; we have great steamships vibrating 
 backwards and forwards between the two 
 continents, every seven, eight or ten days ; 
 and then we have lying in the bosom of the 
 deep this magnetic nerve, that trembles and 
 throbs with the impatient news of the world, 
 which cannot wait for the slow transmission 
 of steam. To-day, a battle occurs in Europe ; 
 it closes on Saturday, and this great magnetic 
 nerve, lying under the water, trembles and 
 throbs, and we take up the Monday morning 
 papers, and lo ! there are the details of the 
 battles. Lo ! there we hear who made the 
 charges and who won the victory. Lo ! there 
 we learn, before even the French people 
 know, that their empire has passed away. 
 Do you believe that God has led us on to 
 these splendid material achievements that we 
 may only continue to chronicle great battles, 
 the games of kiugs, the depositions of pseudo- 
 emperors? Oh, no ! Do you believe that we 
 are only to be brought thus near together, the 
 old world and the new, so that, sitting in our 
 houses, with the aid of this magnetic nerve, 
 we can almost hear the shock of armies, the 
 huzzas of the victors, the dying groans of the 
 defeated, the sobs of the poor widows, and 
 the wailings of the poor fatherless children, 
 who always go down in this hellish struggle 
 that men call war, and which the Chicago 
 Advance has so far dared to insult the world 
 as to call " one of the ieadiug activities of 
 the age"? (Let it it be remembered that 
 that is not a Universalist paper; I am glad 
 of it.) 
 
 No. I tell you that we are to-day pressing 
 on with hot, swift feet to the great, grand 
 time which prophets have foretold, and poets 
 have sung; to which the hearts and minds of 
 the whole world reach forward, when the 
 glory of God shall fill the earth, and we shall 
 have but one worship, that of the Universal 
 Father, who embraces in His nature every 
 form of love known to us, loving creatures 
 of His ; when we shall recognize the great tie 
 of brotherhood the world over; when we 
 shall be done with wars and battles ; when we 
 shall come together as one people, with the 
 Lord God our Father and our Leader. If you 
 
 show me that I am wrong in believing this, 
 and believing it so fully, so triumphantly, that 
 no discouragement discourages me, that no 
 defeat defeats me, that no hostility touches 
 me, that no sort of antagonism in any way 
 holds me back, — if you prove to me I am only 
 an enthusiast and fanatic, and that this great, 
 grand dream of mine which I carry in my 
 heart like a heavenly seed is only a dream, 
 nev^r to be realized, you prove to me that 
 Christ lived and died in vain, and that God is 
 not true to iiis promise; and that I will not 
 believe, though all the created universe assert 
 it with one mighty voice. (Loud applause.) 
 
 My friends, I am not to talk here long; it is 
 almost an impertinence that I talk here at all, 
 for here you have the platform crowded with 
 ministers ; you have the Doctors of Divinity; 
 you have the fathers of the church. I am 
 only speaking a few brief words for this 
 Woman's Missionary Association, and I will 
 close what I have to say by making one earn- 
 est, impassioned appeal, — I would that God 
 would give me the voice, the zeal and the 
 spirit that the occasion demands, — to the 
 women of our church. You have come to the 
 front — never go to the rear! You have to- 
 day re-baptized yourselves with a new conse- 
 cration. When Gen. Sherman asked for a 
 hundred and fifty men to lead a forlorn hope, 
 the men about him were so consecrated into 
 the great, glowing idea of liberty, that, al- 
 though they knew the path over which they 
 were to march led straight to death, fifteen 
 hundred of them, a great surging crowd of 
 humanity and patriotism, pressed around the 
 General's feet. So while you, the women of 
 the church, were asked to raise $25,000, God 
 has given you such consecration that you have 
 nearly doubled that sum. 
 
 My dear sisters, let us, in spirit, join hands. 
 This great faith of ours, this grand doctrine of 
 Christianity, — by it, the world is to be won ; 
 by it, the world is to be conquered; by it, we 
 are to beat back all the incoming tide of sin ; 
 by it, we are to swing this universe onward 
 and upward to God. Nothing else will do it. 
 I have not a hope for the future of the race ; 
 I have not a hope for my nation, dear to me as 
 if I were a man, dear to me as if I had shoul- 
 dered a musket and fought under its flag, and 
 for it I could willingly die, though, when the 
 war was first talked about, I thought I hardly 
 knew anything about it, or cared anything 
 about it ; I have no hope, I say, for my coun- 
 try or for the human family, that is not based 
 upon and bound up with the success of Chris- 
 
64 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 tianity; and Universalism, let me say it sin- 
 cerely, is Christianity. We have Christian- 
 ity in it. We have many improvements to 
 make, we have much to do; but the great seed 
 truths of Christianity are incorporated in our 
 faith. 
 
 So I want all the women to work together 
 for our church. Be not content with doing a 
 little; let us do all we can; and when this 
 centenary year closes, let us all reorganize, 
 fall into line, and be ready, when the leaders 
 tell us what to do. to obey. Let us learn one 
 thing, which Universalist men and women 
 have been slow to learn. Let us learn to 
 obey orders, to stand in our rank, in every 
 place, and do what we are told to do, whether 
 
 we like to do it or not, and not hang back, and 
 haggle, and palter. 
 
 This, then, ladies and gentlemen, is my 
 parting word. We part here, but we women 
 are coming together again, the heart of the 
 denomination, better instructed, larger, 
 warmer, grander, more glowing, and then we 
 are to stand by the side of our brothers, in- 
 structed by them, aided by them; for I do 
 not believe in any divorce of the men and the 
 women, all the way through, only we will 
 take our stand by the side of them. We are 
 going to show them, in coming years, what 
 we and our children can do for this faith 
 which is the hope of the world. (Loud ap- 
 plause.) 
 
 Address of Rev. J. Smith Dodge, of Conn. 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen : Perhaps you do not 
 know that while we celebrate here the one 
 hundredth anniversary of the founding of the 
 Universalist denomination, we have also an- 
 other celebration, for it is almost exactly half 
 that time since the first Universalist Sunday 
 school was established. In the report of the 
 Committee on Sunday Schools, to which I 
 theoretically respond, it is said that the first 
 Universalist Sunday school was organized in 
 1819, and that the second Universalist Sunday 
 school in the land was organized in 1820, in 
 Gloucester. So that, with the slightest devi- 
 ation from exactness, we are here upon the 
 ground to celebrate the jubilee of Universalist 
 Sunday schools. You can, therefore, spare a 
 little time from the recollections and sugges- 
 tions of an entire century, to think of those 
 things which half a century of Universalist 
 Sunday-school existence suggests to our 
 minds. What has been done in these fifty 
 years? You will have an opportunity to read 
 in the printed report, that there have been 
 established, as nearly as can be known, five 
 hundred Universalist Sunday schools, with an 
 enrolment of scholars amounting, we are told, 
 to forty thousand. Five hundred out-posts of 
 Universalism scattered through all the laud ! 
 Forty thousand germs of futui'3 lives, with all 
 their activities and all their powers under dis- 
 cipline at the feet of Universalist teachers ! I 
 think it is not asking t .o much, when I ask 
 you to turn away a little from all the other 
 events that the hundred years suggest, and 
 
 dwell upon this momentous question, this 
 large responsibility, for 
 
 "Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined." 
 
 And yet I am afraid the committee have 
 selected just about the worst man in the 
 crowd to make suggestions concerning Sun- 
 day schools, or to draw the moral. I have 
 not had much familiarity with their details ; 
 I have not devoted my attention especially, 
 far from exclusively, to any consideration of 
 the topic. Fortunately, however, the com- 
 mittee have drawn up a report, which you 
 will all have an opportunity to read in the 
 denominational papers, in which the questions 
 of detail are largely and admirably consid- 
 ered; and I make no further apology, there- 
 fore, for passing on, and calling your atten- 
 tion, no longer to details, but to some of the 
 general principles, or to the one great gen- 
 eral principle, in fact, which it seems to me 
 should control and systematize and give char- 
 acter to whatever detailed operations, and 
 whatever elaborate methods our wisdom and 
 our experience may suggest. 
 
 What, then, is the great principle which lies 
 at the bottom of the possibility of usefulness 
 in Sunday-school instruction? A great prin- 
 ciple, which is familiar to all men, which crops 
 out here and there, and which controls by its 
 operation very much all the lives of men. 
 Let me illustrate the principle. Doubtless 
 many a young man, bred in Gloucester, leaves 
 his native place and goes out into the world 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 65 
 
 to seek his fortune. He may go to the prai- 
 ries of the west; he may sail upon the eastern 
 ocean, far away; he may settle in some gieat 
 city ; this thing or that may seem to him best 
 to serve the purposes of his life; but by- 
 and-bye, when the busy years are passed, 
 and the harvest is gathered in, when his chil- 
 dren have grown up about him, and released 
 him from the responsibility of their care and 
 maintenance, there will come to him the feel- 
 ing that now it is time to settle down for the 
 declining years of life; that now he must 
 bethink him where his bones shall be laid, and 
 what sun shall shine, and what breezes blow 
 upon the gray locks that are scattered thinly 
 upon his head. Where will he turn? What 
 place will he think of ? The prairies of the 
 west are richer than the rocky fields of Cape 
 Ann ; the ocean in its grandeur dashes on other 
 shores more magnificently than I have seen it 
 beating here ; and yet his thoughts will come 
 back to the old homestead, and he will bring 
 himself here to spend the lingering days of his 
 end, and then be laid beside the graves of his 
 fathers. Why will he do this? Why this 
 constant phenomenon of the heart reaching 
 back to its earliest recollections? Why this 
 relation of the old men to the spots of their 
 childhood? Because, wherever he may have 
 first tasted life, the man finds that the scenes 
 and events of his early days have left in mem- 
 ory the teuderest recollections. Its scenes 
 were brighter, its grassy fields more gceen 
 and rich, the skies that covered the head of 
 frolicking childhood shone with a radiance that 
 no clays repeat. And so, when memory looks 
 back, withdrawing from the din and stir of 
 life, the old man thinks that in the world there 
 can nowhere be a spot so fair and lovely as 
 where his childhood steps wandered through 
 the fields, and the first impressions of opening 
 life were made upon him. No matter whether 
 he find the dream realized, the memory clings 
 there, and the desire for rest and peace, for 
 the green earth and tranquil skies, brings back 
 the recollection of those first impressions, 
 stamped indelibly upon his heart. Therefore 
 it is, because the first impressions made in the 
 very opening days and years of our lives are 
 so tenderly cherished, are so interwoven and 
 knit together with all that seems to us fairest, 
 most worthy of remembrance, and dearest in 
 all our experience, — therefore it is, I say, 
 that the Sunday school may hope to accom- 
 plish in the hearts of children a work that 
 shall govern all their days. 
 The Catholic church, so wise in its day and 
 
 generation, knows this fact fall well, and 
 nobly exempliiies it. I have heard it said that 
 it is a maxim of their priesthood, that if you 
 will commit the instruction of children to their 
 care, until they approach maturity, they have 
 no fear, come what may, that these men and 
 women will be lost to Holy Mother Church. 
 Thank God 1 they are partially mistaken ; and 
 yet, it is a subtle reading of the human heart, 
 and a wise recognition of the springs of power 
 that govern it, which is the animating princi- 
 ple of this determination. The man, bred in a 
 Catholic seminary, reared at the feet of 
 priests, indoctrinated by a Catholic mother, 
 learns just one thing, — that the representative 
 of heavenly grace and earthly consolation any- 
 where is the church. No matter about creeds, 
 no matter about location, no matter whether 
 it be in a grand cathedral or rude log hut in 
 western wilds that its mysterious formalities 
 are celebrated, the church, standing by its 
 representative in every corner of the world, 
 is the symbol of religious truth and divine 
 help ; and by-and-bye, when he has gone away 
 from his priest, deserted the confessional, be- 
 gun to hold loose and infidel notions, and to 
 scoff at things divine, this young man chooses 
 to be married. What then? Unless he is 
 constrained by some other will, he never 
 thinks of any priest to marry him but a Catho- 
 lic priest, with Catholic ceremonials and 
 forms ; and the ceremony brings back for one 
 solemn hour all the old impressions, and en- 
 graves them again upon his heart. Then in- 
 difference comes again, the years roll on, and 
 he falls into his sluggish habits, until by-and- 
 bye he stands by the side of the coffin of his 
 little child, and strews flowers upon its silent 
 and cold remains, and then his heart cries out 
 for the help that he feels is not in man, and he 
 goes back to the old impressions of his child- 
 hood. And so, whenever a woe crosses his 
 path, whenever an anguish wrings his heart, 
 whenever darkness and mystery assail him, 
 he turns to that church which he was taught 
 in youth to look up to and reverence as the 
 surest source of help and comfort. 
 
 I have dwelt upon this because I want to 
 say, that while the Universalist cannot teach 
 his child to look upon the Universalist church 
 as the Catholic teaches his child to look upon 
 the Catholic church, — while the Universalist 
 cannot say to his child, "Here is the com- 
 plete and perfect truth ; no attack can make 
 any impression upon it; no church can enlarge 
 and increase but itself, perfect, and complete, 
 and divine; you have no need to question, 
 
66 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 you have no need to reason or to be con- 
 vinced, but only to give assent;" while the 
 Universalist cannot say this, he can, I think. 
 and that very largely through the instrumen- 
 tality of the Sunday school, still make upon 
 the heart of his child this identical impression 
 which, by-aud-bye, when the careless years 
 have seemed to win him from those early pre- 
 cepts that his mother and his Sabbath school 
 impressed upon him, by-and-bye, when neces- 
 sity and trial and suffering come, he shall find 
 deeper than all other impressions, constrain- 
 ing his whole life; those earliest convictions, 
 those earliest hopes and loves of his childish 
 heart. 
 
 Let me suggest to you how it shall be done. 
 As I said, I am not great on details, and al- 
 ways try, in speaking, to get behind them. — 
 for there is ever something behind all the de- 
 tails, liut it seems to me that I can point out 
 at least two roads, if not measure every rod 
 and step upon them both, by which this end 
 is to be reached ; two great things to be borne 
 in mind in the instruction of our Sunday- 
 school children. In the first place, I believe 
 the Sunday school should implant in the mem- 
 ory of the child, when it is, you know, " wax 
 to receive, and marble to retain," abundant 
 portions of God's sacred word. I do not find, 
 somehow, that the younger Universalists 
 quote Scripture as readily as the old men do. 
 "When I am in a conference meeting, and a 
 gray-haired man gets up to pray or to speak, 
 every third sentence is a quotation from the 
 Bible. When a young man gets up to speak, 
 I may recognize (thank God! I believe I do) 
 as much of the spirit of the word, but the 
 letter of it either is not in his memory, or he 
 does not take it so freely on the tongue. I do 
 not believe that this means that Universalists 
 read their Bibles any less in these clays than 
 they did in days of old ; I do believe it means, 
 that from the circumstances of the times, the 
 conditions in which we live, the necessity of 
 impressing the letter of Scripture upon our 
 memories is not so keenly felt. God forbid 
 that we should ever feel it unnecessary to 
 make this impression! 
 
 Ah! your experience of human life has been 
 indeed monotonous and tranquil if you have 
 never known that hour of doubt and trial 
 when you could seem to find no stauding- 
 place for your feet, no shelter for your head, 
 and have at last caught hold of some re- 
 membered words of Scripture, and iouud 
 them in the moment of your anguish a stay 
 and a help. (Applause.) To remember some 
 
 such word as this, "I am not alone, for the 
 Father is with me ; " to remember that " He 
 is good to all ; " to remember that " His mercy 
 endureth forever;" to remember all those 
 multitudinous short passages of Scripture that 
 a child three years old can learn and remem- 
 ber just about as quickly as the mother who is 
 teaching them to him; to remember these 
 sometimes, in an hour of crisis, is a strength 
 that no human counsel can give, that no mere 
 comprehension of general principles has power 
 to give the human heart. Therefore I say, 
 among those early and yet rapidly accumulat- 
 ing impressions that make the formation of 
 human consciousness in coming years, let there 
 be mingled abundantly the texts of God's holy 
 word. Perhaps the child does not understand 
 them now. Certaiply he will not fathom them 
 as he learns. No matter for that. Do you 
 care so much whether the sculptor who en- 
 graves the motto over the entrance to your 
 church, "God is Love," could preach an 
 eloquent sermon upon it? You want it en- 
 graven there, and by-and-bye, when the scaf- 
 folding is removed, and all men look upon it, 
 they shall gather little by little in their passing 
 observation, some impress of a truth that is 
 broader than all the universe, and fills crea- 
 tion. So let these growing souls have im- 
 pressed upon them, — I do not know by 
 exactly what method, I do not purpose to say 
 by exactly what text-books, but let these 
 growing souls have written in the primary 
 rock of their forming characters and minds, 
 multitudes of the abundant truths scattered 
 through God's word, that are easy of com- 
 prehension, that the wayfaring man may read 
 — yes, read them as he runs. 
 
 One thing more. It is far from enough to 
 satisfy the desire of any Universalist heart 
 that the child should be merely grounded in 
 the letter of God's word. If we were to stop 
 with this, alas ! how much mischief might be 
 taught the child ! How much we have seen of 
 perverted Scriptural quotations! How we 
 know that the last stronghold of an irrational 
 and almost blasphemous theology, is a strained 
 interpretation of three or four texts of God's 
 holy word! God forbid, therefore, that we 
 should merely w T rite isolated scraps of Scrip- 
 lure upon the minds of our children ; and yet 
 I am afraid, — and I have learned to be afraid 
 by seeing the processes and the results of the 
 Sunday school, — that it is not possible to take 
 the children of our Suuday schools and imbue 
 them with the full body of Universalist theol- 
 ogy, in the time we can keep them there. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 67 
 
 They cannot learn it all. I have had my Sun- 
 day school repeat the Rhode Island catechism, 
 word for word, from beginning to end, and 
 the child who learned it best of all was so 
 small that she had to stand up on the seat to 
 be seen above the heads of the other scholars ; 
 and, after all, she did not know what it meant. 
 I want something put into her heart, in these 
 formative moments of her life, that she can 
 understand, and which she can never outgrow. 
 Thank Godl we have discovered that all 
 divine truth is embraced in three words, so 
 plain and simple that your lisping babe knows 
 .something of their meaning, so grand and 
 sublime that choiring archangels have not 
 fathomed their depths, nor reached their top- 
 most heights — "God is love." Love at the 
 helm of the universe, love above us, love 
 through all our ways, love the granite rock on 
 which we stand, and which never will sink 
 from beneath our feet. Ah! your child knows 
 what it is to be loved; knows what it is 
 that her mother has for her more than all the 
 world beside. Teach her that there is more 
 of this in the heavens, in the earth, thr- ugh 
 all the air, sounding in the surges of the 
 ocean, and growing ia the upspringing grass 
 blade, more of it flowing out of the heart of 
 God, who made and governs all things, than 
 all the mothers on earth have ever lavished ou 
 all the danings of their hearts. 
 
 Your child can understand something of 
 this. How shall your child learn it? Let it 
 be written, if you will, in illuminated texts, 
 upon the walls of your Sunday school. Let it 
 be the fi:st of all the memorial inscriptions 
 that you carve upon this glowing heart,— 
 " God is love." Let it be taught by the cheer- 
 ful serenity of the Sunday-school discipline 
 and conduct, that knows no sharp, ill-natured 
 reuukes, that knows no frowning superin- 
 tendents and no peevish teachers. Let it be 
 infused through the atmosphere that waits 
 weekly within the walls where these little 
 ones have gathered. Have you never seen a 
 home where peace reigns continually, — to 
 enter within whose walls, and spend a day or 
 a week, was like a new baptism of calm, 
 tranquillity, and rest, after the strife and 
 troubles of the world? a home out of which 
 you went with reluctance, and whose recollec- 
 tion in your heart was a green and fragrant 
 spot forever more? Thank God, I have 
 seen, thank God, I believe almost every one 
 of you has seen such a home as this, some- 
 where. Let the Sunday school of the Univer- 
 salis c church be such a home to the children 
 
 of Universalists. Five hundred focal points 
 of peace and calmness, and everlasting assur- 
 ance in the Divine goodness. Forty thousand 
 little souls — (may their numbers double with 
 every decade ! — 1 wish they might with every 
 year) — forty thousand little souls, taking 
 their primary impressions of existence, and 
 having this as the groundwork and root of 
 them all — that the life which Universaiism 
 teaches, which it fosters, which it tends to 
 develop in mankind, is a life of peace, and 
 joy, and tranquillity, now and forevermore, 
 because God is love. 
 
 I do not, I repeat, presume to measure out 
 details; but this, after all, covers the whole 
 ground. The complaint is often made, " We 
 cannot keep the children long enough in the 
 Sunday school ;" that while they attend in large 
 numbers, little children from four to twelve 
 years old, perhaps, they then begin to drop off. 
 I believe there is an inherent necessity that this 
 should be largely so. I believe that those eight 
 years, improved in the maimer I have indicated 
 only in this general outline, will anchor and se- 
 cure a Universalist, Christian, noble life, come 
 what may in the future. Doubtless, when the 
 eastern storms gather, and, pressing on the 
 vast volume of the ocean, roll it toward Cape 
 Ann, the water surges up in this bay as you 
 and I, visitors for the first time, have never 
 seen. Doubtless, it dashes in and breaks in 
 a great surf upon the shore, and its waves rise 
 up, while the sky is darkened with drifting 
 clouds, the air is filled witffmist and foam, the 
 waves clash upon this rocky headland, and 
 you might stand within these canvas walls 
 and not be able to see that any rocks were 
 left. Cut by-and-bye the wind will spend its 
 fury, the storm subside, the sky shine out in 
 clearness and serenity, the ocean sink back to 
 its bed, heaving a little with the remembrance 
 of the storm just past, and there will stand 
 those rocks, wet with spray, channelled by 
 the receding currents, riven by the continual 
 action of the elements, but grand, substantial, 
 granite Cape Ann, as God made them at the 
 first. Oh ! let us see to it, that, in the formative 
 period of our children's hearts, they be. girt 
 about with the granite assurance of God's 
 eternal love, based on the underlying, eternal 
 foundation of God's revealed word; and then, 
 whatever storms shall come, whatever cloudy 
 skies or sweeping ocean waves their future 
 lives may show, though these memories of 
 the past seem lost and forever obliterated, 
 while the sky is dark and the storm continues 
 to rage, yet when tranquillity shall come at 
 
68 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 last, and the old man, or man growing old, 
 begins to throw off the burden of cure, and 
 toil and trial, and bethink him that life is some- 
 thing more than dollars, and activity may be 
 expended in other ways than in the routine of 
 business, then the waves will ebb back, and 
 the granite of the assurance in God's almighty 
 and saving grace will gird around his heart 
 and protect it, until God translate him to his 
 own presence. (Applause.; 
 
 The President — I have now a most 
 grateful service to perform, one which gives 
 me peculiar pleasure. I hold in my hand a 
 communication so very kind and fraternal that 
 it has done me good to read it, and I know it 
 will do you good to hear it. 
 
 lo Hon. Sidney Perham, President of the Cen- 
 tenary Convention : 
 Dear Sir: By direction of the National 
 Council of Unitarian and other Christian 
 Churches, we tender to you the expression of 
 their sympathy in your great celebration. 
 The imposing progress made by the Univer- 
 salist communion in a century is such as to 
 
 give courage to all Christian believers, and to 
 strengthen their trust in Providence of that 
 Father who has promised to give his little 
 flock the victory. You have our prayers and 
 our hopes thai, another centenary may see an 
 advance even larger and more rapid in the 
 simplicity, in the purity, and in the loving 
 kindness of men's interpretation of the 
 gospel. 
 
 While we congratulate you on the strength 
 and activity so evident in your own body, we 
 have to thank you as well for the services 
 which the theologians and the active philan- 
 thropists of your communion have rendered 
 to all Christendom. 
 With great respect, we are, 
 
 Your obedient servants, 
 
 E. E. Hale, 
 Chas. Lowe, 
 Committee of the National Conference of TJnita* 
 rian and other Christian Churches. 
 These gentlemen are present, and I have the 
 honor to introduce to you the Rev. E. E. Hale, 
 
 Address of Rev, E. E. Hale. 
 
 It is with the most profound pleasure, as it 
 is with the sincerest humility, that I address 
 a single word to this assembly. The occasion 
 is on every account central and historic. The 
 words "seventeen hundred and seventy" 
 have been knit into the history of the liberal- 
 ism of the world, and of that 1770, who shall 
 say that the most important moment of all is 
 not the moment and the act which we celebrate 
 to-day. (Applause.) This great word "Ca- 
 tholic," this great Greek word " Catholic," 
 which has this year attempted to assert itself, 
 and attempted all in vain to assert itself in 
 the miserable failure at Rome, is it not find- 
 ing its true interpretation in the magnetic 
 words, "Universal," and " Universalist," 
 which you are repeating from every lip to- 
 day? (Applause.) Catholic! The Catholic 
 Church! "I believe in the Holy Catholic 
 Church " — that is the dying word of the 
 agony of martyrs, and the " Holy Roman 
 Catholic Church " has so far forgotten its duty 
 and its destiny, that in one last and dying effort 
 of sectarianism, it has excommunicated all 
 the living forces of Christendom. (Applause.) 
 In one sublime blasphemy, it has asserted the 
 nothingness of the individual man, and the 
 
 supremacy of the poor dotard who is at this 
 moment driven from his throne. (Applause.) 
 I say, it is simply providential, that at a 
 moment like that, in this country, whose Con- 
 stitution is founded on the principles of liberal 
 Christianity, — is founded on the principles 
 which arc laid down in all your standards of 
 faith and in all our standards of faith, — I say, 
 it as simply providential, that in this country, 
 at this moment, this largest of the liberal 
 communions should meet to hold its high day 
 of festivity ; and I take it a .special privilege, 
 that as the representative of another of the 
 liberal bodies, I am permitted to say a single 
 word before those who can hear me in this 
 great assembly; for I believe in catholicity 
 from the bottom of my heart; I believe in 
 the Universal Church, in the Holy Catholic 
 Church ; in that belief I was born, and in that 
 belief, God helping me, I will die. I believe 
 in that true uniformity of the U E Pluribus 
 Unum" one made out of many — the great 
 law which God has written over the whole of 
 his creation. I believe in no such wretched 
 uniformity as this of the pope of Rome, who 
 would fain have but one wheel for his chariot, 
 but one rut for his roadway, and who upon 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 69 
 
 that chariot has stumbled, and beneath it is 
 overwhelmed. (Loud applause.) 
 
 I have no wish, in coming here, to suggest, 
 even by an innuendo, any consolidation or any 
 fusion of the bodies here represented. If it 
 were my duty to carry from Boston to the 
 great Pacific anything which I considered was 
 of infinite value, I should not take it in a 
 wheelbarrow. (Laughter.) I should be sure 
 to find some wagon which could run upon a 
 broad track, and which should have two 
 wheels, the one on this side, the other on that 
 side, if I would go successfully to my jour- 
 ney's end. (Applause.) 
 
 Union in the midst of diversity, — that is 
 the great law which God has written in his 
 works, and I think there is something which 
 is the finest illustration of the great Universal 
 Church of the future, in the happy and friend- 
 ly relation which, as I believe, connects, in a 
 vital sympathy, the two leading liberal bodies 
 of America. (Applause.) I would as soon go 
 from Boston to Hartford to invite the legisla- 
 ture of Connecticut to throw aside their old 
 charters, to destroy the memory of the sacred 
 oak, to sink the constitution of that State 
 beneath the wave, and to unite with a Massa- 
 chusetts which should have committed the 
 same folly with the record of these rocks of 
 Murray and those rocks of Plymouth, that we 
 might make a new State, whose capital should 
 be upon the State line, if we could find it, as 
 
 I would invite this religious body, or any 
 religious body, with a history of its own, with 
 martyrdoms of its own, with traditions of its 
 own, to throw away that history for a mock 
 fusion. But as I rejoice that I am a citizen of 
 this great country, iu which thirty-six States 
 have been united, under the glorious motto 
 that we have chosen, so do I rejoice that at 
 least two of the Christian bodies of this coun- 
 try have been able to sympathize and rejoice 
 together, yes, and to triumph together in the 
 union which they have effected between them- 
 selves (applause); that we can rejoice in 
 each other's joys, that we can sorrow in each 
 other's sorrow, that we can triumph in each 
 other's victories. 
 
 I said just now that this country was based 
 upon the principles of your standards of faith 
 and upon the principles of ours. America 
 has based herself, for better and for worse, 
 on universal suffrage. What does universal 
 suffrage mean, but that the doctrine of total 
 depravity is blasphemy and folly ? (Applause.) 
 What does universal suffrage mean, but that 
 the God of love loves each of his children, 
 and gives to each of them some measure of 
 his spirit? If America is to fail, it is because 
 the doctrines of Calvinism and the Roman 
 Catholic Church are true; if America is to 
 succeed, it is because God is love, and loves 
 each and all of his children. (Loud ap- 
 plause.) 
 
 Address of Rev. W. II. Ryder, D. B., of Chicago. 
 
 Christian Friends: Before I proceed to the 
 specific topic which has been assigned me, 
 which is a little familar talk with reference to 
 the appropriation of the funds which have 
 been raised this year, and the general work of 
 the Secretary, —looking, of course, to the ex- 
 penditure of money, — and the particular line 
 of operations in which our executive officer, 
 the Permanent Secretary, shall engage him- 
 self, allow me to express my very great joy 
 in view of the excellent remarks to which you 
 have just listened, and my personal hearty 
 endorsement of every word of them. (Ap- 
 plause ) 
 
 After the eloquent remarks to which you 
 have listened from the three speakers who 
 have addressed you in my hearing, I am 
 almost afraid I shall not be able to keep your 
 attention in this practical talk of mice. 
 
 The first question is, To what uses shad 
 
 the money which we have raised during this 
 last year be applied ? I will mention, first, 
 some of those which have been already talked 
 about and written about, making only very 
 hasty reference to them. In the first place, it 
 seems to me that the money which has been 
 raised this year ought to be quite largely 
 appropriated to the education of young men 
 for the work of the ministry. And when I 
 state to you that in all probability, judging 
 from the experience of the past six or eight 
 years, we shall be obliged to afford pecuniary 
 aid to something like two-thirds of all those 
 who are prepared for the ministry, you will 
 perceive at once, that unless we have money 
 to use in that direction, and use it judiciously, 
 we shall not be able to furnish our pulpits, we 
 shall not get the help in the direction of 
 ministerial supply that we so much need. I 
 take it for granted that there cannot be much 
 
70 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY 
 
 difference of judgment among those who have 
 bestowed any thought upon this subject, and 
 I therefore pass on, and observe, — 
 
 Secondly/that we ought to do something 
 wiih this money in aid of feeble societies; 
 not with any extravagant outlay to build 
 churches, not with any large bestowal of 
 considerable sums of money, but a little 
 friendly, judicious help here and there given, 
 which shall show our appreciation of particu- 
 lar efforts in important localities, and be an 
 encouragement to the brethren in important 
 central places to go on and do their work. 
 
 I proceed to remark, in the third place, that 
 it seems to me we ought to do something in 
 the use of this money towards planting 
 churches. Especially does my mind run over 
 such large fields of labor as California, in 
 which there is hardly, to-day, a Universalist 
 society of any recognized power ; and large 
 districts of territory west of the Mississippi, 
 and west of the Missouri rivers, that ought to 
 be occupied, and by a judicious supervision 
 will be occupied. AVe have not to-day, in the 
 State of Missouri, a single Universalist 
 church. There is a minister present, very 
 likely, in this audience, who is engaged in the 
 construction of a church in Missouri, to be 
 dedicated this autumn, — the first Universalist 
 church ever built in that magnificent State. 
 Let the convention remember these faithful 
 laborers in that locality by some indication of 
 its appreciation and respect. 
 
 I would mention, fourthly, that it is to be 
 expected that this money will be appropriated 
 toward the publication of denominational lite- 
 rature, and the issuing of such tracts *as the 
 resolution of our friend from New York, Hon. 
 Horace Greely, indicated. We shall do some- 
 thing in this way toward calling public atten- 
 tion to our peculiar theological ideas. 
 
 But all these things are more or less famil- 
 iar, and we are substantially agreed with 
 reference to them; so I dwell no longer upon 
 any of those particulars. 
 
 Turning now to the work of the General 
 Secretarv, it seems to me, Christian friends, 
 that all the days of this coming year, and in 
 the years of the immediate future, he ought 
 to proceed upon a recognition of^these two 
 ideas, as covering our essential needs. I 
 thiuk some of us are making a great mistake 
 in supposing that the great thing to do in the 
 Universalist denomination, with reference to 
 its enlargement and authority in this land, 
 cousists in the dissemination of our peculiar 
 ideas. I do not understand that to be the jrreat 
 
 need. The great need of the Christian world 
 is a knowledge of Universalism, but the great 
 need of the Universalist denomination is quite 
 another thing. 
 
 Our specific need is the use of the materials 
 that are properly ours, the appropriation of 
 our strength, the consolidation of our power, 
 the bringing of our people, everywhere, to 
 realize that it is one thing intellectually to 
 apprehend, and another thing personally to 
 apply. (Applause.) There are any number 
 of men all over the country who believe theo- 
 retically in Universalism, and I am thankful 
 for that; but that does not build up the 
 Christian Church very much, and it does not 
 build up our denomination but very little. I 
 want the theory of salvation that we believe 
 preached in every pulpit, taught in every 
 Sunday school, and lived in every home. I want 
 the doctrine that universal salvation implies 
 universal obedience preached; that every man 
 is bom into the kingdom of our Lord through 
 faith in Jesus Christ, and becomes a consistent 
 Universalist only when he consecrates his life 
 to the good of his church and to the welfare of 
 the world. I believe in universal salvation; 
 but I believe in it on the basis of universal 
 obedience, and I do not know any other. So. 
 therefore, if we believe that every man, m 
 order to be saved, is to be born into the king- 
 dom of God, and become a consecrated Chris- 
 tian in his life, let us preach it in our pulpits, 
 and let the word of our Secretary, every- 
 where he goes, and of all our representative 
 men everywhere, be, " God is our Father and 
 loves us, but we are spiritually His children only 
 as we enter into spiritual communion with 
 Him." I believe in the publication of our denom- 
 inational ideas, and I want all men, everywhere, 
 converted to a knowledge of our faith ; but a 
 perception of the truth is not the application 
 of it ; and the need of the denomination to-day 
 is the application of the theory, — the per- 
 sonal appropriation of what we profess to 
 believe. 
 
 I proceed, in the next place, to say that it 
 seems to me that we need very much, every- 
 where, to foster the spirit of denominational 
 superintendence. I believe not in denomina- 
 tional control, in any priestly, autocratic 
 sense, but 1 believe our denomination is suf- 
 fering sadly, unspeakably suffering, for lack of 
 representative men travelling over the land, 
 preaching correct doctrines, helping brethren 
 in obscure, but still important places, doing 
 what may be done towards saving those 
 societies that have been organized but have be- 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 71 
 
 come feeble, giving aid to the frontiers on the 
 broad fields of the west, planting- the banner 
 of the cross, and upholding its authority in that 
 district until such Lime as the people become 
 sufficiently numerous to sustain the ministry 
 of the Word. How many societies we have 
 lost because the right man, going with the 
 right word and a few dollars, has not been 
 there to save them ! There are societies to- 
 day, feeble and faint only because a little judi- 
 cious supervision is not exercised; and it is 
 simply practical common sense, and sound 
 business conduct, as I understand it, to have 
 m'en under the control of the General Conven- 
 tion whose business it is to know exactly 
 what is the condition of the churches in each 
 State, and in each district; keep ourselves 
 posted thoroughly, and before it is too late, 
 go there with the right man and with the 
 needful dollars. 
 
 We have no minister to-day in Oregon; in 
 all those wide , districts, no representative 
 man. Are we not foolish? Is it not absurd 
 to let these opportunities pass? lean refer 
 you to great sections of the West, where 
 some of us years ago went to do a little mis- 
 sionary service, and thought we had clone 
 substantial work; but for need of continuance 
 in that line, of somebody authorized by the Con- 
 vention to go there and look after details, 
 some other denomination occupies the ground ; 
 the lot that in the general arrangement of the 
 town was provided for us goes to some other 
 society, and then we come along and pay six 
 thousand dollars for a site for our church, 
 which we might have had for nothing, and 
 must take a back seat in the community when 
 we might have had the front. Are we always 
 to go on in this stupid way ? Will we make 
 up our minds that we are to conduct the af- 
 fairs of our denomination upon sound, discreet, 
 business principles, or will we go on in this 
 shiftless way? 
 
 Now, brethren, I should not talk any longer. It 
 is not necessary. I am weary from talking here, 
 at the council and other places. Mrs. Liver- 
 more almost wrung my heart out of me in the 
 beginning, aud one after another has squeezed 
 my soul out of me since I came upon the plat- 
 form. As for brother Dc*lge, I shall owe 
 him a grudge until I have a good opportunity 
 to throw my arms around him, and then it 
 will be all settled. 
 
 Here, now, we are in the midst of Glouces- 
 ter. Think of this grand and generous hos- 
 pitality ! Think of what this town of Glouces- 
 ter has shown itself to be in our magnificent 
 
 reception and the generous boards they have 
 every where spread ! (Applause.) If this be 
 the fruit of Universalism, give us more fruit 
 of the same kind! (Renewed applause.) 
 Here Universalism is the dominant religion, 
 and if this be the influence, — the bad, the 
 vricked influence of Universalism, let the world 
 have more of it, up and down, all over the 
 earth ! 
 
 But, brethren, Universalism in Gloucester 
 is potent to-day, because Universalism is 
 organized, in Gloucester, because people have 
 been trained in it, because their souls are 
 filled with it, because God has shed the light 
 of his love upon them, and they are filled 
 more or less to the full by His grace. Let us 
 take this broad love into our hearts, let us go 
 out into our homes, to the west, to the east, 
 to the north, and to the south, and not simply 
 throw up our hats in view of the jubilee, and 
 say, " What a grand time we have had ! How 
 magnificently Mrs. Livermore did talk! How 
 splendidly brother Dodge talked! Why, 
 brother Hale was there, and he couldn't have 
 done better! It was perfectly sublime!" 
 and so go on, using up all the magnificent 
 grandiloquence we can think of. What 
 then? We have done so much of it, it 
 really amounts to nothing. Go home and go 
 to work. Now is the time to vindicate our 
 right to be on the earth ; our right to go out 
 into this century and build up a Christian de- 
 nomination. We have raised the money — 
 all honor to the devotion of our people ! but 
 the money is nothing by the side of personal 
 consecration. Build up your churches, Chris- 
 tianize your homes, live your Universalism 
 wherever you are and in all you do, and then 
 you make it respectable ; then you make it 
 influential, then you make it an instrumen- 
 tality by which God will convert the world. 
 You are not going to convert it simply by im- 
 buing men with liberal ideas. They will stay 
 in the orthodox church. We are simply uni- 
 versalizing orthodoxy ; we are simply knock- 
 ing the rough edges from the old creed, aud 
 making everything so pleasant and acceptable 
 that people will stay where they are ; and 
 when you congratulate yourselves on the lib- 
 eral doctrine Ward Beecher preaches, or the 
 liberal doctrine this man and the other man 
 preaches, are you not congratulating your- 
 selves on that which is your weakness, and will 
 be, if you are not heedful, your death? That is 
 the question. Make your denomination such 
 a power in the land, make it so potent for 
 good, make it, by your consecration, so 
 
72 
 
 UNIVERSALIS! 1 CENTENARY 
 
 respected, that these men, seeing what it is, 
 shall not be ashamed to proclaim themselves 
 ecclesiastically with you (theoretically they 
 are with you), come into your parishes, work 
 in your name, and serve under your banner. 
 Take care, all ministers, all laymen, all editors, 
 that you do not congratulate yourselves on 
 that which is not an indication of your grow- 
 ing power. 
 
 Now, I want to say one word, and with that, 
 I close. I do not believe so much in organ- 
 ized Universalism that I do not rejoice in 
 liberality anywhere ; but I am standing here 
 this morning to answer the question, How 
 to build up the Universalist denomination? 
 Some other man will talk, if need be, about 
 men being born iuto the kingdom in any de- 
 nomination, in any community, and under any 
 name. I understand all that, and feel the force 
 of it. But if there is a Methodist man in 
 this audience, I say to him, "Brother, stand 
 by your faith ! If you are a Methodist, sup- 
 port your church ; do your duty in your denom- 
 ination. If you are a Unitarian, and believe 
 that is right, stand up for Unitarianism here 
 and everywhere. Be you Orthodox, Episco- 
 palian, or whatever you may be, serve your 
 church, make it respectable, do all you can to 
 carry it forward. 
 
 We sympathize with you in every sinner 
 you convert from the error of his ways, and 
 pray God to give you victory and success. 
 We are not so narrow that we do not rejoice 
 in Christian labor in any name or in any de- 
 
 nomination. But while I urge devotion else- 
 where, I urge devotion in my own denomina- 
 tion, and I stand here to plead for it, to argue 
 for it, to pray for it; to implore you, as you 
 love its welfare, to apply your theology prac- 
 tically to your own living; not simply be sat- 
 isfied, because your neighbor brings a barrel 
 of flour to your door, to know that the barrel 
 of flour is there, but see that the barrel of 
 flour is put in the proper place in the house, 
 and the contents suitably prepared to give 
 you nutriment; and when all that is done, do 
 not simply admire the crockery on the table, 
 and the knife and fork ready to use, but appro- 
 priate it to your individual need. 
 
 The trouble with us as a people to-day is, 
 we leave the flour barrel at the back door. 
 (Applause.) The trouble with us as a de- 
 nomination to day is, we do not make our 
 theory a practical force in the denomination. 
 Every Methodist man knows what Methodism 
 means — you must be converted in order to 
 be saved. Universalists believe just as much 
 in conversion as the Methodists do. We say 
 there is no other way to the kingdom of heav- 
 en but through and by the Lord Jesus Christ ; 
 and yet, what are we as a Christian church 
 doing in this direction? How many of our 
 pulpits proclaim this truth to their people day 
 after day and month after month? Let this 
 be our theme, this be our purpose, and let the 
 General Secretary, wherever he goes, and in all 
 he does, seek to build up a Christian denomi- 
 nation, on the basis of Christ and his Apostles. 
 
 Address of Henry B. Metcalf. 
 
 Amid the reports of splendid achievements 
 in this, our year of jubilee, of deeds of gener- 
 osity surprising even the generous donors, of 
 noble sacrifice and toil by the Universalist 
 men and women throughout the length and 
 breadth of our land, all expressed from warm 
 and grateful hearts through eloquent lips, 
 you are, in the very height of your enthusiasm, 
 invited to an interview with a plain business 
 man. 
 
 My duty on the present occasion is some- 
 what clearly defined in the invitation from 
 your committee to address you. I am not ex- 
 pected to speak on the general subject con- 
 cerning which it is so difficult for any one to 
 keep silence, the grand awakening of our 
 Universalist church, so unprecedented in its 
 
 history, so glorious in its promises for the 
 future. 
 
 I have to deal only with a simple method of 
 work, that method having its representation 
 in a little paper box some four or five inches 
 long and three inches wide, invented in the 
 wilds of New Jersey and manufactured in the 
 immaculate city of New York, at a cost some- 
 what less than is demanded for a tolerable 
 cigar ; to the uninitiated and uninterested, a 
 pleasing child's tdy, but, in point of fact, an 
 instrumentality for usefulness in our church, 
 never excelled, and, in many respects, never 
 equalled. 
 
 Because of the warmth of my conviction of 
 the immense power of the Missionary Army, 
 and the great effectiveness of its weapon, 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 73 
 
 the missionary box, I stand before you to- 
 day. Not even an officer of the army, only 
 a volunteer, one of the " rank and file,'' I 
 have been privileged to enjoy such a measure 
 of intimacy with the thoughts and plans of 
 those in authority as to warrant a confidence 
 that my views are largely in harmony With 
 theirs, and that the suggestions I may offer 
 will receive their assent and approval. 
 
 I am compelled, very reluctantly, to aban- 
 don my intention to present statistics some- 
 what in detail, of the organization of the 
 missionary army ; owing to the tardiness and 
 incompleteness of the reports to the secre- 
 tary and agents, any detailed statement would 
 be too inaccurate and imperfect to be profit- 
 able. 
 
 In general terms, I may remark that the 
 success of the plan has far exceeded the most 
 sanguine expectations of its founder. As 
 stated in the report of your secretary, some 
 25,000 boxes are already on duty, and, so far 
 as we are advised, there has, as yet, been no 
 diminution of interest. 
 
 In my personal relations to the work, I 
 have enjoyed warm and devoted sympathy 
 and co-operation from many of our most 
 devoted brethren and sisters, and I avail my- 
 self of this opportunity to express my grati- 
 tude therefor. 
 
 In the few moments of your time that I 
 may properly occupy, while most heartily re- 
 joicing with you in the grand record of the 
 past, I must seek to turn your thought to the 
 grander possibilities of the future and the 
 attendant duties. 
 
 Let us not, for one moment, deceive our- 
 selves with the idea that what has been done 
 affords us the slightest claim to exemption 
 from future duty, and especially, fellow-mem- 
 bers of the missionary army, I beg you, each 
 and every one, to say with me, in the words 
 of another, " I have just begun to fight." 
 
 With victory within our grasp, let us not 
 halt for a moment, but press forward where 
 duty calls. 
 
 "We can hardly expect that every one will, at 
 once, appreciate the full power or the possible 
 efficiency of the missionary army. 
 - A good brother said to me, " the missionary 
 box plan is an excellent one, as it will bring 
 in a large amount of money." 
 
 Ear be it from me to depreciate the potency 
 of money ; but I had to tell our brother that 
 his conviction was better than his reason 
 therefor, and that he discovered only the 
 
 weaker element of our organization. Twenty- 
 five thousand earnest men, women and chil- 
 dren, can doubtless raise a large amount of 
 money; but an army of twenty-five thousand, 
 aggressive as well as defensive, enlisted for a 
 common cause, openly and proudly displaying 
 its banner, actively seeking recruits, with its 
 members continuously strengthening them- 
 selves and each other, muscle and soul, by 
 their very work, constitutes a power not to be 
 measured by a cash standard. 
 
 In the progress of the late war, no develop- 
 ment was more grand than that manifested 
 in the labors of the men, women and child- 
 ren constituting the working force of that 
 noble organization, (having, among its most 
 honored leaders, one of the noblest of Univer- 
 salist women) the U. S. Sanitary Commission. 
 
 Its record includes the raising of immense 
 sums of money, the unlimited provision of 
 comforts for our noble soldiers, and the almost 
 unparalleled devotion and sacrifice of noble 
 men and women, in their efforts to ameliorate 
 the sufferings of the sick and the wounded. 
 How can we ever estimate such a record of 
 achievement? Yet it did far more than this ; 
 by the very act of its work it made patriots 
 of the weak and timid all over the land, and, 
 by its irresistible demand for aid, it con- 
 quered even disloyalty itself. 
 
 I think I may safely assert that no man, 
 woman or child who, during the past year, 
 has given to aid our centenary work, whether 
 freely from an abundant store, or like the 
 widow of old who cast her mite into the 
 treasury of the Lord, but has felt thereby en- 
 riched and strengthened, able to do more and 
 better of local duty than ever before ; while 
 beyond this result, so satisfactory in itself, 
 comes the immeasurable accretion of strength 
 to our church attendant on the bold declara- 
 tion to our neighbors and friends throughout 
 the land, that we recognize the fact that there 
 is a battle to be fought, a victory to be won 
 and that we have no money too good to be 
 spent in such a cause. 
 
 Waiving the consideration of the purposes 
 to which the monies laised are to be applied, 
 our Church cannot afford to forego the im- 
 mense strength derivable from general contri- 
 butions to a common cause, from rich and 
 poor, old and young, from east and west, 
 north and south. 
 
 Whatever instrumentalities may be used to 
 this end, none can be made so generally and 
 continuously effective as the missionary box. 
 
74 
 
 UNIVERSALIS!' CENTENARY, 
 
 Please consider with me some of the obvi- 
 ous reasons for such au assumption. 
 
 I name first, its economy ; the work has been 
 conducted, thus far, distributing twenty to 
 twenty-five thousand boxes, and raising some 
 twelve thousand dollars, at no expense (be- 
 yond first cost of boxes) other than some clerk 
 hire in New York in making up accounts, and 
 the actual cost of expressage, postage, &c. 
 The convention has not paid a dollar for ser- 
 vices in distribution or collection. 
 
 I name next the popularity of the work, or 
 (in the proper sense) its democracy. I do not 
 claim that numbers always accurately repre- 
 sent strength ; but, provided each member of 
 an organization is at work, the power of num- 
 bers is beyond dispute. The missionary army 
 meets this condition, in the fact that it has a 
 place for every one, young and old, rich and 
 poor, and something for every one to do. 
 
 Again, its work is continuous, not spas- 
 modic ; the missionary box being a continual 
 and ever present monitor, to incite to duty. 
 
 Once more, the missionary box, by its very 
 presence in a family, is a perpetual declara- 
 tion of faith, — a feature that can hardly be 
 too highly extolled. The voluntary declara- 
 tion to the world, " I am a Universalist," is a 
 basis of hrmense strength to our church, — a 
 foundation not easily to be shaken. How 
 much we need every instrumentality to such 
 an end, I need not use your time to demon- 
 strate, for the conviction is doubtless present 
 with every one of you. Another consideration 
 Is, that the work of the Missionary army can 
 be made to extend far beyond the limits of 
 parish organizations, and its representative 
 will be welcomed as a real blessing by thou- 
 sands of Universalists, who, by force of cir- 
 cumstances, are severed from Universalist 
 associations, and who will find delight in 
 using an instrumentality whereby, according 
 to their ability, they may testify to their love 
 for the Universaiist church and its work. 
 This is no mere theory. Had I the time, I 
 could quote from a score of letters to the 
 officers of the Convention and distributing 
 agents, most enthusiastically giving allegiance 
 to the Missionary Army, because of this con- 
 sideration. 
 
 I may refer you, also, to the fact that it pro- 
 vides for direct intercourse with our central 
 officers, and thereby provides an antidote to 
 the dangers (real or supposed) of centraliza- 
 tion. 
 
 Central authority seems to be, in some 
 
 measure, indispensable, but, to be healthful., 
 it must be active in its intercourse with every 
 part of its constituency ; the duties of the mis- 
 sionary army furnish admirable facilities to 
 such an end. 
 
 A further consideration is, that it utilizes 
 the inevitable strength that comes from the 
 fact of co-operation; that confidence of 
 the support of others which, at times, 
 makes soldiery so effective, the "shoulder 
 to shoulder " sensation, that so strengthens 
 any body of men, whatever the object of 
 assault; the consequences of co-workers on 
 either hand and behind and before. 
 
 Last, but not least, the plan of the mission- 
 ary army commends itself by its remarkable 
 simplicity ; everybody can understand it, with- 
 out argument or elaborate explanation. 
 
 The merits of the plan seem to be almost 
 innumerable, but, if I have stated enough to 
 secure your warm interest in the work, my 
 aim will have been answered. 
 
 I assume that the woik has just begun, and 
 I ask you, every one, for your zealous aid to 
 continue and greatly increase its success. 
 Indications of your confidence in the work 
 will inspire confidence in others. Tray treat 
 it in your conversation, as well as in your ex- 
 hortation, as a matter of importance, well 
 worthy of good and thorough work. If uced 
 be, defend its dignity ; the mission box does 
 not represent any mere child's-play, but it 
 stands for a splendid principle that is well 
 understood in the Roman Catholic and in 
 some organizations of the Protestant church, 
 viz that the greatest measure of strength to 
 a church comes not from large individual con- 
 tributions, whether of work or money, but 
 from the universality of the active interest of 
 the masses. 
 
 We have passed our experimental stage and 
 have entered just far enough upon actual ex- 
 perience to discern the immensity of the pos- 
 sibilities that await us. We drop the question 
 of what we can do ; the only question unan- 
 swered is what we will do. 
 
 Permit me, before closing, to refer to one 
 hindrance to success that attends almost 
 every effort, wherein large numbers are in- 
 terested, and that is the tendency, while ac- 
 cepting the principle, to waste much precious 
 time and strength in criticising unimportant 
 points of form and method. I am no de- 
 fender of Papal infallibility, but I think that 
 when we deliberately select the officers who 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 75 
 
 are to lead our work and when we really ap- 
 prove the principle and intent of their action 
 submitted to us, we can usually afford to ac- 
 cept plaus and methods as prepared, and go to 
 work at once. Our missionary army has had 
 its full share of the kind of embarrassment 
 referred to, to the really serious detriment of 
 its work. I suppose it to be but a common 
 streak of human nature to desire to build 
 one's house a little higher or a little lower, a 
 little longer or a little shorter than the archi- 
 tect has planned and to change the location 
 of all the closets two or three times during 
 process of construction, but while the right 
 of an owner so to act is beyond dispute, the 
 fact remains that it will always be found to 
 be terribly expensive. 
 
 Choose the officers of your missionary 
 army very carefully; have none whose gen- 
 eral discretion and good judgment is ever 
 
 questionable ; but when such men have made 
 the plan of campaign, it will be safe to accept 
 it and go to work, and any other mode of 
 action will be terribly expensive. 
 
 The plan of family contribution boxes was 
 devised in the interest of the work of our 
 General Convention, and belongs as much to 
 that interest as if it were patented by law. 
 
 Diversions of such form of work to the 
 right or the left, to build a steeple in Massa- 
 chusetts, to dig a cellar in California, or to 
 buy a bass viol in Connecticut, admit of but 
 one result, viz : the overthrow of the entire 
 plan. 
 
 Brethren and Sisters, fellow members of 
 the Missionary Army, what shall be the 
 record of our work and its results? 
 
 Our whole plan is eminently Christian ; no 
 one sounds a trumpet before him as he gives, 
 but all put mites into the treasury of the Lord. 
 
SERVICES AT THE OLD 
 
 MUEEAY MEETIDSTGKHOTTSE 
 
 AND GEAVE OF 
 
 :FLE-V- THOMAS J"03STES- 
 
 Among the many interesting and impressive 
 events of the Centenary Celebration at Glou- 
 cester, the commemorative services at the old 
 building once used as the place of worship of 
 the society of which Rev. John Murray was 
 pastor, took a prominent place. The building 
 now stands on the farm of Mr. Edward H. 
 Pearce, about two miles from Gloucester, on 
 the road to Squam, and is used as a barn, hav- 
 ing nothing in its outward appearance or in- 
 terior arrangements to distinguish it from other 
 buildings used for similar purposes. 
 
 The commemorative services took place on 
 Thursday morning, Sept. 22d, and were con- 
 ducted by Rev. Abel C. Thomas. As early as 
 eight o'clock, quite a number of people had 
 collected on the premises, and before nine, the 
 hour appointed for the services, at least a 
 thousand persons had reached the spot, who 
 manifested great interest in exploring that part 
 ofthe building which was accessible, which 
 was very small, the mows and scaffolds being 
 filled with hay and straw. A small platform 
 at the rear of the barn had been cleared, and 
 on it were a number of bouquets of wild and 
 cultivated flowers, the kind offerings of Meth- 
 odist friends in the vicinity. 
 
 At nine o'clock, a cart was drawn up in 
 front of the barn, and Rev. Mr. Thomas, Rev. 
 Eli Ballou, D.D., of Vermont, the venerable 
 Geo. W. Bazin, and some others, stepped into 
 it, and the services were commenced by Rev. 
 Mr. Thomas, who said : 
 
 " The building which we visit to-day was 
 erected in 1778, and dedicated upon Christmas 
 of that year. You have all read the history of 
 John Murray. How upon the 28th of Sept., 
 1770, he landed upon the coast of New Jer- 
 sey, and preached the next succeeding Sun- 
 day, which was the 30th of the same month, 
 
 and we meet here as upon the centenary, 
 though it is not strictly so. Mr. Murray 
 preached in the first place only as a missionary, 
 having no intention of settling as a pastor. 
 He preached in several places upon the sea- 
 coast, in that sandy district centering in Good 
 Luck, where was the old Potter meeting-house, 
 passed through the belt of pines upon the 
 borders of the Delaware and preached in 
 a number of places there, finding his rest 
 in Philadelphia for some time, and so con- 
 tinued until 1773, when he came to Boston. 
 He was sent for by certain people residing 
 in the village of Gloucester, — for Univer- 
 salism was in Gloucester before Murray came 
 here. There were a number of persons who 
 had obtained possession of some of Kelly's 
 writings ; I know not how many they were ; 
 they were few in number, but strong in faith, 
 and having heard there was a Universalist 
 preacher in Boston, they sent for him, and his 
 first visit to Gloucester was in 1774. Here he 
 was settled as pastor, the people worshipping 
 in private houses, until, in 1778, as I have men- 
 tioned, this house was erected, — dimensions 
 33 by 45, — and dedicated, as I have said, up- 
 on Christmas of that year. It continued to be 
 used as a place of worship until 1805. 
 In 1805, a new house having been erected, 
 the old one was vacated, and appropriated 
 to secular purposes. It remained upon its 
 original site in the village until 1815, when 
 one of the friends of Mr. Murray, who owned 
 this farm at the time, Father Pearce, bought 
 the old meeting-house and removed it to thi3 
 spot, and it has since been used as a hay barn 
 and stable. 
 
 We know very well that holiness cannot be 
 affirmed of anything strictly material, and yet 
 the uses and the associations of a material 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 77 
 
 thing may become to us very spiritualizing, 
 may lift us above the ordinary plane of thought 
 into communion with things which are divine. 
 Even the plain Quaker himself cannot ap- 
 proach a meeting-house with the same feeling 
 that he approaches a store-house or a bridge. 
 So we come here to-day, not designing to wor- 
 ship the fathers, but to speak well of them ; 
 not to worship this ancient binding, but to rev- 
 erence the principles which were taught in it, 
 which seemed to grow out from its sills and 
 even from its very foundations. I have no 
 doubt that the associations of this day will 
 prove to us religious elements in all time to 
 come. 
 
 Prayer was then offered by Rev. Dr. Eli 
 Ballou as follows : 
 
 " Almighty Father of our spirits, we thank 
 thee for this pleasant morning and for this 
 auspicious occasion. We thank thee that we 
 are permitted to come to this place made sa- 
 cred to us by its remarkable associations. Oh 
 God ! we thank thee that thou hast revealed 
 thy truth to us, and that we are called upon to 
 commemorate remarkable events and person- 
 ages, and that all these things are calculated to 
 inspire our hearts with devotional feelings, and 
 with the spirit of loyalty to thy truth. 
 
 As we gather here this morning, we would 
 desire to realize that thou art present with us. 
 Thou art the infinite mind, the father of all 
 spirits, and thy years have no end. Oh grant, 
 we pray thee, to inspire our hearts with thine 
 own spirit this morning, as we gather at this 
 place for these services ; and we pray, Father, 
 that it may be sanctified to our spiritual profit. 
 We pray, O God, that thou wilt be with us on 
 this occasion, and sanctify these services to our 
 spiritual benefit. We remember, as we gather 
 here, that there was One greater than even our 
 father whom we remember to-day; that there 
 was One who was cradled in a manger, who 
 is over all. Grant, we pray thee, that we 
 may remember Him as the first and the high- 
 est. Exalted^ God, be his name above every 
 name ! 
 
 Father, we pray that thou wilt bless us this 
 morning by the influence of thy Holy Spirit, 
 and grant, we pray thee, that we may carry 
 away with us those recollections that shall be 
 with us during all our natural lives, that they 
 may exert a purifying and uplifting influence 
 upon our souls in every walk of life. 
 
 Father, we pray that thou will forgive us 
 our sins, that thou wilt be with us in all life's 
 journey, and finally gather us into that houst 
 not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, 
 through the Lord Jesus Christ. And to the 
 Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, 
 and of all things, we would ascribe glory and 
 honor forever, — Amen." 
 
 The following hymn was then sung by the 
 assembled multitude : 
 
 Whilst far and •wide thy scattered sheep, 
 Great Shepherd, in the desert stray, 
 
 Thy love by some is thought to sleep, 
 Unheedful of the wanderer's way. 
 
 But truth declares they shall be found, 
 Wherever now they darkling roam, 
 
 Thy love shall through the desert sound, 
 And summon every wanderer home. 
 
 Upon the darkened ways of sin, 
 Instead of terror's sword and flame, 
 
 Shall love descend — for love can win 
 Far more than terror can reclaim. 
 
 And they shall turn their wandering feet, 
 By grace redeemed, by love controlled, 
 
 Till all at last in Eden meet, 
 One happy, universal fold. 
 
 Responsive Service. 
 All the ends of the world shall remember 
 and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds 
 of the nations shall worship before thee : 
 
 For the kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the 
 Governor among the nations. 
 
 Send forth thy light and thy truth, O Lord : 
 let them lead us and bring us to thy holy hill, 
 and to thy tabernacles, even unto God our ex- 
 ceeding joy. 
 
 Thou wilt show us the path of life : in thy 
 presence is fulness of joy : at thy right hand there 
 are pleasures for evermore. 
 
 How amiable are thy tabernacles, Lord 
 of Hosts ! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth 
 for the courts of the Lord : 
 
 My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living 
 God. 
 
 As the sparrow findeth a house, and the 
 swallow a nest for herself where she may hide 
 her young, so let me dwell at thine altars, O 
 Lord of Hosts, my King and my God. 
 
 Blessed are they tcho dwell in thy house : they 
 will be still praising thee. 
 
 A day in thy courts is better than a thousand 
 elsewhere : I had rather be a door-keeper in 
 
78 
 
 UMVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 the house of my God than to dwell in the tents 
 of ungodliness. 
 
 Lord of Hosts, blessed is the man that trust- 
 eih in thee. 
 
 Thy perfection is higher than heaven : what 
 can we do to celebrate thy praise ? It is deep- 
 er than hell : what can we know of thv fathom- 
 less love V 
 
 We praise thee, God : we acknowledge thee 
 to be the Lord. 
 
 All the earth doth worship thee, the Father 
 everlasting. To thee all angels cry aloud, the 
 heavens and all the powers therein. To thee, 
 cherubim and seraphim continually do cry. 
 
 Holy, holy, holy Lord of Sdbaoth ! heaven and 
 earth are full oj the majesty of thy glory ! 
 
 The illustrious procession of the patriarchs 
 praise thee : 
 
 The jubilant assembly of the prophets praise 
 thee :• 
 
 The glorious company of the apostles praise 
 thee : 
 
 The noble army of martyrs praise thee : 
 
 The Holy Church throughout all the world 
 doth acknowledge thee, the Father of an in- 
 finite majesty : 
 
 Also thy well-beloved and consecrated Son and 
 the Holy Ghost the Comforter. 
 
 O God, the King of Glory, help thy servants 
 whom thou hast redeemed by the hand of thy 
 mighty power : 
 
 Make them to be numbered with thy saints in 
 glory everlasting. 
 
 O Lord, save thy people and bless thy her- 
 itage : govern and lift them up for ever. 
 
 Day by day we magnify thee; and we wor- 
 ship thy name ever ; world without end. 
 
 Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us evermore 
 without sin. All our trust is in thee. 
 
 Lord, in thee have I trusted: Let me never 
 be confounded. 
 
 The following hymn, adapted by Rev. A. C. 
 Thomas, was then sung, to a tune familiar to 
 all, with thrilling effect : 
 
 Remembering the saints of a hundred years ago, 
 
 Shouting the banner-cry of Zioc, 
 The heavens above are bowed to the joyful earth below, 
 
 Shouting the banner-cry of Zion. 
 Hail the Redeemer, faithful and true, 
 Conquering by many, conquering by few, 
 T^hile we gather round the old church, 
 Or gather in the new, 
 
 Shouting the banner-cry of Zion. 
 
 The building-stone shall cry from the holy tempfe wall, 
 
 Shouting the banner-cry of Zion. 
 And the timber-beam shall answer to the spirit-stirring call, 
 
 Shouting the banner-cry of Zion. 
 Hail the Redeemer, &c. 
 The word of faith we honor, be it new or be it old, 
 
 Shouting the banner-cry of Zion, 
 To nations jet unborn shall its blessedness unfold, 
 
 Shouting the banner-cry of Zion. 
 Hail the Redeemer, &c. 
 
 Os>veet shall be the worship, when from earth we pass 
 away, 
 
 Shouting the banner-cry of Zion, 
 In a house not made with hands in the realm of endless day, 
 
 Shouting the banner-cry of Zion. 
 Hall the Redeemer, &c. 
 
 The Benediction was then pronounced, and 
 the services were brought to a close. 
 
 At the conclusion of the exercises at the old 
 meeting-house, most of the company hastened 
 to the Cemetery, where a similar service was 
 to be held in commemoration of the life and la- 
 bors of Rev. Thomas Jones. A granite shaft 
 upon an elevated pedestal, marks the spot 
 where rests the dust of this faithful servant of 
 God. The inscription is as follows : 
 
 Erected by the Independent Christian Society, 
 
 IN MEMORY OF 
 
 REV. THOMAS JONES, 
 
 Their Pastor for 42 years, 
 Who died Aug. 20, 1846, aged 83. 
 
 And of his wife, Sophia, 
 
 Who died April 17, 1850, aged 84. 
 
 As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 
 
 A handsome wreath of white flowers was 
 hung upon the monument, and a number of 
 tasteful bouquets were placed around its base. 
 
 The people having gathered about the 
 grave, and quiet secured, Eev. Mr. Thomas 
 said : 
 
 Kev. Thomas Jones, successor of Murray in 
 Gloucester Harbor, was for forty-two years the 
 Minister of that Parish. Rev. Ezra Leonard, 
 minister in Annisquam Parish for long years, 
 became a Universalist and carried his entire 
 congregation with him into the new Gospel. 
 A faithful and honorable life, in each case, 
 was crowned by a peaceful death ; and one of 
 the lessons we would fain embody in supplica- 
 tion is this 
 
 PRAYER BY REV. T. E. ST. JOHN. 
 
 Almighty and ever living God, who art the 
 life of every soul that looks to thee, sensibly do 
 we realize, that in thee we live and move and 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 79 
 
 have our being, that thou art Alpha and 
 Omega, the beginning and the end, the first 
 and the last, and as the spirits of all come from 
 thee, so into thy hands do all souls rest at last. 
 "We come, O God. with great faith in thine 
 ever-abounding love and grace; we come 
 thanking thee for thy revelation of life and im- 
 mortality, which enables us to know that if the 
 earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, 
 we have a building of God, a house not made 
 with hands, eternal in the heavens. We praise 
 thy name that we can look forward in joyful 
 anticipation to that home above, where father 
 and mother, sister and brother and child, all 
 meet around the throne, to part no more for 
 ever. 
 
 We bless thee for the revelations of Christ 
 our Lord, who was the resurrection and the 
 life. Let the spirit of the Master be upon us, 
 that we may hold up before the world a living 
 faith in thy providences and in thee. We 
 thank thee ior the lives of the fathers. May 
 the mantle they wore descend upon us, but 
 may we ever remember, that to receive that 
 mantle, we must take it at the foot of the cross. 
 Guile us ever, prepare us for life's duties, and 
 the praise shall be thine, through Christ our 
 Lord — Amen. 
 
 The congregation then sang the following 
 
 hymn : 
 
 Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee, 
 S'en tho' it be a cross, that raiseth me : 
 
 Still all my song shall be, 
 Nearer my God, to thee, nearer to thee. 
 
 There let the way appear, steps up to heaven, 
 All that thou sendest me, in mercy given: 
 
 Angels to beckon me, 
 Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee. 
 
 Then with my waking tho"ts bright with thy praise, 
 Out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise : 
 
 So by my woes to be, 
 Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee. 
 
 A responsive service followed,in which Revs. 
 A. C. Thomas, A. Wilson, T. E. St. John, 
 A. J. Patterson, W. G. Haskell, G. W. Qninby, 
 G. W. Skinner, C W. Tomlinson, and T. W. 
 
 Silloway took part, as follows : 
 
 The mighty God, even ihe Lord hath spoken 
 and called the earth from the rising of the sun 
 unto the going down thereof. 
 
 From the rising of ihe sun, unto the going down 
 of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised. 
 
 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 
 Prepare ye the way of the Lord — make 
 straight in the desert a highway for our God. 
 
 Every valley shall be exalted, and every 
 mountain and hill shall be made low : the 
 crooked shall be made straight and the rough 
 places plain : And the glory of the Lord shall 
 be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: 
 
 For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. 
 
 How beautiful upon the mountains are the 
 feet of him who bringeth good tidings, who 
 publisheth peace, who bringeth good tidings of 
 good, who publisheth salvation : who saith un- 
 to Zion, Thy God reigneth. 
 
 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice, with 
 the voice together shall they sing, for they shall 
 see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again 
 Zion. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm 
 in the eyes of all the nations : 
 
 And all the ends of the earth shall see ihe sal- 
 vation of our God. 
 
 The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, 
 and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; 
 and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that 
 day. 
 
 And in that day shall the deaf hear the 
 words of the book, and the eyes of the blind 
 shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. 
 The meek also shall increase their joy in the 
 Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in 
 the Holy One of Israel. 
 
 Ye shall go out with joy and be led forth 
 with peace : the mountains and the hills shall 
 break forth before you into singing, and all 
 the trees of the fields shall clap their hands. 
 
 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir- 
 tree, and instecid of the brier shall come up the 
 myrtle tree ; and it shall be to the Lord for a 
 name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be 
 cut off. 
 
 Thou art worthy, Lord, to receive glory and 
 honor and power, for Thou hast created cdl 
 thing*, and for thy pleasure they are and were cre- 
 ated. 
 
 Wherefore, with angels and archangels, and 
 all the company of the redeemed, and in pro- 
 phetic fellowship with all souls in the heights 
 and the. depths of the universe, we laud and 
 magnify thy holy name : 
 
 Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power,be 
 unto him icho sitteth on the throne and unto the 
 Lamb fur ever. 
 
 ADDRESS AXD PRAYER, BY A. C. T. 
 
 We come not hither superstitiou.-dy to gar- 
 nish the sepulchres of the righteous, but re- 
 
80 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 ligiously to freshen the inscriptions on the 
 tombs of the saints. And may we not- confi- 
 dently believe that the simple memorial ser- 
 vice in which we unite this day, shall be pho- 
 tographed on our inner life, and by association 
 bring us into worshipful communion with the 
 general assembly and church of the first-born ; 
 whose names are enrolled in heaven ? 
 
 " Part of the host have crossed the flood, 
 And part are crossing now," 
 
 and many of us stand upon its margin,, listen- 
 ing to the triumphal shoutings which come to 
 us through the open gates of day ; and our own 
 songs of victory, rising over this lowly bed of 
 dust, shall be an inspiration of both promise 
 and prophecy in the hereafter of the world. 
 
 — Ever living God, with whom the righteous 
 are in everlasting remembrance : We give thee 
 hearty thanks for the good examples of all 
 those thy servants, who, having pursued their 
 course with dligence and finished it with joy, 
 have laid down the burden of the flesh and en- 
 tered into thy heavenly rest. May their man- 
 tle continue in the midst of us, O Lord, and 
 grant, we beseech thee, that our own labors 
 may be kept in grateful recollection when the 
 places that now know us, shall know us no 
 more. 
 
 Rev. T. D. Cook. 
 
 I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith 
 the Lord : He that believeth in me, though he 
 were dead, yet shall he live ; and he that liv- 
 eth and believeth in me, shall never die. 
 
 Rev. Augusta J. Chapin. 
 I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto 
 me, Write : Blessed are the dead who die in 
 
 Spirit, for they rest from their labors, and their 
 works do follow them. 
 
 Rev. A. C. Thomas. 
 
 We strew this evergreen and these flow- 
 ers, in memory and honor of Rev. Thomas 
 Jones and Rev. Ezra Leonard, and of the an- 
 cients, now departed, who held up their hands 
 while they prayed, even until the going down 
 of the sun. They fulfilled the condition and 
 received the promised inheritance : " Be thou 
 faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown 
 of life." 
 
 The following hymn, adapted by Rev. Mr. 
 Thomas, was then sung by the congregation : 
 
 Marching on, marching on, in the century gone, 
 The glad train of pilgrims by faith we behold, 
 And the sheen of their robes is the jubilee-dawn 
 That bursts thro' the gates of the city of gold. 
 
 Marching, marching on, shout the triumph-cry— 
 Marching, marching on, shout the victory ! 
 Marching on, in the century gone, &c. 
 
 Pressing on, praying on, in the vesture of clay, 
 With sandals and staff and the voice of a psalm, 
 
 We follow that train to the portals of day, 
 The kingdom and glory of God and the Lamb. 
 Marching on, &c. 
 
 Pressing on toward the mark by a hallowing faith, 
 Communion we hold with the pilgrims of yore, 
 
 For the paths that lead down to the shadow of death, 
 Lead upward and onward to life evermore. 
 Marching on, &c. 
 
 By request, the hymn sung at the old meet- 
 ing house, commencing 
 
 " Remembering the saints of a hundred years ago," 
 
 was repeated, after which, the benediction was 
 pronounced by Mr. Thomas, and the congrega- 
 tion dispersed. 
 
CONFERENCE MEETINGS. 
 
 Probably no more important meetings were beld 
 during the three days than those for Conference and 
 Prayer. "We have given so much space, however, 
 to Reports, Proceedings, Addresses and Services, 
 that we find it necessary to content ourselves with 
 a very brief mention of these deeply interesting oc- 
 casions. Conference meetings were held each morn- 
 ing in the Universalist church, Wednesday and 
 Thursday mornings in the great Tent, every morn- 
 ing and one or two evenings in the Roxbury and 
 Lynn Tents. They were uniformly attended by 
 large numbers and were pervaded by the Divine 
 Spirit. Appropriately, the series of meetings was 
 closed by a Conference in the Universalist church 
 on Thursday evening. Of that we have the follow- 
 ing account : 
 
 The closing Conference meeting was appointed 
 at the Universalist Church at half past seven. 
 But the church was so densely crowded long before 
 that hour that the meeting was opened at seven. 
 Rev. C. II. Fay of Middletown, Conn, took charge 
 of the meeting, and after a voluntary by the choir 
 and prayer by Rev. S. A. Davis of Hartford, Conn, 
 read the fifteenth chapter of John, — "1 am the true 
 vine &c., which furnished the text for his remarks 
 on fruit-bearing. The aim and true result of Chris- 
 tianity is that we " bear much fruit." And this 
 fruit is not to be found primarily, in our perfect or- 
 ganizations, in our growth and numbers, in our glo- 
 rification of our doctrines, in nothing external or 
 incidental. It is rather that "fruit of the Spirit" 
 of which the apostle speaks which is love, joy, and 
 peace, gentleness, goodness and faith. 
 
 He was followed by Rev. G. W. Skinner of 
 Quincy, Mass., who called attention to the fact that 
 by our new organization we were now a Church, 
 and no longer a loose denominational organization 
 and we should feel the closer ties of church rela- 
 tion and obligation and the more sacred privileges 
 
 of church-fellowship. This was very forcibly and 
 ably illustrated by the speaker. 
 
 Rev. A. C. Thomas of Philadelphia spoke of the 
 fruits which Universalism produces in the lives of 
 its believers,making them self-possessed, reliant and 
 trustworthy. This was exemplified by the quiet 
 and order of the great gathering just closing. His 
 remarks were followed by anecdotes and illustra- 
 tions bearing on the subject. He was followed by 
 a lay brother who spoke of the joys our faith af- 
 ford to its believers. 
 
 Rev. T. D. Cook of New York was the next 
 speaker, who followed the line of thought of the 
 meeting with some excellent remarks. Rev. J. J. 
 Twiss of Lowell, Mass. spoke of the warmth and 
 devotion of the Methodist love-feasts, and wished 
 that we might make the present meeting a love- 
 feast as a fit close of the spiritual communion we 
 had been for days enjoying. Rev. C. R. Moor of 
 Augusta, Me., spoke of the present exaltation of re- 
 ligious fervor and zeal that pervaded our church, 
 and exhorted all to sustain the same spirit through- 
 out the next year and all those to come. 
 
 Rev. H. R. Nye of Springfield, Mass., spoke of 
 the spiritual fruits of the century work in our 
 churches, and Rev. G. W. Quinby of Augusta, Me. 
 spoke of one of his personal observations of the 
 same effects. Two or three lay brothers whose 
 names we did not learn also gave their testimony 
 to the preciousness of the faith and enlarged upon 
 the duties and obligations before us. Rev. C. Da- 
 mon of Haverhill, Mass., and Rev. E. S. Poster of 
 Chester, Vt., spoke briefly and well, urging the ne- 
 cessity of zeal and consecration in the cause of the 
 Master. 
 
 The meeting was enlivened throughout by excel- 
 lent congregational singing. At a late hour it was 
 closed, all joining in silent prayer, and afterwards 
 in the Lord's Prayer, after which the benediction 
 was pronounced by Br. Pay. 
 
prea^hi^g- SEEYICES, 
 
 TUESDAY EVENING. 
 Meeting in the Baptist Tabernacle. 
 
 Services were held in the Baptist Tabernacle, 
 corner of Mason and School streets, (which is a 
 temporary structure, the church having been 
 destroyed by fire),on Tuesday evening. The house 
 was well filled, although not crowded. After the 
 usual devotional exercises, conducted by Prof. J.S. 
 Lee, and Rev. Dr. Saxe, of N. Y., Rev. S. H. Mc- 
 Collester, of N. H., preached a sermon from the 
 text, 2 Cor. 3 : 6," The Spirit giveth life." 
 
 What is life ? he asked. Is it life that grows 
 the grain, colors the flowers, rotates the seasons, 
 nourishes the plants, and covers the universe with 
 infinite variety 1 In examining the visible, we are 
 liable to become unconscious of the invisible. 
 Material science is exceedingly fascinating, and the 
 botanist, the mineralogist, the astronomer, and the 
 lover of nature become so intent in their several 
 studies, that they frequently forget to inquire how 
 or why these things exist. They become so taken 
 up with the seen, that they frequently draw the 
 conclusion that there can be nothing beyond or su- 
 perior to it. Some physiologists have said that the 
 life principle will be found in the little cells floating 
 in the sap or blood, but they have failed to tell us 
 whence they derive their vitality. Because exis- 
 tence is traced clown to a point or condition, we do 
 not account for its reality. There is as much mys- 
 tery about the vital force of a gnat as that of an 
 elephant. Reason as we will, we cannot be con- 
 tent with the notion that a simple condition pro- 
 duces life, that inert matter can vitalize itself, that 
 the mortal can clothe itself with immortality. 
 Rather the reverse of this is true : life gives form ; 
 lives create shapes. It would be impossible to ac- 
 count for the phenomenon if there was not some- 
 thing superior to the material, if there was not 
 something that moulds and vitalizes. Life is the 
 great chemist, the universe is its laboratory, and or- 
 ganized bodies its work. As we see earth and air 
 teeming with objects which set at defiance the laws 
 of matter, we can but believe that the unseen con- 
 trols the seen, that life is more than matter. 
 
 Life being above the things of this world, the 
 question arises, " Is all life immortal 't " Is the vi- 
 tal principle of the tree and the horse to live be- 
 yoDd this world. Is man to live on and forever? 
 In this province we must walk by Christian faith; 
 we cannot say as in philosophy, we know ; still, 
 we can say, what is higher and better than this, as 
 in Christianity, we do believe. 
 
 The object of life seems to be completeness, and 
 whatever reaches that state here, we cannot discern 
 any reason why it should live beyond this life. 
 Fruits and animals reach perfection here, therefore, 
 they manifest no desire for another and higher ex- 
 istence. Man is never fully grown in the earthly, 
 and his powers, which promise completeness, come 
 far short of it while he tarries below. This world 
 does not satisfy him. He longs for eternity, and 
 asks, in looking up to God, for life forever. 
 
 Reason, then, as we will, everything tends to 
 prove man's immortality. In the economy of na- 
 ture, we learn that every material want must be 
 supplied and satisfied. Man's strongest desire is to 
 live forever, advancing in the highest light and 
 culture. Here is strong evidence that man is im- 
 mortal. 
 
 Since human life is to be everlasting, how essen- 
 tial we should make the most of it possible ! 
 Christ came to teach us how this might be accom- 
 plished. He declared that the kingdom of heav- 
 en is not above you or below you, but within you ; 
 that it is not enough to believe simply, but one 
 must do in order to be saved. He came to show 
 us the Father through his works, and he made us feel 
 that it is our duty so to live in this world and to 
 enjoy it, that we must needs live in and enjoy 
 the heavenly. If we do not appreciate the seen, 
 how can we hope to appreciate and enjoy the un- 
 seen ? As we become familiar with and understand 
 nature, and the adaptation and utility of other 
 works of God, we are enabled to sec and admire 
 Him who is from everlasting to everlasting, and 
 the Author of the universe. It is a great mistake 
 to suppose that heaven can be gained by abusing 
 God's earth or that the future can be made pleas- 
 ant by making the jjresent horribly dark. In the 
 beginning, God pronounced His works good, and 
 this, I feel, will be His final benediction. 
 
 The Master taught that no one is fitted to enjoy 
 the kingdom of heaven who ignores .and spurns the 
 things below as altogether sensual. Such persons 
 must enter the future poorly prepared to see God 
 and worship Him in the beauty of holiness. They 
 can have but little life or soul. Christ came that 
 we might have fulness of life here, and then Ave 
 should be sure of abundance of life forever. 
 
 As we study lives under the tuition of Christ, 
 we shall think vastly more of the spiritual. We 
 shall not lose sight of the seen, but shall view more 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 83 
 
 clearly that which is unseen. The body will not 
 become less real, but the soul more actual. Nature 
 will lead more directly to God ; science and philos- 
 ophy will always be subject to religion ; even all 
 human life will become positive proof of eternal 
 life. The fear of death, which harasses so many, 
 will disappear. To have our children or our 
 friends cast off the mortal will not be considered a 
 cross, but we will look up to God, praising him for 
 his goodness and his light. We shall realize that 
 those who have disappeared from the material 
 have gone up into the beautiful light where they 
 will think more, live more, love more, and enjoy 
 more. Through Christ, the stream of death is 
 made smooth, so that calm is the passage to the 
 other shore. He came, lived, died, rose from the 
 dead and ascended to the Father, that we might 
 attain to the highest conceptions and conditions 
 possible on the earth, and so become better fitted 
 for heaven, better fitted for loving God and loving 
 His children ; that when we shall walk the golden 
 streets, we shall have capacity of sight and capacity 
 of soul, to enjoy the future. All who will, can 
 keep the soul in a growing condition, can sow so 
 as to reap by -and- bye an abundant harvest. All 
 who try to asist themselves in this spiritual work, 
 
 God helps, angels help, and there is no such thing 
 as failure or disappointment. As thought goes back 
 to the past how positive we are made of this ! As we 
 think of our fathers, as we think of the apostles, 
 as we realize how they, who were true sons of God, 
 have found life, we are ready to say, " God help us, 
 that we may continue on in their footsteps, that we 
 may see much here to satisfy us, and have heaven 
 and its riches to hope for/' 
 
 " So I say/' said Mr. McCollester, at the conclu- 
 sion of an eloquent and highly interesting dis- 
 course, of which this is but a meagre synopsis, 
 ' those who struggle and those who labor are 
 blessed. To such, as the flower fades, as the leaf- 
 let withers, as cheeks pale aud friends waste away, 
 as the dearest ones go out of sight, immortality 
 will become a certainty, the fact that we are to live 
 forever will be theirs, and they will see " Beautiful," 
 written over the door of every tomb, and hear a 
 sweet voice pealing forth, I "am the resurrection 
 and the life. I will draw aUmen unto me. " 
 
 After the sermon, a conference meeting was held, 
 most of the congregation remaining, which was 
 addressed briefly by several persons, the addresses 
 being interspersed with singing and prayer, making 
 the whole occasion one of great interest and profits 
 
 Meeting at the Unitarian Church. 
 
 Our reporter failed to reach the Unitarian church 
 Tuesday evening, and as a consequence we have no 
 special report of the sermon of the Rev. N. S. 
 Sage of Indiana, who preached in that place. He 
 chose his text from Gal. v : 13 — " For brethren ye 
 have been called unto liberty." As reported in one 
 or two of the papers, his theme was " Spiritual Lib- 
 erty." He said the principle of liberty which was 
 involved in the text was a iundamental one in the 
 
 forms of faith and church government. Our fathers 
 had sought to build up a church in which every 
 member might feel himself at liberty to interpret 
 the scriptures according to his own conscience. 
 He referred to the tendency inherent in all religious 
 sects toward intolerance, and earnestly urged his 
 hearers to maintain the broadest religious tolera- 
 tion. He closed with a review of the prospect of 
 our educational institutions. 
 
 Meeting at the Universalist Church. 
 
 "While the Rev. S. H. MeCollester was preach- 
 ing in the Baptist Tabernacle, and the Rev. N. S. 
 Sage in the Unitarian Church, the Rev. J. H. 
 Tuttle of Minnesota was delivering an able and 
 impressive discourse to a dense throng in the Uni- 
 versalist Church. Mr. Tuttle was assisted in the 
 services by the Rev. George Hill of Massachusetts. 
 His text was John xii : 32— " And I, if I be lifted 
 up from the earth will draw all men unto me." 
 We give a brief synopsis of the sermon : 
 
 Many persons cannot understand why Universa- 
 lists need lay so much stress on the single fact that 
 Jesus will draw all men unto him. Why dwell on 
 the doctrine 1 Is it not enough to take care of the 
 moralities and enforce practical duties, leaving doc- 
 trines to occupy a subordinate position 1 It is not 
 enough, because in every system there is some one 
 central and prominent fact around which all other 
 
 facts are gathered. This is the case in nature, in 
 the planetary system, in science. In political econ- 
 omy the central idea is loss and gain. A central 
 fact groups all the other facts of mechanics and of 
 language. In society there is one permanent social 
 law without which there would be no society. 
 Every successful man has his leading characteris- 
 tic and his preeminent thought. That which made 
 Siiakespeare the greatest of poets is that which we 
 see to have been uppermost in his thoughts. 
 
 So religion and theology have and must have, 
 their central and dominant truths. The character- 
 istic fact of religion is love, as Jesus and Paul 
 taught. Therefore the religious teacher should 
 make his preaching centre in love. This should 
 be its prominent peculiarity. Theology, although 
 it includes religion has for its prominent character- 
 istic, doctrine. And it always has one supreme 
 
84 
 
 TJN1VERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 doctrine. The speaker here emphasised the neces- 
 sity of definite points by which to guide the course 
 of the wanderer. 
 
 The inner thought of Christian theology is iden- 
 tical with the central truth of Universalism — Uni- 
 versalism, that is, not as a name of a sect merely — 
 but as comprehending whatever is broad and perma- 
 nent in the ideas peculiar to our Church. Every 
 name by which the other sects distinguish themselves 
 represents an idea of subordinate importance. Bap- 
 tism, for instance, does not involve a fundamental 
 idea or doctrine. Presbyterianism suggests govern- 
 ment. Episcopalianism is marked for its manner 
 of worship. Nothing but a form or a non-essential 
 doctrine divides them. The word Universalism, 
 however, represents a doctrine, which whether true 
 or not lies at the heart and centre of religion. That 
 thought is that Christ will at last draw all men to 
 himself. Ask any man what question lies deeper 
 than every other, and he must say it is the question 
 of the salvation of men. This idea is more pro- 
 found and comprehensive than every other,even than 
 the idea of the existence of God, or the Bible, or 
 the character of Christ. It is not enough to settle 
 the question of our own personal salvation. We 
 are so linked with others that we cannot stop short 
 of the idea of the salvation of all. 
 
 Looking to the Scripture we find in the outset 
 the statement : " In the beginning God created the 
 heavens and the earth." But that is not the im- 
 portant declaration of Genesis. It is rather this ; 
 "I will put enmity between thee and the woman." 
 For this is a prophecy of the destruction of sin. It 
 may indeed puzzle us to understand how sin got 
 into the world. But we are principally interested 
 in knowing that the Captain of our salvation shall 
 strike such a blow on the head of sin as shall make 
 it recoil and at last die. In the prophecies, in the 
 gospels, and in the epistles, the most precious words 
 are not those which announce duty, charity precept, 
 bnt those which announce the Fatherhood of God 
 and the final triumph of the kingdom of Christ. 
 
 It is sometimes asked if Christ ever distinctly 
 taught the doctrine of Universalism. In the speak- 
 er's conception the declaration "And I, if I be 
 lifted up will draw all men unto me/' is such a 
 statement. When Paul was instructing Tim- 
 othy he gave as his most important charge : 
 Eor therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, 
 because we believe in God, who is the Savior of all 
 men, especially them that believe. This statement 
 had especial significance at that time, when it was 
 held that God was mindful of only a portion of his 
 children. The speaker would not say that the 
 chief thought of Universalism is all that a Chris- 
 tian should believe or teach. There are many 
 other collateral and important truths. But it will 
 be found that they all gather beauty and derive 
 dignity from the central thought of God's purpose 
 to reclaim and bless all " his children. The argu- 
 ment of an over-ruling Providence is not so clear 
 that the atheist cannot interpose many serious and 
 difficult objections to it. And the only complete 
 and satisfactory reply to his position must be 
 made from the stand-point of Universalism. Light 
 on all the dark problems of human life and history 
 come to us through this faith. It reconciles to trial, 
 perplexity, and misfortune. Said Chauncey Towns- 
 end : " Give but evil an end, and all is clear. 
 Make evil eternal and all is obscure." It is the cen- 
 tral thought of Christianity, and the essential one. 
 It embraces the only balm of consolation. With- 
 out this interpretation of their sorrows how can any 
 man consent to minister as a pastor to the people 1- 
 If sin and sorrow do not at last end where is there 
 any hope or comfort 1 No one, of course, will do 
 us the injustice of supposing that our joy at the 
 salvation of the prodigal causes us to overlook 
 the fact that the transgressor must be adequate- 
 ly punished. We believe that all will be made 
 finally happy by first becoming holy. And our 
 thought is that however long the discipline lead 
 ing to it, Christ shall at last draw all souls to 
 himself. 
 
 WEDNESDAY EVENING. 
 
 The principal interest on Wednesday evening 
 centered in the Woman's Meeting at the Universa- 
 list Church. More than an hour before the meet- 
 ing opened the house was crowded beyond the pos- 
 sibility of accommodating another hearer. A full 
 report of this meeting will be found in another place. 
 
 At the same hour the Eev. E. C. Bolles of New 
 York preached in the Unitarian Church, and the 
 Rev. Dr. Sawyer of Tufts College Divinity School, 
 in the Metho list Church, while the Council was 
 convened in the Congregational Church. On the 
 Camp Ground at the same time there Were two or 
 
 three quite largely attended and spirited Confer- 
 ence Meetings. The Unitarian Church was crowd- 
 ed. Mr. Bolles preached a sermon of charcteristic 
 beauty and eloquence from the text : " I have kept 
 the faith" — II Timothy iv:7. The Methodist 
 church in Gloucester is not located in the most ac- 
 cessible point, and many Avere unsuccessful in their 
 efforts to find it. But a large congregation assem 
 bled in it at the appointed hour and listened to an 
 able and pungent sermon in elucidation of the 
 thought contained in Eph. v : 1 — "Be ye there- 
 fore followers (imitators) of God as dear children." 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 85 
 
 COMMUNION SERVICE 
 
 At the Tent. 
 
 An immense congregation gathered at the 
 Tent on the afternoon of Thursday, and at the 
 hour announced for the commencement of 
 the services, scarcely a foot of space be- 
 neath the capacious canvas remained unoccu- 
 pied. The communion table was spread in 
 front of the platform, and on it was placed the 
 communion service used by Mr. Murray's 
 church, which was imported by him, and is 
 now owned by the Universalist church at 
 Watertown, Mass. The Salem Band was 
 upon the platform, and while the congrega- 
 tion were assembling, played several appro- 
 priate tunes, and led the singing which formed 
 a part of the exercises. 
 
 At two o'clock, Rev. Dr. Chapin appeared 
 at the desk, and announced that the services 
 would be commenced by singing the 8th hymn 
 on the order of exercises : 
 
 Tune. — Auld Lang Syne. 
 Hail, sweetest, dearest tie that binds 
 
 Our glowing hearts in one; 
 Hail, sacred hope, that tunes our minds 
 
 To sing what God hath done. 
 It is the hope, the blissful hope, 
 
 "Which gospel grace hath given ; 
 The hope, when days and years are past, 
 
 Wc all shall meet in heaven. 
 From eastern shores, from northern lands, 
 
 From western hill and plain, 
 From southern climes, the brother-bands 
 
 Msy hope to meet again ; 
 It is the hope, the blissful hope, 
 Which love divine hath given; 
 The hope, when life and time are o'er, 
 
 We all shall meet in heaven. 
 No hope deferred, no parting sigh, 
 
 That blessed meeting knows ; 
 There friendship beams from every eye, 
 
 And hope immortal glows. 
 It i# the hope, the precious hope, 
 
 Which boundless grace hath given : 
 The hope, when time shall be no more, 
 We all shall meet in heaven. 
 Dr. Chapin then read a portion of the 22d 
 chapter of Luke,— from the 1st to the 20th 
 verses, inclusive. 
 
 Rev. G. L. Di mahest, of Mass., then offered 
 the following prayer: 
 
 Our Father in heaven, whose sun shines 
 upon us to-day, by whose gracious favor 
 we have gathered here to commemorate 
 the preaching of thy love, we invoke the 
 
 blessing of the Holy Spirit that our gathering 
 together may not only be glad as it is in the 
 present, but may bring forth in us in the 
 future a more zealous labor, a more faithful 
 service, and a quickened faith and hope. 
 
 We thank thee for the multitude of thy mer- 
 cies, for the preaching of the Gospel of thy 
 love by Jesus and his apostles, by the line of 
 martyrs and the teachers of thy truth who 
 have faithfully proclaimed it. We thank thee 
 for the numbers who to-day do clearly preach 
 the Gospel of thine abiding and all-sufficient 
 love, and we pray that as we have received 
 the truth in our hearts, so w r e may be ready 
 to make abundant sacrifices in its behalf, and 
 send clown to the generations that are to 
 come the same great truth which has in a 
 measure inspired our hearts. 
 
 We thank thee for the consolations of the 
 Holy Spirit, and as our hearts revert to the 
 afflictions which have come upon us, may we 
 look up serenely into the heavens, relying 
 surely upon the word of thy promise, and 
 holding a heavenly hope as an anchor to the 
 soul, in all storms and tempests, sure and 
 stedfast. And we pray that the Gospel of thy 
 love may so work in our hearts that we may 
 be filled with love for our fellow men, and that 
 in time, human laws may be made to corres- 
 pond to the spirit of thy great law of love, 
 and all men learn to receive thee as a univer- 
 sal Father, and to receive every man and 
 woman as a brother or sister. We pray that 
 thou w r ouldst fill our lives with good deeds, 
 that thouwoulclst purify our hearts, forgive 
 all our sins, and that finally thou wilt assemble 
 around thy throne in heaven all thy children, 
 every wanderer redeemed and brought home, 
 and singing thy glory and that of thy Son for- 
 ever. Amen. 
 
 The services were continued by singing the 
 following hymn, to the tune of " Coronation" : 
 
 All hail the power of Jesus' name ! 
 
 Let angels prostrate fall; 
 Bring forth the royal diadem, 
 
 And crown Him Lord of all. 
 
 Ye chosen seed of Israel's race — 
 
 A remnant weak and small — 
 Hail Him who saves you by His grace, 
 
 And crown Him Lord of all. 
 
86 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENAKY. 
 
 Let every kindred, every tribe, 
 On this terrestrial ball, 
 
 To Him all majesty ascribe, 
 And crown Him Lord of all. 
 
 O, that, with yonder sacred throng, 
 
 We at His feet may fall ; 
 We '11 join the everlasting song, 
 
 And crown Him Lord of all. 
 
 Sermon by Rev, Dr. Chapin, 
 
 This do in remembrance of me." Luke xxii: 19. 
 
 This injunction may be said to involve 
 its own fulfilment. That is, these words 
 themselves quicken remembrance. They carry 
 us back, through ages of Dogma and Cere- 
 mony, beyond the institution of the oldest 
 Christian church, — or we may say, to the 
 institution of the oldest Christian church, — 
 back to that "upper room" in Jerusalem, 
 where that humble company of Publicans and 
 Fishermen are gathered around a common 
 table, and a common Lord. That life of teach- 
 ing and of miracle, that wondrous life of 
 divinity and humanity, is drawing to its close, 
 consciously to Jesus, vaguely to those disci- 
 ples. The suggestions of that Paschal feast 
 were colored by the thoughts of death and sep- 
 aration. The hour of betrayal and abandon- 
 ment, the hour of Gethsemane, of the Judg- 
 ment Hall, and of the Cross is at hand, and 
 even now its shadows are falling upon that 
 little group. 
 
 The teachings of our Saviour abound with 
 illustrations drawn from things close at hand ; 
 a grain of seed, a bird of the air, a lily of the 
 field. So now, in the elements of this last 
 supper, there were memorials of the death he 
 was about to meet. The broken bread was 
 an emblem of His torn and pierced body. 
 The outpoured wine was a symbol of His shed 
 blood. And so, we may believe, in the 
 natural emotion of the hour, coloring all 
 things with the atmosphere of his own 
 thoughts. He took the "bread, and gave 
 thanks, and break it, and gave unto His dis- 
 ciples, saying, this is my body which is given 
 for you; this do in remembrance of me. 
 Likewise the cup after supper, saying this cup 
 is the new Testament in my blood, which is 
 shed for you." 
 
 My friends, I have no intention, at this time, 
 of entering into minute discussion or contro- 
 versy as to the character or significance of the 
 Lord's Supper. It is a matter for very deep 
 regret that it has been the subject of so much 
 controversj'. It is a sad thing indeed, that 
 this rite, which should have been the Eeast of 
 Love, and the bond of union for all Christians, 
 has been the source of the most divergent 
 interpretation, and of the fiercest strife. But., 
 
 surely, whatever inferences may be drawn by 
 different minds from the circumstances con- 
 nected with the text, in any instance, this 
 observance must contain, as an essential ele- 
 ment, the idea of something done in the re- 
 membrance of Christ. Suppose we take what 
 may be called the most simple view. Suppose 
 we affirm that there was no formal institution 
 at all of what we call " The Lord's Supper," 
 no positive and authoritative establishment of 
 a rite. " Eather," it maybe said, " does this 
 language of our Saviour appeal to something; 
 deeper and more vital, than the mere spirit 
 of formal obedience. It appeals to those live 
 affections of our nature, which must always 
 insure the consecration of such a service, held 
 under such circumstances." It may be said 
 that " this was no more a formal institution 
 than the suggestion left us in time and place 
 by a dear friend, gone to some distant spot." 
 Suppose we say that those symbols are nc 
 more arbitrary than the ring whose round en- 
 circles the love and the memories of departed 
 years, or the tress of hair on which your heart 
 sheds a sacred dew that keeps it fresh forever, 
 " No more formal, no more arbitrary," it may be 
 said, " than this, although lifted by its subject 
 into a holy and solemn fact, consecrated and 
 made peculiar by all that was consecrating and 
 peculiar in the life and death of Jesus." In 
 the life, my friends, as well as in the death, of 
 Jesus ; for to both do the broken body and 
 the shed blood bear witness. The death of 
 Christ here " shown forth," was the culmina- 
 tion and final expression of his life, and so 
 both are associated with these simple symbols. 
 Or let us adopt the highest, the most myste- 
 rious, sacramental view of this Ordinance, — in 
 which the celebration of the rite is associated 
 with vital doctrines and the transaction of an 
 awful miracle, — the change of the visible 
 elements into the very body and blood of the 
 Lord. In either case, — or in any interpreta- 
 tion which may run between these extremes,, 
 — it seems to me that the act done in remem- 
 brance of the Saviour is au essential condi- 
 tion of the Ordinance. And it seems to me also 
 that, whatever may be the theoretical view, if 
 the act be done in true and proper remembrance 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 87 
 
 of Jesus, he who partakes of these elements 
 receives the real spiritual benefit of the ser- 
 vice. It is to the suggestion of these words, 
 then, — the words of the text,— that I shall 
 coufine my remarks in the remainder of this 
 discourse, — " This do in remembrance of me." 
 
 I proceed, then, to remark, that surely 
 there was a great power of communion in the 
 fulfilment of this injunction for those who ac- 
 tually heard it. To no others has it been 
 given to realize just such a communion in par- 
 taking of the bread and the cup. For with 
 that eating and drinking there must have 
 blended the most tender personal recollec- 
 tions, — memories of past hours, fraught with 
 iustruction and with blessedness, — memories 
 cherished by John, who lay on the bosom of 
 Jesus, and by Peter, who denied his Master 
 and was forgiven by him, — memories of the 
 strange experiences, the new life, into which 
 these humble followers had passed from the 
 fisher's boat and the receipt of custom. In a 
 very real and a very powerful sense, with 
 these remembrances must have been com- 
 munion. 
 
 And there must have been a peculiar power 
 in remembrance for many members o'f the 
 early Christian communities. For, as they 
 partook of the bread and the cup, they, too, 
 had tender personal recollections, — recollec- 
 tions of actual contact and visible communica- 
 tion with Him who had ascended on high. 
 These simple elements were brought before 
 eyes that had themselves felt the pressure of 
 His restoring hand, — eyes that had opened 
 from blindness, — eyes that had looked up into 
 that compassionate face through the dissolving 
 mists of death, — or eyes filled with lighted 
 tears, as He gave their sick and dying back to 
 their arms in life and health once more. 
 Hands that had been numb with palsy received 
 these blessed symbols of their crucified Ben- 
 efactor. Lepers whom His word had made 
 clean, — mothers whose infants He had 
 healed, — men whose distracted minds He 
 had restored to peace, — all these found in the 
 bread and in the cup, elements of tender and 
 solemn remembrance. And so, I say again 
 to them, that act of remembrance was, in a 
 special sense, an act of communion. 
 
 But to us, also, and still down to the latest 
 age of the Christian Church, — though not in 
 such a vivid or special manner, — in the act of 
 remembrance, there is the essence of com- 
 munion. 
 
 But before proceeding to make a special 
 application of this truth, let me call your at- 
 
 tention to the fact, that the form of the injunc- 
 tion is two fold : " This do — in remembrance 
 ofme." Doing and Remembrance are blended 
 in this injunction. I might, if I were disposed 
 to take up this matter in a controversial way, 
 have said that this very precept \m\ orts a 
 command of our Saviour. But, as I have al- 
 ready suggested, I have no disposition to do 
 this, and I should be sorry indeed to have any 
 one before me come to the table of communion 
 merely in obedience to a command, merely 
 from constraint, or a sort of formal deference. 
 Tnere is no power in it, unless we are drawn 
 by the magnetism of that almighty love which 
 glowed in tie Saviours breast and came from 
 the Saviour's heart. Nevertheless, here, I 
 say, is this double form, '-Do this, in remem- 
 brance of me," and, my friends, the remem- 
 brance which is alluded to here, and, in fact, 
 all kinds of remembrance, are something more 
 than mere acts of recollection, something more 
 than mere retrospects of the mind. A true 
 remembrance combines recollection with the 
 doing, and in the case of communion, even 
 when we partake of these elements, there is 
 not only a recollection, there is at least a 
 spiritual act of the soul, if we partake of that 
 communion with the proper and the true idea. 
 I trust I do not wander too far away from 
 the immediate and peculiar sacredness of the 
 injunction, by reminding you how much of 
 the action of life ought to be done, and must 
 be done, in remembrance. Life, as a process 
 of conscious action, at least, consists, I re- 
 peat, of action and remembrance. We may 
 say that a portion of man's life is in anticipa- 
 tion ; that is, in living in the future ; that 
 is, in calling up glowing images of years 
 to come. But, my friends, while there is 
 this era of hope, while there are these aspir- 
 ing thoughts and fancies, all that they con- 
 template and all that they include does not 
 yet constitute our actual life. Every step we 
 take is by a process of more or less conscious 
 reasoning. There is hardly such a thing as 
 an unreflecting act. There may be an uncon- 
 scious reflection, but I say every act has more 
 or less of reasoning in it, and all reasoning is 
 founded upon experience. Experience is the 
 guide of action, in so far as our reason is con- 
 cerned. We infer what is to be, from what 
 has been; we infer the conclusion, from the 
 premise which we hold. But if experience is 
 the guide to action, remembrance is the essen- 
 tial element of experience. We must recol- 
 lect, or evidently— it is a truism— our expe- 
 rience would be nothing ; we should have no 
 
UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 experience in our minds. I say, therefore, all 
 life, in reality, is remembrance ; it is the recol- 
 lection and the doing. Youth may seem to be 
 the period of anticipation, and no doubt anti- 
 cipation enters largely into the dreams of the 
 young; but after all, even the young, I repeat, 
 must act from what they remember. Each 
 short, faltering step, each lisping word, re- 
 membered, enables them to walk and to speak 
 more and more with the expression and the 
 power of maturity. Again, in age, we may 
 say that memory is failing, the windows of 
 life are darkened, the fire is burning low ; and 
 it is true, to a great extent, that in age mem- 
 ory fails. But that is the memory of near 
 events, of events that took place to-day, or 
 took place yesterday. As we hurry, my 
 friends, towards the gates of the citadel of 
 life, we run rapidly by those who stand near- 
 est to us, and think only of the past. We 
 know how old age, as it were, discards, 
 forgets, throws aside the immediate present 
 and lives away back in the past. Old scenes, 
 old incidents occupy the mind vividly. Is it 
 not so with us all ? Is it not so, my brethren, 
 with those of us who are beginning to be upon 
 the declining side of life ? Upon this occasion, 
 we have had a great deal of enjoyment. How 
 much of that has been in recalling the past? 
 We have looked into faces that bear the famil- 
 iar stamp of years. We have looked through 
 vistas of memory, and those memories have 
 glorified to us this occasion. When we were 
 young, When we were inspired with new life — 
 we call it all back, and so far at least as the 
 social pleasure of this occasion is concerned, 
 it has indeed consisted largely in remem- 
 brance. Old age, I repeat, therefore, remem- 
 bers, only it is a memory of the past, the 
 distant, rather than of that which occurs im- 
 mediately at hand. 
 
 It is true, again, that the details of memory 
 escape us. How difficult it is to recollect 
 without artificial aid, what we did a year, 
 what we did a month ago, unless .stamped 
 upon the mind by some peculiar condition! 
 And yet we know, every body knows, the 
 memory does not lose, it only suspends its 
 faculties. We know what a sudden and start- 
 ling revival of incidents sometimes occurs. 
 We know at particular crises, how the pro- 
 cession of events sweeps through the mind in 
 one brief flash, and all life is condensed, as it 
 were, into one bright moment of revelation, 
 showing that memory is there, living, and 
 requiring but the electric touch to bring all 
 its power into action. 
 
 Again, life is largely in remembrance, and 
 all true remembrance is that which is com- 
 bined with action. What we anticipate is not 
 substantial, it is not sure; and we are neither, 
 in fact, if we obey our Savior's injunction, to 
 anticipate the good or the evil— " Sufficient 
 unto the clay is the evil thereof." There is no 
 life of anticipation that practically belongs to 
 us, as conscious and spiritual beings, but our 
 true life is remembrance — experience and ac- 
 tion, step by step, as we press forward into 
 the future. There may be a sense in which it 
 is well for men to look forward and calculate 
 with a prudent eye to discern what may come 
 and what must come ; but the highest and 
 best action of life, I repeat, is action in re- 
 membrance ; a remembrance which moves us, 
 not only to recollect, but to dox 
 
 It is good for us to remember our sins and 
 our mistakes — where we have violated the 
 Divine law, where we have gone counter to 
 the Divine will. Is it not healthy, up to a 
 certain degree, for one to look back, and iu 
 the light of the interpreting conscience and 
 the law of God behold his shortcomings and 
 his follies ? This must not be morbid, it must 
 not run into vain regrets, it must not paralyze 
 us for future action. There is a sense in 
 which we should walk like John Bunyan's 
 Pilgrim, when his pack rolls off, trusting God 
 will forgive the past ; but an element of whole- 
 some moral discipline is the recollection of 
 past sins and mistakes. There should also be 
 a remembrance of the changes and uncer- 
 tainties of life, that we hope not too largely, 
 that we calculate not too sun ly, that we 
 allow for what may come to break our pur- 
 pose and to baffle our effort. And, above all, 
 there should be a remembrance of the Divine 
 goodness, of the Infinite Love that has tended 
 us and guided us all our lives long. 
 
 But, my friends, this life ought to consist 
 and must consist in remembrance and action. 
 Ought we not to proceed from the highest 
 point of view? At least, in all the conditions 
 of our truest life, in all that comes out of our 
 manhood and our womanhood, in all that 
 appeals to our best faculties, our noblest con- 
 duct, ought we not to live in remembrance 
 of Him who is the true life ? Ought not our 
 action to be iu His spirit? Can there be any 
 other rule ? Can there be any question about 
 that? I repeat, that it is remembrance of 
 Christ's life that should consecrate and guide 
 and determine, our highest and truest action. 
 We can take no lesser standard, if we take 
 that standard which is to guide us safely and 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 89 
 
 surely. Remember that Life is the true life — 
 "the light that lighteth every man that com- 
 eth into the world," a sanction, a guide and 
 inspiration to your life and to my life. There 
 is in it an element of divinity, to show us that 
 all life is not materialistic and gross; that 
 we are not limited to the objects of the senses, 
 and bound in the fetters of the flesh. There 
 is a divine life in Jesus to shed this divine 
 inspiration into our own life, that it may 
 be lifted up, purified and ennobled. 
 
 There is a point of interpretation in that 
 life. For I hold that Christ alone interprets 
 life; the mystery of life; the dark, sad pas- 
 sages that stream inhere and there. Myster- 
 ies, my friends, that come down upon life as 
 before long the cold and dark tempest will 
 come sweeping down upon yonder beautiful 
 sea. It will be tossed in wild commotion, 
 and that which lies to-day sleeping, as it 
 were, with an infant's sleep, shall be a wild, 
 irresistible force, driving strong men and 
 even navies to destruction. So ever and 
 anon there breaks in upon life those inci- 
 dents which we cannot explain, and which 
 have their interpretation only through the 
 life which is Je;«us Christ. That life, which 
 sets before us au interpretation of all life, 
 a light shed upon its darkest passages, ought 
 we not to remember it? 
 
 But that life is also a point of action. 
 Christ's words are to guide us, remember. 
 Who does not remember a mother's word of 
 warning, a mother's kind injunction? Is not 
 that a power through all coming time? Or a 
 father's wise precepts; do not these guide and 
 strengthen us? But, nearer than all words to 
 guide us, to inspire us, is this example of 
 Christ himself, this life of ihe Redeemer, to be 
 the spirit and mould of our own lives. For, 
 my fi lends, Christ filled out the circle of hu- 
 man experience. There is the wonderful 
 thing in Jesus. We sometimes hear men in 
 our rationalizing age tell us of the greatness 
 and goodness and virtue of Socrates, and, on 
 the whole, ascribing a little more excellence 
 to Socrates than to Jesus. But, my friends, 
 what fullness of life is there in Socrates? 
 what power to touch the weak points of my 
 soul in him ? to lift me up and inspire me when 
 I am cast down by my own passions, or when 
 I am in darkness because of my own fears? I 
 see one life, one great, sweet, tender life, that 
 touches every experience of your life or mine. 
 He who was tempted and yet resisted the 
 tempter; He whose life was a life of toil, and 
 
 yet toil willingly rendered in the spirit of self- 
 sacrifice; He who knelt in the Garden, iu the 
 ngony of that great hour when the shadow of 
 the Cross fell upon him, and prayed, prayed 
 as any mother here might pray by the side of 
 her gasping babe — prayed as any father might 
 pray who sees the bolt of death falling upon 
 those near to him — " Oh, Father, if it be thy 
 will, let this cup pass from me!" Oh! how 
 closely he touched us there ! And yet, out of 
 that sorrow and agony, so human, so sensi- 
 tive, so tender, he rose to that sublime reli- 
 ance — "Not my will, but thine be done !" 
 the consummation, the whole of all human 
 prayer! Is not that one point of our experi- 
 ence ? All the circle of mortal sorrow, mortal 
 need, mortal exposure is touched and filled by 
 Him. Is there any other life like that ? Do 
 you find it anywhere else? Do you not find it 
 here? Do you not find here iu Him that life 
 which all ages honor as the highest life ? For 
 there is another peculiarity about it, — that 
 while some men have answered to the highest 
 ideal, perhaps, of the Semitic mind, the Orien- 
 tal mind, the Western mind, have been the 
 representative men of their age, or of their 
 peculiar locality, Christ is the life of all hearts 
 and all minds, presents to all ages his own as 
 the true ideal of humanity. Well, then, may 
 we act in remembrance of Him, as our life's 
 guide, our support, who touches and fills all our 
 experience, and by his own example, gives the 
 needed supply to all our wants. 
 
 The measure of that life who has filled? 
 who has attained it? who has reached it? 
 Who is there that has transcended the excel- 
 lence of Jesus? Who pretends that anybody 
 ever has transcended or reached that excel- 
 lence? And therein is it fitted still to be the 
 standard of our lives ; for man is so constituted 
 that he cannot rest satisfied with anything that 
 is limited ; he will fill up the absolutely measured 
 circle. It must be that which is boundless in 
 excellence, ever suggestive in its iutimations, 
 ever opening greater depths, loftier ideas — it 
 is this alone which is suited to the condition 
 of the human mind. Christ, therefore, as their 
 constant, highest, unapproachable ideal, is the 
 true guide and standard of human life. 
 
 But all this, you see, implies that remem- 
 brance is not a mere act of memory; it is an 
 ingathering of Christ's own influence; it is a 
 distribution, a precipitation of soul under that 
 influence. 
 
 How shall w T e remember Christ? How do 
 we remember the departed? What is true 
 memory ? What is the best memory to-day of 
 
90 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 Barnes, and Richards, and Murray, and Ballou, 
 and all those men whose names are worthily 
 honored now? Merely to tell of what they 
 were; merely to recount their deeds? No; to 
 imitate them. With their zeal, their spirit, 
 their love of truth, their ardent devotion, to 
 go forth into the world. 
 
 You honor those you love as you imitate 
 them ; as your remembrance combines tender, 
 honoring recollections and precipitation upon 
 the line of their action, so that doing and re- 
 membering become one thing. 
 
 The remembrance of Jesus, my hearers, im- 
 plies communion with Jesus, his indwelling 
 spirit and presence, and as we commune with 
 him, and receive that spirit, thus, thus is he 
 truly remembered. 
 
 To whom does Jesus address these words ? 
 To the apostles ? Undoubtedly. To the im- 
 mediate disciples ? Yes. But were they spe- 
 cial? were they exclusive? were they words 
 confined to those who sat in that upper guest 
 chamber? They are words addressed to all 
 down through the ages. From that upper room 
 down to every human heart that needs Christ's 
 consolation, to every human soul that needs 
 his succor, come the words, " Do this in re- 
 membrance of me." To all for whom that 
 sacrifice was made, to all for whom that love 
 was set forth. If for you, Christ has uttered 
 no word of truth, if for you Christ has wrought 
 no work of love, if for you there is nothing 
 consoling in what he said, if for you there is 
 nothing inspiring or saving in what he did, — 
 turn from these emblems — He is not your 
 benefactor! But, oh ! sons and daughters of 
 humanity, where are you that you have never 
 needed Christ's word of comfort or Christ's 
 spirit of guidance and power? And wherever 
 you are that need these, you are invited to do 
 this in remembrance of Him. All are helped, 
 all are blessed by this special act of commun- 
 ion, which recalls Christ to us so vividly. 
 Not this formal act of communion alone. I 
 am willing to say, that better are they who 
 live in Christ's spirit, and try to walk in 
 Christ's steps, though they never come to the 
 table of communion, than those who come here 
 coldly and formally, taking the symbols merely 
 upon their lips, and turn away without the 
 consecrating presence in their hearts. There 
 is in truth a real presence, — not the material 
 body of Christ in the broken bread, not his 
 blood in that which is poured from the cup, 
 but His presence in our souls, as we partake 
 His quickening influence in our consciences 
 and lives j and I say, better those who have 
 
 the spirit and not the form, than those who 
 have the form and not the spirit. But we be- 
 lieve that this form itself is fraught and preg- 
 nant with the spirit of Christ ; that in the con- 
 templation of the life of tenderness, and 
 beauty, and holiness, which is associated with 
 it, our own lives themselves are lifted up 
 and inspired. 
 
 Do this that you may truly remember Christ, 
 in that remembrance which is not merely of 
 recollection, but of action ; is doing as well as 
 thinking. Let all who will, come ! We set up 
 no barriers of definition before the heart that 
 would come to the Lord's table in sincere and 
 loving remembrance of him, because the lips 
 of this believer do not and cannot pronounce 
 our formula. We cannot say this is a Univer- 
 saiist, a Unitarian, a Presbyterian, or a Bap- 
 tist table. This is the Lord's table ! We dare 
 not hedge it up with our formulas ; we dare 
 not seal it with our creed. It is open to all, 
 by the free gift of Him whose life and death 
 are represented there. All who will, come ! 
 The profane, the dissolute, do not want to 
 come. But the poorest, weakest heart, that; 
 knows its guilt, that would come even like 
 Mary, that it may touch that hand, or like the 
 poor woman who would but cling to the heni 
 of the garment, so that healing might flow 
 through. Oh, you may best of all come. If 
 any stay away, let it be those who are too 
 good to come. Do not say you are not good 
 enough to come. Those who are too good to 
 come, let them go ; those who are strong in 
 themselves, let them go. But those who 
 know how weak they are under temptation, 
 and how often they fall in the battle of life, 
 yet wish to rise and struggle on, you, for 
 whom Christ peculiarly lived, for whom his 
 word is peculiarly set forth, come ! We can 
 set up no barriers to exclude yon here. " This 
 do in remembrance of me." Not "of human 
 doctrines concerning me." That is not the 
 Master's requisition. 
 
 This is a memorial service ; therefore it is 
 not a service of mystery or gloom. It is not 
 a trivial thing ; it is not a thoughtless thing. 
 Do you say that you cannot partake of the 
 Lord's supper; that there is something about 
 it that points us to serious life? It ought to 
 point to a serious life. Life is serious. It has 
 its tender joys, its blessed pleasures, but after 
 all, the pith and core of life must be serious. 
 If you are men and women living in the face 
 of the realities of the world, living with every 
 hour teeming with unknown possibilities, liv- 
 ing frivolous, aimless lives, for that very 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 91 
 
 reason come, tnat your lives may be trans- 
 muted into a true, tender, holy seriousness. 
 Not lightly, not frivolously, yet without 
 gloom, let us partake of these elements, in 
 remembrance of Christ. 
 
 I say, again, the weak, the sinful, all the 
 more. The abandoned, the deluded, — men 
 who are pluuged deep in the world's cares, 
 the world's pleasures, the world's business, 
 the world's perplexity, — men whose hearts 
 are heavy with the world's changes and trials, 
 — to you, these words are addressed. Not 
 merely to the saints, not merely to the white- 
 robed, the immaculate and the pure, but to 
 you, my toiling brethren, to you, my frieuds, 
 bound on many of the strange experiences of 
 life, to you these words make their solemn and 
 their tender appeal. 
 
 Do this in remembrance of what He was and 
 is,— in remembrance of what we should hope 
 and aspire to be; for, ah! there is in the 
 memory of Jesus, when it once enters into the 
 human heart, a deep, an abiding power, that 
 survives all others, and lingers when all other 
 feelings seem to have passed away. You 
 know the story of the old clergyman, who had 
 gone far along in years, clear down in the 
 vale of life; his faculties had failed him; his 
 memory had gone, and he sat by his fireside 
 in utter unconsciousness of those who were 
 around him. Attempts were made to arouse 
 him. The name of his son was mentioned : 
 "I have no son." The name of some other 
 dear one was mentioned : he recollected it not. 
 The name of his little grandchild : " I have no 
 darling." The name of the Lord Jesus Christ 
 was mentioned, and the old man looked up, 
 his eye lit with the fire with which in his 
 younger years he had swept great congrega- 
 tions, his voice swelled with something of its 
 old power, and he said, "Yes, oh, yes, I do 
 remember the Lord Jesus Christ!" It is the 
 deepest, most vital, most abiding memory of 
 all ; and therefore, because of its power in 
 life, in all the experiences of life, do this in 
 remembrance of Him. 
 
 My friends, I cannot close these remarks 
 without reminding you of one or two points, 
 as to which the spirit and suggestion of the 
 words before us are peculiarly fitted to the 
 present occasion. 
 
 This is especially a festival of remembrance. 
 That word " remembrance " strikes the fore- 
 most chord of the present hour. We are hero 
 in remembrance of the work, the men, the re- 
 sults of a hundred years. There is nothing 
 irreverent, I trust, in the comparison. We 
 
 think of the little congregation in the upper 
 room in Jerusalem ; — we think of the wide 
 banyan tree of Christianity, that stretches 
 from land to land, and from shore to shore. 
 We think of the little band, with something of 
 the same energy, — we admit the far narrower 
 circle — that scattered the seed a hundred 
 years ago ; — we think of the glorious harvest 
 that ripens before us to-day. And our work 
 here to-day is a work of glad and thankful re- 
 membrance. But of what significance is this 
 remembrance, of what practical power and 
 value ? It is a remembrance, if it is truly one, 
 that will be expressed by action; a remem- 
 brance that is not merely formal, that is not 
 merely sentimental, that is substantial and 
 genuine, because it is to be in the form of ac- 
 tion. We shall remember our past, we shall 
 honor our past, as I have already suggested, 
 as we imitate what was good in it, and honor 
 it still more as we with faithfulness let our 
 contribution of deeds and words and true 
 lives tell upon the centuries to come. 
 
 We shall never, of course, participate in 
 another Centenary — not in the body ; but 
 who knows that we shall not in spirit? We 
 must. We shall touch that, we shall touch 
 other generations for hundreds of years to 
 come, by our faithful lives. By our devotion 
 to the truth, by our contributions to the very 
 elements that shall make that truth powerful 
 and effectual, we shall touch that distant 
 future. When, with this same ocean rolling 
 before them, perhaps, and these same old 
 scarred and wave-beaten rocks standing here, 
 but we, lying long in our quiet rest, gen- 
 erations far ahead shall come, in God's provi- 
 dence, to celebrate the completion of other 
 ceutenaries in our history as a sect and de- 
 nomination, — we shall touch them, and we 
 shall be happy if we are felt in their remem- 
 brance as those who are gone are felt in our 
 remembrance. We are to conserve and imi- 
 tate all that was true and worthy in their 
 work ; we are to welcome all that in the ever- 
 unfolding process of time comes to us of better 
 methods, of fresher views, of new duties. 
 
 Remembrance of the dead and of the de- 
 parted — let it be a blessed remembrance. 
 We do them honor to-day ; but, my hearers, 
 we do them honor as we honor their Master. 
 The remembrance of this occasion, in its 
 truest, profoundest, most sacred form, is that 
 great, all-absorbing remembrance especially 
 associated with the rite we are about to cele- 
 brate. Remembrance of Him, so that we do 
 
92 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY. 
 
 His work, glorify His church, and advance 
 His cause. We are here to-day announcing 
 in simple words of grand and pregnant con- 
 fession, th.it we believe in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. We are not ashamed to say it. To the 
 philosophy of the age, wilh all its startling 
 problems, to the proud spirit of the age, that 
 seeks other guides aud standards, or no stand- 
 ards at all, we say that we are followers of 
 the Lord Jesus Christ. We honor Him and 
 His work by this act ; and to-day we confess 
 Ilim our Lord and Master. By what more sig- 
 nificant act could we confess Him than by this ? 
 In our denominational and individual action 
 as ministers and people, do this in remem- 
 brance of Jesus. Do this, that we may 
 charge our hearts and our conduct with His 
 truth, His spirit and His life. Charge them 
 with His truth. We are to maintain and clefiend 
 it. There is power in it. It is the only truth, 
 it seems to me, that gives intellectual recon- 
 ciliation to all things. It is the only truth that 
 stands between the soul bowed down in su- 
 perstition on the one hand and that dark and 
 desolating materialism which lifts its cold 
 and icy head on the other. It is the only 
 power which reconciles what must be recon- 
 ciled in God's world before there can be a 
 mighty, triumphant Church — Reason and 
 Faith — Devotion and Intellect — Science and 
 Worship. We reconcile these, and we stand 
 to-day, I verily believe, in our growing power, 
 as that conservative, yet at the same time 
 advancing sect, which combines the elements 
 that shall reconcile the intellectual discrep- 
 ancies of the time. I believe, my friends, 
 (and I think more of this than I clo of the 
 other) that to us is given the great work of 
 spiritual deliverance. 
 
 1 mean, that to us is given the only power 
 which can go down and save men — for our 
 view of salvation is not deliverance from the 
 fire or the puigatory of the future; it is de- 
 liverance from man's own sin and all the con- 
 sequences of it, be they present or future. 
 We believe the only power that cau save men, 
 lift them out of their sin, make them ashamed 
 of sin, more than that, make them love good- 
 ness, is that full exhibition of divine love 
 which comes in our truth of God's love for all 
 the world. We have confidence that for the 
 low slums of humanity, tor the poor wa.fs 
 and castaways, the harlot, the unclean, the 
 shamed and despised, there is no power but 
 the power that can come and say — "God 
 lives for you; Christ died for you. Battered 
 coin of God Almighty, there is something of 
 
 the Divine image and superscription there 
 yet! Bandaged, swathed about with seven- 
 fold cerements of sin, God's love shall work 
 in your heart until you shall strip them from 
 brow and lips, and stumble, like Lazarus, into 
 a new and regenerated life." We believe in 
 that, and we believe that to us is committed 
 the power of salvation and redemption. 
 
 Then we are to work. Christ's spirit, the 
 spirit of love, the spirit that belongs to these 
 tables, embraces all as God's children. For, 
 my friends, we say that all are to come here; 
 and if we say this, let us remember that 
 our work is to proclaim our truth. But while 
 we are to stand for our views of God and 
 Christ, we must remember there is something 
 broader than that and more than that. It is a 
 better work to make men Christians than to 
 make men Universalists, for Univ'ersalism 
 means merely this sectarian, peculiar view, 
 which we believe to be true. There is a 
 deeper church than the Universalist church, 
 it is Christ's church ; and remember that out- 
 side of all churches and creeds, there are 
 thousands and hundreds of thousands, who 
 have no fixed, definite views, who do 
 not know exactly what they believe. They 
 know one thing — that they believe in Christ. 
 They want his love, they want to be helped, 
 strengthened and guided. " Fight your the- 
 ological battles," they say; "entrench your- 
 selves upon your religious war-fields ; we want 
 to come to Christ and be helped and blessed." 
 And if our faith is good for anything, it is 
 going to be the faith that feeds them, that 
 does not merely add members by name to our 
 churches, but brings people in because we 
 supply that for which they hunger and thirst, 
 the truth and love of Jesus Christ. We must 
 cherish in our hearts the love of Christ, and 
 strive that in the hearts of others his love 
 may be cherished. The end of all doctrine, 
 all organizations, all creeds, all preaching, is 
 to bring men to Christ, to make them to be 
 like Him Do this in remembrance of Him, 
 that that remembrance may become assimila- 
 tion and likeness. Become one with Him 
 until that life shall become, as it were, an 
 expression of the power of your own life ; 
 or, to use the language of the great apostle, 
 until " Christ is formed within you." 
 
 That is the end of our denomination, our 
 churches, our creeds, —to help to bring men 
 into Christ's likeness. And we say this is 
 done; men have reached heaven, and have 
 reached the highest state whict God appoints 
 for them. Therefore it is false to say that we 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 93 
 
 hold up no penalties and no rewards. We 
 admit that there are abundant penalties and 
 abundant rewards. It is true that it is not 
 the doctrine of rewards and punishments 
 thnt to us furnishes the great sanction to a 
 Christian life, but the desire to be like Christ, 
 to attain to something of tnat likeuess. That is 
 what we aim for. This, independent of all ex- 
 ternal considerations, is to us the great result. 
 Meu are not to be scared to it by hell fire, nor 
 drawn to it by gleams from heaven, but drawn 
 by its own intrinsic excellence and worthiness. 
 In a certain book we are told that the envoys 
 of one of the most Christian kings were met 
 in Palestine by a stately woman, bearing in 
 one hand a vase of water, and in the other a 
 brazier of burning coals. She was asked who 
 she was, and what she had in her hands. "I 
 am," she answered, •' the Christian Religion, 
 and I come with these burning coals to dry up 
 the rivers of Paradise, and with these streams 
 of water to quench the fires of hell, that hence- 
 forth mankind may love me for myself alone; 
 may forsake sin and cleave to good, for the 
 hate of sin and for the love of goodness." 
 When we have brought men to do this, we 
 have done our work and Christ's work, — a 
 true remembrance of Him, which passes into 
 every reproduction of life. 
 
 Therefore, my friends and brethren, for our 
 public help and our private blessedness, for 
 our hand work, our heart work, our life work, 
 on this occasion of remembrance, this oc- 
 casion that for us can never recur again, let 
 all other remembrances recede, —let them not 
 perish, let them rather be absorbed in that all- 
 comprehending remembrance which embraces 
 all. And in this confession of faith and love 
 by which our souls here touch that spiritual 
 reality which joins us to all that is worthy 
 
 and enduring in the past and the present, 
 upon this occasion, when you commune in 
 spirit with the great multitude of worthies 
 who have lived and have gone, upon 
 this occasion, which, I say, in its sug- 
 gestions, oversweeps the few years that 
 we can expect to remain here upon the 
 earth, under any circumstances, and reaches 
 out to communion with the congregation of 
 redeemed humanit} r , — upon this occasion, 
 let us make known our faith, let us express 
 our love. We have met, let us part, in Christ. 
 Oh, let us take this cup of divine love, let us 
 take this bread, the broken body of our Lord, 
 and let us, in this parting hour, with rever- 
 ence, and love, and joy, obey that great and 
 tender injunction, " This do in remembrance 
 of me ! " 
 
 A scene of touching and solemn impressive- 
 ness followed, as the vast multitude, pro- 
 foundly moved by the discourse to which 
 they had listened, and the deep, tender and 
 soul-thrilling emotions of the hour, partook 
 of the Service of Remembrance. Rev. E. 
 Eisner, D. D., of Canton, N. Y., and Rev. G. 
 W. Montgomery, of New York, officiated at 
 the table, and Dr. Fisher delivered a brief 
 address, at the close of which, he invoked the 
 Divine benediction, and then the emblems of 
 the broken body and shed blood of our Lord 
 were carried through the tent by the deacons 
 and several of the ministers present, and 
 freely offered: "Whosoever will, let him 
 come." During this service, Rev. Geo. W. 
 Montgomery, of Rochester, X. Y., addressed 
 the congregation in a few remarks appropri- 
 ate to the occasion, and the service was 
 closed by the Doxology — " Praise God from 
 whom all blessings flow." 
 
PJROCEEDIISrGS I2ST COTXN"CIL. 
 
 The Convention met on Tuesday morning at the 
 Universalist Church, and was called, to order by 
 Rev. J. G. Bartholomew, of Auburn, N. Y., Presi- 
 dent of the Convention last year. 
 
 Prayer was offered by Rev. J. H. Hartzell, D. D., 
 of Albany, N. Y. 
 
 The roil of delegates was then read by the Per- 
 manent Secretary, Rev. Jas. M. Pullman, and a 
 quorum answered to their names. 
 
 Mr. Crowell, of N. Y., moved, that an informal 
 bailor be taken for President. 
 
 This motion was lost, and a committe of five ap- 
 pointed by the Chair to retire and nominate a list 
 of officers for the permanent organization of the 
 Convention, as follows : Rev. Chas. H. Flubrer, of 
 N. Y. ; Rev. W. H. Ryder, D.D., of 111. ; J. D. W. 
 Joy, of Boston, Mass. ; W. S. Johnson, of R. I. ; 
 and Rev. J. S. Cantwell, of Ohio. 
 
 This Committee soon after reported the following 
 list of officers : 
 
 President, Hon. Sidney Perham, of Me. 
 
 Vice President, Rev. J. P. Weston, D. D., of Il- 
 linois. 
 
 Secretary, Hon. N. H. Hemitjp, of Minn. 
 
 The report of the Committee was accepted, and 
 the officers elected. 
 
 The President, pro tern. I have the pleasure of 
 introducing to the Convention the Hon. Sidney 
 Perham, Governor elect of Maine, who will preside 
 during the session. 
 
 Address op the President. 
 
 Members of the Convention, — I return to you my 
 grateful acknowledgments for this expression of 
 your confidence, and, bespeaking your kind consid- 
 eration and indulgence in the performance of the 
 duties assigned me, I will accept the position. 
 
 It is with no ordinary pleasure that I extend to 
 this vast audience of brothers and sisters in one 
 common faith, coming up from almost all sections 
 of this great country, and animated by a common 
 spirit in the work which devolves upon a common 
 cause, congratulations. You have come here to- 
 day for the purpose of celebrating the one hundredth 
 anniversary of our denominational existence. We 
 have passed through scenes of trial, we have met 
 disappointment, and we have achieved most glori- 
 ous successes : and, standing as we stand to-day, 
 with the road behind us over which we have passed, 
 
 at the one hundredth mile-stone of our great denom- 
 inational progress, and walking forward to the 
 highway in which we are to travel in the future, 
 covered though it may be, to some extent, with 
 doubt and mist, yet sufficiently discerned so that we 
 may be able to know that it is onward and upward 
 toward a higher life, and nearer to the throne of the 
 Almighty, we come here to-day for mutual con* 
 gratulations. We come not only for this purpose, 
 but we come for the purpose of thanking Almighty 
 God for the glorious successes which he has vouch- 
 safed to the workers in this great cause. We have 
 not come here entirely for the purpose of giving 
 thanks and for the purpose of congratulations, but 
 we are here to labor, we are here to work, and by 
 the experience of the past, and the light which the 
 present sheds around us, to lay deep those plans 
 which we hope will achieve our success in the fu- 
 ture. 
 
 It is, perhaps, not imputing too much of success 
 to this denomination to say that no religious idea 
 has ever taken such firm possession of the public 
 mind in this country as the idea on which our de- 
 nomination is based. The idea of the Fatherhood 
 of God and the Brotherhood of Man, on which we 
 are surely based, seems to have taken possession of 
 the hearts and of the affections of the people of this 
 country as no other denominational idea ever has. 
 
 But, as I said before, we have come here to 
 work, and I am not here for the purpose of making 
 a speech, but for the purpose of presiding over your 
 deliberations, and aiding you, as far as I may be 
 able, in the work before you. I am now ready to 
 proceed to those duties. 
 
 Mr. Crowell, of N. Y. I move that the 
 respective delegates be authorized to fill any vacan- 
 cies that may exist in their delegations, and report 
 them to the Secretary of the Convention. 
 
 Rev. Dr Brooks. The delegations are already 
 empowered to do that, by the State Conventions. 
 But whether they have been or not, this Conven- 
 tion has no power in the matter. 
 
 Mr. Crowell. If that is so, I withdraw the 
 motion. 
 
 The President. The first business in order is 
 the appointment of the Standing Committees. 
 
 Hon. Horace Greeley. I should hope the 
 committees would not be appointed until the roll of 
 delegates is tolerably full. We may need some of 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 95 
 
 those very delegates whose names have not yet 
 been recorded. I know there are several delegates 
 from my State who are here whose names are not 
 on that roll, and I should be glad if the Standing 
 Committees could wait until we were quite sure that 
 we had not sham delegates, but a roll of delegates 
 actually present. 
 
 The Secret art. The law is imperative, and can- 
 not be altered : "Each State Convention shall be re- 
 quested to return to the Permanent Secretary of 
 the General Convention previous to each annual 
 session thereof the names of its delegates thereto. 
 In case of a failure to do so, no delegate from the 
 State Convention shall be admitted to a seat in the 
 General Convention until the same shall be fully 
 organized." 
 
 The President. The next business would 
 seem to be the appointment of the Committee on 
 Elections. 
 
 That Committee was appointed as follows : Kev. 
 Chas. H. Fluhrer, of N. Y. ; Laurel Beeby, of 
 Ohio ; Gen. M. R. W. Wallace, of 111. 
 
 A Committee on Religious Services was also ap- 
 pointed, consisting of Rev. Dr. Saxe, of N. Y. ; 
 Rev. Dr. Miner, of Mass. ; and Richard Eddy, 
 of Gloucester. 
 
 The Committee reported that arrangements had 
 been made for a series of religious meetings during 
 the session of the Convention, stating the times 
 and places, and the report was accepted. 
 
 On motion of Hon. A. Johnson, of Washington, 
 a committee was appointed to reserve the requisite 
 number of seats at the Tent for the accommodation 
 of the delegates. 
 
 The Convention then adjourned, to meet at the 
 Tent at 2 1-2 o'clock. 
 
 Afternoon Session. The afternoon session 
 was held in the great Tent, which was very well 
 filled, some three thousand persons being present. 
 Seats wera reserved for the delegates in front of the 
 platform, in order that the business of the session 
 might be more conveniently transacted, and the 
 speakers more readily heard by those who were 
 called upon to act on the several questions present- 
 ed for consideration. 
 
 The Convention was called to order at 3 1-4 
 o'clock, by the President, and Rev. Mr. Fluhrer, 
 Chairman of the Committee on Elections, reported 
 an additional list of delegates, including two from 
 the society at Baltimore. 
 
 A motion was made to accept the report, where- 
 upon Dr. Brooks moved to amend, that the report 
 be accepted, except so far as it related to the Balti- 
 more delegation. He said he proposed to raise the 
 question whether a single society should be repre- 
 sented by as large a number as the State delega- 
 tion of Rhode Island, for instance. 
 
 The amendment was carried, and the report, so 
 far as it related to other than the Baltimore dele- 
 gates, accepted. 
 
 Hon. Horace Greeley. I move to accept that 
 portion of the report which relates to the Baltimore 
 delegates. It is not their fault that there are no 
 more Universalists in the State of Maryland. 
 
 Dr. Brooks. It is not the fault of our friends 
 in Baltimore that there are no more Universalists 
 in Maryland, but inasmuch as there are no more 
 Universalists in Maryland, I think they must, in jus- 
 tice, submit to a limitation of their representation. 
 I should be very glad to see Maryland largely rep- 
 resented here, but it would be clearly unjust to al- 
 low one single society to be represented by a dele- 
 gation as large as comes to us from the State of 
 Rhode Island, and from several other States. I 
 was about to move> when Mr. Greeley's motion was 
 made, to recommit the report to the committee, 
 with instructions to report the admission of one del- 
 egate but as there is another motion before the 
 house, I will wait till that is disposed of. 
 
 Mr.. R. Blakely, of Minnesota. I call for the 
 reading of the Constitution in regard to what con- 
 stitutes membership of the Convention. 
 
 The Secretary read as follows from Art III. of 
 the Constitution : 
 
 " In those States and Territories of the United 
 States, and in the Foreign States and Provinces, 
 where no conventions have been organized, the 
 General Convention shall exercise the same juris- 
 diction over the associations, societies, churches 
 and clergymen therein, who may seek and obtain 
 its fellowship, as is or may be exercised by State 
 Conventions, where they exist ; and such special 
 jurisdiction shall continue until a convention shall 
 be organized in such State or Territory. And 
 during the continuance of such special jurisdiction, 
 every State and Territory so subject shall be enti- 
 tled to representation in this body by one Clerical 
 and two Lay Delegates." 
 
 Dr. Brooks. I was aware that that was a pro- 
 vision of our Constitution, but it seemed to me 
 clearly the spirit and purpose of that article to pro- 
 vide for a representation of unorganized Universal- 
 ist societies and churches, but not to provide that 
 a single society should be entitled to full represen- 
 tation. Under that rule, no matter if there are 
 only half a dozen persons in the Territory of Ne- 
 braska, for instance, without forming a society, 
 they could come up here with a full delegation. It 
 seems to me that would be clearly unjust ; and it is 
 in view of that proper discrimination, as it seems 
 to me, that I raised the point I did, only speaking 
 as the voice of many brethren around me. 
 
 Mr. Greeley. If it is desirable to amend the 
 Constitution, we will take that up in order, but 
 
96 
 
 UNIVERSALTST CENTENARY, 
 
 here is a delegation in exact accordance with our 
 rules. I move that the delegation be admitted. 
 
 Dr. Brooks. I do not wish to occupy the time, 
 but that is just the point I make, that this is not in 
 accordance with the purpose of our rules, however 
 it may be in accordance with the seeming letter of 
 the rule ; and it is only in view of that fact that I 
 made the statement. 
 
 The question was then put, and Mr. Greeley's 
 motion carried. 
 
 The Chair then announced the following Assist- 
 ant Secretaries : Rev. E. L. Rexford, of Ohio, and 
 Rev. J. Smith Dodge, Jr., of Conn., who were ac- 
 cepted by the Convention. 
 
 The Committee on Nominations was also an- 
 nounced, and accepted, as follows : R. Blakely, 
 Minnesota ; Rev. H. W. Rugg, Rhode Island ; F. 
 S. Boas, Penn. 
 
 The Report of the Board of Trustees was then 
 read by Rev. J. M. Pullman, Permanent Secretary. 
 
 Mr. Joy, of Boston, moved the reference of the 
 report to a committee of five. Carried. 
 
 Mr. D. L. Holden, Permanent Treasurer, then 
 read his report. 
 
 On motion, the report was referred to an Audit- 
 ing Committee. 
 
 The report of the Committee on the Missionary 
 Army was then read by D. L. Holden, Chair- 
 man of the Committee. 
 
 On motion, the report was referred to the Com- 
 mittee to be appointed on the report of the Trustees 
 
 The General Secretary's report was then read bv 
 Rev. Asa Saxe, D. D. 
 
 This report was referred to the same committee. 
 
 The Chair announced the following as the com- 
 mittee to take into consideration the Report of the 
 Trustees and other reports : Bro. J. D. VV. Joy, 
 Mass. ; Bro. T. E. G. Pettingill, District of Col- 
 umbia ; Rev. G. W. Lawrence, Wisconsin ; Bro. 
 E. J. Waldo, Ind. ; Bro. John Eield, Ohio. 
 
 The Auditing Committee was also announced as 
 follows: Bro. S. A. Briggs, 111.; Gen. S. E. 
 Hersey, Me. ; Bro. B. F. Romaine, N. Y. 
 
 Rev. J. M. Pullman stated that he had received 
 official notice of the ratification of the amendment 
 to the Constitution adopted at the last convention 
 from only six States, and as the rule required the 
 ratification by ten States, the amendment has not 
 been adopted. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Miner. I rise to inquire whether the 
 report now made by the Permanent Secretary kills 
 the amendment, or will a reconsideration of the 
 question by state conventions at their next sessions 
 to the number of ten in all, adopt the amendment ? 
 Is there any provison touching that point ? 
 
 Rev. Mr. Pullman. The rule is this : "Addl 
 tions, alterations or amendments may be made to 
 this Constitution by a vote of two-thirds of the 
 members present in national session, provided the 
 same shall be approved by a majority of the State 
 Conventions at their meetings next following such 
 action of said body." 
 
 Rev. Mr. Fluhrer, from the Committee on Elec- 
 tions, reported some additional delegates, and the 
 report was accepted. 
 
 Rev. J. G. Bartholomew, of Auburn, N. Y., 
 moved that the reports on the State of the Church, 
 on Education and on Sunday Schools, be made the 
 special order for to-morrow afternoon. Carried. 
 
 Mr. Joy, of Boston, called for the report of the 
 Committee on Revision of the Constitution, and 
 suggested that, as it was in print, it might be re- 
 ported by its title, distributed among the members, 
 and assigned for some time to-morrow. 
 
 Dr. Brooks, Chairman of the Committee, sub- 
 mitted the report in the form suggested, and said 
 he had been looking over the programme, and did 
 not see any place where the report could be brought 
 in, unless a special session was held this evening, 
 or the Convention met early to-morrow morning. 
 
 Mr. Greeley moved that the Convention meet to- 
 morrow morning, at 8 o'clock, at the Univcrsalist 
 Church, for the purpose of considering the report. 
 
 A motion was made to amend by changing the 
 place of meeting to the Tent, which, after some little 
 debate, was rejected, and the original motion 
 passed. 
 
 Mr. Greeley. I desire to give notice that, 
 when in order, I shall ask the Convention to con- 
 sider this resolution : 
 
 Resolved, As the judgment of this Convention, 
 that the Murray Fund should be raised to the full 
 amount of $200,000, before our efforts in its behalf 
 are relaxed, and should never be dissipated or di- 
 minished, but that it should be sacredly set apart 
 as the foundation of a Universalist Publishing 
 House, after the general plan of the Methodi&t 
 Book Concern. 
 
 The Chair then announced the Committee on 
 Unfinished Business as follows : Rev. J. M. Pull- 
 man, of New York ; Bro. Charles Foster, Mass. ; 
 Rev. E. L. Rexford, Ohio. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Saxe, from the Committee, reported 
 the order of proceedings for tomorrow, in accor- 
 dance with the printed programme, except so far 
 as modified by the action of the Convention in 
 voting to meet at 8 o'clock for the purpose of 
 acting on the report of the Committee on Revision 
 of the Constitution. The report was accepted. 
 
 The resolution read by Mr. Greeley was then 
 called up, and that gentleman addressed the Con- 
 vention. He said : 
 
 Mr. President — The resolution which I have sub 
 mitted to the Convention conditionally, and which 
 I now offer for consideration and reference to a 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 97 
 
 Committee, relates to the disposition only of the 
 $200,000 fund. We have raised this year, or shall 
 raise, something like a million of dollars, whereof 
 $S00,000 are devoted to local purposes. I am very 
 anxious that this §200,000 fond shall in no manner 
 be frittered away, that it shall answer a permanent 
 purpose, and that that purpose shall be such as to 
 bring our views more distinctly and more gener- 
 ally before the public than I think they have yet 
 been brought. I do not feel that our periodicals 
 and our literature command the attention of peo- 
 ple outside of our denomination so much either as 
 they ought to do or as they might do. For in- 
 stance, suppose we had a series of from twelve to 
 twenty-four tracts, not merely fly-leaves, as too 
 many tracts are, but tracts of from twelve to forty- 
 eight pages, explaining and enforcing our views of 
 Scripture truth, and our ideas with regard to the 
 Divine government, as such men as there are among 
 us, such men as our leading men are, would be 
 able to explain and enforce them. If we had a 
 number of such tracts, and then offices in every 
 State, and so far as we are able, in every city, for 
 the distribution of those tracts, at cost, not at- 
 tempting to give them away, kit saying to our 
 friends, " Here are the best statements we are able 
 to make of our doctrines and our views ; you can 
 be supplied with them at cost, whether you want a 
 dozen or a hundred of these tracts," these tracts 
 handed to your neighbors in exchange for their 
 own, or in answer to their inquiries, would enable 
 the general public to understand our views much 
 better than they do now. Then we have books, 
 which in my view are very important, not now 
 accessible. For instance, Mr. Balfour's "Inqui- 
 ries." I asked the other day where I could find 
 them, and was answered, " They are entirely out 
 of print." It seems to me that we need to have 
 this and other works of Biblical criticism, which 
 explain points that are not easily comprehensible, 
 by persons who only read the received translation. 
 — not perhaps in great numbers, but they should 
 be always on hand. In my judgment, the Metho- 
 dist denomination is to-day nearly twice as large 
 as it would have been, had it not been for the 
 Methodist Book Concern, where any person who 
 wishes to know what Methodist views are, as pre- 
 sented by their standard authors, on any important 
 subject, can go and find the right book, at a mod- 
 erate price. I believe the Methodist denomination, 
 for which I have great respect, nay, for which I 
 have admiration, has pushed itself upon public 
 attention, has challenged and commanded public 
 regard, by its publications, even more than by its 
 excellent system of ministerial appointment and 
 re-election. 
 
 Now, such a Publication House we might have. 
 This Murray fund will be a much larger founda- 
 
 tion for it than was had by the Methodist Book 
 Concern, in its origin. If we could apply it as the 
 basis, as the nucleus of a great Publication Office, 
 under the direction of eminent laymen as well as 
 clergymen, who had a knowledge of business and 
 of publishing, I believe we could make that sum, 
 without any diminution of its amount, do a very 
 important and necessary work. A friend says this 
 fund is intended for education and for missionary 
 work. I answer that publishing provides for both 
 education and missionary work, and I greatly de- 
 sire that when we have raised the $200,000, as I 
 trust we shall before the end of this year, for the 
 general purpose of advancing our doctrines, we 
 shall put that fund in the shape where it will 
 most extensively and most effectively commend 
 our views to the attention, and I hope, also, to the 
 approbation, of the general public, who are now to 
 a very small extent only, reached by our views. 
 There is a very large amount of acquiescence in 
 our views by men who do not know or even do 
 not believe that the Scriptures teach them ; the 
 spirit of the age tends towards that acceptance ; 
 but a Scriptural and intelligent knowledge of the 
 foundations whereon we rest our views is almost 
 entirely confined to the Universalist denomina- 
 tion. I would have it otherwise. I would have 
 those views as perfectly understood and as per- 
 fectly commended as our means will allow. 
 
 I think a plan such as I have rudely outlined 
 would command the attention of many thousands 
 now who do not hear from us, and for that reason 
 I trust this resolution will be referred to some ap- 
 propriate committee, to present it for action in 
 such shape as will make it acceptable to the great 
 body of this Convention. 
 
 A suggestion was made by a delegate that the 
 resolution be referred to the committee having 
 under consideration the report of the Trustees. 
 
 Bev. Dr. Chapin. That committee already has 
 a great deal of woik to do. 
 
 A motion was made that the resolution be re « 
 ferred to a special committee of five. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Miner. There is great force in the sug- 
 gestion of Dr. Chapin, that the committee to whom 
 the documents which have been read were referred, 
 will have a great deal of business on hand ; but 
 there is this circumstance to be remembered, that 
 this very business is in part the disposition of the 
 funds to which Mr. Greeley refers. I could have 
 wished that the whole subject of Convention action, 
 including the disposition of the fund, and therefore 
 substantially including the subject-matter of Mr. 
 Greeley's resolution, might have been placed in the 
 hands of one committee. We should then have 
 one plan, and not two, to overthrow or adopt. Of 
 course, the committee must consider the whole 
 subject-matter, and they must act and present some 
 report thereon. 
 
98 
 
 UN1VERSALTST CENTENARY 
 
 Mr. Greeley. So far as I am concerned, I very 
 gladly accede to its reference to that committee. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Chapin. I withdraw my suggestion. 
 I m ide it wLh no other purpose in the world ex- 
 cept to relieve that committee. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Miner. I think, while it might relieve 
 the committee, on the one hand, it might, on the 
 other, burden the Convention with unnecessary 
 points of di.-cussion. 
 
 The motion to refer to a special committee was 
 lost, and the resolution referred to the committee on 
 Report of Trustees. 
 
 On motion of Mr. Joy, it was voted that the 
 committee be enlarged by the addition of four mem- 
 bers. 
 
 The President said he would announce the addi- 
 tional names in the morning, and the Convention 
 adjourned to meet at 8 o'clock on Wednesday at 
 the Universalist Church. 
 
 We pass over the details of the long and not al- 
 together enlivening debate on the report of the 
 Committee on Revision of the Constitution. It is 
 sufficient in this place to say, that although it con- 
 sumed most of the time allotted to the sessions of 
 the Council, and necessitated the derangement of 
 the order of service previously determined upon, 
 it resulted in the final disposition of the matter by 
 the adoption of the entire report, with some impor- 
 tant modirications and amendments. When the 
 document comes to us corrected, and under the 
 seal of the Secretary of the Convention, we shall 
 print it entire. 
 
 Of the things done in the Council which we 
 have not before reported and of which it is impor- 
 tant to preserve a record, we mention the following. 
 After the reference of Mr. Greeley's resolution 
 there were added to the committee, Hon. Horace 
 Greeley, Latimer W. Ballou, of R. I., C. R. Moor, 
 of Me., and Hon. G. F. Mason, of Penn. 
 
 On Thursday, after the Constitution had been 
 disposed of, the Committee on Elections reported 
 the following standing committees : 
 
 On the State of the Church — Rev. Giles Bai- 
 ley, of Pennsylvania, Rev. N. S. Sage, of Indiana, 
 Charles O. Ballou, of New Hampshire. 
 
 On Education — Rev. S. H. McCollester, of New 
 Hampshire, Rev. A. Kent, of Maryland, and 
 Henry B.andy, of Ohio. 
 
 On Sabbath Schools — Rev. J. G. Adams of 
 Massachusetts, Charles Russel of Pennsylvania, 
 and Rev. H. W. Rugg, of Rhode Island. 
 
 On Complaints, &c. — General S. E. Hersey, of 
 Maine, Rev. A. W. Mason, of Michigan, and Hon. 
 E. Trask, of Massachusetts. 
 
 Rev. E. G. Brooks, D. D., of Pennsylvania, 
 Hon. W. T. Parker of New Hampshire, H. D. 
 Williams of Massachusetts and S. A. Briggs of 
 Illinois, were added to the Board of Trustees. 
 
 Rev. R. H. Pullman of Illinois was elected to 
 preach the Annual Sermon at Philadelphia nexl 
 year, with Rev. C. A. Skinner of Conneciicut as 
 alternate. 
 
 The Centenary Committee were continued in 
 existence for the ensuing year, with the privilege 
 of postponing their report till they have com- 
 pleted their work. 
 
 On motion of Rev. Dr. Brooks, Rev. Messrs. 
 Eisher, Ballou and Eddy and others were requested 
 to prepare biographies of some of the early founders 
 of Universalism in this country, with the view of 
 some publisher issuing them in one volume. 
 
 On motion of Mr. Potter, a vote of thanks was 
 passed to Rev. Dr. Miner, for his able discourse of 
 yesterday. 
 
 On motion of Rev. A. St. John Chambre, a vote 
 of thanks was returned to the citizens of Glouces- 
 ter and others who had accommodated members of 
 the Convention. 
 
 Mr. J. D. W. Joy, of Mass., submitted the Re- 
 port of the Committee on the General Secretary's 
 Report, the Resolution of Mr. Greeley and the Re- 
 port of the Board of Trustees. It is as follows : 
 
 Gloucester, Sept. 22, 1870. 
 To the General Convention of Universalists in the 
 
 United States ; 
 
 Brethren : The Committee to whom was re- 
 ferred the "Report of the Board of Trustees," em- 
 bracing reports of the Committee on the Missionary 
 Army, and the General Secretary's Report, submit 
 their report. 
 
 The labors of the Board of Trustees, of the Per- 
 manent Secretary, of the General Secretary, and of 
 Mr. H. B. Metcalf, are entitled to the grateful rec- 
 ognitition of the Convention. In place of the cus- 
 tomary resolutions in acknowledgment of such ser- 
 vices, we deem this formal notice of their efficient 
 services during the past year as sufficient. 
 
 The operations of the Board during the year we 
 commend to your approval. The continuance of 
 the Convention Scholarships we most heartily en- 
 dorse, as well as the importance of sustaining the 
 system of obtaining funds by the missionary boxes. 
 The Washington church movement should be sus- 
 tained, and receive all the aid that can be given it ; 
 but first, and of greatest importance, is the comple- 
 tion of the Murray Fund. It is therefore recom- 
 mended that the receipts from the missionary boxes 
 at the opening of January, 1871, be added to the 
 Fund, and the income from this source thereafter 
 be used for th« general expenses of the Convention; 
 it is also recommended that the reassessment of the 
 quotas among the states by the Board of Trustees, 
 as proposed by the General Secretary, be adopted, 
 and that the work be vigorously continued until 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 99 
 
 the Murray Fund is fully established, all receipts, 
 except as herein provided, and those specially do- 
 nated, to be added to said Fund. 
 
 It is deemed wise that the Board of Trustees 
 should enter upon no new enterprise until the 
 means accumulating from the income of the Mur- 
 ray Fund and from other sources shall free the 
 Convention from debt, and that the Board be au- 
 thorized to contract loans for the purposes of liqui- 
 dating existing obligations, and for continuing the 
 work of the year ensuing. 
 
 It is earnestly recommended that the Fund be 
 not only as rapidly secured as possible, but that it 
 be as promptly invested. 
 
 It is important that a more detailed summary of 
 receipts and disbursements should be presented in 
 future reports of the officers of the Convention. 
 
 The Permanent Secretary should be permitted to 
 amend the Report of the Board of Trustees by 
 adding the Statistics which he has made up, and 
 the General Secretary should have the privilege of 
 completing his financial statement to the date of 
 the publication of the minutes and reports. 
 
 The Convention have received a request from the 
 Committee of Investment appointed by the Board 
 of Trustees, to consider the following proposition, 
 viz. — 
 
 "Whereas no provision has been made for the 
 defraying the expenses of raising and collecting the 
 Murray Fund, and whereas the same are a proper 
 charge upon that Fund, 
 
 Resolved, That the Trustees of the Convention be 
 authorized to adjust and pay said expenses, whether 
 the same shaii have been heretofore, or may be 
 hereafter increased {when they shall be ascertained 
 and properly vouched), out of the gross proceeds of 
 said Fund. 
 
 Due consideration has been given to this request, 
 both because of its source and of the importance of 
 the subject-matter presented, but we cannot recom- 
 mend the proposition to your favorable considera- 
 tion, deeming that all monies paid into the Treasury 
 of the General Convention for the Murray Fund, 
 should be held sacred from diminution in any man- 
 ner, and that the expenses incident to the raising of 
 the fund should be paid in the manner which we 
 have herein indicated. 
 
 The resolve presented by Hon. Horace Greeley 
 (a member of the committee), and. referred to us is 
 as folio ws, viz.: 
 
 Resolved, As the judgment of this Convention, 
 that the Murray Fund should be raised to the full 
 amount of $2C0,C00 before our efforts in its behalf 
 are relaxed, ami that it should never be dissipated 
 nor diverted, but that it should be sacredly devoted 
 to tne foundation of a Univeralist Publishing House 
 after the general plan of the Methodist Book Con- 
 rni. 
 
 While we are deeply impressed with the need of 
 a freer distribution of our literature, and most 
 heartily endorse the views presented by Mr. Greeley 
 when offering the resolution, we cannot recommend 
 the adoption of the proposition. 
 
 By the plan of the Centenary Committee en- 
 dorsed by the last convention, the income of the 
 Murray Fund is pledged as follows, viz.: "In aid 
 of theological students, the distribution of Univer- 
 salist literature, church extension and the mission- 
 ary cause." Any diversion of the income to the es- 
 tablishment of a Publishing House, or to any one 
 of these objects exclusively, would not be in accord- 
 ance with the plan upon which the Fund has been 
 raised, and the trust imposed on the Convention by 
 the terms upon which the Fund has been secured, 
 would not be faithfully carried out. But there is 
 another reason for our views. By a portion of the 
 plan for centenary work this object is commended 
 to the liberality of our people, to wit, "A Publica- 
 tion Fund, or Fund divorced from private interests, 
 and conducted for the pecuniary benefits of the 
 church." Tliis has already received attention. For 
 donations of no inconsiderable amount have been 
 made to existing publishing houses, and they will 
 be largely increased as soon as the Murray Fund 
 has been raised and the field is clear for this espec- 
 ial interest. We feel that the result sought by the 
 mover, desirable as it is, will find a more speedy re- 
 alization under the auspices of the established Pub- 
 lishing Houses than by any new method or organi- 
 zation. 
 
 The committee are unanimous in this report, ex- 
 cept in regard to the last portion. To this Mr. 
 Greeley and F. J. Waldo do not agree. 
 For the Committee, 
 
 John D. W. Jot, Chairman. 
 
 Committee : John D. W. Joy, Mass. ; Hon. 
 Horace Greeley, N. Y. ; Rev. G. W. Lawrence, 
 Wis. : T. E. G* Pettingill, D. C. ; F. J. Waldo, 
 Ind. ; John Field, Ohio ; L. W. Ballon, R. I. ; 
 Hon. G. F. Mason, Penn. ; Rev. C. R. Moor, Me. 
 
 A concluding session of the Council was held in 
 the vestry-room of the Congregational church on 
 Thursday evening, Dr. J. P. Weston in the Chair. 
 The time was mostly spent in listening to and cor- 
 recting the minutes of the session. The only ac- 
 tion of importance was the appointment of the Rev. 
 J. M. Pullman and the Rev. A. St. John Chambre, 
 a committee to attend the next meeting of the 
 American Unitarian Conference, and present the 
 fraternal greetings of the Univcrsalist body. After 
 appropriate remarks by the President and a prayer 
 by the Rev. Dr. Ryder, the Convention adjourned 
 to meet in Philadelphia in September, 1871. 
 
 L.ofc. 
 
100 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY 
 
 List of Delegates. 
 
 The special and historic importance of the occa- 
 sion has led us to take especial pains to get and lay 
 before our readers a complete and accurate list of 
 the Delegates. The following, copied from the 
 Roll of the Convention and corrected by the Per- 
 manent Secretary, may be depended on as full and 
 exact. 
 
 Maine. — S. F. Hersey, Pres. State Convention : 
 Rev. C. Weston, Sec'y. S. C. ; Keys. A. Battles, J. 
 C. Snow, W. E. Gibbs, C. R. Moor. Hon. Sidney 
 Perham, Hon. I. Washburn, Jr., R. Dresser, J. 
 Wakefield, L. L. Wadsworth, Jr. 
 
 New Hampshire — Chas. O. Ballou, Pres. 
 Rev. S. H. McCollester, Sec'y. ; Rev. L. Willis, 
 Hon. Wm. T. Parker, Joel C. Danforth. 
 
 Vermont — Rev. J. H. Earnsworth, Pres. 
 Rev. Geo. S. Guernsey, Sec'y. Rev. Eli Ballou, D. 
 D., Rev. J. T. Powers, Russcl S. Taft, Harvey 
 Tilden, A. L. Robinson, S. G. Haskins. 
 
 Massachusetts — Rev. A. St. John Chambre, 
 Pres. Rev. Chas J. White, Sec'y. Revs. A. A. 
 Miner, D. D., I. M. Atwood, B. V. Stevenson, G. 
 J. Sanger, E. Magwire. J. G. Peabody, Nath'l. 
 Hinckley, Joseph Day, Chas. Foster, Sam'l Porter, 
 Wm. H. Ireland, Wm. C. Barnes, J. D. W. Joy, 
 Chas. E. Potter, Thos. G. Frothingham. 
 
 Rhode Island — Chas. E. Carpenter, Pres. 
 Wm. S. Johnson, Sec'y., Rev. H. W. Rugg. Olney 
 Arnold, L. W. Ballou. 
 
 Connecticut — Rev. Chas A. Skinner, Pres. 
 Rev. Cyrus H. Fay. Hon. S. C. Hubbard, D. 
 C. Gately. 
 
 New York — E. W. Crowell, Pres. Rev. A. A. 
 Thayer, Sec'y. A. Saxe, D. D., E. H. Chapin, D. D., 
 
 Revs. J. G. Bartholomew, Chas. Eluhrer, E. Fisher, 
 D.D. Solomon Drullard, Josiah Barber, Hon. Hor- 
 ace Greeley, H. F. Zahm, H. H. Darling, Benj. F. 
 Romaine, S. G. Guernsey, W. P. Robinson. 
 
 New Jersey — Jacob Birdsall, Pres., Rev. B. 
 L. Bennett. Joshua R. Norton, Francis Mackin. 
 
 Pennsylvania — Lewis Briner, Pres., Henry 
 
 E. Busch, Sec'y. Rev. E. G. Brooks, D.D. Gordon 
 
 F. Mason, Fred'k. S. Boas. 
 
 Ohio — J. Q. A. Tresize, Pres. Rev. E. L. Rex- 
 ford, Sec'y. Rev. J. S. Cantwell, Rev. H. L. Can- 
 field. W. H. Pinney, H. B. Kelsey, Fred'k. Sears, 
 Laurel Beeby, W. H. Johnson. 
 
 Michigan — Rev. J. Straub. E. W. Dart, G. 
 W. Kennedy. 
 
 Indiana — Rev. N. S. Sage, Rev. Marion Cros- 
 ley. Paul R. Kendall, Ezra Bourne, F. J. Waldo. 
 
 Illinois — Rev. T. H. Tabor, Sec'y. W. H. 
 Ryder, D.D., J. P. Weston, D. D. G. W. Higgins 
 S. A. Briggs, A. Knowles, Gen. M. R. M. Wal- 
 lace. 
 
 Wisconsin — Rev. J. Britton, Sec'y. Rev. G. 
 W. Lawrence. A. R. R. Butler, Peter Davy. 
 
 Iowa — Rev. Augusta J. Chapin, Rev. E. A. Vafl- 
 Cise, Rev. W. W. Merrit. 
 
 Minnesota — Hon. N. H. Hemiup, Sec'y, Rev. J. 
 Marvin. R. Blakely. 
 
 Kansas — F. Gleason. 
 
 Missouri — Rev. Stephen Hull. 
 
 West Virginia — Jas. L. Fanagan, Sec'y. H. 
 C. McWhorter. 
 
 Dist. Columbia — Alonzo Johnson, T. E. G. 
 Pettengill. 
 
 Maryland — Rev. Alex. Kent. Jas. B. McNeaL 
 
 Ministers Present. 
 
 Maine — 21. 
 
 New Hampshire —.11. 
 
 J. H. Amies, 
 A. Battles, 
 S. S. Davis, 
 W. A. Drew, 
 W. R. French, 
 W. E. Gibbs, 
 A. Gunnison, 
 N. Gunnison, 
 W. W. Lovejoy, 
 C R. Moor, 
 L. F. Mc Kinney, 
 H. C. Munson, 
 J. M. Paine 
 G. W. Quinby, 
 S. B. Rawson, 
 J. O. Skinner 
 W Sisson, 
 J. C. Snow, 
 Z. Thompson, 
 O. F. Van Cise, 
 A. J. Weaver, 
 
 Lewiston, 
 
 Bangor, 
 
 E. Eddington, 
 
 Augusta, 
 
 Brunswick, 
 
 Portland, 
 
 Bath, 
 
 Dexter, 
 
 Orono, 
 
 Augusta, 
 
 Bridgton, 
 
 Turner, 
 
 Gardiner, 
 
 Augusta, 
 
 Machias, 
 
 Waterville, 
 
 Stockton, 
 
 Stevens Plains, 
 
 Mechanic Falls, 
 
 Auburn, 
 
 Biddeford. 
 
 G. W. Bicknell, 
 
 T. Borden, 
 
 W. J. Crosley, 
 
 S. S. Fletcher, 
 
 E. Hewitt, 
 
 S. Laws, 
 
 J. B. Morse, 
 
 S. H. McCollester, 
 
 E. Read, 
 
 L. L. Record, 
 
 B. M. Tillotson, 
 
 Portsmouth, 
 
 Manchester, 
 
 East Jaffrey, 
 
 Exeter, 
 
 Dover, 
 
 Marlboro, 
 
 Hanover, 
 
 Nashua, 
 
 Alstead, 
 
 Marlboro, 
 
 Manchester. 
 
 Vermont — 18. 
 G. W. Bailey, Morrisville, 
 
 Eli Ballou, D. D., Montpelier, 
 
 H. F. Ballou, Wilmington, 
 
 J. B. Baldwin, Randolph, 
 
 F. S. Bliss, Barre, 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 101 
 
 J. Eastwood, 
 J. H. Farnsworth, 
 E. S. Foster, 
 J. Gregory, 
 G. S. Guernsey, 
 G. M. Harmon, 
 M. H. Harris, 
 J. T. Powers, 
 M. Powers, 
 Q. H. Shinn, 
 R. T. Sawyer, 
 L. Warren, 
 J. H. Willis, 
 
 Brattleboro, 
 
 Springfield, 
 
 Chester, 
 
 Northfield, 
 
 Rochester, 
 
 Rochester, 
 
 Brattleboro, 
 
 Ludlow, 
 
 West Concord, 
 
 Gaysville, 
 
 Cavendish, 
 
 N. Montpelier, 
 
 Jacksonville. 
 
 Massachusetts — 95. 
 
 J. G. Adams, 
 R. P. Ambler, 
 J. P. Atkinson, 
 I. M. Atwood, 
 J. Baker, 
 Z. Baker, 
 W. Bell, 
 L. L. Briggs, 
 C. W. Biddle, 
 R. A. Ballou, 
 
 B. F. Bowles, 
 M. B. Ballou, 
 A. Bosserman, 
 S. Beal, 
 
 R. M. Bvram, 
 
 C. A. Bradley, 
 J. H. Chapin, 
 H. I. Cu.-hman, 
 E. L. Conger, 
 J. Crehore, 
 
 A. St. J. Chambre 
 H. Closson, 
 E. W. Coffin, 
 C. C. Clark, 
 G. L. Demarest, 
 
 E. Davis, 
 
 J. E. Davenport, 
 
 C. Damon, 
 
 T. L. Dean, 
 
 R. Eddy, 
 
 S. Ellis, 
 
 J. N. Emery, 
 
 F. C. Flint, 
 
 J. G. Forman, 
 
 E. Francis, 
 
 T. G. Farnsworth, 
 
 J. H. Green, 
 
 T. J. Greenwood, 
 
 W. W. Hayward, 
 
 A. B. Hervey, 
 
 G. Hill, 
 W. Hooper, 
 G. F. Jenks, 
 J. E. Johnson, 
 I. C. Knowlton, 
 J. J. Lewis, 
 
 C. H. Leonard, 
 J. H. Little, 
 
 D. P. Livermore, 
 V. Lincoln, 
 
 F. Magwire, 
 
 A. A. Miner, D.D. 
 J. H. Moore, 
 H. W. Morse, 
 H. R. Nve, 
 L. R. Paige, D.D., 
 
 E. A. Perrv, 
 
 G, W. Perry, 
 J. D. Pierce, 
 
 Lowell, 
 
 Med ford, 
 
 Boston, 
 
 No. Bridgewatef, 
 
 S. Weymouth, 
 
 Worcester, 
 
 Boston, 
 
 Boston, 
 
 Lynn, 
 
 Boston, 
 
 Cambridgeport, 
 
 Stoughton, 
 
 Plymouth, 
 
 Westminister, 
 
 Charles town, 
 
 Methuen, 
 
 Boston, 
 
 Boston, 
 
 Taunton, 
 
 Fitchburg, 
 
 Stoughton, 
 
 Gardner, 
 
 Orange, 
 
 W. Townsend, 
 
 Milford, 
 
 W. Acton, 
 
 Chicopee, 
 
 Haverhill, 
 
 W. Haverhill, 
 
 Gloucester, 
 
 Salem, 
 
 Melrose, 
 
 Southbridge, 
 
 Lynn, 
 
 Cambridge, 
 
 Waltham, 
 
 Boston, 
 
 Maiden, 
 
 Wakefield, 
 
 Peabody, 
 
 S. Dedham, 
 
 Chatham, 
 
 Orleans, 
 
 Allston, 
 
 New Bedford, 
 
 S. Boston, 
 
 College Hill, 
 
 Foxboro, 
 
 Melrose, 
 
 Yarmouthport, 
 
 E. Cambridge, 
 
 Boston, 
 
 Warren, 
 
 Lowell, 
 
 Springfield, 
 
 Cambridgeport. 
 
 W. Scituate, 
 
 Lynn, 
 
 N. Attleboro, 
 
 J. F. Powers, 
 W. F. Potter, 
 R. S. Pope, 
 
 A. J. Patterson, 
 G. Proctor, 
 
 B. E. Russ, 
 W. H. Ryder, 
 G. J. Sanger, 
 T. E. St. John, 
 
 T. J. Sawver, D.D., 
 
 C. E. Sawyer, 
 E. Smiley, 
 
 W. A. Start, 
 
 A. Scott. 
 
 B. Smith, 
 
 G. W. Skinner, 
 W. R. Shipman, 
 
 B. V. Stevenson, 
 
 T. B. Thayer, D.D., 
 W. G. Tousey, 
 E. Thompson, 
 R. Tomlinson, 
 J. J. Twiss, 
 
 C. E. Tucker, 
 
 A. Tyler, 
 
 J. M. Usher, 
 G. H. Vibbert, 
 R. C. Waltham, 
 G. S. Weaver, 
 W. W. Wilson, 
 J. V. Wilson, 
 C. J. White, 
 
 B. Whittemore, D.D., 
 G. W. Whitney, 
 
 Q. Whitney, 
 N. R. Wright, 
 
 Maiden, 
 
 Wakefield, 
 
 Hyannis, 
 
 Boston Highlands, 
 
 Fitchburg, 
 
 Somerville, 
 
 College Hill, 
 
 Dan vers, 
 
 Worcester, 
 
 College Hill. 
 
 Abington. 
 
 Charlton, 
 
 N. Cambridge, 
 
 N. Orange, 
 
 Boston, 
 
 Quincy, 
 
 College Hill, 
 
 Shelburne Falls, 
 
 Boston, 
 
 Chelsea, 
 
 E. Walpole, 
 
 Plymouth, 
 
 Lowell, 
 
 Marblehead, 
 
 W orcester, 
 
 Boston, 
 
 Rockport, 
 
 Boston, 
 
 Lawrence, 
 
 Shirley, 
 
 Brookfield, 
 
 E. Boston, 
 
 Lancaster, 
 
 Beverly, 
 
 So. Adams, 
 
 W. Amesbury. 
 
 E. H. Capen, 
 M. Goodrich, 
 H. W. Rugg, 
 
 Rhode Islajscd — 3. 
 
 Providence, 
 Pawtucket, 
 Providence. 
 
 Connecticut — 10. 
 
 F. S. Bacon, 
 O. Brown, 
 J. S. Dodge, Jr., 
 S. A. Davis, 
 C. F. Elliot, 
 C. H. Fay, 
 P. A. Hanaford, 
 W. G. Haskell,' 
 A. Norwood, 
 (/. A. Skinner, 
 
 Middletown, 
 
 Bridgeport, 
 
 Stamford, 
 
 Hartford, 
 
 Waterbury, 
 
 Middletown, 
 
 New Haven, 
 
 Danbury, 
 
 Meriden, 
 
 Hartford. 
 
 New York — 34. 
 
 J. M. Bailey, 
 
 D. Ballou, 
 
 J. G. Bartholomew, 
 
 E. C. Bolles, 
 
 L. M. Burrington, 
 
 E. H. Chapin, D.D., 
 
 O. Cone, 
 
 T. D. Cook, 
 
 G. H. Emerson, 
 
 C. Fluhrer, 
 
 E. Fisher, D.D., 
 
 R. Fisk, D.D., 
 
 L. J. Fletcher, 
 
 E. M. Grant, 
 
 W. H. Harrington, 
 
 E. Hathaway, 
 
 G. P. Hibbard, 
 
 J. H. Hartzell, D.D., 
 
 H. Jewell, 
 
 Rochester, 
 
 Utica, 
 
 Auburn, 
 
 Brooklyn, 
 
 Troy, 
 
 New York, 
 
 Canton, 
 
 Utica, 
 
 New York, 
 
 New York, 
 
 Canton, 
 
 Canton, 
 
 Buffalo, 
 
 Madrid. 
 
 Canton, 
 
 Potsdam, 
 
 Syracuse, 
 
 Albany, 
 
 Rome, 
 
102 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 R. C. Lansing, 
 
 Min den, 
 
 J. S. Lee, 
 
 Canton, 
 
 C. F. Lee, 
 
 New York, 
 
 G. W. Montgomery, 
 
 Rochester, 
 
 J. M. Pullman, 
 
 New York, 
 
 A. L. Rice, 
 
 Nunda, 
 
 L. Rice, 
 
 Fulton, 
 
 C. C. Richardson, 
 
 Frankfort, 
 
 A. Saxe, D. D., 
 
 Rochester, 
 
 N. Snell, 
 
 Rochester, 
 
 J. H. Stewart, 
 
 Watertown, 
 
 E. C. Sweetser, 
 
 New York, 
 
 A. A. Thayer, 
 
 New York, 
 
 C. W. Tomlinson, 
 
 Hudson, 
 
 D. C. Tomlinson, 
 
 Fairport. ' 
 
 New Jersey — 1. 
 
 B. L. Bennett, 
 
 Irvington. 
 
 Pennsylvania — 11. 
 
 G. Bailey, 
 
 Reading, 
 
 E. G. Brooks, D.D., 
 
 Philadelphia, 
 
 H. Boughton, 
 
 Brooklyn, 
 
 J. H. Campbell, 
 
 Conneautville, 
 
 A. Getty, 
 
 Saltsburg, 
 
 H. C. Leonard, 
 
 Philadelphia, 
 
 L. F. Porter, 
 
 Brooklyn, 
 
 W. B. Randolph, 
 
 Tidioute, 
 
 A. C. Thomas, 
 
 Tacony, 
 
 AV. N. Van De Mark, 
 
 Pittsburg. 
 
 A. 0. Warren, 
 
 Montrose. 
 
 Ohio — 9. 
 
 H. L. Canfield, 
 
 Peru, 
 
 J. S. Cant well, 
 
 Cincinnati, 
 
 B. F. Eaton, 
 
 Cleveland, 
 
 J. P. McLane, 
 
 Franklin, 
 
 R. T. Polk, 
 
 Oxford, 
 
 E. L. Rexford, 
 
 Columbus, 
 
 W. Spaulding, 
 
 Cincinnati 
 
 A. Wilson, 
 
 Kent, 
 
 W. B. Woodbury, 
 
 Granville. 
 
 Maryland — 1 . 
 
 A. Kent, 
 
 Baltimore. 
 
 Indiana — 3. 
 
 M. Crosley, 
 
 Muncie, 
 
 H. F. Miller, 
 
 Dublin, 
 
 N. S. Sage, 
 
 Logansport. 
 
 Illinois — 10. 
 
 D. P. Bunn, 
 
 Decatur, 
 
 J. E. Forrester, D.D., 
 
 Aurora, 
 
 J. W. Hanson, 
 
 Chicago, 
 
 C. B. Lombard, 
 
 Springfield, 
 
 R. H. Pullman, 
 
 Peoria, 
 
 W. H. Rvder, D.D., 
 
 Chicago, 
 
 H. Slade, 
 
 Elgin, 
 
 0. F. Safford, 
 
 Chicago, 
 
 T. H. Tabor, 
 
 Macomb, 
 
 J. P. Weston, D.D., 
 
 Galesburg. 
 
 Michigan — 6. 
 
 M. B. Carpenter, 
 
 Lansing, 
 
 A. P. Folsom, 
 
 Bay City, 
 
 H. L. Hayward, 
 
 Tecum seh, 
 
 A. W. Mason, 
 
 Concord, 
 
 G. Merrifield, 
 
 Decatur, 
 
 J. Straub, 
 
 Lansing. 
 
 Wisconsin — 2. 
 
 G. W. Lawrence, 
 
 Janesville, 
 
 C. F. Le Fevre, D.D., 
 
 Milwaukee. 
 
 Iowa — 4. 
 
 A. J. Chapin, 
 
 Iowa City, 
 
 W. W. Clayton, 
 
 Oskaloosa, 
 
 W. W. Merritt, 
 
 Clarinda, 
 
 E. A. Van Cise, 
 
 Mt. Pleasant 
 
 Minnesota — 3. 
 
 M. Goodrich, 
 
 Anoka, 
 
 J. Marvin, 
 
 St. Paul, 
 
 J. II. Tuttle, 
 
 Minneapolis. 
 
 Missouri — 1. 
 
 S. Hull, 
 
 Brookfield. 
 
 Total number of clergymen present, 242. 
 
 Diffusion of Universalis!*!, 
 
 Cheap Books and Tracts. 
 
 At a meeting of the Business Committee of 
 the late Universalist General Convention, Sept. 
 2 2d, Mr. Joy in the Chair, the following Report, 
 in response to his resolve submitted to the 
 Convention on the 20th, and by that body re- 
 ferred to this Committee, was presented and 
 read by Mr. Greeley. A majority of the Com- 
 mittee, while heartily concurring in its spirit 
 and in deeming it most desirable that the ob- 
 
 ject contemplated therein be somehow achiev- 
 ed at an early day, felt obliged, by preexisting 
 engagements and committals of the Convention 
 with regard to the Murray Fund, to withhold 
 their sanction, but united in expressing a wish 
 that the Report be printed for general consid- 
 eration. It is accordingly, as a Minority Re- 
 port, commended to the attention and judg- 
 ment of the Universalist Church. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 187Q. 
 
 103 
 
 REPORT. 
 
 The fundamental conceptions of God, of His 
 paternity, benignity, and invincible loving-kind- 
 ness, which underlie the Universalist faith, are 
 now widely accepted and commended outside 
 of our Church. Among enlightened thinkers 
 and writers, they are rarely questioned. The 
 growing abhorrence of War ; the general re- 
 pugnance to religious persecution and to every 
 phase of priestly assumption or domination ; 
 the universal reprobation of every form of judi- 
 cial torture ; the demand, ever widening and 
 growing more and more imperative, that even 
 criminals shall be treated humanely, and that 
 justice shall be purified of every trace and 
 taint of malignity, attest the prevalence of 
 ideas familiar to the fathers of our Church, and 
 as widely reprehended, when first propounded 
 by them, as was their central, vivifying truth 
 that our Heavenly Father will, in His own 
 good time, "have all men to be saved." 
 
 But, while these benign and just conceptions 
 of the Divine character and purposes are very 
 widely accepted, their source is not so general- 
 ly recognized. Thousands this day reject the 
 Bible and the Christian faith, because these 
 are supposed by them to teach that God will 
 cast off forever, and consign a very large por- 
 tion of the human race to endless suffering and 
 wo. Very many are thus ranked with infidels 
 and skeptics who, if they knew that the truly 
 Christian view of the Divine government ren- 
 ders it infinitely merciful as well as inflexibly 
 just, and makes the salvation of our entire race 
 its object and consummation, would gratefully 
 enroll themselves as disciples of Him who 
 "came not to destroy men's lives, but to save 
 them." 
 
 It is high time that these were made ac- 
 quainted with our faith, and with the Scrip- 
 tures which affirm and uphold it. It is high 
 time that an effort worthy of our strength as a 
 church were made to enlighten those who now 
 sit in darkness, as to the perfect accord which 
 exists between the true Christian faith and the 
 most cheering conclusions of the enlightened 
 human understanding, the most benignant as- 
 pirations of the tender and loving human heart. 
 
 To this end, we advise and recommend that 
 the Murray Fund be made up, so soon as pos- 
 sible, to the full amount of $200,000, and that 
 it be sacredly devoted, with such additions as 
 may from time to time be made to it by public 
 contribution, gift, bequest, or otherwise, to the 
 
 publication of the standard works wherein our 
 faith is explained and defended, and of such 
 as may hereafter be added to the list, together 
 with a series of Tracts of 16 to 64 pages, each 
 illustrating fully some phase of the Christian 
 scheme of salvation, or elucidating some por- 
 tion of Scripture which has been understood 
 or claimed to teach the eternity of evil and 
 misery. We may fairly calculate that these 
 works and tracts can thus be printed and sold 
 at less than half the lowest prices for which 
 they have hitherto been afforded. Balfour's 
 Inquiries, in one volume, for $1, Ballou on the 
 Atonement for 50 cents, Whittemore's Plain 
 Guide to Universalism for a like sum, and the 
 life of John Murray for 25 cents, would proba- 
 bly be among the first fruits of such a devotion 
 of the Murray Fund as we contemplate, though 
 only the income of that Fund be invested in 
 the enterprise, under the direction of capable, 
 experienced and thoroughly responsible Trus- 
 tees familiar with business, and some of them 
 acquainted with printing and publishing. 
 
 Should the Murray Fund be thus devoted, a 
 central office, or publishing house, will be re- 
 quired, with branch offices for distribution in 
 every considerable city where our Church has 
 a foothold. Societies auxiliary to the move- 
 ment will naturally spring up in every State 
 and in almost every live church of our order — 
 each society raising funds according to its abil- 
 ity, to be invested in the works issued from the 
 publishing house at cost, and resold to mem- 
 bers and others, where that is possible, or dis- 
 tributed without charge where such distribution 
 shall be deemed advisable. Should the cen- 
 tral effort be thus generally responded to, it is 
 not too mucn to expect that One Hundred 
 Thousand volumes of coir standard works, and 
 at least One Million Tracts, may soon be annu- 
 ally disseminated, mainly among inquirers who 
 regard Universalism with favor as a system 
 eminently worthy of Infinite Goodness, but are 
 not yet aware of the unanswerable testimonies 
 to its truth which illumine the pages of Sacred 
 Writ, from the consoling assurance divinely 
 given to our first parents in the hour of their 
 greatest tribulation down through the long line 
 of prophets to the gracious words of Him who 
 spake as never man did, and to the favored 
 disciples and apostles who concurred in per- 
 ceiving and attesting that the Father sent the 
 Son to be the Savior of the world. 
 
 The Murray Fund has already been conse- 
 
104 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 crated to the promotion of Education and of 
 Missions. We submit that in no way can it be 
 employed to subserve these ends more effect- 
 ively than by placing the best books and tracts 
 which explain and commend our faith within 
 
 the reach of all who will buy or read them at 
 prices so low as to render them everywhere ac- 
 cessible, yet in print so large and clear that 
 none who can read at all will find their perusal 
 difficult or disagreeable. 
 
 All which is respectfully submitted. 
 
 Horace Greeley, 
 
 F. J. Waldo. 
 
OTVCE IIV 
 
 A. HHJISTDHED YEAES, 
 
 [From the Univeesalist of Oct. 1, 1870.] 
 
 Such a festival of thanksgiving and joy as 
 the Universalists of America kept last week on 
 Gloucester Fields, can take place in the history 
 of no people oftener than " once in a hundred 
 years." Nothing but the rounding of a com- 
 plete cycle could at the same time so strike the 
 imagination and enlist the enthusiasm. A 
 demonstration so vast in its proportions and 
 grand in its significance, could not have been 
 the product of any ordinary emotion. It re- 
 quired the sacrifices and memories of a hundred 
 years. Every one felt that he was on historic 
 ground at an historic hour. In the presence of 
 an event of such magnitude and moment per- 
 sonal ambitions and animosities were alike for- 
 gotten. The greatness of the occasion made 
 the most conspicuous individual humble ; while 
 it lent dignity to the least. 
 
 The most impressive feature of the occasion 
 was the number of people present. Fair and 
 perfect as the weather was, few were so pre- 
 pared for the spectacle as not to exhibit un- 
 feigned astonishment at the size of the multi- 
 tude. Exaggerated estimates have, of course, 
 been made of this, as of all other large gather- 
 ings. But the actual truth is sufficiently in- 
 credible. On Wednesday it is certain that 
 there could not have been less than twelve 
 thousand people on the ground ; and Thursday 
 the number could not have been much smaller. 
 Of this great throng it is doubtful if more than 
 two or three hundred were there merely as 
 spectators. Unlike what is usual in such as- 
 semblages, there were almost no " outsiders.'* 
 It was a pure Universalist congregation. And 
 a more orderly, intelligent, wholesome looking 
 multitude was, we venture to say, never gather- 
 ed in New England. The police employed for 
 the occasion report an extraordinary reign 
 of sobriety and quiet, not only on the grounds 
 occupied by the dwellers in tents, but through- 
 out the town. 
 
 The " Mammoth Tent " was provided with 
 seats for about 5000 persons. The central por- 
 tions were uniformly "^packed ; and during 
 the meetings of Wednesday afternoon and 
 'Thursday forenoon and Thursday afternoon, 
 
 the entire enclosure, including all the standing 
 space outside of the seats, and on and around 
 the platform, was densely filled. Probably not 
 less than 7000 persons listened to Dr. Chapin's 
 sermon before the Communion Service, Thurs- 
 day afternoon. Besides the great tent, there 
 were on the ground 120 smaller tents, ranging 
 all the way from the small Sibley tent up to the 
 caterer's spacious saloon. The Publishing 
 House Tent was the head quarters of the Camp, 
 and through that the multitude coursed un- 
 ceasingly from early morn till late in the eve- 
 ning. 
 
 The arrangments, made by the Committee 
 of the Gloucester parish for the accommodation 
 and comfort of the hosts of their brethren who 
 came from all sections of the land, elicited the 
 warmest praise. In the midst of the dryest 
 season known in New England for fifty years, 
 they managed to have on the camp ground 
 an abundant supply of pure, cold water. In 
 the selection and laying out of the camp 
 grounds, in the disposition of the tents, in pro- 
 viding facilities for communication, transporta- 
 tion and the transaction of business ; in polite- 
 ness, attention, patience and unstinted liberali- 
 ty, they have shown themselves equal to the 
 great emergency and superior to the most san- 
 guine expectations. The families with whom 
 nearly two thousand people were entertained 
 for four days, made such an impression on their 
 guests as led to the most extravagant eulogies. 
 If we should report a tithe of the flattering 
 things we have heard of Gloucester hospitality, 
 those so unfortunate as not to be at the Con- 
 vention, would suspect us of fabrication. The 
 Committee, the parish, the citizens, everybody 
 that undertook in any way to exhibit the wel- 
 come of the town and people to the Centennial 
 Convention, covered themselves and their city 
 with lasting honor. And when it is remembered 
 that the burden laid on the Gloucester brethren 
 is many times greater than that any .other place 
 or parish has ever been called on to bear, it 
 will be seen that we speak the very highest 
 praise when we say that they came short in 
 nothing. 
 
106 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 Our complete report of what was done and 
 said at the different meetings of the session, af- 
 fords as good an opportunity of estimating the 
 importance and character of the great convoca- 
 tion, as can be given to any one who was not 
 present. We give the Occasional Sermon, the 
 leading Addresses at all the meetings, the Re- 
 ports and the Communion Sermon, entire. Al- 
 though we give up nearly thirty columns of our 
 regular issue to the Convention reports, and 
 print a supplement of thirty-two columns, 
 brevier type, in addition, we find ourselves 
 compelled to abridge our notices of many of 
 the services. We believe, however, the Uni- 
 Versalist of the present week conveys to the 
 public the fullest report ever made by a Uni- 
 versalist journal of the doings of any denomi- 
 national body. 
 
 It would not be difficult to mention some 
 things to which one critically inclined might 
 take exception, or in respect to which, at 
 least, he might suggest improvement. Those 
 who had often read paragraphs in praise of the 
 unusual foresight, promptness and care of the 
 management of the Eastern Railroad, could 
 not suppress a feeling of disappointment when 
 they found themselves obliged to spend three 
 hours and a-half on the passage from Boston 
 to Gloucester. No improvement was made in 
 this feeling by the necessity which compelled 
 one- third of the company to stand the whole 
 distance. In the meantime, it operated un- 
 favorably to most people, not to be able to 
 find either in Boston, or anywhere along the 
 route, or at Gloucester, any person who ap- 
 peared to have any authority or who was 
 ready to assume any responsibility. Perhaps 
 it would not be correct to say that the Eastern 
 
 Road — as to the Universalist Centenary Cel 
 ebration — was badly managed ; but it certain- 
 ly seems to us a just statement to declare that 
 it was not managed at all. From whatever cen- 
 sure is conveyed in the foregoing remarks, we 
 wish wholly to except the agent appointed by 
 the Eastern Road to countersign tickets at 
 Gloucester, Mr. B. S. Ally. The task he un- 
 dertook was truly herculean ; hut he performed 
 it cheerfully, completely, and to the satisfac- 
 tion of all. 
 
 The press, generally gave such attention to 
 the Celebration as its importance demanded. 
 The Gloucester Teleqraph and Advertiser, pre- 
 sented very full and accurate reports, filling 
 most of their editorial pages. The Boston 
 Journal, Traveller, Transcript, Herald, and es- 
 pecially the Post, were furnished with reliable 
 and readable accounts of the Convention's 
 proceedings. The Boston Advertiser atoned 
 by a handsome editorial for its meagre des- 
 patches. The New York Times was repre- 
 sented by a gentleman who knew how to do 
 ample justice to the occasion. The Tribune 
 had two reproters and its editor-in-chief pres- 
 ent, and gave over four columns of its space on 
 Thursday morning to Dr. Miner's Sermon. 
 The Springfield Republican published an ex- 
 cellent report of the doings of the Convention, 
 and we learn that papers in Philadelphia, Chi- 
 cago, Cincinnati and some other cities, printed 
 liberal despatches from the Gloucester Conven- 
 tion. 
 
 Making all due allowances and subtractions, 
 it still remains an unquestionable fact that the 
 largest religious convention ever held in this 
 country, was in almost every respect entirely 
 successful, and more than satisfactory. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 107 
 
 THE PRESS ON THE CENTENARY 
 CELEBRATION. 
 
 We give below the editorial comments of a 
 few of the leading papers of the country, on 
 the great centenary celebration of our church. 
 We preserve them in this connection as ap- 
 propriately illustrative of the history of the 
 event. 
 
 {From the New York Tribune.') 
 The doctrine of the final holiness and hap- 
 piness of all men has been held in nearly every 
 age and every branch of the Christian Church ; 
 but Jonx Mukray is very justly regarded as 
 the founder of the Universalist Church in 
 America. The Universalists of this country, 
 therefore, date the origin of their denomina- 
 tion to September, 1770, when Mr. Murray 
 preached his first sermon in the United States, 
 and when the first Universalist Society was 
 organized in the land. 
 
 To sigualize the year, to express their grati- 
 tude for the success which has been given 
 them, and to prepare for a better future, the 
 United States Universalists' Convention, 
 through Committees appointed for these ends, 
 has summoned its conventions and churches 
 to liquidate their debts, to renovate old 
 churches, and build new ones ; to endow col- 
 leges and schools, and multiply means and 
 agencies for missionary work. And, specially 
 as a memorial of their centenary year, they 
 have proposed to raise the generous sum of 
 #200,000 as a " Murray Centenary Fund," to 
 be invested, and the income to be given to 
 the missionary work of their Church. The 
 Convention met yesterday at Gloucester, 
 Mass., and the reports in other columns are 
 something of the vitality of the body and the 
 vigor with which they have pushed forward 
 their work. The convention will be in session 
 for three days. 
 
 {From the Boston Advertiser.) 
 There is hardly any chapter in the religious 
 history of the world that savors of romance 
 more than that which relates to the origin 
 and growth of the Universalist denomination 
 in the United States. The Pilgrims came to 
 New England to enjoy religious freedom, but 
 they were a company of men who thought 
 alike and were prepared to act together. 
 Even the apostles were eleven in number after 
 
 the death of their Master, and there were 
 numerous pious women to advise, comfort 
 and strengthen thein. But John Murray fled 
 from persecution in a spirit somewhat like 
 that of Elijah when he escaped from Ahab to 
 the mountain with the mournful cry that he 
 alone of all the servants of the Lord was 
 faithful. And as. Elijah found that even in his 
 depression and desire for death his God had 
 still a work for him, so Murray discovered 
 that it was not without a purpose that he was 
 driven from his native land, but that there 
 was left to him the work of founding on these 
 shores a new denomination destined to grow 
 to proportions which no man may limit. 
 
 The sight at Gloucester this week, where 
 thousands of those who profess the faith 
 which Murray came to teach are gathered, 
 is one in which all Christians may. well be 
 interested. Differ as men may as to the truth 
 or heresy of the particular doctrines which 
 are the basis of the gathering, it is a present 
 example of the growth which a denomination 
 may make in a comparatively short time by 
 dint of diligent work. At the same time the 
 condition of the denomination to-day is as 
 good an answer as it could desire to one of 
 the severest criticisms that have ever been 
 made upon it. If Uuiversalism be true, it 
 has been said, there is no need of any religion 
 at all, and as the doctrine spreads, the out- 
 ward practice of religious duties at least will 
 decrease. But, on the other hand, the facts 
 remain that as the denomination gains power 
 and numbers it is among the most active in 
 building churches, establishing schools, 
 founding papers to inculcate its specific doc- 
 trines, and, in fact, in all the works of a pro- 
 gressive Christian church. The Gloucester 
 meeting marks an era in its history. The 
 one hundredth anniversary of the foundation 
 of the denomination in this country has been 
 signalized by the raising of a very large 
 sum of money by the voluntary contributions 
 of its members, its position as one of the 
 important systems of belief is recognized, 
 its day of small tilings is past. If its op- 
 portunities are wisely used it has a future 
 before it of growth and prosperity, many 
 fold more brilliant than has been its increase 
 during the centenary just closed. 
 
108 
 
 UNIVERSALIST CENTENARY, 
 
 (From the Springfield Republican,') 
 We are just coming into a generation of 
 centennial celebrations. The last third of the 
 eighteenth century in this country was 
 marked by so many great events and so many 
 birthdays of sects, communities and revolu- 
 tions that the corresponding period of this 
 century cannot but be a succession of cen- 
 tenary jubilees. Prominent among these will 
 be the religious, in which the Methodists led 
 oft* in 18G6, and are followed by the Universal- 
 ists in 1870, The centennial thanksgiving of 
 the latter denomination has culminated this 
 week, with the United States convention at 
 Gloucester, that being the site of the first 
 church edifice ever built by a Universalist 
 society in this country. 
 
 The origin of Universalism in America did 
 not lack that almost miraculous coincidence 
 of circumstances which somehow characterizes 
 all great beginnings and makes them smack of 
 " special providence." John Murray was an 
 Englishman, whom the preaching of John 
 Wesley and Whitefield had induced to become 
 a Methodist preacher. Being converted to 
 Universalism, he suffered so much from the 
 persecution of his old associates and from 
 private misfortunes, that he resolved to start 
 life anew in America. At that time, there 
 lived in the village of Good Luck, on the coast 
 of New Jersey, Thomas Potter, a planter of 
 little learning, but of a vigorous and specula- 
 tive mind. He had wrought out for himself a 
 religious faith that he longed to hear preached 
 to the world, and, to accomplish his desire, 
 built a church at Good Luck. To this church 
 he invited preachers from far and near, but he 
 never found one who held forth his doctrine, 
 and the plain, barn-like edifice, which, we be- 
 lieve, is still standing, came to be termed in 
 derision by the villagers " Potter's meeting- 
 house." One Saturday morning in Septem- 
 tember, 1870, an English vessel was discovered 
 becalmed in the offing, and Potter was seized 
 with so profound a conviction that it bore him 
 his apostle that when'Rev. John Murray, with 
 other passengers, strolled upon the shore, the 
 eccentric planter, without the ceremony of an 
 
 introduction, met him with '* Thou art the 
 man," and a pressing invitation to his house 
 and pulpit. The greeting was a little startling 
 and not altogether welcome to a man who was 
 flattering himself that he had left his past life 
 altogether behind. But Potter was urgent and 
 Murray agreed to stay and preach if the wind 
 did not change so that he could go on to New 
 York. The wind did not change, he preached, 
 Potter embraced him after the discourse, and 
 in that hour began the career of the Univer- 
 salist denomination in America, 
 
 The subsequent career of Murray was 
 hardly less stormy than the previous por- 
 tion. Gravitating toward New England,— 
 then, as now, the most promising field for 
 heresy, — he preached at various places, long- 
 est at Gloucester, where he established, by a 
 long litigation, the existence of the Univer- 
 salist denomination before the law. He came 
 near being expelled from the town on a 
 trumped-up charge of toryism, and afterward 
 became chaplain of the three Rhode Island 
 regiments in the Continental army, being an 
 intimate friend of General Greene. The other 
 chaplains petitioned against the appointment, 
 but Washington confirmed it. As Universal- 
 ism is now preached, it is more the doctrine 
 of Father Ballou than of Murray, but the 
 central idea was common to both. 
 
 The denomination as now constituted is 
 well planted as a church, while its influence 
 has been exerted to a still greater extent in 
 ameliorating the severity of contemporary 
 theologies. It now has two million dollars 
 invested in educational institutions, three of 
 which are of collegiate rank, — Tufts college 
 being the most promising. The academic 
 schools take a high rank. In its educational 
 field is the most pressing need of work, and 
 to this purpose the denomination must bend 
 its best energies to keep pace with the other 
 sects of the time. The special work com- 
 memorative of the present occasion has been 
 the raising of $200,000 for general purposes, 
 a fund which each succeeding year will prob- 
 ably see largely augmented. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 109 
 
 (From the Boston Traveller.) 
 
 The celebration of the American Centenary of 
 Universalism at Gloucester, last week, is one of 
 the most agreeable incidents of the time. A 
 comparison between 1770 and 1870 must be highly 
 gratifying to John Murray's followers. Then a 
 Universalist was considered by most Christians as 
 being no better than an Atheist in respect to his 
 religion, no matter how estimable he may have 
 been in respect to morality ; but now the whole 
 Christian world recognizes the religious worth of 
 Universalists. No denomination exists in more de- 
 served respect. 
 
 (From the Christian Register.) 
 
 The Register heads its article "A Hundred 
 Years," and says: The Universalist Centenary, 
 which was celebrated at Gloucester, last week, was 
 a notable gathering, and furnishes a positive proof 
 of the progress of a large and liberal Christian faith. 
 If we go back a hundred years and recall the time 
 when John Murray startled the Puritans of Mass- 
 achusetts by preaching the doctrine of God's im- 
 partial and universal love to a scanty congregation, 
 and put that fact by the side of the thousands and 
 tens of thousands who came to Gloucester from all 
 parts of the country to commemorate the history of 
 a hundred years with its rich results — as thus we 
 put the past and present face to face, we see what 
 a progress has been made in the popular concep- 
 tions of the character of God. On this one point 
 the Universalists have effected a wide-spread 
 change. They have not only organized Universal- 
 ist churches, built schools, founded colleges, and 
 established journals and printing houses, but they 
 have also powerfully influenced the religious ideas 
 of the larger sects. As they therefore gathered 
 during the week in such crowds to recount what 
 they had done, and to take a new start for the fu- 
 ture, they could not fail to rejoice and take cour- 
 age. 
 
 In every respect the celebration was a success, 
 and the result will be to give new enthusiasm to 
 the whole denomination. The convention proper, 
 
 which met at Gloucester, is a close representative 
 body, small in numbers, and with clearly defined 
 powers. In connection with this was what may 
 be termed a mass-meeting. On Thursday there 
 were interesting services at Murray's old church, 
 which is now a barn, and also exercises at the 
 grave of the well-known apostle, Jones. It is a 
 curious fact that the Orthodox sent the flowers for 
 the one and the Baptists for the other. Besides 
 the preaching in the tent, several churches were 
 open at different times for religious services. The 
 great lights, both lay and clerical, were present. 
 The Universalists have a number of earnest and 
 efficient female ministers, and most of these were 
 present, and proved themselves the peers of their 
 brethren both in the pulpit and on the platform. 
 The women have raised thirty-three thousand dol- 
 lars towards the centenary fund. On Thursday, 
 Rev. Charles Lowe and Rev. E. E. Hale, as a com- 
 mittee from the National Conference of Unitarian 
 and other Christian Churches, offered the greeting 
 of their body, and Rev. Mr. Hale made a Very ef- 
 fective speech. A correspondent of the New York 
 Tribune thus characterizes the speech and speaker : — 
 
 " One of the most spirited and stirring speeche 
 of the Convention was that of the Rev. E. E. Hale, 
 the orthodox Unitarian and energetic editor. He 
 came to the front with never a trace of Col. Ing- 
 ham in matter or manner, and asserted the doc- 
 trines of spiritual brotherhood and liberal Christi- 
 anity in a way almost powerful enough to make 
 John Murray walk forth approvingly from his 
 grave. Mr. Hale believes in the intimate and vital 
 connection of practical life and religion. As for 
 the bases of our political and religous existence, 
 'America has chosen for better or worse, universal 
 suffrage. And what does universal suffrage mean, 
 but that the doctrine of total depravity is folly and 
 blasphemy ! ' " 
 
 We congratulate our Universalist friends on the 
 success of their Centenary celebration. It will 
 doubtless help forward the work of emancipating 
 the world from a false theology, and hasten the 
 building up of the great Liberal Christian church 
 of the future. 
 
CEIN'TElSr.A.IlY HYM3STS. 
 
 The following original hymns, written by the 
 authors severally named, were sung by " the great 
 congregation " at the Jubilee in Gloucester during 
 the series of meetings held there. We give them in 
 this place rather than break up our reports of ser- 
 mons and addresses to insert them where they 
 were used. The hymns of Mr. Adams and Mrs. 
 Bingham were sung during the service connected 
 with the delivery of the Occasional Sermon ; that 
 of Rev. C. H. Fay being the closing hymn. 
 
 I. 
 
 BY REV. JOHN Q. ADAMS. 
 
 Tune. — Keller's American Hymn. 
 Children of light ! lift your voices on high ! 
 
 Sing ye glad praises to God in this hour ; 
 Voices of mortals to angels reply ; 
 
 Sing of His wisdom, and goodness, and power. 
 Sing of that grace by the Father revealed, 
 
 Grace to no nation or people confined, 
 Grace in the Son, whom the Father hath sealed, 
 
 Full and complete for the race of mankind ! 
 
 Praise that through clouds which so heavily hung 
 
 Over the tribes and the nations below, 
 Shone this glad truth, which the angel-choir sung 
 
 Over still Bethlehem, ages ago ; 
 '* Peace on the earth , and good-will to mankind ! " 
 
 Truth which all heaven delights to proclaim ; 
 Truth in which mortals exultant shall find 
 
 Highest of glory to God's holy name. 
 
 Praise, that this truth through a century gone, 
 
 O'er our broad land hath its radiance shed ; 
 Praise, that its brightness, increasing, shines on, 
 
 Light to the blinded, and life to the dead ! 
 So through all ages its mission shall run, 
 
 Waking glad anthems on earth's farthest shore, 
 Making the Church and Humanity one — 
 
 One in Christ Jesus, the Lord, evermore ! 
 
 II. 
 
 BY MRS. H. A. BINGHAM. 
 
 Tune. — Webb. 
 The gospel trump is sounding ; 
 
 The hosts of truth increase ; 
 With countless foes surrounding 
 
 Their warfare cannot cease. 
 From fields of conquest sweeping 
 
 To victories yet unwon, 
 The same glad footstep Keeping, 
 
 Their shining ranks march on. 
 
 Above their thousand banners, 
 
 One royal flag they bear ; 
 Ten thousand glad hosannas 
 
 Proclaim one Lord is there. 
 The hosts of sin assailing 
 
 They press through strife and loss, 
 In one great Name prevailing, — 
 
 One army of the Cross. 
 
 The myriads gone before them, 
 
 With martyr, saint and seer, 
 In brighter ranks bend o'er them, 
 
 Their conquering way to cheer. 
 And lo, the f?r off dawning 
 
 When all their strife shall cease, — 
 The glad millennial morning, 
 
 The thousand years of peace ! 
 
 Through conflict stern and glorious 
 
 To that great end they move, 
 When Christ, the King victorious, 
 
 Shall reign o'er all in love. 
 That Truce of God unending 
 
 When, every conquest o'er, 
 One mighty song ascending, 
 
 Shall praise him evermore. 
 
 III. 
 
 [BY MRS. C. M. SAWYER. 
 
 Tune. — Mockin^ham. 
 , long-remembered be the day 
 When, o'er the stormy ocean-way, 
 The tempest driven vessel bore 
 The Saintly leader to our shore ! 
 
 Uncalled, unheralded, alone ; 
 His mission to himself unknown : 
 A prophet sent by Heaven he came 
 A Father's Goodness to proclaim. 
 
 A God, vindictive, cruel, cold, 
 His blinded servants taught of old : 
 Unseen the Mighty Love which gave 
 His precious Son the world to save ! 
 
 Not thus he taught for whom to-day 
 Our reverent thanks to God we pay — 
 That wondrous Love which angels sung 
 E'er filled his heart — inspired his tongue ! 
 
 Ye priests, who reap the fields which he 
 First sowed 'mid scorn and obloquy, 
 0, tireless, to your labor go, 
 Like him — a hundred years ago ! 
 
 IV. 
 
 BY REV. RICHMOND FISK, JR., D.D. 
 
 On summits of a hundred years, — 
 Our mountain heights of faith and love, 
 
 We stand to-day released from fears, 
 And lift our hearts to God above. 
 
 We look o'er fields of anxious toil, 
 Wherein the fathers lived and wrought, 
 
 Who scattered broadcast o'er the soil, 
 The seed from Gospel garners brought. 
 
 We look adown the years gone by, 
 E'en back a hundred years ago, 
 
 Where round the dying, shadows lie, 
 And future life seems fraught with woe. 
 
 For threat'nings then were in the air, 
 Dire mutterings then were in the clouds, 
 
 And human hearts were in despair, 
 And human faith but pall and shrouds. 
 
GLOUCESTER, 1870. 
 
 Ill 
 
 Christ's " Peace, be still," had little power 
 
 To calm the tempest driven heart, 
 Whe~ day by day, and hour by hour, 
 Was heard: " Ye cursed and lost depart." 
 
 To preach, " They shall be comforted," 
 Or sing, " The boundless love of God," 
 
 "Was heresy, and in its stead 
 Stood flaming the avenging rod. 
 
 But on the darkness of those days 
 A marvellous light shall now appear, 
 
 For Murray comes with prophecies 
 Of God and angels standing near. 
 
 And now we celebrate the day 
 That gave our land this dawn of light ; 
 
 And 'mid rejoicings let us pray : 
 God clothe us all with zeal and right. 
 
 V. 
 
 BY EEV. C. H. PAT. 
 
 Tune. — Old Hundred. 
 Our hearts, 0, God, beat high with fears 
 
 And hopes, at this impressive hour J 
 A Cent'ry's knell tolls on our ears, 
 
 Its closing night-shades round us lower. 
 
 An hundred years are now complete, 
 Since on these shores our Murray gave 
 
 The Gospel anthem's key-note sweet,— 
 Love's own purpose ALL to save. 
 
 We thank Thee for his hopeful voice, 
 Which rang so clear around our land, 
 
 And made the dismal wilds rejoice, 
 And deserts bloom on every hand : — 
 
 Which shook grim error's sable throne, 
 And rent the gloom of vengeance's storm, 
 
 Till truth's fair sun in beauty shone, 
 And showed us mercy's lovely form. 
 
 The praise be Thine for all who chose 
 With him to toil , endure and dare ; 
 
 And as their fame before us goes, 
 May we their mantles meekly wear. 
 
 — Lo ! now the shadows drift — and pass 
 O'er all the sky a dawn appears ; 
 
 And bright as dew drops on the grass, 
 Moves on another Hundred Years. 
 
 Our Father's God, we now would crave 
 Thine aid, as here, in trust, we pause 
 
 To pledge, with banded hearts and brave, 
 Anew our fealty to Thy cause. 
 
 0, bless the banner that we bear ; 
 
 Lead Thou our hosts till strife is done, 
 And strains go sounding on the air, 
 
 That all in Thee and Christ are one. 
 
MAR 21 W3 
 
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