UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Class 
 
 Book 
 
 c 
 
 Volume
 
 FIFTY YEARS OF UNITARIAN LIFE.
 
 UNITARIAN LIFE. 
 
 BEING A RECORD 
 OF THE PROCEEDINGS ON THE 
 
 1 OCCASION OF THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF 
 THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST UNITARIAN SOCIETY OF 
 GENEVA, ILLINOIS, CELEBRATED JUNE TENTH, 
 ELEVENTH AND TWELFTH, 
 
 1892. 
 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 T. H. EDDOWES. FRANCES LE BARON, 
 GEORGE BRAYTON PENNEY. 
 
 PRINTED BY THE 
 
 KANE COUNTY PUBLISHING CO., 
 
 GENEVA, ILL. 
 
 1892.
 
 ui 
 uj 
 
 I HE celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of a 
 Unitarian Society in the West is not an event 
 A of such common occurrence that it should 
 receive only passing notice. The moral and spiritual 
 significance of such an occasion comes with such stimu- 
 lating force to all who are fighting the battle of freedom 
 p* for mind and soul, that it has seemed to many who were 
 
 present at the semi-centennial exercises of the Geneva 
 Society that the spirit of the occasion should be perpetu- 
 $$i ated in some enduring form, and it was in response to 
 the expressed wish of members and friends of the Society 
 that the publication of this volume was undertaken. 
 
 The work has grown on our hands and instead of 
 presenting a few pages of matter of purely local interest 
 we feel that in this little volume we are making a unique 
 contribution to the literature of the denomination, with a 
 value far exceeding the limits of local association and 
 personal reminiscence, for in these pages may be traced 
 the evolution of a typical Liberal Church. 
 
 We have been greatly aided in a somewhat difficult 
 
 203101
 
 viii. Editor^ Preface. 
 
 task by the friends who have kindly furnished and revised 
 manuscripts, and especially are we indebted to Rev. W. 
 W. Fenn of Chicago for the manuscript of his sermon 
 on "Some Religious Changes in Fifty Years" which 
 properly stands at the opening of the book and by its 
 breadth and catholicity interprets the spirit of the anni- 
 versary occasion. For drawings of the church and par- 
 sonage we. are indebted to Mr. S. Nelson Abbott and to 
 Miss Grace D. Long, both of the Society and we would also 
 acknowledge the service rendered by Mr, Chas. B. Mead 
 of the Kane County Publishing Company, who not only 
 took the contract for the work at a figure which precluded 
 profit but has given his personal attention to details. 
 
 The absence of some very familiar names from the 
 Historical Sketch, which will perhaps strike some readers 
 unpleasantly, was unavoidable. The time allowed to the 
 paper was limited and many honored names were to 
 have been mentioned at the afternoon session by a speak- 
 er who was at the last moment prevented from attending. 
 A letter had also been promised from Col. Jno. C. Long 
 of Chicago, touching upon the army life of Mr. Conant, 
 but owing to a press of other matters Col. Long was una- 
 ble to furnish it. 
 
 With the large faith that has made this record possi- 
 ble we give it forth to the circle of friends and relatives 
 of the Geneva Society and to the larger world which it 
 may, perchance, here and there reach. 
 
 T. II. EDDOWES, 
 FRANCES LE!JARON, 
 GEORGE BRAYTON PENNEY. 
 
 GENEVA, November, 1892.
 
 I. SERMON Some Religious Changes in PAGE. 
 
 Fifty Years, 1 
 
 II. Order of Proceedings, 21 
 
 III. Address of Welcome, - 22 
 
 IV. HISTORICAL SKETCH, 
 
 Organization, 23 
 
 Personal, - 28 
 
 Church Building, 39 
 
 Pastorates, ' , - 47 
 
 By the Way, 51 
 
 V. Anniversary Hymn, 57 
 
 VI. Character Sketch of the First Pastor, 58 
 
 VII. Dedication Hymn, 75 
 
 VIII. Incidents and Reminiscences, - 76 
 
 IX. , Random Reminiscences, 84 
 
 X. Memories of Early Days, 88 
 
 XI. COLLATION Responses and Letters, 94 
 
 A Cambrian Prophet, 95 
 
 A Man without Guile, 96 
 
 Other Pioneers, 100
 
 x. Contents. 
 
 Letter from Robert Collyer, - 102 
 
 Early Women, 105 
 
 The Original Geneva, - 106 
 
 Poem Fifty Years, 107 
 
 Letter from Rev. Jno. R. Effinger, 108 
 
 Letter from Prof. Samuel Clarke, 109 
 
 CuiBono? 110 
 
 A Living Saint, 112 
 
 Response, 113 
 
 Letter from Rev. Chester Covell, - 114 
 
 The Illinois Conference, - 114 
 
 Letter from Rev. Jas. H. West, 117 
 
 Freedom of Thought and Speech, - 120 
 Woman's Relation to Religious Freedom, 122 
 The Literary Value of the Liberal Faith, 124 
 
 The Centennial Celebration, 125 
 
 XII. CONGRATULATORY LETTERS. 
 
 From Edward Everett Hale, D. D. 128 
 
 " Marie L. Lamb, 129 
 
 " Thomas Moulding, 129 
 
 " C. A. Philips, 130 
 
 " Hon. J. C. Sherwin, - 130 
 
 " Col. Jno. S. Wilcox, - - 131 
 
 " Paul R. Wright, 131 
 
 XIII. Sunday School Session, - 133 
 
 XIV. Historical Chapter, 135 
 
 XV. Sunday School Memories, - 139 
 
 XVI. The Parsonage, - 145
 
 I. CHURCH BUILDING, Erected 1843, FRONTISPIECE 
 
 (Drawn by S. Nelson Abbott.) 
 
 II. AUGUSTUS H. CONANT, Page 59 
 
 III. THE PARSONAGE, " 
 
 (Drawn by Grace Long.)
 
 "Love, labor, progress! this the constant story 
 
 That God in Nature speaks: 
 Love, labor, progress! this the tireless glory 
 
 Of the Eternal weeks!"
 
 ' 'SOME RELIGIOUS CHANGES IN FIFTY YEARS. ' ' PREACHED AT 
 THE OPENING OF THE CELEBRATION, FRIDAY EVENING, 
 JUNE 10TH, BY REV. W. W. FENN, 
 
 Pastor of the oldest Unitarian Society in Illinois, the Church of 
 the Messiah, Chicago, organized in 1836. 
 
 TEXT: The Way of the Lord is Strength. Prov. 10-29. 
 
 )f MONG the most suggestive phrases in He- 
 ^C\ brew literature are those which imply that 
 ^\ lu _^ there is a way of the Lord, that there 
 are paths in which the Almighty walks. Primitively, 
 these expressions carried a significance quite different 
 from that which we find in them, conveying merely the 
 notion that there were certain spots which the Gods liked 
 best to frequent; but as under the lead of the Prophets 
 belief in a purposeful God bent on righteousness develop- 
 ed among the Jews, "the way of the Lord" came to have 
 an ethical import which insures it a permanent place in 
 our religious vocabulary. For us, the way of the Lord is 
 the path along which humanity, quickened and guided by 
 the indwelling God, has moved and is moving towards 
 consummate holiness; he is walking with God who is ad- 
 vancing toward the perfect manifestation of truth and
 
 2 Svme Religious Changes 
 
 love; he is working with God who is striving to bring 
 men into the realm of spiritual facts and under the sway 
 of spiritual forces, for thus God walks and works. Hence 
 it behooves us, individually and corporately, to "consid- 
 er our ways" that we may know whether they are the 
 way of the Lord, whether our progress is in the track of 
 advancing humanity. Amid the congratulations and re- 
 joicings of this anniversary occasion, this serious duty 
 should not be overlooked, for no greater blessing could 
 come to pastor and people out of these days of reminis- 
 cence and communion than the settled conviction that 
 this church in its teaching and practice has been walking 
 with God. "The way of the Lord is strength." 
 
 "Thy way, O Lord, is in the sanctuary." It is in 
 the church, or rather in the impalpable but very real 
 "Christian consciousness" of the community, that we may 
 seek most confidently arid find most easily the course of 
 the spirit. Therefore, complying with a request from one 
 of the members of your Committee, I ask you to consid- 
 er with me this evening some of the changes that have 
 come over religious thought and life during the past half 
 century, that we may discern if possible the general di- 
 rection of movement. To-morrow, others shall speak 
 particularly of this church and its history, but to-night 
 we are to establish the criterion by which the work of the 
 church must be determined. Our duty to-night is to dis- 
 cover if we' may the way of the Lord, to-morrow it will 
 become apparent, I trust, that that has been also the way 
 of this church. 
 
 Not even the most casual observer can fail to discern 
 a wide difference between the church as it is now and the 
 church as it was fifty years ago. Although one had 
 never heard a sermon or been inside of a church, he 
 might guess even from the externals of church architect-
 
 In Fifty Year*. 3 
 
 ure that the uses of the building had altered. Church 
 edih'ces nowadays are evidently designed to be less formal, 
 more social, home-like and inviting than they were fifty 
 years ago. If, now, one compares the interiors of two 
 churches, one built fifty years ago and the other just com- 
 pleted, the change is even more apparent. In the one 
 case we should probably find only a large barren audience 
 room, while in the other we should certainly see parlors 
 and a kitchen, possibly also a reading room and a stage. 
 As Brooke Herford has said, tjie proverb "As poor as a 
 church mouse" was coined before kitchens had become an 
 essential part of church architecture ; nowadays church mice 
 ought to be as plump and sleek as old time ecclesiastics con- 
 sidering the debris after our church festivals and fairs. 
 And so the interior of the church deepens the impression 
 made by the exterior that a change has come over our ideas 
 as to the function and place of a church in the community. 
 Then, even Sunday schools were not in full favor and the 
 multifarious social activities of the modern church had not 
 come into mind. Similarly, we may see how the place 
 which a preacher is expected to occupy in a church has un- 
 dergone marked alteration. Instead of a box-like, gloomy 
 pulpit, stilted way above the heads of the congregation, 
 there is now only a low platform with modest reading desk. 
 The preacher of to-day must show the iron and clay of his 
 makeup as well as the head of gold and shoulders of silver 
 which formerly were alone visible over the enclosing and 
 concealing pulpit. The Scripture reads "I will lift up 
 mine eyes unto the hills whence cometh my help" not, I 
 will lift up mine eyes unto the pulpit. In many a country 
 church the Scripture used to be literally fulfilled when the 
 youngsters, and some of the older folk, too, turning away 
 from . the preacher droning away overhead, looked up 
 through the unshaded, small-paned windows to the distant
 
 4 Some Religious Change* 
 
 hills and drew from that quiet vision of beauty help which 
 the pulpit denied them. One can not repress a suspicion 
 that much of the stiff-neckedness for which our ancestors 
 are sometimes blamed, and deservedly, perhaps, may be 
 traced to those high pulpits which obliged them to hold 
 their heads in tilted constraint during interminable sermons, 
 till it is no wonder they got a permanent crick in the neck 
 because of it. And who can blame them for being straight- 
 backed considering the pews they had to sit in. The de- 
 cadence of the skyey pulpit signifies that the preacher no 
 longer speaks as from some inaccessible height of wisdom 
 and sanctity which his people cannot hope to attain, but 
 from their level; he no longer thinks of "preaching down" 
 to his congregation. 
 
 In one of Homer Wilbur's screeds prefixed to the 
 Bigelow Papers Lowell suggests that the visual angle 
 made by a ray of light coming from a high pulpit to the 
 eye of an auditor is such as to induce somnolence. The real 
 reason, however, why people go to sleep in church is be- 
 cause they have no vital interest in what the preacher is 
 saying; yet perhaps this real reason is not unconnected 
 with the fanciful one proposed by the erudite pastor of 
 Jaalam, for when a preacher draws near to his congre- 
 gation and preaches to them eye to eye, it is inevitable 
 that he should be led to speak of subjects in which they 
 are interested and in a style which carries home. One se- 
 cret of the effectiveness of the best modern preaching is 
 that the preacher has got near enough to his people to 
 "see the whites of their eyes." The speech of the street 
 is becoming the speech of the pulpit that the thought of 
 the pulpit may more promptly become the thought of the 
 street. If a preacher to-day is so old-fashioned as to say 
 "My hearers" the probability is that he might more 
 truthfully say "My slumberers;" they are absent-minded
 
 /// Fifty Years. 5 
 
 if not absent-bodied. The thought of the pulpit is cast 
 in a style vital and not conventional, real and not formal, 
 suggestive rather than authoritative, And this implies that 
 the thought of the pulpit is not quite what it used to be. 
 Topics that were once the staple of pulpit discourse are 
 now rarely alluded to Your pastor is not half so much 
 interested in the past of Israel as he is in the future of 
 America; he deems it far less important to show that God 
 could harden Pharaoh's heart and still be just and loving 
 than to thunder into the ears of modern Pharaohs of lust and 
 greed "Let my people go;" he is not so firmly convinced 
 that Jonah could live in the whale's belly, as he is deter- 
 mined that present-day children of God shall not live in 
 vile tenement houses; he will not seek to convince you that 
 Baalam's ass spoke to the ancient prophet, but he will 
 seek to open your ears to the appeal of the entire brute 
 creation for sympathetic protection and kindness. The 
 ideal of the modern sermon is perfectly given by Pres. 
 Hyde of Bowdoin College in the current Forum. "A 
 young preacher," he says, "once read me a sermon filled 
 from beginning to end with abstract propositions about 
 the proper relation of the soul to its maker. When he 
 had finished, I said to him, that is a first rate sermon of 
 its kind, but for every sermon of this kind, you ought to 
 write one of the other kkid. 'What other kind ?' he asked. 
 Why, I said, this is all about the way to save a soul. 
 The other kind of sermon should show what use to make 
 of the soul after it is saved; how the saved soul should 
 behave in the home; how it should do business: how it 
 can make the community happier and better; how to ful- 
 fill the duties of husband or wife, of father or son, of 
 neighbor or friend, of workman or employer, of owner of 
 wealth, of holder of office, of citizen or patriot." That 
 "other kind" of sermon is indeed almost the only kind
 
 6 Some Religious 
 
 that is preached in the foremost pulpits of America to-day 
 and I hope it will not be declared fanciful if I suggest 
 that nothing else could ever be preached, except from a 
 pulpit far removed from a congregation. The change 
 from pulpit to reading desks marks a change in the quali- 
 ty of sermons. A sermon can no longer be a narrow, 
 shallow rivulet of an idea meandering aimlessly through 
 flowery meads of rhetoric, it must be a mountain brook 
 of fresh thought directed to the doing of the world's 
 work. When the preacher came down from his factitious 
 elevation to the level of his fellows, pulpit utterances ac- 
 quired the human touch, became practical, clear, direct, 
 and couched in the ordinary speech of men. 
 
 So much, then, for superficial change in the religious 
 life of the past half century as revealed in church archi- 
 tecture and pulpit utterances, and now we must ask 
 whether these are merely superficial or indicative of pro- 
 found modifications in thought and sentiment. It occa- 
 sionally happens that doctrines lapse for a time, which, 
 nevertheless, are still an integral part of the prevailing 
 system and only await an opportune moment for reap- 
 pearance. During such periods, it may seem as if the 
 beliefs in question were no longer held, whereas in reality 
 they still belong to the current theology and are only in 
 abeyance. Consequently what pass at face value for great 
 religious reformations are often only shiftings of emphasis, 
 while the structure of doctrine or polity remains the same. 
 At the present time, for instance, in the so-called Evan- 
 gelical churches, a prominence is given the humanity of 
 Jesus which once would have been deemed subversive 
 and dangerous, nevertheless the doctrine of his deity is by 
 no means denied but is in fact constantly assumed. Are 
 the changes which we have already mentioned and others 
 which doubtless have occurred to you, changes of this
 
 In Fifty Year*. 7 
 
 sort or are they evidences of real growth and progress? 
 
 One who compares carefully and candidly the Ortho- 
 
 doxy of to-day with that of fifty years ago, as represented 
 
 by its leading exponents then and now, will have to con- 
 
 elude not only that there is hardly a single doctrine which 
 has escaped alteration, but that there has been a radical 
 arid all important change in the point of view and method 
 
 of approach. For the sake of illustration, let us refer 
 briefly to four leading doctrines of Orthodoxy its thought 
 'concerning the Bible, man, salvation and God. 
 
 1st. The Authority of Scripture. It was Chilling- 
 worth who said "-The Bible and the Bible only is the 
 religion of Protestants." The testimony of the Bible 
 was decisive and its judgment final. Theological disputes 
 turned upon the interpretations of texts whose infallibil- 
 ity, when their meaning was ascertained, neither party 
 questioned. But the leading Evangelicals to-day, men 
 like Briggs, Gladden, Abbott and Ladd, have entirely 
 abandoned the claim of Biblical infallibility, while Prof. 
 Ladd of Yale College, in setting up the "Christian con- 
 sciousness' 1 as the ultimate criterion, seems to have re- 
 ' verted substantially to the Roman Catholic view. Preach- 
 ers and theologians are not content with proving that a 
 doctrine is Biblical, they deem it incumbent upon them 
 also to show that it is rational or at least not irrational. 
 Nor is this position maintained only by a few heretics in 
 Orthodox circles, who are called leaders merely because 
 they happen to be conspicuous by reason of their heresy. 
 That they fairly represent the acting opinion of the rank 
 and file appears from the treatment that has been accorded 
 the Revised Version of the Bible. Let me recall a few 
 of the changes in the New Testament alone. 
 
 The favorite and only decisive proof text for the doctrine 
 <of the Trinity that concerning the three Witnesses has
 
 8 Some Religious Changes 
 
 dropped away without even a note of explanation or 
 apology, and doubt has been thrown upon "the church of 
 God which he purchased with his own blood," as well as 
 upon the identification of Jesus with God in the doxology 
 in Komans. On the other hand, the personalty of the 
 Devil is recognized in the Lord's prayer and it is intima- 
 ted in John 1, 18 that Jesus is called "God only be- 
 gotten." Such changes, and these are but samples, 
 would have been greeted with mingled glee and acrimony 
 a half century ago; as it is, they have been given hardly 
 a passing thought. There can be no question, I suppose, 
 that the movement in Orthodoxy is toward viewing the 
 Bible as literature, open to correction and amendment and 
 by no means as infallible, or even final authority. And 
 if reason is to be applied to the Biblical records, the out- 
 come is not doubtful. As the testimony of Genesis with 
 relation to the six days creation is no longer allowed to 
 invalidate the witness of Geology, so the record of the 
 miraculous birth of Jesus will soon cease to be of suffici- 
 ent authority to overthrow the presuppositions of experi- 
 ence and the contradictory hints elsewhere in the Gospels 
 and Epistles. One is tempted to dwell long upon this 
 changed attitude towards the Bible because of its immense 
 significance, but time forbids. Let me quote, however, 
 a single passage from an unimpeachable authority Prof. 
 J. Henry Thayer, Prof, of N. T. Greek in Harvard Uni- 
 versity, whose judgment has weight, not only from his 
 ripe and accurate scholarship, but also because he is an Or- 
 thodox in conviction as well as in ecclesiastical standing: 
 "The critics are agreed," he says, "that the view of the 
 Scripture in which you and I were educated, the view that 
 has been prevalent here in New England for centuries is 
 untenable." The critics have found it so, the people feel 
 it so; silently the change has come, no book or preacher
 
 1-n Fifty Yearn. 9 
 
 has wrought it, but it has come and its influence upon our 
 religious thinking is well-nigh incalculable. 
 
 2nd. The Doctrine of Man. Along with the crumb- 
 ling belief in Biblical infallibility has gone a change in the 
 thought of man, for concerning the creation and primitive 
 condition of man the teachings of the Old Testament and 
 of modern investigation are irreconcilably at variance. 
 It is taught in the Bible that man was brought into being 
 by a special creative act of God; that he was created holy, 
 but by one act of disobedience lost that holiness and passed 
 into a state of alienation from God, of which physical 
 death is the token, in which all his descendants were in- 
 volved. Upon this Biblical preaching rest the Evangeli- 
 cal doctrines of the fall of man and his consequent inabil- 
 ity to think truly or act rightly until after he has been re- 
 generated by the Spirit. As logical inferences came the 
 belief that revelation and salvation must come from with- 
 out as gifts to an unworthy race and not from within as 
 finest fruits of a perfecting humanity, and the pernicious 
 notion that since the truth of God was alien to the nature 
 of unregenerate man, the "carnal reason" was utterly in- 
 competent as a test of truth. ' ' Credo quia impossibile, ' ' I 
 believe because it is impossible. The more monstrous 
 what passed for revealed truth seemed to the natural in- 
 stincts of man, the more depraved those instincts were 
 thereby shown to be. 
 
 On the other hand, competent scholars tell us now 
 that man is the consummate product of along development 
 through the animal world, that his noblest powers so far 
 from being decaying relics of a purer past, are bright- 
 ening prophecies of a glorious future. I need not linger 
 here to point out how this thought of man introduces a 
 totally new point of view and requires a totally different 
 method of approach in our religious thinking, but I would
 
 10 . Some Religious Changes 
 
 assure you that this new thought of man of which I have 
 been speaking is not the whimsey of a few disgruntled 
 "scientists" animated by "hostility" to the Bible and the 
 church, but is the deliberate conclusion of every living 
 student of nature, qualified to have any opinion at all up- 
 on the subject. In the "New World" for June I find this 
 sentence in an article by Minot Savage: "In a private 
 letter to myself , dated Oct. 29, 1890, Mr. John Fiske 
 writes, 'I do not know of any living scientific man of any 
 account opposed to Darwinism as a whole, though of course 
 there is, as there ought to be, much diversity as to subsidi- 
 ary questions. ' ; Quite apart, however, from scholarly 
 research and opinion, the old belief about man has been 
 practically disowned, as Dr. Hale has shown, by our prac- 
 tice in citizenship and education. As the foliage on the 
 branches of a tree keeps green long after the tree itself has 
 been girdled, so some of the inferences from this discredi- 
 ted theory still persist, though their real vitality is gone. 
 Here again as in the case of beliefs concerning the Bible, 
 the change is due not So much to the publication of any 
 epoch-making book, whether Spencer's "First Principles" 
 or Darwin's "Origin of Species," as to the gradual and 
 imperceptible transformation of popular sentiment. But 
 the change has undeniably come and its effect upon our re- 
 ligious life is central and far-reaching. 
 
 3rd. The Doctrine of Salvation. Hitherto we have 
 considered doctrines which may be classed as speculative 
 and which, while they affect vitally the thought of the 
 church, may have nothing to do with its practical work, 
 but in the doctrine of salvation we pass directly from 
 theory to practice, for from the beginning until now the 
 church has felt the salvation of men to be its distinguish- 
 ing function. If, therefore, the conception of salvation 
 changes, the activities of the church must pass through a
 
 In Fifty Year*. 11 
 
 corresponding modification. When man was believed to 
 be in a state of alienation from God because of Adam's 
 transgression, and the work of the church was to bring man 
 and God into a state of reconciliation, the idea of salvation 
 was mechanical and the method, by the vicarious atone- 
 ment, was also formal. But with the incoming of the 
 new thought of man, the idea of salvation has become 
 'vital. Salvation requires not change of state, but change of 
 character. Sin is not so much an insult to God as a wrong 
 done one's own nature. Hence forgiveness of sins cannot 
 be a merely judicial act, it must be the restoration of the 
 spirit and temper lost in transgression. Hence it would 
 hardly be said now that a man's morality or immorality 
 has nothing to do with his salvation. On the , contrary it 
 is generally held that, to quote a famous Orthodox clergy- 
 man, "righteousness is salvation." From every quarter 
 comes the demand for character and not creed. Even 
 staunch Evangelicals will say sometimes of a man "He's 
 a good Christian," thinking simply of his conduct and 
 not at all of his theology. Where the uncouth Evangelist 
 from Georgia cries "Quit your meanness" he is at one 
 with the gentle Quaker poet, who sings 
 
 ''To be saved is only this, 
 Salvation from our selfishness." 
 
 Consequently the way of salvation is not now presented as 
 of old. That Jesus suffered upon the cross the agonies 
 that the elect wouid have suffered, but for him, through 
 the unending aeons of hell seems a belief too mon- 
 strous to be entertained for a moment, yet it was taught 
 once. But that vulgar commercialism has gone forever. 
 That death scene on Calvary, we are told by Orthodox 
 preachers, was designed to melt the heart of man, not to 
 appease the wrath of God; it was a matchless setting forth 
 of God's love of man and hate of sin. The death of
 
 12 Some Religious Changes 
 
 Christ avails for our salvation only as it leads us to a like 
 self-sacrifice. Identification instead of substitution is now 
 the word and we hear of imparted instead of imputed 
 righteousness. And as the ideas of the nature of the way 
 of salvation have altered, there have come glimmerings 
 of the revolutionary thought that the work of the church 
 is the education of the sons of God and not the conver- 
 sion of sons of the Devil. 
 
 4th. The thought of God. That the old teaching 
 concerning the method of salvation seems repulsive to us 
 nowadays is mainly, I fancy, because of the thought of 
 God that lay back of it. God, the Father, seemed to be 
 full of wrath, a Shylock bound to have the full measure of 
 his bond, if not from the man who had sinned, then from 
 an innocent and august substitute. Wrath seemed to be 
 embodied in the Father, mercy and tenderness in the Son. 
 Men shuddered as they repeated "It is a fearful thing to fall 
 into the hands of the living God, " apparently quite unmind- 
 ful that the Hebrew, living before the revelation of God in 
 the face of Jesus, had prayed "Let me fall into the hands of 
 God and not into the hands of man." But now God is 
 drawing ever nearer to the world in love, and the loving 
 Father, who welcomes every returning prodigal with ten- 
 derness eternal, is becoming the God of Christendom. 
 Nowhere is the change more manifest than in the hymns 
 of the church. 
 
 Merely for the sake of illustration, let me read you 
 two hymns found in psalmodies that were in vogue fifty 
 years ago and contrast them with two hymns taken from 
 a modern collection. That the older hymns are revolting 
 to the staunchest Orthodoxy of to-day, I am perfectly well 
 aware as well as that it would be easy to find other hymns 
 of the same period which breathe in lofty strains the no- 
 blest ideas of God. Yet the thought of God presented in
 
 In Fifty Years. 13 
 
 these hymns was held and taught to the horror of many 
 souls. It is with no design of ridiculing the faith of the 
 past, but with profound pity for those whose lives were 
 overshadowed by such frightful fears, and with deep 
 gratitude that nearly all churches have awakened from 
 such horrible dreams to more trustful thoughts of God, 
 that I read two hymns by Watts with which many of you 
 must be already familiar: 
 
 "My thoughts on awful subjects roll, 
 
 Damnation and the dead; 
 What horrors seize the guilty soul 
 
 Upon a dying bed! 
 
 Then swift and dreadful she descends 
 
 Down to the fiery coast, 
 Amongst abominable fiends; 
 
 Herself a frighted ghost. 
 
 There endless crowds of sinners lie, 
 
 And darkness makes their chains; 
 Tortured with keen despair, they cry, 
 
 Yet wait for fiercer pains." 
 
 Compare, or rather contrast, with this Anna War- 
 ing's beautiful hymn 
 
 "Go not far from me, O my God, 
 
 Whom all my times obey; 
 Take from me anything thou wilt, 
 
 But go not thou away, 
 And let the storm that does thy work 
 
 Deal with me as it may! 
 
 On thy compassion I repose 
 
 In weakness and distress; 
 I will not ask for greater ease, 
 
 Lest I should love thee less. 
 Oh, 'tis a blessed thing for me 
 
 To need thy tenderness! 
 
 When I am feeble as a child, 
 
 And flesh and heart give way, 
 Then on thy everlasting strength 
 
 With passive trust I stay, 
 And the rough wind becomes a song, 
 
 The darkness shines like day.
 
 14 Some Religious Changes 
 
 Deep unto deep may call, but I 
 
 With peaceful heart can say, 
 Thy loving kindness hath a charge 
 
 No waves can take away; 
 Then let the storm that speeds me home 
 
 Deal with me as it may!" 
 
 One dreads to turn from this lyric strain of trust and 
 hope to read another hymn by Watts which as I have been 
 credibly informed was actually sung by Evangelical con- 
 gregations fifty years ago. 
 
 "Far in the deep, where darkness dwells, 
 
 The land of horror and despair, 
 Justice has built a dismal hell 
 
 And laid her stores of vengance there. 
 
 Eternal plagues and heavy chains, 
 
 Tormenting racks and fiery coals, 
 And darts t' inflict immortal pains 
 
 Dyed in the blood of damned souls. 
 
 There Satan the first sinner lies 
 
 And roars and bites his iron bands, 
 In vain the rebel strives to rise 
 
 Crushed with the weight of both thy hands. 
 
 There guilty gh'osts of Adam's race 
 Shriek out and howl beneath thy rod; 
 
 Once they could scorn a Savior's grace 
 But they incensed a dreadful God. 
 
 Tremble my soul and kiss the Son! 
 
 Sinner, obey thy Savior's call; 
 Else your damnation hastens on 
 
 And hell gapes wide to wait your fall." 
 
 With the thought of God and the future thought in 
 this hymn, what can offer more significant contrast than 
 Chad wick's beautiful song: 
 
 "It singe th low in every heart, 
 
 We hear it each and all, 
 A song of those who answer not, 
 
 However we may call.
 
 In Fifty Yearn. 15 
 
 They throng the silence of the breast; 
 
 We see them as of yore, 
 The kind, the true, the brave, the sweet, 
 
 Who walk with us no more. 
 
 'Tis hard to take the burden up, 
 
 When these have laid it down: 
 They brightened all the joj> of life, 
 
 They softened every frown. 
 But, oh! 'tis good to think of them 
 
 When we are troubled sore; 
 Thanks be to God that such have been, 
 
 Although they are no more! 
 
 More homelike seems the vast unknown, 
 
 Since they have entered there; 
 To follow them were not so hard, 
 
 Wherever they may fare. 
 They cannot be where God is not, 
 
 On any sea or shore; 
 Whate'er betides, thy love abides, 
 
 Our God for evermore!" 
 
 Thanks be to God that out of the flame shot shadows 
 of Hell the world has emerged upon the gentle slope that 
 leads to the light that crowns with ineffable radiance the 
 home-land of the soul. Thank God that the "awful rose 
 of dawn" now touches with celestial beauty the limit 
 which all our feet must over-pass, where hung once cur- 
 taining storm clouds of wrath eternal. Henceforth let 
 none step into the unknown with fear, since we have 
 learned to trust there as well as here the love from which 
 not even our sins can permanently separate us. "Help 
 for the living and hope for the dead" is the word of the 
 modern church because we have learned of God, who 
 worketh unceasingly and forever that he may bring love 
 to perfect manifestation. 
 
 From our consideration of the doctrines formerly 
 held and those which now prevail in Orthodox circles con- 
 cerning the Bible, man, salvation and God, it appears un- 
 mistakably that the superficial changes which we notice
 
 16 Soifie Religious Changes 
 
 at the outset are not accidental but symptomatic. They 
 are outcrops and not boulders. That aloofness of relig- 
 ion from the rest of life which we saw expressed in church 
 architecture and in the ideal of church and minister, found 
 its inner correspondence in doctrines which vanished the 
 instant that a demand for unity penetrated religious 
 thinking. The doctrines to which we have referred were 
 tenable only because they were deemed so sacred as to be 
 beyond the scope of criticism. The feeling for unity 
 would brook no contradictions in the nature of God; his 
 wrath and his love must be one; his revelation in the 
 world could not contradict his revelation in the Bible ; if 
 man was able to discern the truth of God as revealed-in Na- 
 ture, he was able also to discern God in the. more immedi- 
 ate workings of the Spirit. All the changes that have come 
 in Theology are traceable to the growing conviction that 
 God is one, that the world is one because the expression 
 and revelation of God, that man is one because he is of 
 the world and only a more perfect manifestation of the 
 Divine unity. If this interpretation of religious changes 
 is correct, we shall expect to find two things: first, that 
 the world has been growing more religious, for the de- 
 mand for unity is only another name for the conscious- 
 ness of God; and, secondly, that the changes in other de- 
 partments of life are traceable to the same source, for re- 
 ligion is only one phase of man's mentality and shares 
 his intellectual fortunes. As regards the first, it is note- 
 worthy that the changes which have been mentioned have 
 come from within the church and not from without it. 
 The new thought of the Bible, for instance, has been 
 reached by men intent only upon the truth, men, for the 
 most part, whose fine religious feeling is apparent on 
 every page of their writings. No one can doubt that the 
 new ideas are more purely and deeply religious than the
 
 In Fifty Years. ' 17 
 
 old. Never was there more devotion to high ideals than 
 now, never was there truer, more searching or self-sacri- 
 ficing love of man than now, never was the trust in the 
 eternal goodness more wide and firm, never, in a word, 
 was the world more religious than it is to-day. Indubit- 
 ably the movement has been not a human drifting into 
 evil, but a divine steering towards goodness. And the 
 religious movement is but one embodiment of that mag- 
 nificent inflow of the consciousness and craving for unity, 
 which will make our generation memorable forever. In 
 the arts, all our inventions and discoveries have tended 
 to bring men together. The railroad, the steam-boat, the 
 telegraph annihilate separating space. That Joshua made 
 the sun stand still upon Gibeon seems trifling compared 
 with modern achievements: we make the sun stand still, 
 yes even go back on the dial, over our thought entrusted 
 to electricity, and perhaps it may stand still sometime, in 
 like manner, over our bodies as we travel from East to 
 West. This has become a very small world within fifty 
 years and all men are next door neighbors. Aided possi- 
 bly by the mechanical unifying, the idea of unity prevails 
 in industry and in the theories of government. As co- 
 operation is the rule in manufacturing, so that no 
 man worketh for himself and no man idleth to 
 himself, making the factory the unit with the sev- 
 eral workmen as constituent cells, so in government the 
 nation and not the individual is gaining recognition as the 
 ultimate unit. In this country two theories of government 
 have prevailed, one conceiving the nation, the other the 
 individual state as unit, and it was no accident, but an in- 
 evitable incident in a great world process that the two 
 theories joined battle in our civil war and that the nation- 
 al idea was victorious. We shall learn sometime to ex- 
 tend our national idea until it becomes international, ac-
 
 18 Some Religiwm Changes 
 
 knowledging in practice as in theory the brotherhood of 
 man. Towards that, the Spirit of God manifested in the 
 craving for unity, is now tending; ethical systems are bas- 
 ed upon it, socialism asserts it. In sociology the unitary 
 idea is supreme. Of course, it would be needless to 
 prove that it lords it in science likewise. The unity of 
 force is a fundamental tenet of modern science. And if 
 force is one, it acts according to like laws in all spheres of 
 its operation. Hence the unity of law is a necessary cor- 
 ollary to the unity of force. "The hot vapors of hydro- 
 gen aud calcium on the surface of the sun" obey the same 
 laws as the cyclone that sweeps over our Western prairies. 
 Man is no longer, as of old, separated from the rest of 
 nature by an unbridged gulf. We are living in a universe. 
 Thus everywhere, the last fifty years have been signalized 
 by an increasing demand for unity which has appeared in 
 the church also. This, then, is the way of the Lord, this 
 has been the course of the spirit, and every church, to the 
 degree that it has been the herald and prophet of that 
 unity, has been in the way of the Lord, wherein lies its 
 strength. 
 
 While the whole church has responded to the new 
 voice of the Spirit and has moved forward in the way of 
 its directing, we may well be proud that the part of the 
 church universal to which we belong has been in the van 
 of the movement. Fifty years ago, Channing died. 
 Guided by the spirit, he had seen and taught the unity of 
 God and the dignity of man as a child of God, and hence 
 able to discover and know the truth of God. All our 
 early Unitarian thought rested upon those fundamental 
 beliefs. But our perception of unity was, as yet, incom- 
 plete. Somewhat over fifty years ago, in a sermon before 
 the graduating class of Harvard Divinity school, Dr. A. 
 P. Peabody explicitely refused the title Christian Minis-
 
 lii Fifty Yearn. 19 
 
 ter to anyone who denied the trustworthiness of the Gospel 
 account of the miracles of Jesus, and Charles Lowe, while 
 student in the Divinity school, testified in his private diary 
 to his horror and apprehension when his Professor, Dr. 
 Noyes, threw doubt upon the reality of the Deluge. The 
 Bible was still regarded as final and supreme authority. 
 But even before Charming died, signs of the new day ap- 
 peared. Two of the rosy fingers of dawn were Emerson's 
 Divinity school address in 1838 and Theodore Parker's 
 South Boston sermon in 1841. These men, although 
 disowned by the Unitarians of their time, were prophets 
 of a more perfect realization of unity in religion, and* in 
 their inspiration and along the paths which they indicated, 
 our church has followed the lead of the spirit still in the 
 van of advancing Christendom, proclaiming with growing 
 clearness and strength 
 
 "That God, which ever lives and loves, 
 
 One God, one law, one element, 
 And one far-off divine event 
 
 To which the whole creation moves." 
 
 "The way of the Lord is strength." As a denomi- 
 nation, we are few in numbers and weak in influence, but 
 our strength lies in the fact that we are in the way of the 
 Lord, heralds of the unity of the world in the love eternal. 
 If we ever fear for our denominational future, that fear is 
 only the obverse of our absolute trust in our principles 
 and our perfect faith in the inspiration of the church uni- 
 versal as the leader of humanity. Would to God that 
 our mission as a separate body of the Church of God 
 might speedily terminate. Would that our sister churches 
 dared put more trust in God and commit themselves fully 
 to the guidance of the Spirit. Meanwhile we stand, nay 
 we move, still in the way of the Lord, strong in the con- 
 sciousness that we are walking with God, and pledged
 
 20 Some Religious Changes 
 
 only to that purity of heart and openness of mind which 
 alone make us worthy of the name we love best to bear 
 The Church of the Holy Spirit.
 
 of 
 
 On the second day of the celebration, Saturday, June 
 11, the friends and members of the Society assembled in 
 the church at 10:30 a. m. Mr. J. D. Harvey presided 
 and the following order of exercises were followed: 
 
 Address of Welcome, - Rev. Geo. B. Penney 
 
 Paper: Historical Sketch, - Rev. T. H. Eddowes 
 
 Singing: Anniversary Hymn, written by Jas. H. West 
 Paper: Character Sketch of First Pastor, Miss Frances LeBaron 
 Singing: Dedication Hymn, written by Eben Conant. 
 
 Owing to lack of time the following papers which 
 are . included in the published proceedings were not read. 
 Incidents and Reminiscences, Rev. L. C. Kelsey 
 
 Random Reminiscences, Mrs. Julia Dodson Sheppard 
 
 Memories of Early Days, - - Mrs. Maria Le Baron Turner 
 
 At the close of the morning session an adjournment 
 was taken to the home of Mr. Harvey where a collation 
 was served by the ladies, after which all gathered on the 
 lawn in the shade of the trees and with Mr. Penney in 
 the chair responses were made and letters read as follows: 
 
 A Cambrian Prophet, Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones 
 
 A Man without Guile, - - Mrs. J. D. Harvey 
 
 Other Pioneers, Rev. T. B. Forbush 
 
 Letter, - Robert Collyer 
 
 Early Women, - Mrs. Mary P. Jarvis 
 
 The Original Geneva, - - Mr. B. W. Dodson 
 Poem: Fifty Years, - Mrs. Julia Dodson Sheppard 
 
 Letter, - Rev. Jno. R. Effinger 
 
 Letter, Prof. Samuel Clark 
 
 Cui Bono? - Rev. T. G. Milsted 
 
 A Living Saint, Mrs. J. D. Harvey 
 
 Response, Rev. T. H. Eddowes 
 
 Letter, Rev. Chester Covell 
 
 The Illinois Conference, - Rev. L. J. Duncan 
 
 Letter, Rev. Jas. H. West 
 
 Freedom of Thought and Speech, - Rev. Thos. P. Byrnes 
 Woman's Relation to Religious Freedom, Mrs. Celia P. Woolley 
 The Literary Value of the Liberal Faith, Mr. Forrest Crissey 
 
 The Centennial Celebration, - Rev. Jas. Vila Blake
 
 f 
 
 BY KEV. GEO. B. PENNEY, PASTOR OF THE SOCIETY SINCE 
 JANUARY, 1892- 
 
 V N address of welcome always seems to me a 
 ^{\ useless formality and especially does it seem 
 
 J^ ^^ ^^. so on this occasion. It is as though 
 a family of children had left the home 
 circle and gone out into the world and in after years, ripe 
 with the experiences of life, they should come back to the 
 home of their youth to talk over old times and to plan for 
 the future; and it is as though as they approach the thresh- 
 old made sacred by associations and with hearts touched by 
 memories of those who will not return, they should be 
 met with an "address of welcome" at their own fireside 
 by someone who has less right to be there than they have. 
 
 But welcome is a gracious word when spoken from 
 the heart, and I assure you that in the time of prepara- 
 tion for this celebration our hearts have been full of wel- 
 come to all who should be with us; and in behalf of the 
 members and friends of the First Unitarian Society of 
 Geneva, I welcome you, first to Geneva, to our pure air 
 and bright sunlight. I welcome you to our homes, assur- 
 ing you that in accepting our hospitality you leave us the 
 debtors; and I welcome you- most of all to your share in 
 this celebration, which shall be, with us, to recall the 
 memory of those who have gone before, whose lives, 
 nobly lived, have made this society what it is to-day. In 
 a word I welcome you to this celebration which is a bond 
 between the past and the present, and still more binds the 
 past and present to the future, the future, not of two or 
 four score years and ten, but the future that reaching be- 
 yond this life turns our thought to that other glad reunion 
 in the realm of love and peace.
 
 BY REV. T. H. EDDOWES, PASTOR OF THE SOCIETY 1865 TO '70. 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
 HE first meeting to consider the matter of or- 
 ganizing a church was held May 8, 1842. 
 Mr. Coiiant, in his journal, notes that "con- 
 siderable hesitation and doubt whether the proper time had 
 come was manifested by some. A declaration, of princi- 
 ples for the formation of a society on the ground of a com- 
 mon Christian faith without regard to the opinions which 
 distinguished the different denominations .of Christians, 
 had been drawn up and circulated, and about twenty 
 names obtained, but the proposed society was something 
 different from the old religious associations, and the sub- 
 ject was reserved for consideration until another meeting. " 
 May 29, he notes the first communion service in Geneva, 
 thirteen persons uniting in it. Then June 12, "formed 
 a society with the name of the First Christian Congrega- 
 ton of Geneva. There were very few present at the for- 
 mation of the society, and the prospect of maintaining our 
 existence as a society was rather dubious." 
 
 The first entry in the society is under date of June 5,
 
 24, Historical Sketch. 
 
 of a meeting of those friendly to the formation of a soci- 
 ety in which 'all Christians may unite for religious purpos- 
 es, ' which was held at the Court House. This entry notes 
 the first communion as taking place on this date, instead 
 of May 29, as Mr. Conant's journal has it. 
 
 The record for June 12 is very short and only notes 
 that, "the declaration was read by the chairman, Mr. Co- 
 nant,'and the purposes and principles of the society ex- 
 plained," probably by Mr. Conant. "On motion of Chas. 
 Patten, seconded by S. N. Clark, the declaration was 
 unanimously adopted." The meeting adjourned to June 
 26, when the declaration was again commented on and the 
 constitution generally discussed, at the close of which 
 each of the twelve articles were separately adopted. On 
 motion of Scotto Clark, seconded by Samuel Sterling, both 
 were adopted. The names attached to this constitution 
 under date of July 2, are those of Scotto Clark, Mrs. S. 
 A. Clark, (Mrs. Scotto) Augustus H. Conant, Mrs. B. M. 
 Conant, (Mrs. A. H.) Samuel K. Whiting, Mary J. G. 
 Whiting, Charles Patten, Mrs. Harriet F. Patten, Samuel 
 N. Clark, Miss P. H. Patten, (afterwards Mrs. S. N. 
 Clark) T. L. Cleveland, Mrs. Olivia Cleveland, Samuel 
 Sterling, Mrs Cornelia Sterling, James Carr, Peter Sears, 
 Chas. S. Clark, Mrs. Betsey Stelle Carr, Miss Susan S. 
 Carr, Miss Fayette R. Churchill, Mrs. Harriet N. Dodson. 
 These entries are not signatures but are probably copies 
 of those attached to the declaration of principles mention- 
 ed as "circulated" in Mr. Conant's journal. 
 
 The declaration begins as follows: "The undersign 
 ed, being desirous of promoting practical Godliness in the 
 world, and of aiding each other in their moral and relig- 
 ious improvement, have associated themselves together, 
 not as agreeing in opinion, not as having attained univer- 
 sal truth in belief, or perfection in character: but as seek-
 
 Organization. 25 
 
 ers after truth and goodness, relying on God as their sup- 
 port and aid, Jesus Christ as their teacher and Saviour, 
 and the sacred scriptures as their guide, and adopting the 
 New Testament as their rule of faith and practice. Be- 
 lieving in God as a Father and acknowledging their obli- 
 gations of love and obedience to him and to Jesus Christ 
 as his Ambassador, and recognizing as brethren, the 
 whole human family, and as Christians, all who manifest 
 the spirit of Christ. ' ' 
 
 Then follow the further declarations, that they "regard 
 a conscientious observance of the ordinance of baptism 
 as enjoined by Jesus Christ to be the duty of all who be- 
 lieve the gospel and would yield obedience to its require- 
 ments." Then follows the declaration that "they esteem 
 it a high privilege to observe the ordinance of the Lord's 
 Supper, and that they would joyfully extend the same 
 privilege to all who feel a sincere desire to commemorate 
 the Saviour's love." Finally: "and believing further 
 that meetings for religious instruction and sacred worship 
 are not only enjoined in the sacred scriptures, but are 
 highly conducive to religious improvement; they deter- 
 mine to use all just and reasonable endeavors to sustain 
 such meetings on the first day of the week and other suit- 
 able occasions, and to accomplish the object and maintain 
 the principles set forth in this declaration, they have 
 under the motto of Liberty, Holiness, Love, adopted the 
 following constitution." We who are familiar with the 
 terms of our declaration, do not realize just what it was to 
 some of those who signed it. There were people of as 
 widely differing creeds as the Presbyterians and the Uni- 
 tarians whose names are attached. To us the declaration 
 that they have associated themselves together, not as 
 agreeing in opinion, seems the most natural thing possi- 
 ble. To them it was the saving clause that allowed them
 
 26 Historical /Sketch. 
 
 to join forces with all the other moral and religious ele- 
 ments of the community, for the common good, without 
 in the least comprising their peculiar beliefs in matters of 
 doctrine. So literally was their position understood 
 among themselves that, when removed from Geneva, or 
 nearer to the churches of their peculiar faiths, or even 
 when they found other churches willing to admit them to 
 membership without saying much about their individual 
 opinions, they felt that there was no inconsistency in 
 uniting with such. So it happens that members of this 
 society were or are also members of the Methodist, Bap- 
 tist, Orthodox Congregational, and I suppose, still other 
 communions. I am told that there was a feeling among 
 them that in signing this paper they were not uniting with 
 a church but only joining a society; a feeling which was 
 afterwards confirmed by the custom which was then fol- 
 lowed of administering the form of baptism, and that of a 
 public profession, to some whose names were upon this 
 roll, but not to all. 
 
 As late as 1855 Mr. Conant began keeping a parish 
 record in which he -noted the names and occupations of 
 each of those whom he considered as being in his parish 
 and among the other data, he notes their denominational 
 connections, and puts down Methodists, Episcopalians, 
 Presbyterians, Romanists, Lutherans, Universalists, Scotch 
 Seceders and one as "Quakerish." The church record 
 contains the names in various offices and on committees of 
 persons who were afterward connected with the other 
 churches of the town. In the days when the pews were 
 rented the name of each tenant on a printed slip was 
 attached and it struck me as very strange when I came 
 in 1865 to see such names as Mayburn, -Wells, Hollis- 
 ter and others among them, as those persons were then 
 connected with the other churches of the place.
 
 Organization, 27 
 
 The first article of the constitution announces the ti- 
 tle of the society, as that of "First Christian Congregation 
 of Geneva." The second says, "All persons who are sin- 
 cerely desirous of promoting the objects of the society 
 may become members." As originally adopted, no con- 
 dition of observance of any form, or signature was called 
 for. In 1870 this article was amended to read, "may 
 become members by signing this constitution:" Decem- 
 ber 14, 1845, Article XIII was adopted which might be 
 construed as in some measure modifying the declaration. 
 It reads: "The land and the house of religious worship of 
 which the First Christian Congregation have come in pos- 
 session in the use of funds received through the treasurer 
 of the American Unitarian Association from the Unitarian 
 Society in Roxbury, Mass., of which Rev. George Put- 
 nam is pastor, and others aiding them, and of funds con- 
 tributed by members of the First Christian Congregation, 
 and others, for the purposes to which they have been ap- 
 plied, and appropriated to the purpose and object of ad- 
 vancing and diffusing the truths and doctriues of Unitari- 
 an Christianity and of the declaration of the First Christ- 
 ian Congregation, according to the laws of the state of 
 Illinois concerning religious societies." 
 
 In 1870 Article VI was amended by specifying that 
 the officers of the society should be elected for one year 
 and until their successors were elected. Article X was 
 made to read: "This constitution may be altered or amen- 
 ded by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at any 
 regular meeting." In 1884 the declaration and constitu- 
 tion were so changed and amended to stand as at the pres- 
 ent time. The principal change is in the declaration, by 
 which all reference to any belief or form is excluded. 
 This was not done because the society does not believe 
 anything, but because it was thought sufficient to put
 
 28 Historical 
 
 its basis on the simple ground of sympathy in the desire 
 for and work of promoting practical goodness in the world 
 and of aiding each other in moral and religious improve- 
 ment. Broad as the declaration was for the day in which 
 it was written, it was found that the observance of the 
 forms of baptism and the Lord's Supper, which it assert- 
 ed to be the duty of believers to observe, had practically 
 fallen into disuse. It was also apparent that in the ordi- 
 nary course of events, beliefs must so change that no 
 statement of opinion or creed could possibly cover the be- 
 liefs of any progressive society for all time. It was also 
 seen that people could unite for the promotion of practical 
 goodness, who had widely differing views in religious and 
 theological matters. 
 
 I find that Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Is- 
 land and New York were all represented in the organiza- 
 tion of the society. Massachusetts sent out the Clarks 
 and Pattens, who represented the cultivated Boston Uni- 
 tarianism of that date. A Unitarianism which accepted 
 miracles, the miraculous birth among them, and which had 
 not made itself very clear as to the future state of punish- 
 ment and reward; but it was the most advanced thought 
 of its day, and as far as it had gone, as true to our mov- 
 ing spirit of rationalism as the most advanced type of to- 
 day. It was the same spirit that was so native to all New 
 England, that when the Carrs from Maine also came with 
 their freer but no less refined ideals of social life, and the 
 Conants from Vermont, with their Puritan standards and 
 old time sturdiness in their ability to give a reason for the 
 faith that was in them, they naturally fused into a whole 
 as the First Christian Congregation of Geneva. Clarks, 
 Carrs and Conants, a trinity of Cs, that suggests that
 
 Personal. 29 
 
 they had also a trinitarian combination of culture, courage, 
 and constancy that brought about the Unitarian result 
 which we celebrate so gratefully to-day. 
 
 As may be seen by our society record and the history 
 of the town, the Episcopalians were early on the ground, 
 and Mrs. Patten, (Miss H. Clark,) told me that it was a 
 matter of very serious consideration with her father's fam- 
 ily, whether they ought not to work with them. I under- 
 stand that it was only because they thought the liberal ba- 
 sis would reach more people, that they did not organize an 
 Episcopal church. 
 
 We now come to the grateful task of recalling the 
 characters of the leading spirits in this devout and courag- 
 eous band. While all were worthy of special mention, 
 time will permit of only a few being so brought forward. 
 
 First comes Scotto Clark. Coming to the place 
 about 1837, in middle life or later, to retrieve the fortune 
 he had lost in the east, he seems to have been of the New 
 England type which we know so well, with its intelli- 
 gence, its moral worth and its matter-of-course loyality 
 to its standards of conviction and duty. I have not suc- 
 ceeded in finding any reminisences of him that would 
 bring him before us in a vivid way. The most I can tell 
 you about him is the respectful tone in which he is always 
 mentioned, and the often reiterated assertion that the 
 foundation of the society was owing to him, and the fact 
 that he seems to have been the one to whom the younger 
 people turned as to their mutual leader in the enterprise. 
 It certainly was not with money that he founded the 
 church, but with the stronger foundation stones of a noble 
 character, a fine devotion and a bold determination to do 
 simply all that lay in his power for the establishment of a 
 church for the good of the society. His name heads the 
 list of men's signatures to the declarations as copied in the
 
 SO Historical Sketch. 
 
 record. It appears first in the proceedings of the society 
 as chairman of the building committee that was chosen to 
 supervise the erection of this house. He was chairman 
 of the committee on parish library and in September 
 1843 was elected one of the trustees. 
 
 Under date of October 13, 1844-, Mr. Conant writes 
 in his journal: "Preached the funeral discourse of Mr. 
 Scotto Clark, a worthy and efficient member of my society, 
 one of my most zealous friends and supporters, and 
 who was chiefly instrumental in procuring my settlement 
 in Geneva. In the death of Mr. Clark, our village has 
 lost one of its best citizens. A public spirited, upright, 
 judicious and useful man. His hospitality and kindness 
 of heart endeared him to a large circle of acquaintances, 
 and his strict integrity and conscientiousness inspired re- 
 spect and confidence in those who best knew his character. ' ' 
 Only seven years had he lived in the place, his death oc- 
 curring in little more than two years after the founding 
 of the society. 
 
 Mrs. Clark lived till 1870. She was in every way a 
 woman fitted to be the wife of such a man. There is 
 the same respectful mention of her and the same lack of 
 the specific instances that would have brought her charac- 
 ter before us in a lifelike way. In her latest years she 
 withdrew from society altogether owing to the infirmities 
 of age. Though she lived five years after I came to Ge- 
 neva, I met her only once. Soon after my coming her 
 interest in the new minister led her to exchange a few 
 words with me. As I recall the venerable figure and the 
 intense earnestness of the face, it comes to me to-day 
 that it was a privilege to look into it; and through the 
 clasp of her hand, surely there might have come an influ- 
 ence that made me a kind of apostolic successor to those 
 who had labored so devotedly for the cause we both loved.
 
 Personal. 31 
 
 It was indeed a beautiful hand if what one does gives a 
 higher beauty to that member than the accident of phys- 
 ical proportion. 
 
 The one record of a specific action of her's which 
 we have left is of the time she lived with her son Charles 
 in Elgin, about 1849. A colony of Swedes landed there, 
 and before they could find shelter, were attacked by the 
 cholera. Mrs. Clark went to their help when others stood 
 aloof, and ministered to them in spite of the difficulties of 
 communicating with them ; and one of the items of the 
 story tells us, how one woman died holding her bible in 
 one hand and Mrs. Clark's hand in the other, .and with a 
 smile on her face. When I came here in 1865. it was 
 said, that as the result of that beneficence, the Swedes 
 would do anything for the Clark family. 1 well remem- 
 ber how her sympathetic interest in church life prompted 
 her to send me messages from time to time through Mrs. 
 Patten, though she would never, see me. 
 
 It is natural to pass from so worthy a mother to her 
 equally worthy daughters. It is easy to understand what 
 a satisfaction it must have been to the parents to know 
 that that they were leaving their work to be carried on by 
 such devoted children as Mrs. Harriet Patten, Mrs. Caro- 
 line Wilson and Mrs. Ellen Davis. It is good to know 
 that so many who hear me to-day can recall with me, 
 without help of my weak words, the devotion of these 
 women to this church. It was my fortune to be the last 
 pastor under whom they were fully active in their con- 
 genial work. I had not been twenty-four hours in the 
 town before I was told that this is a "woman's church," 
 and it did not take me long to find out that it was the de- 
 votion of these two sisters that gave it that name. They 
 were indeed well seconded by Mrs. Dodson, Mrs. LeBar- 
 on, Miss Carr, Mrs." Cleveland, and later, Mrs. Whiting,
 
 32 Historical Sketch 
 
 Mrs. Larrabee, Mrs. Geo. Patten, and others whose 
 names are only a memory to the older members. One 
 felt that Mrs. Wilson's ideals were of the highest, and 
 her constant aim was to have for her church the best that 
 could be found or afforded. Mrs. Patten's enthusiasm 
 for Unitarianism was not long in making itself felt. I 
 remember hearing her call herself a "bigoted" Unitarian. 
 But though she might use the term to express her sense 
 of devotion to the cause, we know that bigotry was im- 
 possible to her broad charity, warm heart and intelligent 
 mind. The beautiful hospitality of her home to all who 
 might come in the name of Unitarianism makes her mem- 
 ory a fragrant one in the hearts of every one eo fortunate 
 as to be her guest. It was a home which might be said 
 to be consecrated to the use of the church, so generous 
 was her entertainment, so frequent the use of the home 
 for church gatherings of all kinds. Mrs. Davis gave as 
 heartily as her two sisters, of her home and talents to the 
 use of the society, but her marriage was followed by a 
 change of residence which prevented so long a devotion 
 to the church as the others gave. 
 
 Unique among the women of this society, and indeed 
 of any society, stands the name of Miss Susan Sophia 
 Carr, one of the original signers who is with us to-day; 
 the only one who has never lost her interest or slackened 
 her work in all these fifty years. The others by death or 
 removal terminated their active interest but, when her 
 removal to her brother's farm at Batavia compelled her to 
 give up the Sunday School class she had taught from the 
 beginning, she still, by her dainty needle work and active 
 assistance during fairs and special occasions, kept herself 
 in touch with the society. Upon her return, after four 
 years absence, she became as before one of the most active 
 in her attendance at church, and in the aid society where
 
 Personal. 33 
 
 her work is always in demand, on account of her beauti- 
 ful stitches; besides which, she has always contributed 
 generously from her very limited income. It is rarely 
 that a church can show a record like this, of fifty years of 
 uninterrupted and enthusiastic devotion to its interests, 
 especially in this western world where change is the order 
 of the day. 
 
 I purposely omitted from the list of seconders of these 
 two the name of Mrs. S. N. Clark, because it belongs not 
 among those who seconded but with those who were sec- 
 onded. In one sense this church building is her monu- 
 ment. In another place is mention of the part she took 
 in obtaining the money in Boston and Roxbury which se- 
 cured the erection of this house. On her account I look 
 forward with regret to the day which is almost sure to 
 come, when the society shall feel that it needs another 
 building. I wish to suggest here, that when that time 
 does come no building should be erected as a church for 
 the use of this society without having somewhere on its 
 walls a memorial of Polly H. Clark; not alone because 
 she was so strongly instrumental in the building of its 
 first house of worship, but because that was but the begin- 
 ning of a devotion to the interests of this society which 
 was all the more earnest for its unobtrusiveness. Her 
 means, her time and strength were amply given to further 
 our interests. I do not think 1 go beyond the require- 
 ments of delicacy of feeling in saying that the interest she 
 showed in the church during the last ten or fifteen years 
 of her active connection with it was, I suspect, to her a 
 tender memorial of her husband, Samuel Nye Clark. 
 
 Coming to the town in the first flush of what his 
 after life showed must have been a consecrated manhood, 
 he has left behind a record of one of the noblest charac- 
 ters which has ennobled and sanctified the name of this
 
 34 Historical Sketch. 
 
 church. That she was the fitting wife for such a man is 
 all that need be said of her. She has been described as 
 a woman who always lamented that she was not able 
 to do more, and thinking it not wise to attempt this or 
 that enterprise in church matters, ended by doing 
 more than anyone else, showing the forethought and 
 wisdom that resulted, as one has said of her, in her being 
 "the one who filled the lamps and saw that everything 
 was brought" that was needed on all special occasions. 
 
 When I came here nine years after Mr. Clark's death 
 I never heard his memory revived without tenderness or 
 his name mentioned without allusion to the saintliness of 
 his character and his devotedness to the church. Of this 
 last the church record fortunately gives full evidence as 
 the entries of the first twelve years are in his handwriting ; 
 the last being made only a fortnight before the date of his 
 funeral as recorded in Mr. Conant's diary. 
 
 He says of him there, briefly and feelingly, 
 under date of July 22, 1856. "Attended the funeral of 
 Brother S. N. Clark, my Sunday School Superintendent 
 and my intimate and dear friend. The loss to me and to 
 the society in the death of Brother Clark is irreparable. 
 He was a model of manly and Christian excellence. One 
 whose presence was a benediction and whose life made 
 earth more like heaven. God be thanked that he lived 
 among us." 
 
 It is a matter of satisfaction to know that one of Mr. 
 Clark's sons has served the society as Sunday School Su- 
 perintendent and the other as trustee and in business com- 
 mittees. His grandchildren have been pupils in the 
 school he worked for so long, 
 
 A friend has handed me the following note which 
 appears to be a copy of an item sent to one of the de- 
 nominational papers and written in 1857 or '58:
 
 Personal. 35 
 
 "Geneva, Illinois, is now enjoying the ministrations 
 of Rev. G. W. Woodward, formerly of Galena. He has 
 preached only a few weeks to a congregation somewhat 
 disheartened by a variety of depressing experiences, but 
 there are already evidences of rising courage and an earn- 
 est and determined spirit of perseverance in sustaing pub- 
 lic worship in Geneva. As in some other places, there are 
 some noble women who love the church and its wor- 
 ship and who 'never say die.' Their former pas- 
 tor was in the place a few days ago; the church door 
 stood open and he stepped in. There were the ladies of 
 the society^ not a delegation of their servants in 
 their own proper persons and with their own fair hands 
 with soap and brush cleaning the church they loved so 
 well and in the neat appearance of which they always 
 felt a noble, womanly pride. After standing for some 
 moments unobserved, he interrupted the cheerful conver- 
 sation and earnest work by inquiring if what he saw was 
 an attempt at a practical illustration of 'washing the 
 saints' feet. ' They confessed that what they were doing 
 partook of that nature, for they said that when they came 
 to the pew occupied by the widow and orphans of the 
 excellent and deeply loved Superintendent, Samuel N. 
 Clark, no one was allowed the honor of washing it alone 
 but all assisted as an expression of their profound respect 
 and fervent love." 
 
 Next on my list comes the name of Ebeu Conant. 
 I count it one of my great privileges to have known him 
 for the last five years of his life though he died at the age 
 of ninety-five. His peculiarities of appearance and man- 
 ner did not make him an attractive person. Yet every 
 one who mentioned "Grandfather Conant" did it with a 
 tone of respect that would come in as a sort of mental res- 
 ervation, even when speaking in an amused way of his
 
 36 Historical Sketch. 
 
 peculiarties. 
 
 It was generally thought that he was lacking in the high- 
 er development of the emotions, yet I am suspicious that it 
 was not so much a lack of feeling as the want of the 
 power of expression in the common way. I have heard 
 him say that he could see no beaut} in flowers, and the 
 sound of a fiddle made him feel like running. Yet he 
 was a man of such a profound conviction of the importance 
 of duty, so great a reverence for God, so large a faith in 
 man, so strong a confidence in the saving power of truth, 
 that out of all these he stood forth the eminently religious 
 man; and a man who was religious by the force of his in- 
 tellectual convictions. His Unitarianism was the result 
 of his own thinking. Theological and religious matters 
 were of the highest interest to him. Out of his orthodox 
 education had come such a habit of regarding the bible as 
 the source of wisdom and guidance in those matters that 
 he made it the great study of his life. It was a revelation 
 indeed to hear him talk on such topics and note the natu- 
 ral way in which his thought found scriptural language. 
 No Professor of biblical exegesis could show such depth of 
 meaning, such variety of shade, such profusion of sugges- 
 tions, as this homely old man, by the simple natural tone 
 and emphasis he employed in quoting scripture. 
 
 It was the power of such convictions and the power 
 of such a character that he brought to the upbuilding of 
 this church. 
 
 We come next to the names of William and Sarah 
 LeBaron. Theirs was another of the instances so fortu- 
 nate for the society, in which marriage was not a failure. 
 Their common interest in the liberal faith and the welfare 
 of this society would have made a marriage that would 
 have withstood the strongest test to which the relation 
 might be put. Dr. LeBaron was a graduate of the Har-
 
 Personal. 37 
 
 vard Medical School which profession in that day was the 
 one in which, in this country, a scientific education could 
 best be obtained. His mind and temperament led him 
 naturally to the pursuit of science and so "true to his 
 own self" was he that he achieved an European reputa- 
 tion as an entomologist from a locality so obscure as this. 
 It was this scientific mind with his tender heart, his quick 
 and practical sympathy that made him a natural born 
 Unitarian. He was too, the man on whom naturally fell 
 the mantle of Samuel N. Clark as church factotum. 
 Their terms of official services were nearly the same, Dr. 
 LeBaron serving as trustee for eleven consecutive years. 
 His signature was given to the church roll in 1845 and 
 from that date to 1856 he was elected trustee and in 1862, 
 1866 and 1870 he was chosen to be secretary and treasurer. 
 
 He carried the church so deeply in his heart that he 
 wrote up the record from memory when he first took 
 charge of the books. The temptation to dwell upon the 
 memory of this man is strong because I am writing from 
 my personal knowledge. 
 
 This special mention of those who have given whole- 
 hearted service to the church would be incomplete without 
 the name of Robert Long, Sr. He was not among the 
 earlier comers, but living among us for twenty-six years, 
 his zeal and earnestness increased with his years. Though 
 he died at the age of eighty-six the last years of his life were 
 the best in church work. His clear head, loyal heart, and 
 liberal hand have been greatly missed since his departure. 
 
 I must content myself, and probably disappoint some 
 of you, by saying only that his character and attainments 
 were of such worth as to add to the value of the religious 
 faith to which he gave his adherence and to help conse- 
 crate the cause for which he worked. 
 
 It ought to add much to our appreciation of our faith
 
 38 Historical Sketch. 
 
 to know that it commanded the loyalty of such persons as 
 Scotto and Samuel Clark, the enthusiasm of Harriet Patten 
 and Caroline Wilson, the devotedness of Polly Clark and 
 faithful service of William and Sarah LeBaron and Rob- 
 ert Long. I have not spoken of these men and women 
 because their Unitarianism was a credit to them, but be- 
 cause they were a credit to Unitarianism. 
 
 Turning to more general considerations of the mem- 
 bership we find that five signers of the Declaration of 1842 
 are still living; Mrs. Samuel Clark, Mrs. A. H. Conant, 
 Mrs. Wm. Conant (whose name was Mrs. Olivia Cleveland), 
 Mrs. David Hanchett, (whose signature was Fayette 
 Churchill) and Miss Susan Sophia Carr.* One hundred 
 and forty -four names have been attached to the constitu- 
 tion in the fifty years, ninety-two of women and fifty-two 
 of men. 
 
 It is interesting to note among these names six of one 
 family, that of Thomas and Rachel Moulding; these with 
 three of the Middletons and John B. Gulley and John 
 Eddowes, were born in England, while Joseph and Ann 
 Williams were from Wales. 
 
 I pause on these names for the interest there is for 
 me in the fact that a colony of liberals from Old England 
 should have come to associate with that first New Eng- 
 land Colony in a common interest in liberalism. 
 
 So much I make room to say about the members by 
 signature. But how shall I speak of the membership, 
 which I suspect is much larger in numbers in every de- 
 nomination, which might be called the membership by as- 
 sociation or of the spirit. I refer to the large constituen- 
 cy which it is the lot of most churches to have. They 
 are the people who attend the church from various motives. 
 
 *NOTE: Mrs. A. H. Conant, Mrs. Wm. Conant and Miss Carr 
 attended the Semi-centennial celebration.
 
 Church Building. 39 
 
 Among them are to be found some of the most ardent 
 supporters of the faith and those who have been the most 
 self-sacrificing in the matters of giving time and strength, 
 and the most generous in their donations of money. I can- 
 not pause even to name them. 
 
 What was the first place of meeting I -have not been 
 able to determine. Private houses, a store on the east 
 side where the Gully residence now stands, then occupied 
 by Peter Sears, a log schoolhouse near the river, and the 
 old Court House on the site of the present Swedish Luth- 
 eran church, and the basement of the American House 
 are all mentioned as being occupied at various times. 
 
 Each place had its peculiar discomforts. The store 
 had so much whisky stored in its cellar as to make the 
 "vile odor" of it a nuisance to the temperance people at 
 least, and probably a source of inattention to those who 
 were not temperate. The log schoolhouse was cold, and 
 the scampering of the mice on the rafters, which were ' 
 visible for lack of plastering, afforded the children relief 
 from the weariness of services they may not have 
 comprehended. 
 
 The history of the present building begins with a 
 note in Mr. Conant's Journal under date of January 17, 
 1843. He says: "Received a letter from Miss P. H. 
 Patten, a young lady who was in Geneva, and who be- 
 came a member of our society at its formation but who 
 has since returned to Roxbury, informing us that she was 
 making preparations for a fair to aid our society. That 
 she and her sister, (afterwards Mrs. Eastman) had visited 
 Mr. Briggs, general secretary of the American Unitarian 
 Association, to ascertain if anything could be obtained of 
 the Association to aid us to build a church in Geneva, and
 
 40 Historical Sketch. 
 
 that he suggested that we make known our wants through 
 the Christian Register. According to the suggestion of 
 Mr. Briggs, on February 21 I wrote for the Register an 
 account of our situation and wants, and an appeal for aid 
 to build a church." 
 
 The letter referred to has been found in the files of 
 the Christian Register under date of March 18, 1843, as 
 well as other articles referring to the matter: 
 
 (From Christian Register of March 18, 1843.) 
 
 GENEVA, KANE COUNTY, ILLINOIS, February 21 , 1843. 
 Messrs. Editors: 
 
 As I have not the pecuniary means to visit the East to make 
 an appeal to the religious sympathies of our brethren, I would be 
 glad of a little space in the columns of the Register to make known 
 to the liberal-minded and warm-hearted of our faith, in New Eng- 
 land, the situation and wants of our infant society in Geneva. That 
 there may be no misaprehension with regard to the importance of 
 the place and its claims to consideration on this ground, I will re- 
 mark that it is not a place of great magnitude nor in a very flour- 
 ishing condition at this time. The mania for speculation in "Town- 
 seats," a few years since, operated seriously against its growth and 
 . prosperity. The original proprietors demanded so high a price for 
 lots that few purchases were made. But that mania has now sub- 
 sided; property can now be purchased at a reasonable price, and we 
 look for a change for the better. It is the seat of Justice for Kane 
 county, has a good water-power and with regard to convenience 
 for building and pleasant natural scenery it is as well situated as 
 any village in the West. What we consider of most importance, 
 however, is the country around it. and its central location with re- 
 gard to other places. It is a fertile, healthy and already well pop- 
 ulated region, six thriving villages within twelve miles, and it 
 may be made the center of religious influence for a wide extent. 
 
 Our society, which is established on the broad grounds of 
 common Christianity, was organized June 12, 1842. In the words 
 of our Declaration, ' 'We have associated ourselves together to pro- 
 mote practical godliness in the world, and aid each other in moral 
 and religious improvement; not as agreeing in opinion, not as hav- 
 ing attained universal truth in belief, or perfection in character, 
 but as seekers after truth and goodness. Relying on God as our 
 support and aid, Jesus Christ as our Teacher and Sayiour, and the 
 sacred Scriptures as our guide, and adopting the New Testament 
 as our rule of faith and practice, recognizing as brethren the whole
 
 Church Building. J^l 
 
 human family, and as Christians all who manifest the spirit of 
 Christ." 
 
 There is no other religious society in the place, and Episcopal- 
 ians, Presbyterians and Baptists have united with our society and 
 meet with us for worship. Though embracing such a variety in 
 doctrinal opinions, our number is small; less than forty names are 
 attached to our Declaration, and the number of efficient members 
 is less than thirty. None of us are rich in the the things of this 
 world, but I trust some are rich in faith and good purpose. 
 
 Feeble as we are, we are ready to put forth what strength we 
 have, and we believe that the principles we have adopted are 
 mighty, and need only a fair opportunity to secure a glorious 
 triumph. 
 
 We are at present suffering great inconvenience for want of a 
 suitable place in which to hold meetings. The Court House, in 
 which we have held meetings in summer, is out of repair and with- 
 out a stove. During the present winter we have sometimes held 
 our meetings on the Sabbath in a private house, and at other times 
 in a small room erected for a grocery or store-room for ardent 
 spirits, but now occupied during the week as a school-room. The 
 room, though so dark as to be very inconvenient, is very open, the 
 walls plastered only in part, loose boards overhead and wide cracks 
 in the floor admitting the strong and abominable odor of alcohol 
 from the cellar, and the cold air from every side without. In ad- 
 dition to other discomforts, the smoke has forced tears other than 
 those of emotion from our eyes, and I have sometimes shivered 
 with the cold to such a degree that distinct articulation was almost 
 impossible. Notwithstanding these inconveniences some of our 
 society come four of five miles and attend meeting regularly. But 
 those who have not firm nerve and constitution dare not expose 
 themselves, and remain at home, and those who are not interested 
 in religion feel little disposition to endure the inconvenience. 
 
 Unless we can have a more suitable place in which to hold 
 meetings, our society, if it does not utterly perish, will fail to ac- 
 complish the design of its formation. A congregation cannot be 
 kept together under the circumstances in which we are placed. 
 
 If the inconveniences we suffer were conducive to the interests 
 of religion, we would scorn to mention them. It is not for these 
 inconveniences that we care, or of these that we would complain; 
 but it is that they stand in the way of our doing that for which we 
 would willingly endure much more. They weaken our efforts, frus- 
 trate our plans, and prevent the opportunity of exerting the little 
 influence we may possess. 
 
 This is the evil we feel most deeply, and it is this which has 
 compelled us to speak of our condition. If the remedy were in our 
 own power, we should never have troubled others with an account 
 of these circumstances or asked for aid. But it is not, and we be-
 
 4-2 Historical Sketch. 
 
 lieve fidelity to the cr.use of our Master requires that we make 
 this statement. 
 
 We do not wish for a splendid church with a lofty spire, a 
 cushioned pulpit and carpeted aisles, but we wish for a place where 
 we may have space and light and comfcrt; where the sufferings of 
 the outward shall not take our attention from the wants of the in- 
 ward life. A place consecrated to religion and to the worship of 
 God. We do not ask others to make sacrifice for us equal to what 
 we are willing to make for ourselves. Those who do not see and 
 experience, cannot be expected to have the knowledge and feel- 
 ings of those who do. All we would ask is, that those who cherish 
 the same principles and feel an interest in their maintenance and 
 spread in the world, would contribute of "their abundance" to the 
 supply of "our want." 
 
 We think that five hundred dollars, with what we can do our- 
 selves, will enable us to erect such a building as we need, and for 
 this sum we appeal to the religious sympathies of our brethren in 
 New England. 
 
 We do not expect large contributions from individuals, but we 
 hope many will be disposed in this case to test from experience the 
 truth of the saying, ''It is more blessed to give than to receive." 
 "If there be a willing mind it will be accepted according to what a 
 man hath and not according to what he hath not." The moun- 
 tain is composed of grains, and we hope none will feel that the 
 offering of "two mites" will be of no importance. Contributions 
 will be received by Rev. Charles Briggs, General Secretary, A. U. 
 A., and Mr. David Page. Boston. Individuals and societies from 
 a distance may perhaps in some cases forward their contributions 
 to Boston by clergymen who attend the May meetings. 
 
 Yours in the faith and love of Christ, 
 
 A. H. C. 
 (From the Christian Register of April 1, 1843.) 
 
 Extract from a letter from a gentleman in Geneva, Kane 
 county, Illinois, to his friend in Boston: 
 
 I have heard to-day two most excellent discourses from the 
 Rev. Mr. Conant. Knowing the great interest you feel in the 
 Unitarian cause, I will endeavor to give you some idea of the trials 
 of a Western preacher as I am sure you will appreciate the en- 
 ergy and indefatigable zeal of this true disciple of our great Mas- 
 ter. Mr. Conant is settled at -Geneva, where he preaches every 
 other Sunday, and devotes the alternate Sabbaths to the neighbor- 
 ing towns. Neither the most tempestuous weather nor intense 
 cold prevents his being punctual to his engagements. He frequent- 
 ly has appointments for one day at places six, eight and ten miles 
 apart, and although sometimes he finds only three or four hearers 
 he is never disheartened, but renews his appointments with per-
 
 Church Building. 1$ 
 
 feet faith that the great truths he preaches need only to ba known 
 to conquer existing prejudices. He meets sometimes with much 
 opposition, but still he finds in many places persons who, although 
 members of other churches, exclaim with surprise on hearing the 
 Unitarian doctrine, "That is what I have always believed." One 
 old man was so much pleased with Mr. Conant the other evening, 
 that when the services were ended he came forward and presented 
 him with a shilling. This is a fair sample of Mr. Conant's compen- 
 sation. All he receives is from his paople in Geneva, and he asks 
 of them merely a support, which is generally given in the produce 
 of the country, after the fashion of our Puritan ancestors. Fortu- 
 nately Mr. Conant has some kind friends at the East. The duties 
 of his profession appear with him a perfect labor of love. You who 
 enjoy such privileges with regard to Unitarian preaching can 
 scarcaly realize its value to those who, having emigrated to the 
 West in its wildest state, have been deprived for years of all 
 preaching save that to be heard at a camp-meeting or from some 
 traveling preacher The Unitarians have no regular place of wor- 
 ship at Geneva. The building they now occupy is unfinished, and 
 so cold that many of Mr. C.'s most zealous friends are deterred 
 from attendance. You may hope that I am not amongst the miss- 
 ing, but I must plead guilty when the thermometer is much below 
 zero. This morning's discourse, which was a clear statement of 
 the Unitarian doctrine, and which would have done credit to any 
 Eastern preacher, was delivered to an audience of twenty in a 
 log building, witn only one room about eighteen by twenty, and 
 occupied by two families. This evening Mr. C. preached to quite 
 a large audience at the town of Batavia, in the Episcopal church 
 which building is very liberally opened to his use. The Unitarian 
 doctrine, though slowly, is very perceptibly spreading in this vi- 
 cinity, but the greatest fault of our good pastor is, that he blames 
 himself for the want of zeal in others, not considering that one may 
 plant and water, but cannot regulate the size of the tree or the 
 rapidity of its growth. 
 
 (No signature.) 
 
 The same issue of the Register (April 1) contained 
 also a letter from "a young man" of Batavia, in behalf of 
 the church for Mr. Conant. But it contains nothing not 
 included (substantially) in the previous quotations. 
 
 In the Register for May 13, 1843, is the following: 
 
 UNITARIAN SOCIETY AT GENEVA. 
 
 Our readers will be pleased to hear that the Rev. Mr. Conant, 
 who has labored long and faithfully in Geneva and its neighbor-
 
 44 Historical Sketch. 
 
 hood in the cause of 'Christian truth and holiness, is about to ex- 
 perience a very gratifying reward of his labors in the erection of 
 a commodious place of worship. 
 
 On the first of the month the ladies of Roxbury held a fair, at 
 the Hall of the Norfolk House, with the express purpose of aiding 
 in the erection of the Geneva church. There was evidence of a 
 prevalent desire to aid in the promotion of a purpose so benevolent 
 and praiseworthy. A large company assembled and gave substan- 
 tial testimony of their interest in the cause. The company assem- 
 bled was addressed by Rev. Messrs. Putnam and Clarke, and by 
 Hon. J. Chapman, J. C. Park, Esq., and Mr. Huidekoper, who 
 urged the importance of seconding and encouraging the efforts of 
 our Western brethren for the erection of a suitable place of 
 worship. 
 
 In the Register of August 19 are printed the "Reso- 
 lutions" of the Geneva Society, acknowledging the re- 
 ceipt of $800. 00, and signed by A. H. Conant, S. N. 
 Clark, and S. K. Whiting. 
 
 May 20, 1843, Scotto Clark, Leonard J. Carr, Amasa 
 White, Chas. Patten and Samuel K. Whiting were appoint- 
 ed a building committee; C. B. Dodson and Peter Sears, 
 committee to solicit contributions from Geneva and vicin- 
 ity. There is no record of the laying of the corner stone, 
 but I have often heard Mrs. Harriet Patten refer to the 
 people who attended the ceremony and incidents connected 
 with it. Mrs. Augustus Conant informs us that there is 
 deposited in the stone a sealed box containing church pa- 
 pers to date, a fact which should be borne in mind if this 
 building is ever removed. There are some faint recollect- 
 ions of how the church was built by contributed labor as 
 well as money; the Carr brothers leaving their farm 
 work to haul stone and Mr. Conant working with his 
 hands as well as with his head and heart. The commun- 
 ion table he made is still preserved in a private house. 
 
 Under date of April 9, 1854, is a record covering 
 the time from January, 1843, to July, 1845, which sums 
 up the account for the building which cost $954. The
 
 Church Building. 45 
 
 over the $800 sent from Boston being credited to 
 subscriptions; the amount raised by Messrs. Dodson 
 and Sears, it is to be inferred. Under date of December 
 30, 1843, it is recorded that Wednesday, January 24, 
 1844, was fixed upon as the day for dedicating the church. 
 It does not -appear whether it was occupied then for the 
 first time. 
 
 It is gratifying to note that at this meeting it was 
 voted "that the Rev. Mr. Alanson (Episcopal Clergyman) 
 may occupy the church every alternate Sunday in the ab- 
 sence of the pastor. ' ' The dedication took place as ar- 
 ranged. According to the record the Revs. Walworth, 
 Nicholsen and Harrington, the last of Chicago, and Mr. 
 Arthur B. Fuller of Belvidere took part in the exercises. 
 The sermon was preached by Mr. Conant from the text 
 "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good 
 will toward men." A singularly appropriate text, when 
 we remember the discomforts of previous meeting places, 
 and the earnest devotedness of some of the people which 
 must have made them feel that "Glory to God!" was the 
 truest expression of their feelings of triumph and joy in 
 their own consecrated house of worship. The vote be- 
 fore its dedication to offer the use of the house to anoth- 
 er denomination gave ample proof that it was indeed good 
 will toward men that should be preached within its walls 
 in deeds as well as words. Original hymns were contri- 
 buted for the occasion by Isaac McLellan (a minor poet 
 of the day) and Eben Conant, father of the pastor. 
 
 No record regarding the building occurs for seven 
 years, when there is a call for an estimate for painting 
 and other repairs. In October, 1851, is the first entry of 
 funds furnished by the ladies for the above purpose. 
 
 In May, 1855 a meeting is called to consider the 
 propriety of enlarging the church. It is noted that "if
 
 4-6 Historical Sketch. 
 
 the amount of $600 is subscribed we shall proceed to the 
 enlargement of the church at once. ' ' Luther Dearborn, 
 Chas. Patten, Wm. LeBaron and C. B. Wells are 
 committee on soliciting subscriptions. In one week the 
 committee reported $565 raised with enough in prospect 
 to make the $600. Wm. LeBaron, Jarvis Danford, Jos. 
 Williams, and Eben Conant comprised the building com- 
 mittee. In 1856 the account for building purposes is re- 
 corded as $644.22. 
 
 After a break of eighteen years a meeting was called 
 January 17, 1874, at which a committee (S. W. Curtis, 
 W. W. Ormsbee and W. O. Clark) is appointed to es- 
 timate on repairs to "make the church comfortable." On 
 the 25th at another meeting the committee is not ready 
 to report and Miss Rebecca. Eddowes and Miss Esther M. 
 Orton are added to the committee; being the second entry 
 of the appointment of women' on church business. On 
 the 26th the work was begun which resulted in replaster- 
 ing as well as furring the walls which had before been 
 plastered on the stone; wainscoting, new floor, new en- 
 trance, new book cases, new carpet, new platform and 
 new chandeliers were put in and the Sunday School met 
 on April 19. The cost was $1054. 02, to which the Unity 
 church of Chicago gave $100 and Mrs. Eben Conent $100, 
 A two days meeting was held April 21 and 22 to cele- 
 brate the reopening at which the Revs. Balch of Elgin, 
 Gorton of Aurora, Hunting of Davenport, Iowa, G. W. 
 Fatten, G. W. Cooke and Hewitt of Oak Park and Steb- 
 bins of Ithaca, N. Y., were present. In August, 1879, a 
 meeting was called to consider the matter of reseating the 
 church which resulted in securing $459 for that purpose. 
 October 5, 1879, a vote of thanks is recorded to Walter 
 D. and Maria C. (LeBaron) Turner for the gift of windows. 
 In 1891 the platform was altered, the church recarpeted
 
 Pastor ate*. Ifl 
 
 and papered, and a chimney added to the west end, at a 
 cost of $255. 
 
 Up to the present time seven ministers have been 
 regularly employed as pastors, their combined time of 
 service amounting to thirty-six years. Of these Mr. Con- 
 ant occupied sixteen, Mr. Woodward three and one-third, 
 your historian four, Mr. Herbert six, Mr. West three 
 and one-half, Mr. Byrnes three. One term of regu- 
 lar lay service for six months and another of a year 
 have been maintained. These with the two periods of six 
 months each of regular supply by Mr. Hibbard of the 
 Universalist church of Aurora, with the other occasional 
 supplies make it safe to say that services have been kept 
 up forty years of the fifty. There are two breaks in the 
 record, one of six years from 1856 to 1862, and one of 
 two years from 1880 to 1882, in which no record is kept; 
 though in 1862 Dr. LeBaron sums up the pulpit record 
 for the time. - 
 
 The principal events of Mr. Coiiant's time are so 
 fully treated in the paper of Miss LeBaron that but little 
 is left to mention here. I note that fifty-eight names 
 were -signed during his pastorate. 
 
 Of Mr. Woodward's pastorate the records show that 
 he came to Geneva in connection with other business. 
 After Mr. Conant removed to Rockford in July, 1857, 
 Mr. Woodward volunteered to supply the pulpit during 
 the autumn and apart of the winter. In march, 1858 he 
 was invited to take the office of pastor, which he retained 
 till January 1, 1862. As there are no records made dur- 
 ing this time, I have tried to get some idea of the nature 
 of the work done in the church, and find that Mr. Wood- 
 ward's work seems to have been largely in a social way
 
 48 Historical /Sketch. 
 
 among the younger people. 
 
 The society held lay services till June, 1862, when 
 they listened to Rev. A. H. Hibbard of the Universalist 
 church of Aurora and made an engagement with him to 
 supply the pulpit on alternate Sundays. This engage- 
 ment could only be fulfilled during the summer, as the 
 distance and the state of the roads prevented its being 
 carried on in winter. 
 
 During the winter of 1862 and 1863 the pulpit was 
 supplied by Rev. J. B. C. Beaubien, a Presbyterian 
 clergyman who had been born in the Catholic church. 
 
 Soon after Scotto Clark's family swarmed from the 
 West church of Boston to found this tabernacle in north- 
 eastern Illinois, another family, whose connection had 
 been with the First Unitarian church of Philadelphia, was 
 settling over in the northwestern corner of the state at Ga- 
 lena. On one of his missionary trips Mr. Conant went as 
 far as Galena and made the acquaintance of this family. 
 He held a service in their parlor to which were summoned 
 all such as were supposed or known to be interested in 
 such preaching. The youngest member of the family 
 stood at his mother's knee through the service, and has 
 to-day a recollection of the little, ruddy faced man, stand- 
 ing behind a light stand with a bible and two tallow can- 
 dles, in brass candle sticks, upon it, and wondering what it 
 all meant. It was through the endeavors of this family to 
 start a Unitarian church in Galena, that Mr. Woodward 
 was induced to come to Illinois. It was a hard struggle 
 which ended in failure to accomplish that object. It was 
 largely through the good offices of Mr. Woodward's 
 family, though they were not residing here at the time, 
 that the boy who stood at his mother's knee through that 
 missionary service, was installed as the successor of Mr. 
 Conant and Mr. Woodward in 1865. His life since
 
 Pastorates. Ifl 
 
 that time has been so intimately connected with the society 
 that the office of historian on this occasion falls naturally 
 to him. 
 
 I found the church blooming in a new coat of paint 
 on the inside, the ground newly enclosed on the outside 
 and a warm welcome awaiting me. In some ways, Sep- 
 tember, 1865 was an interesting time to take up church 
 work. The date amply indicates the political situation, 
 while in denominational circles the smoke of the great 
 battle between radical and conservative Unitarians had 
 hardly cleared away. My ordination was the first in the 
 history of the society. Robert Collyer and C. A. Staples 
 with D. M. Reed a Universalist from Rockford, took all 
 the parts between them, Mr. Staples preaching the ser- 
 mon, Mr. Collyer giving the ordaining prayer and right 
 hand, Mr. Reed the charge to the candidate. The engage- 
 ment was renewed for three years successively; then there 
 was a year's absence and another year's engagement. 
 
 As the summing up of my work, I think I may say 
 that the society was guided into the ranks of the progress- 
 ive Unitarianism, and that the Sunday School library was 
 made an efficient arm of the services. My last sermon as 
 pastor was given in November, 1870. 
 
 In June, 1874, Mr. Herbert first came among us. He 
 came to the newly renovated church and by his inspiring 
 pulpit ministrations held the best audience since Mr. Co- 
 nant's time and commanded a larger salary than was paid 
 before or since his day. He had a great hold on the 
 floating element with the peculiarties of his manner, the 
 quaintness of his style, his deep religious fervor, and the 
 practical value of his thought. The social life of the so- 
 ciety received an impetus from the increase in numbers 
 which it has not maintained since his day. In 1879 be- 
 gan one of those periodic times that have come too often,
 
 50 Historical Sketch. 
 
 when death and removals from town made a diminution 
 in our ranks, which was greater than the accessions, and 
 in 1880 it was found that the society must give Mr. Her- 
 bert up to a louder call and a wider field at Denver.- His 
 six years stay and growing reputation brought us attend- 
 ants from Batavia and St. Charles and the country around 
 which his successors have not been able to retain. 
 
 After an interval of three years and seven months from 
 the time of Mr. Herbert's departure, Mr. West came to 
 us full of life and energy, in February, 1884. The de- 
 pression which had followed Mr. Herbert's going, had 
 given place to a conviction that it was necessary to hold 
 on to what we had if we were to keep from complete dis- 
 integration, and a period of church life began which was 
 a turning over of a new leaf. We made a more system- 
 atic effort to live up to our ethical standards and denomin- 
 ational convictions. Under the stimulus of Mr. West's 
 preaching we were unanimous in our desire to revise 
 the declaration and constitution which resulted in the 
 present form of those documents. The old style of annu- 
 al meetings, a fifteen or thirty minutes' session after the 
 morning session, at which officers were elected, was 
 changed for the parish reunion with an early tea and a bus- 
 iness meeting, where we not only elected officers and at- 
 tended to the finances, but appointed committees for ethi- 
 cal work and heard reports from such as well as from the 
 pastor, Sunday School Superintendent, chairmen of com- 
 mittees, etc. We had also the first of the study classes 
 under the minister's leadership. Altogether, though the 
 work done at the time seemed small as compared with 
 that done by more flourishing churches, it had a respecta- 
 ble result in proportion that was a satisfaction to recall in 
 the days when less was accomplished. Forty names were 
 added to the church roll during Mr. West's administra-
 
 By The Way. 51 
 
 tion. It is but just, however, to state that more than half 
 were names that ought to have been subscribed years be- 
 fore. Another marked feature of Mr. West's ministry 
 was the interest he awakened in our neighboring village 
 of La Fox. For two seasons of good roads and weather 
 he held afternoon service there, which resulted in devel- 
 oping an interest that was shown in the generous, finan- 
 cial aid they gave to his support for two years. His let- 
 ter of resignation, dated June 19, 1887, was accepted on 
 the 26th of that month. 
 
 The most remarkable item in connection with the en- 
 gagement of Mr. Byrnes is, that, instead of waiting three 
 years, more or less, the society engaged him in three 
 months after Mr. West left. He began his work in 
 October, 1887, and finished it in June, 1890. He was 
 ordained in February, 1888, being the second occasion of 
 that kind in the history of the society. The participants 
 were Revs. Geo. Batchelor, Chester Covell, J. LI. Jones, 
 James Vila Blake and J. R. Effinger. The methods 
 adopted under Mr. West were kept up. The circumstan- 
 ces of the society as to attendance and finances remained 
 very much the same, so that I find nothing special to note 
 of these three ministerial years. 
 
 In January, 1892, the present incumbent came to 
 us, and the results of his work must be summed up by 
 your centennial historian, or better still, at the seventy- 
 fifth anniversary. 
 
 It is to be noted that the peculiarity in our history as 
 compared with that of the Unitarian churches of similar 
 age is, that those at Chicago, Quincy, St. Louis, Cincin- 
 nati and Louisville struck what proved to be metropolitan 
 points. Whether the pioneers ever expected Geneva to
 
 52 Historical Sketch. 
 
 equal them in its development we cannot tell, but certain- 
 ly they must have had hope of a greater growth than that 
 which amounts to a place of less than two thousand souls 
 more than fifty years after its founding. 
 
 When we look for the results of early missionary 
 work in the other small places in this state, and adjoining 
 ones, we find now mostly "burnt over" spots. Dixon, 
 Como, Sterling, Lockport, Elgin, Joliet, Belvidere, Ga- 
 lena, Hillsboro and Tremont are places in Illinois where 
 attempts were made to start Unitarian churches. With 
 the exception of Tremont there is nothing left I think in 
 any of those organizations to-day. Elgin, Joliet and 
 Dixon have Universalist churches to represent the liberal 
 element. In all of them, unless it were Como and Tre- 
 mont, Unitarians had to contend with other denomina- 
 tions that were already organized. Our peculiarity is, 
 that we were the first on the ground and it is largely 
 owing to that fact I think, that we are in existence to-day. 
 
 Another circumstance which I think has helped to 
 keep us alive is the smallness of our population. We 
 were undoubtedly the leading church for the first ten or 
 fifteen years of the town's existence, and through the ex- 
 ceptional qualities of the founders, achieved and kept a 
 respect for and sympathy with the society, which might 
 have been lost in a larger influx of orthodox people. To- 
 day we are so much of an influence in the thought of the 
 community that it is a mitigated, if not a progressive, Or- 
 thodoxy that flourishes best in our atmosphere. 
 
 In studying the society's record for materials for this 
 paper, one is disappointed to find that the earlier secreta- 
 ries found so little worth recording beside the election of 
 officers and the financial standing at the end of each year. 
 The absence of those items that would show the history 
 of the society's work in various ways is particularly mark-
 
 By The Way. 53 
 
 ed in the intervals between the pastorates. Yet there 
 were no more active periods on the part of the earnest 
 members, than these times. 
 
 In the interim of 1862 to 1865 a large part of the so- 
 ciety's life was given to work for the Sanitary Commis- 
 sion. During that of 1870 to 1874 the Sunday School was 
 kept up in such an active and earnest way as to win the 
 sympathy and respect of all concerned, the special ser- 
 vices of Christmas and Flower Sunday being of the great- 
 est success. It was in the last year of this period that 
 Miss Esther M. Orton and Miss Rebecca Eddowes deter- 
 mined that the building should be renovated, and by 
 their efforts in various ways, by January, 1874, had rais- 
 ed $150 for that purpose. There is record of a meeting 
 held that month to appoint a committee to make estimates 
 as to what amount was necessary to make the church com- 
 fortable. Later, at a meeting called to hear the report of 
 the committee, Miss Eddowes and Miss Orton were added 
 to the committee. It strikes your historian that the un- 
 written history of the matter would justify me in saying 
 that the committee were added to the above mentioned 
 ladies, as by their further efforts $1,054 was raised and 
 the repairs completed by the middle of the April follow- 
 ing. The story of the raising of the funds ought to be 
 told by some one having the talents of Edward Everett 
 Hale for showing how improbable things happen in a 
 probable way. The account of the way in which the 
 enthusiasm spread from one to another until Mrs. Polly 
 Conant (widow of Eben Conant) gave $100 and the Uni- 
 ty church of Chicago $100 is well worth hearing. The 
 names of Thomas J. Clark and S. W. Curtis, who were of 
 our membership of the spirit, should be mentioned as 
 those of the two men who stood most gallantly by the la- 
 dies.
 
 54- Historical Sketch. 
 
 So whatever have been the intervals of time between 
 pastorates this has never beer a dead church. It cannot 
 indeed be said to have even had periods of suspended ani- 
 mation. The fire on the church hearth may have been 
 low at times, but there has always been some friendly 
 hand to draw the coals together and keep the life in 
 them till the right time came to let the air in upon them. 
 When a little more fuel has been needed to keep the flame 
 alive, it has been mostly woman's hand that has brought 
 it. When the flame has burned merrily and the society 
 has basked in the glow of prosperity, it has been mostly 
 woman's breath that has fanned the flame to its greater 
 life. 
 
 The record does not do full justice to the part wom- 
 an has borne in keeping up the society, but it is a satis- 
 faction to note, the first name of a woman who was offici- 
 ally appointed in the society is that of Mrs. Samuel Clark. 
 She was placed upon an advisory committee which was 
 meant to be a sort of pastor's cabinet. The next official 
 mention is of the appointment of Miss Eddowes and Miss 
 Orton on the committee for repairing in 1874. In 1890 
 Mrs. Julia C. Blackman presided at the annual meeting 
 and Mrs. Julia Plato Harvey was elected chairman of 
 trustees, and in 1892 Miss E. H. Long was chosen treas- 
 urer. Other women have been appointed on different 
 committees for the church work since 1 the adoption of 
 ethical work in 1885; these are the first officers. 
 
 It was under Mrs Harvey's efficient chairmanship 
 that the most successful term of lay service, covering 
 eight months, was sustained, and in connection with Mrs. 
 A. O. Hoyt and Mrs. H. Medora Long, that the latest 
 renovation of our church interior was so tastefully carried 
 out. 
 
 It is further to be noted that this has always been a
 
 By The Way. 55 
 
 harmonious church. The article of our declaration which 
 says that we have associated ourselves together, not as 
 agreeing in opinion, has been well lived up to, as there 
 have been differences of opinion among us and serious 
 ones too; but there has never been a church quarrel about 
 them. We have had no factions to divide us. Although 
 Mr. Conant, after sixteen years of devotion to this church 
 and the cause, left it mainly on account of difference of 
 opinion on political subjects, yet I have never heard that 
 there was anything that might be called a personal bitter- 
 ness called out by it. I suspect that his was a nature as 
 incapable of exciting such a feeling as of retaining it. I 
 know, that when some years later six or seven families 
 withdrew from my ministration for similar reasons, that 
 there was nothing of the kind between them and myself. 
 It was an honest difference of opinion, and their with- 
 drawing until such time as another should fill my place, 
 was a wise and wholesome thing to do. Since that time 
 I have found that there was never a break in the mutual 
 personal regard we had for each other, and we have stood 
 shoulder to shoulder, working for the cause and the 
 church with never a thought of the past to disturb our 
 harmony. I trust that this reference to bygones is not 
 ungracious, but I could not find a better illustration of the 
 fine unity of the spirit that underlies the agreement to dis- 
 agree. 
 
 We have always been an honest church. It is a mat- 
 ter of pride and satisfaction that we can say that the 
 church has never been in debt. I have already mention- 
 ed that it is somewhat of an aggravation that the earlier 
 records should be so largely confined to financial matters, 
 but this very explanation of all things else, seems to show 
 how dear the honesty of the society was in those days; it 
 is to be inferred that they considered keeping out of debt
 
 56 Historical /Sketch. 
 
 the chief end of the society. There is more than one 
 mention of a deficiency, and the appointment of com- 
 mittees to raise funds, but there is no record of a deficien- 
 cy that was not met, and no appointment of committees 
 to raise funds for debts which had been contracted beyond 
 the society's ability to pay.
 
 WRITTEN FOR THE OCCASION BY JAMES H. WEST, PASTOR FROM 
 
 1884 TO 1887. 
 
 O TEMPLE sacred to the Past, 
 
 And sacred to the Present too! 
 Toy walls, which Fifty Years outlast, 
 
 To-day we consecrate anew: 
 Anew to God, anew to Man, 
 
 To Love, to Helpfulness, to Truth; 
 While more in each of these we scan 
 
 Than those who knew thee in thy youth. 
 
 Oh, blest that as the centuries fly 
 
 Man's soul doth deeper, higher roam! 
 Yet feels the more that earth and sky 
 
 Are but a vaster temple-home: 
 Temple that needs no sun to thrill, 
 
 So grand its inner, fadeless Light; 
 The Godlike in the human still 
 
 Redeeming it from evil plight. 
 
 Honor be thine, O walls grown gray, 
 
 That Freedom here was ever given 
 To prophet-souls to point the way 
 
 To higher God and higher heaven. 
 With Freedom still thy Word be twined, 
 
 O reverend aisles, to us so dear! 
 And other Fifty Years still find 
 
 The voice of Progress echoing here. 
 
 Above the clamors of our day, 
 
 Which fain would drown the still small voice, 
 We hear a mightier Presence say, 
 
 Rejoice, O sons of men! Rejoice! 
 Be open still to prophets' cry; 
 
 Go on to keener insight yet! 
 Much still remains of Deep and High 
 
 Ere suns and stars of God are set.
 
 OF THE FIRST PASTOR, REV. A. H. CONANT, BY MISS FRANCES 
 LE BARON OF ELGIN, ILL. 
 
 I accepted this position on the program with much 
 reluctance, for I knew that there were others who could 
 write this memorial in a more scholarly way; but when I 
 considered that it would give me an opportunity to ex- 
 press my deep love for the man and my intense gratitude 
 for the blessed privilege it was to sit under his ministra- 
 tions, I felt I had no right to refuse. Often in my mis- 
 sionary work, I have received letters from those of our 
 own faith who have spent their childhood surrounded by 
 strict Calvinists, who had to stay away from church and 
 Sunday School, or go where they were labored over as 
 surely among the lost, and were forced to listen to doc- 
 trines from which their souls revolted. These experien- 
 ces have made me realize my early privileges, and have 
 given me an almost painfully intense feeling of grati- 
 tude, to Mr. Conant and the nucleus who organized 
 this church and gave me the blessing, accorded to so 
 few in this western world, of growing up in an atmos- 
 phere of freedom, where I need not believe a thing be- 
 cause I was told to do so and on pain of everlasting tor- 
 ment if I could not believe. 
 
 In a letter to Rev. James Freeman Clarke under date
 
 Auun*tu* fjj. ottttttt.
 
 Of The First Pastor. 61 
 
 of May 30, 1842, while organizing this society, Mr. Con- 
 ant says: "It is a day of small things, but even these 
 small things are full of promise. May we not hope they 
 are the germs of a greatness that shall yet be commensu- 
 rate with the religious wants of a great people ?" Though 
 this greatness, as far as Geneva is concerned, is not visi- 
 ble in brick and stone, nor in silver and gold, it is visi- 
 ble in the hundreds, perhaps thousands of lives that have 
 gone out from this town, lightened from the dark cloud of 
 Calvinistic theology by the reasonable religion preached 
 in this little church, by the high, spiritual teachings, empha- 
 sized as they were by the noble and beautiful lives of its 
 members, which have permeated every family in the 
 town. My subject is properly Mr. Conant, the man and 
 the minister, and I leave the consideration of his mission- 
 ary labors more especially to Rev. Lorenzo Kelsey, 
 his brother-in-law, and co-laborer; and his army life to 
 Col. J. C. Long, who was with him. 
 
 Mr. Conant was rather below medium height, but in 
 his pulpit one lost that impression from the earnestness 
 and intensity of his manner and, as the high and noble 
 thoughts came pouring forth in terse, vigorous, pointed 
 sentences, the whole man seemed to rise to the occasion 
 and his audience gave no thought to his stature. No mat- 
 ter if the first impression was unfavorable, he soon swept 
 that away by his zeal, his genuineness, his self-forgetful- 
 ness. One story is told of him when preaching in Boston. 
 He was for a moment almost overwhelmed by the impos- 
 ing church and the large audience, all of them strangers, 
 but, recovering himself he said: "You have probably 
 noticed my embarrassment, but you will pleas"e remember 
 that I am not used to so large a church and so many peo- 
 ple. I am in the habit of preaching to a few people in 
 log school houses and backwoods parlors. ' ' The people
 
 62 Character Sketch. 
 
 all Smiled and, as he felt the sympathy of his audience, 
 his embarrassment disappeared. 
 
 Another picture we have of him among the Eastern 
 friends comes from Mrs. Eastman, sister of Charles and 
 George Patten and Mrs. Samuel Clark. In a Better writ- 
 ten to Mrs. Cleveland, now Mrs. Wm. Conant, under date 
 of Roxbury, June 7, 1846, she says: "I wish you could 
 have been here to see what a general favorite Mr. Conant 
 is in this region, and how admirably he appears, even in 
 our highest places; for instance, at Chauncey Place giving 
 the Thursday lecture, that most venerable institution where 
 the clergy from Boston and neighboring towns assemble 
 every week to hear each other preach. The construction 
 of the church is peculiar, and the light in which the 
 preacher stands very favorable and Mr. Conant looked 
 large as life and like one inspired. He was entirely free 
 from embarrassment and positively graceful in his oratory 
 His subject was, 'The Condition and Wants of the West. ' 
 You would all have been proud of such an advocate. I 
 think he must be exalted a little in self esteem from his 
 remarkably favorable reception here and that will do him 
 no harm. I must tell you the remark of an eccentric but 
 excellent lady, when Mr. Conant preached for Mr. 
 Putnam. After service she came to me and said, 'Well, 
 if this is a specimen of your western pets, I should like to 
 see more of them. ' Mr. Putnam was much pleased with 
 him which we think no small praise." 
 
 When, at the age of thirty-one years, he began his 
 ministrations in Geneva he was so boyish in his appear- 
 ance that Mr. Scotto Clark thought him some young boy of 
 the neighborhood and had grave doubts as to his ministe- 
 rial ability, but when he heard him preach his doubts van- 
 ished and he said sometime later, when arranging for his 
 salary: "We are glad to have you among us and, though
 
 Of The Firxt Paxtor. 63 
 
 we cannot give you much money, we will try to give you 
 plenty of bread and butter." One is reminded of this re- 
 mark when, in looking over his journal of amounts receiv- 
 ed, we find "cash" occasionally, but more often such en- 
 tries as these: "Rented Squire Miller's house for $50 a 
 year and call his subscription to the church paid; bought 
 of Mr. B., on account, /two bushels buckwheat at 75 cents; 
 of Mr, 0., 13 pounds butter at 8 cents, $1.04;" and so 
 on. It was at this time that he said to his wife, "1 am 
 willing to make a ten years' trial of preaching and if I 
 fail, I will seek some other employment," but she never 
 heard him express any desire to give it up. 
 
 He was very methodical in all he did and his class- 
 mates at Cambridge remember the amount of work he ac- 
 complished by utilizing every moment. It seems almost 
 incredible the amount of practical work he did in Geneva 
 in addition. to his pulpit and pastoral duties. He was a 
 natural mechanic and helped with his own hands on the 
 carpenter work of this building. He made furniture at 
 odd moments, not only for his own family but as gifts for 
 his parishioners. 
 
 It was never necessary for him to go to Europe, or 
 to go out camping for his vacation. He rested from his 
 mental labors by contact with Mother Earth, working on 
 his farm and in his garden day by day. That he could 
 combine pleasure and rest in this way was most fortunate, 
 as it enabled him to aid very materially in keeping the wolf 
 from the door by supplementing with the fruits of his garden 
 the meagre income of $200 or $300, which was all the peo- 
 ple could raise during most of his pastorate. He also in- 
 structed his sonsiri the pleasures and profits of rural labor, 
 and one interesting story is told of a bit of family discipline 
 in this connection. One warm day, when he and his two 
 sons were working in the garden, one of them complained
 
 64 Character Sketch. 
 
 of his hard lot in having to work, when his companions 
 were off playing. Mr. Conant sympathized with him and 
 sent him into the house for a chair and an umbrella. All 
 the rest of the afternoon he had to sit in the chair with the 
 umbrella over his head, while his father and brother 
 went on with their work. It seemed to him that there 
 never was such a long afternoon and that his father never 
 had so many callers, who had to come to the garden to see 
 him, and we venture to say he never complained again of 
 having to work too hard. 
 
 That he was a dear lover of children their strong love 
 for him proves, and many of his sermons were to, or 
 about them, showing his thorough sympathy with them. 
 He says: "In the deep interest we take in the accom- 
 plishment of our own schemes, in the magnitude of im- 
 portance which they assume to our minds, we are in great 
 danger of overlooking the interests of others and espec- 
 ially of little children. We are in danger of esteeming 
 their affairs of little consequence, of doing them injustice 
 by disregarding the importance of their employments and 
 amusements, by a want of sympathy with their plans and 
 purposes, their desires and efforts, their hopes and fears. 
 We are in danger of undervaluing the importance of those 
 circumstances and influences which form the opinions, 
 habits and character of the infancy of manhood, of neg 
 lecting the intellectual and moral education of children. 
 Against this danger we have need to be on our guard. 
 
 We ought to remember that they have like 
 capacities and powers and affections to our own. That in 
 their little world they have their trials and conflicts and 
 temptations, their hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, as 
 much as those who live in the great world above them. 
 That they are experiencing, in the main, the same disci- 
 pline and learning the same lessons with those who are
 
 Of The First Pastor. 65 
 
 older and, in fact, are but a few steps behind us in the 
 endless path of knowledge and improvement. We laugh 
 at their toys and despise their ignorance and simplicity, 
 and the vanity of their pursuits, and think not that, in 
 the eye of a more perfect Wisdom, our own ignorance and 
 folly are as strikingly apparent." This was written at a 
 time when children were kept out of sight, were severely, 
 often cruelly disciplined and before the dawn of the pres- 
 ent period of autocratic children and obedient, or disobe- 
 dient parents. 
 
 His sympathy with children was only a part of the 
 large-hearted sympathy for the whole human race, and 
 the animal kingdom as well, that was one of the most 
 marked characteristics of his nature. It was this, com- 
 bined with his entire forgetfulness of self, that drew peo- 
 ple so strongly to him, that made every one respond when 
 he appealed for help in his missionary work, and that 
 called about him little groups of parishioners in a dozen 
 or more towns in Northern Illinois and Southern Wiscon- 
 sin. If only more such devoted spirits could have been 
 found to foster the germs that he brought to life the liber- 
 al cause would have flourished amain, but such spirits are 
 rare, and the seed he planted in some places lacked nour- 
 ishment. 
 
 Mr. Conant was generous to a fault, and many are 
 the stories told of him to illustrate this characteristic. 
 When he came to Geneva with his wife and two sons, he 
 could find no abiding place except two rooms in Mrs. 
 Herrington's house, that stood by the spring near which 
 Mrs. Thad. Herrington's house now stands. For these he 
 paid $2 a month. In a day or two he found a man who, 
 with his wife and child, could not afford to pay any rent, 
 and he gave them the use of one of the rooms. 
 
 A poor cobbler came to Geneva after they had set-
 
 66 Character Sketch. 
 
 tied in their own place, and Mr. Conant built him a house 
 with his own hands, found him work and looked after and 
 helped him as long as he lived. One evening he came 
 home late to tea, looking flushed and heated, and explained 
 that he had been splitting some tough knots of wood for 
 a poor widow who needed the fuel. When cloth was 
 sent him for a suit of clothes, he took half for a coat and 
 sent the other half to a neighboring minister who needed 
 help. Rev. Rush R. Shippen recalls that, when a student 
 at Cambridge, a friend gave him some handsome cloth 
 for a coat which he took to a tailor and exchanged for 
 more yards of an inferior quality, that he might give a 
 coat to a fellow student who was in need. Also, that 
 during this time his family were staying with relatives in 
 Vermont and a friend gave him money to go and visit 
 them. He saved the money for his college expenses and 
 walked from Boston to Northern Vermont. In the army, 
 when the officers were to have a banquet, he declined to 
 take part but, with the money he would have contributed 
 to the banquet, he bought delicacies for the hospital. 
 Many more such stories could be told as his life was full 
 of just such incidents. 
 
 His position upon political subjects was always on 
 the highest platform. He had no patience with the spirit 
 that kept so important a class of interests entirely outside 
 of, and separate from all religious considerations. In 
 1858 Fourth of July fell on Sunday and he took that oc- 
 casion to make a Fourth of July oration for his sermon. 
 He says: "Men sometimes wish to make an entire sep- 
 aration between things of religion and things of ordinary 
 life. Especially would they keep politics and religion 
 apart from each other; but this birthday of our nation, 
 this day of glory, gratitude and joy, in the natural order 
 of things and of God's great Providence takes its turn of
 
 Of The First Pastor. 67 
 
 Sundays in the week, just as though one of these days 
 belonged to Him as much as the others, and just as though 
 He felt no impropriety in bringing religion and politics 
 face to face. True religion, I am certain, has no occasion 
 for a feeling of diffidence in the presence of the genius 
 of American Freedom, and our American Goddess of 
 Liberty ought not to blush in the presence of the religion 
 of Christ. For American Liberty is the daughter of 
 Christianity. It was born of the ( sentiment of our text, 
 'All ye are brethren. ' It is the offspring of the doctrine 
 of Divine paternity and human brotherhood. The des- 
 potisms of the old world rest upon assumptions of special 
 Divine rights and the possession of power. But our na- 
 tional union is an attempt to found and govern a state on 
 Christ's idea of brotherhood, and Christ's doctrine of 
 equal rights of humanity and of equal justice to all men. 
 It disclaims the assumption of lordship and a natural right 
 of authority of one man over another. It makes every 
 man free of all but God. It is an endeavor to realize 
 Christ's idea and carry out Christ's principles in political 
 action and natural life. Such being the character of our 
 national union, the great idea and object of our govern- 
 ment, we have no occasion to suspect the existence of any 
 incongruity between politics and religion. We have 
 therefore, no reason to feel that it is out of place for the 
 Fourth of July, our national birthday, to come on Sunday. 
 We have no reason to feel that a consideration of national 
 and political interests is out of season, in connection with 
 our holiest religious sentiments and services." 
 
 He then goes on to show that, as Jesus' teachings 
 were so far in advance of his times that now, nearly two 
 thousand years later, we are only beginning to compre- 
 hend and to live up to them, so the Declaration of 
 Independence, that all men are created free and equal,
 
 68 Character Sketch. 
 
 was so far above the heads of the people at that time that, 
 when the constitution came to be made, the f ramers found 
 it impossible to make it as high in its character as the 
 declaration, published to the world eleven years before. 
 The people loved freedom for themselves. 
 They scorned to bear even a light yoke of political servi- 
 tude but, under the constitution, based upon the Declara- 
 tion of Independence, slavery was permitted an existence 
 and a silent recognition. He then proceeds to deal sledge- 
 hammer blows on the inertness that still allows slavery to 
 exist, with a bravery that we of to-day can hardly ap- 
 preciate, and exclaims: 
 
 "If we have not Christian principle enough to act in 
 accordance with our great ideas of justice and the rights 
 of man, if we have not conscience enough to make us 
 defend the oppressed and down trodden but, for the sake 
 of union and our own peace, we would be willing to let 
 the African race remain in everlasting bondage, this in- 
 stitution of slavery will by no means fail to reach where 
 we shall feel it, to take hold of us where we are alive and 
 to compel us, for our own personal freedom and safety 
 and self interests to rise up against it and reassert the 
 doctrines of the Declaration of Independence." 
 
 This and other sentences in this discourse, written 
 four years before Lincoln was elected, show a prophetic 
 spirit possessed by few even of his co-laborers in the 
 pulpit. We now point to him with pride as one Unitarian 
 minister, who stood bravely by his colors, the red, 
 white and blue, and by the eternal principles of right. 
 It is almost impossible, even for those of us who lived 
 through it, to realize the courage, the absolute fearless- 
 ness of this and other equally brave sentences in this and 
 similar sermons. He felt that every sin was his special 
 opponent, that the more near it came to his flock, the
 
 Of The first Pastor. 69 
 
 more he must expose its dangerous proximity, even 
 though he knew that in all probability it would sever his 
 connection with these dear friends. 
 
 And here I must say, for the credit of the little band 
 to whom Mr. Conant in a special manner belonged, that 
 some were in sympathy with him fully, and the rest to 
 the extent of giving him the fullest freedom to speak his 
 boldest and strongest thought; but new families had come 
 in, who had not had the privilege of living with this hardy 
 pioneer band and absorbing their independence and of 
 becoming imbued with their spirit and with that of their 
 pastor. And Mr. Conant could not work against even a 
 small number of disaffected ones, when he was used to 
 entire confidence and sympathy. I am impelled to make 
 this explanation lest it seem that Mr. Conant' s person- 
 ality was weak and valueless, instead of being strong and 
 vigorous. Without doubt, the very ones who were most 
 active in their disaffection would have taken an entirely 
 different course had they had the good fortune to have 
 listened to our blessed pastor a few years, instead of a 
 few months. 
 
 But he was even more prophetic upon other subjects. 
 Over forty years ago he took time to learn stenography 
 and used it some in his sermons and he was even then 
 strongly interested in spelling reform. While Froebel 
 was yet struggling with an adverse public opinion in 
 Europe this Unitarian minister, far off on the Illinois prai- 
 ries, had solved and was urging his principles. Among 
 the many progressive ideas he expressed on this subject, 
 I can take time for but one. 
 
 He says: "Childhood and youth are the most vital, 
 susceptible and appreciative periods of human life. 
 
 * More attention should be given to providing oc- 
 cupation for all the receptive faculties and active energies
 
 70 Character Sketch. 
 
 of children. Give the little child the opportunity and 
 means and he will be a perpetual student and experimenter 
 'in the examination of the elements, facts and forces of 
 nature. Give him tools and materials and he at once 
 takes lessons in mechanics, destructive perhaps at first, 
 more destructive than constructive, but always instructive 
 and therefore of interest and worth. When the season 
 and weather permit put him in the garden, and he will 
 at once commence observations and experiments in geol- 
 ogy, geography, entomology, botany, and a dozen other 
 sciences." 
 
 This extract might also be used to show that he was 
 looking forward to manual training as a branch of 
 education. 
 
 I wish I could give you an idea of one of his sermons 
 on Temperance, but I have only time for a few discon- 
 nected sentences. A quarter of a century before anyone 
 else suggested it, he urged the idea of checking intem- 
 perance by influencing the saloon keeper and the owners 
 of buildings used for saloons. He took for his text, 
 "Alas for the man through whom the offence cometh," 
 and says: 
 
 "Men who know the effects of the liquor 
 traffic and the terrible results of the use of intoxicating 
 beverages, and who acknowledge that it is wrong, and 
 who confess that their only motive arid excuse is the gain- 
 fulness of the traffic, live among us and, disregarding the 
 welfare of their fellow men and the warnings of Christian- 
 ity and the monitions of their own consciences, continue 
 the ruinous work. And there are others, too, who are 
 little less guilty than they, the landlord who rents tene- 
 ments for such use is one 'through whom the offense com- 
 eth. ' * * * The reasoning that men who want it will 
 have it and they themselves may as well reap the ad van-
 
 Of The First Pastor. 71 
 
 tages as for others to do so will not excuse them from 
 guilt. If no liquor were to be had, none could be drank. 
 If no one would allow the use of a building for the sale 
 of it, no one would sell it, and intemperance would not 
 exist. Through those who furnish the beverage the 
 offense cometh and the guilt of its crimes and woes .rests 
 upon them. What a sacrifice of peace, purity 
 
 and integrity and all real worth and enduring for that 
 which will not purchase for the guilty soul a single hour 
 of relief from the agonies of self-condemnation and re- 
 morse. * . * * Will you say of this as of the gain ! 
 'Some one will bring this guilt arid torment upon his soul 
 if I do not, and I may as well bear it as another?' * 
 
 If you will continue to be a curse instead of a 
 blessing to the friendly community in which you live, what 
 can you expect in case of your death but that we shall 
 rejoice that a less evil has delivered us from a greater?" 
 I very much want to give you more and fuller extracts 
 to show you his power as a sermonizer, but time forbids. 
 He indulged in no flowers of rhetoric but, with simple 
 directness, went straight to the heart of his subject and his 
 words carried conviction. He felt deeply, expressed him- 
 self strongly and clearly and was absolutely fearless and 
 independent in his determination to speak the truth as it 
 appeared to him, and thoroughly practical, always urging 
 his people to live up to their highest ideals. One can 
 hardly believe in looking over his manuscripts that they 
 were written so long ago, and in a country where books 
 were almost inaccessible. I well remember how, when 
 any one of the little band obtained a book, no matter up- 
 on what subject, it was considered the property of all 
 who wished to read it and that it was usually returned to 
 the owner in nearly as good a condition as when it started 
 on its travels. And yet here on the prairie was this bright
 
 72 Character Sketch. 
 
 intellect, fully abreast of, and even in advance of his 
 times, surrounded by a coterie of congenial spirits, all 
 studying together the problems of the day and of the 
 future. 
 
 Mr. Conant was a noted man in his day. During 
 his visits east he met many prominent people, who never 
 forgot the quaint figure from which spoke the great soul. 
 Most of the noted people who came west to lecture or to 
 study the country in the early days visited him. While 
 in Geneva he numbered among his guests Margaret Fuller, 
 Horace Greeley, Lant. Carpenter, of England, Mrs. Caro- 
 line Dahl, Mrs. Rebecca Clark and Miss Sarah, the artist, 
 the mother and sister of Rev. James Freeman Clarke, Miss 
 Cummins, the authoress, Henry Giles, Isaac McClellan, 
 the poet, Fred Douglass, Revs. Robert Collyer, Rush R. 
 Shippen, C. A. Staples, Geo. W. Hosmer and Dr. Noyes. 
 In Rockford among his guests were Ralph Waldo Emer- 
 son, Prof. Yeomans, Lucy Stone Blackwell, Tom Corwin, 
 of Ohio, Bayard Taylor and Revs. John Pierpont, Starr 
 King and others. 
 
 I cannot close this paper more appropriately than by 
 reading this letter from Rev. C. A. Staples, of Lexington, 
 Mass., written for this occasion. It is a critical summing 
 up of this noble character by one who knew him and 
 loved him well. 
 
 "In the summer of 1853, while a student in Mead- 
 ville Theological School, I wrote to Mr. Conant asking 
 him if he could find some missionary work for me in his 
 vicinity during the approaching summer vacation. He 
 replied cordially, inviting me to visit him and promising 
 to find occupation for me in preaching as long as I chose 
 to remain. Accordingly I started for Chicago as soon as 
 the school closed and in due time reached Geneva, where 
 I was heartily welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Conant. I well
 
 Of The Flrxt Paxtor. 73 
 
 remember his pleasant home, his bright and cheery face, 
 his simple, cordial manner and his earnest devotion to his 
 duties as preacher and pastor. He was then preaching to 
 his own people morning and evening on Sunday, and often 
 going out several miles into the country to hold services 
 in the afternoon. There were several places where he 
 had little congregations meeting in school houses, to 
 which he ministered, and his services were much sought 
 by the country people for v funerals, weddings and various 
 meetings in the cause of temperance and anti-slavery. 
 fie seemed to me to be a missionary of the true apostolic 
 order, ever ready to go where the humblest service could 
 be rendered to any human being, glad to be the comforter 
 and helper of men. 
 
 After a day or two passed with him in delightful 
 fellowship he took me to Elgin, then a small village not 
 much larger than Geneva, where he had gathered a new 
 society and built an humble chapel. Here he introduced 
 me to a number of pleasant families, to whom I ministered 
 in my youthful, boyish way for the next two months. 
 During this time I made occasional visits to Mr. Conant 
 and passed many days in his family. We had an exchange 
 and held a meeting of the Ministerial association at his 
 house, where Rev. Rush R. Shipper), of Chicago, and 
 myself with our host formed the entire association. But 
 it was a good time. We held an evening service in the 
 church and read essays and sermons to each other, inter- 
 spersed with pleasant talk and rambles about the country. 
 
 One thing that much impressed me in this intercourse 
 with Mr. Conant was his enthusiasm in his work. He 
 thoroughly believed in it. He loved it and gave himself 
 to it with untiring devotion. He was a man of warm and 
 generous sympathies, and readily entered into the sorrows 
 and joys of his fellow-beings; a man of sincere faith and
 
 74 Character Sketch. 
 
 piety, whose highest ambition it was to be an humble fol- 
 lower of Jesus. He was a growing man, reaching out to 
 larger thought and pressing on to a higher manhood. 
 
 Another thing which much impressed me was the 
 high intellectual and moral character of the people whom 
 he had drawn about him at Geneva. More genial, kindly, 
 delightful people than the leading families of his church, 
 I have seldom known, and they seemed to cherish a 
 deep and tender love for him. My acquaintance with 
 them during that summer forms one of the pleasantest 
 memories of my life. 
 
 In after years I often met Mr. Conant at the meetings 
 of the Western Conference and I met him once, I think, 
 while he was a chaplain in the army; always the same 
 cheerful, hopeful, loving spirit, always glad to help and 
 cheer his fellow men, always true to the highest and best 
 that he knew. 
 
 Such is my thought of him as I turn back the pages of 
 memory. So MS he enshrined in my heart, as a true 
 friend and a faithful worker in the vineyard of the Lord. 
 We may well say of him in the words of the quaint old 
 poet, Herbert: 
 
 'The religious actions of the just, 
 
 Smell sweet in death and blossom in the dust.' " 
 
 NOTE: In each of the three succeeding papers will be found 
 further reference to Mr. Conant. [EDS.]
 
 WRITTEN BY EBEN CONANT AND USED AT THE DEDICATION OF 
 THE BUILDING, JANUARY 24, 1844. 
 
 O Thou whom Heaven cannot contain, 
 Much less the poor abodes of men, 
 Who yet in condescending grace 
 Dost find in humble hearts a place. 
 
 As children to their parents come 
 Or wanderers to their native home, 
 So to thy throne would we repair 
 With joy and praise and fervent prayer. 
 
 Our humble efforts deign to bless 
 And make this house thy dwelling place; 
 Here let our souls in Thee rejoice 
 While in thy praise we lift our voice. 
 
 Here let thy truth distill like dew 
 And here let souls be formed anew, 
 Thy saints be fed with living bread 
 And in their hearts thy spirit shed. 
 
 And when the grave shall be our bed 
 Then raise up others in our stead; 
 Let generations yet to be 
 Here learn to know and worship Thee.
 
 cmfc 
 
 BY REV. L. C. KELSEY OF ELYRIA, OHIO. 
 
 S introductory to what I wish to present, I 
 will briefly refer to the class, of which I was 
 _ a member, which was graduated from 
 the Unitarian Theological School at Meadville, Pa. , in 
 June, 1854. This class consisted of Henry B. Burges, C. 
 A. Staples, N. A. Staples, D. C. O'Daniels, T. C. Moul- 
 ton, John Murray, C. C. Kichardson, Chas. Hitter, W. 
 C. Scandlin, Geo. Withington and myself. As some of 
 these were, at an early day, ministers within the boundary 
 of the Western Unitarian Conference 1 shall have occasion 
 to refer to them. Nearly one -half of the members of this 
 class died in early manhood. The only one living, and 
 at present in the ministry, so far as I know, is C. A. 
 Staples, pastor of the Unitarian Society at Lexington Mass. 
 
 After leaving Meadville and spending a few weeks in 
 Massachusetts and Ohio, I proceeded with my little family 
 to this place, and was received with a kindly greeting and 
 made welcome to the hospitality of Brother and Sister 
 Conant. This was in September, 1854, and at that time 
 there were several places in Illinois where the prospect 
 for organizing liberal societies seemed to be quite promising. 
 
 After surveying the field, and with Brother Conant 1 s
 
 Incidents and Reminiscences. 77 
 
 advice and influence, I decided to make my first venture 
 in Dixon, 111., an enterprising place of about three thou- 
 sand inhabitants. Here I found a few Unitarians from 
 New England, who extended to me a very cordial welcome; 
 they were greatly rejoiced at the prospect of organizing a 
 liberal church, and entered hand and heart into the enter- 
 prise. These formed a nucleus around which were soon 
 gathered a band of progressive, liberal-minded men and 
 women. 
 
 Our first services were held in a hall and continued 
 there for three months, after which the M. E. church was 
 rented and service held there at two o'clock in the afternoon 
 every Sunday, until our church was ready for occupancy. 
 This edifice was built in Gothic style, costing about three 
 thousand dollars, and capable of seating about three hun- 
 dred persons. The dedication of this church, on April 9, 
 1856, was quite an important event, as this was then re- 
 garded as one of the western outposts of Unitarianism. 
 
 The services at the dedication were interesting and 
 impressive and have always been a source of pleasant 
 reflection. As some who are here to-day knew most of 
 the ministers who were present on that occasion it may 
 not be uninteresting to name them. The dedication sermon 
 was preached by Rush R. Shippen of Chicago. He was 
 assisted in the services by Brother Conant, Elder Bradley 
 of Belvidere and Rev. H. L. Myrick of Cambridge, Mass. 
 The installation of the pastor took place in the evening of 
 the same day. Brother Conant preached the sermon. 
 His topic was "The Personal Privileges of the Liberal 
 Christian Minister." He treated his subject in a terse, 
 manly and practical way and showed unmistakable evi- 
 dence of deep thought and varied reading. 
 
 Rush R. Shippen of Chicago and John Murray of 
 Rockford, 111. took part in these services. Other services
 
 78 Incidents and Reminiscences. 
 
 were held in which Revs. Mason and Palmer of the Uni- 
 versalist church and Elders Bradley and Towner of the 
 Christian denomination, also Rev. M. Kaig of the M. E. 
 church and Rev. Mr. Ball of the Baptist church took 
 active parts. 
 
 The work at Dixon was producing quite a strain upon 
 the body and mind and I soon began to realize that my 
 health was failing. I sought rest and recreation by visit- 
 ing and exchanging with fellow laborers and embracing 
 opportunities of holding services at various places in the 
 surrounding country. 
 
 At Como and Sterling, where Brother Conant had pre- 
 ceded me, I found quite a band of New England Uni- 
 tarians. At the former place there had been organized a 
 small Unitarian Society; services were held among them 
 selves, by reading sermons and selections, when they were 
 unable to procure a speaker. I held services there a few 
 times and formed some very pleasant acquaintances.* 
 
 There were other places where I was not received 
 with so much cordiality, and I recall one occasion showing 
 the spirit of intolerance as sometimes manifested. A 
 friend invited me into the country to hold services at the 
 school house in his neighborhood. He made an appoint- 
 ment for me and at the time designated I found the house 
 well filled. I gave a short talk upon the principal fea- 
 tures of Unitarianism, and so much interest seeming to 
 be manifested I was induced to give notice that I would 
 
 * The origin of this move in Como was largely due to one 
 earnest Unitarian family from Providence. R. I., Mrs. Susan Jarvis 
 Gushing, a lady of rare strength of character and refinement, 
 her daughter, now Mrs. Frank Cheney of South Manchester, 
 Conn, and several of her sous who were all warm friends of Mr. 
 Conant. Before this date the mother and daughter had returned 
 to their New England home, but their influence remained and the 
 sons were among the helpful friends referred to by Mr. Kelst y. 
 
 [EDS;]
 
 Incidents and Reminiscences. 79 
 
 speak there again in two weeks, in case it would not 
 interfere with any other appointment; I was assured that 
 it would not. Hiring a horse and carriage and taking 
 with me a member of my society I started in the early 
 evening for the place of meeting. Our surprise was great 
 upon reaching the house to find it well lighted, quite a 
 large congregation assembled and a preacher at the desk. 
 We soon took in the situation, sat down among the people 
 and had the benefit of a sermon which would not be 
 tolerated in any pulpit to-day. At the close of the ser- 
 vices I asked and obtained permission to say a few words 
 and stated why I was there. The preacher in reply in- 
 formed me that he was not responsible for the appointment 
 at that particular time, as it had been made for him. I 
 then concluded that some one in the neighborhood had 
 perpetrated a joke at my expense and that other fields 
 would be more pleasant and profitable for missionary work. 
 
 I recall some peculiar and pleasant incidents con- 
 nected with my brief ministry. There is always a funny 
 as well as a sober side to a minister's life and I had a 
 brief experience in both. 
 
 At one time a young man, in search of a minister to 
 conduct services at the funeral of his father, called to in- 
 terview me in regard to rny religious opinions; after some 
 rather pointed inquiries he informed me that his father 
 was not a member of any church and was regarded by his 
 neighbors as an infidel. He then informed me that I was 
 just the man he had been looking for and he had no doubt 
 I would fill the bill. With this, rather doubtful compli- 
 ment, I consented to go. The following day I was taken 
 into the country to a rather secluded place in a valley, a 
 distance of about ten miles, where there was a double log 
 house which I found filled with people from far and near 
 who had been notified that a Unitarian was to take charge
 
 80 Incidents and Reminiscences. 
 
 of the services. As I looked over the people assembled 
 I thought I could detect in their faces indications of curi- 
 osity and deep interest. 
 
 The large audience and the novelty of the situation 
 were quite inspiring and I tried to impress upon the peo- 
 ple the thought the occasion seemed to suggest, that the 
 life and the character we are living and forming will be 
 continuous; that what we call death is only a transition 
 period in the life of every man; that God is the father 
 of all and that neither time nor place, nor condition in 
 this world or in any worlds could limit His love; and that 
 as we all belonged to a common brotherhood we should 
 judge and honor our fellow-men, not by their opinions or 
 creeds but by their lives and characters. After the services 
 many took me by the hand and expressed a desire to hear 
 more of this new faith. The occasion made a deep im- 
 pression upon my mind and, has ever been a green spot 
 in my memory. 
 
 During the early part of my labors in Dixon, John 
 Murray had received and accepted a call from the Unitar- 
 ian Society at Rockford, and it was during his ministry that 
 the Society completed and dedicated their beautiful church 
 edifice. Mr. Murray's labors in Rockford covered a 
 period of nearly three years. He then resigned and went 
 East. Subsequently he went to England where he died 
 about three years ago. At the time of his death he had 
 charge of two societies. 
 
 During the years 1855 and 1856 Geo. Withington 
 was preaching to a small Unitarian Society in Hillsbor- 
 ough, Montgomery Co., 111. I recall with much pleasure 
 a visit I enjoyed with him and his people in the summer 
 of 1856. Of his subsequent history I have no knowledge. 
 
 Another member of the class of 1854, who for some 
 years was one of the most prominent and promising young
 
 Incidents and Reminiscences. 81 
 
 ministers in the Western Unitarian Conference, was Nohor 
 Augustus Staples, pastor of the Society at Milwaukee, 
 Wis. from 1856 to 1860. A sketch of that earnest, 
 beautiful life has been written by John W. Chadwick. 
 
 I recall several TJniversalist ministers who were 
 among my most intimate friends and associates and who 
 were doing good work for the spread of liberal views in 
 northern Illinois, but time will not permit me to give them 
 so much as a passing notice. 
 
 Brother Conant commenced his labors in a new field 
 and with but few co-workers. His earnestness, the genial 
 and friendly spirit manifested towards everyone with 
 whom he came in contact, secured for him many warm 
 frends of liberal tendency. At this distant day I can re- 
 call only a few of them. One with whom I became inti- 
 mately acquainted and whom I greatly admired, deserves 
 morethan a passing notice. I refer to Ichabod Codding, an 
 anti-slavery lecturer of great ability and eloquence. He 
 was largely in sympathy with Mr. Conant in his religious 
 views. He believed in the largest freedom for man in 
 forming and enjoying his religious opinions and had 
 started out upon independent lines of thought and action. 
 While arousing communities and gaining converts to the 
 anti-slavery cause by his wonderful eloquence, he was 
 preparing the way for the liberal church. The success re- 
 sulting from his labors in many places brought him prom- 
 inently before the Western Unitarian Conference as a 
 suitable person for missionary work, but fearing that he 
 might make his anti- slavery sentiments too conspicuous 
 he was not employed in an official way. He continued 
 his independent labors in various fields until one year after 
 the close of the war. 
 
 He died in 1866, leaving a noble example of fidelity 
 to a grand principle Human Freedom. How dear to that
 
 82 Incidents and Reminiscences. 
 
 earnest, humanity-loving soul must have been the words, 
 "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the 
 Lord." At the time Mr. Conant became acquainted with 
 Mr. Codding the anti-slavery discussions were attracting 
 much attention and I well remember a little incident which 
 occurred in this church about the same time, causing no 
 little stir and which made a deep impression upon my 
 mind. It showed to the members that their pastor had 
 the courage of his convictions and that he would not 
 falter in denouncing oppression in whatever form it might 
 appear, whether in church or state. I allude to the occa- 
 sion of his preaching a sermon upon the terrible evil of 
 human slavery as it then existed in our country. While 
 in the midst of his most fervent utterances a prominent 
 member of the society took his hat and in an excited 
 and unceremonious manner left the church. 
 
 In the morning Brother Conant in referring to the inci- 
 dent remarked to me that he did not notice any great 
 change in the appearance of things. The sun arose as 
 usual, the sky looked as bright and as beautiful as ever, 
 and such little episodes, however unpleasant, could not 
 hinder the onward march of truth and the ultimate triumph 
 of the right. During the early part of Mr. Conant's min- 
 istry, A. B. Fuller, a Unitarian and a brother of the re- 
 nowned Margaret Fuller, was engaged in teaching at 
 Belvidere, 111. In connection with his duties as teacher 
 in the Belvidere Academy he did some pioneer work in 
 behalf of liberal Christianity. About this time Brother 
 Conant did some missionary work in that vicinity which 
 resulted in the formation of a small liberal society. Mr. 
 Fuller left Belvidere early in 1845, going east for the 
 purpose of preparing himself for the ministry. 
 
 The first regular minister of the society was Rev. 
 Mr. Wai worth, who remained but a short time. Subse-
 
 Incidents and Reminiscences. 83 
 
 quently the society had for a limited time other ministers, 
 the last being Rev. Bradley. After he left in 1848, the 
 society disbanded. Shortly after, a Universalist society 
 was organized but concerning its history I have not the 
 means of knowing. 
 
 Mr. Fuller was one of the first to enlist for the de- 
 fense of the Union and one of the first to yield up his 
 life. He was killed in battle. 
 
 There were some earnest and liberal-minded men in 
 other denominations who had taken Mr. Conant into 
 their fellowship. One of these was for some time preach- 
 ing for the Universalist Society at St. Charles, 111. He 
 was not only an eloquent preacher, but poet and editor as 
 well. I refer to Rev. Mr. Roundsville, who was known 
 quite extensively in northern Illinois, and who did a grand 
 work in the pulpit and by the pen for the cause of liberal 
 Christianity. 
 
 Another co-laborer of a little later date was Rev. Mr. 
 Slade, pastor of the Universalist Society at Aurora, 111. 
 He was a man of more than ordinary ability and a great 
 admirer of Mr. Conant. I knew him quite intimately, 
 having met him upon several occasions and I at one time 
 exchanged pulpits with him. 
 
 I recall Elder Wickizer of Warrenville and Elder 
 Towner of Belvidere, who were ministers in the so-called 
 Christian denomination. They were self-educated, earnest 
 men, serving their generation faithfully and in full sym- 
 pathy with liberal religious ideas. These are a few of 
 the brave ones who were contemporary with Mr. Conant 
 in pioneer work.
 
 cmbom 
 
 BY MRS. JULIA DODSON SHEPPABD OF PENN YAN, N. Y. 
 
 _i^~' . 
 
 was six months old when the First Unitarian 
 Society of Geneva was founded. I have no recol- 
 lection of the event; possibly 1 had not then 
 learned to think for myself, or perhaps I may have been 
 absorbed in the contemplation of "infant damnation," a 
 generally accepted doctrine at that date, and the belief, or 
 rather disbelief, in a triune God had not then arrested my 
 attention. 
 
 I have often heard my mother refer to the first ser- 
 mon she heard questioning the trinity, she was shocked 
 and began reading the bible, marking passages for and 
 against it; great was her dismay to find the word, trinity, 
 not in the book at all and the preponderance of evidence 
 quite against it; she united with th'e society during Mr. 
 Conant's pastorate; many little ' incidents of those early 
 days she and my father often spoke of in my hearing. 
 The little church was for some years quite the most 
 stately edifice of the surrounding country. The Methodist 
 society was holding services in the school house; Mr. 
 Conant decided to offer the church to them, so one Sab- 
 bath, after the morning sermon, he tendered the use of
 
 Random Reminiscences. 85 
 
 the church to them Sunday afternoons; there was a long 
 and awkward pause, then the minister arose and said he 
 could not accept the offer, 'he could not preach in a church 
 where his Lord and Master was denied. 1 During Mr. 
 Herbert's ministry that same society exchanged pulpits 
 with him, seeming to have learned not to be unduly afraid 
 of doubters. 
 
 During my childhood we lived for a time in the house 
 next to Mr. and Mrs. Conant. My brother and 1 were 
 often invited by the Conant children to attend the wed- 
 dings which occurred frequently in the parsonage. Now 
 and then we all laughed at the dress or embarrassment of 
 the bride and her attendant bridegroom, then quite a time 
 would elapse before we would be invited again, so we 
 early learned to smile very softly at nuptials. 
 
 It was a solemn moment when Mr. Conant called his 
 son John one Sabbath morning, because of whispering 
 and laughing, to occupy the pulpit stairs during the re- 
 mainder of his sermon; the younger portion of the con- 
 gregation was overpowered by fears lest similar honours 
 were hanging heavily over their heads in the near future. 
 Mr. Charles Patten, at the close of the morning's service, 
 in referring to John's blushes on that occasion, said, "no 
 one can say now that our pastor has not one well 're"d' son. " 
 
 We always enjoyed hearing the Conant boys tell the 
 following story of their mother: One Sunday 'afternoon 
 Mr. Conant was holding services in a school house a few 
 miles distant from Geneva, where he gave out a familiar 
 hymn beginning with the words "Shine Forth," and find- 
 ing no one present to commence the singing, turned to his 
 wife who was with him, and asked her to lead the singing. 
 She began "Shine Forth," 'but found she had pitched the 
 tune too high to go on, so she paused and began a second 
 time "Shine Forth," but what was her dismay to find this
 
 86 Random Reminiscences. 
 
 time it was too low to continue, so she desisted and a 
 third time tried to "Shine Forth," but the ludicrousness of 
 it all overcame her and she gave up entirely. Mrs. 
 Conant used to say, amid our laughter, she had never 
 tried from that time to "shine." 
 
 The one act of Mr. Con ant's which impressed me 
 the most as a child, and has influenced me always, was 
 an apology he once made for the manner and tone of a 
 hasty speech on a political subject involving a principle 
 to which he was a devoted adherent all his life. I 
 never heard this referred to without much speculation. 
 I wondered how he could do it, being a grown man, and 
 believing firmly he was in the right. I thought then I 
 should never apologize when I grew to be a woman, but 
 all the while there beat in my heart a belief in that man's 
 religion who could be sorry and say so; I have lived to 
 learn, one ought "from the cradle to the grave" to be 
 often sorry and say so. 
 
 We moved away from Geneva for several years, then 
 went back. I was there during Mr. Woodward's pastor- 
 ate, but was at an age when church affairs did not occupy 
 great space in my mind; the one thing which impressed 
 me was, Mr. Woodward allowed the young people of the 
 society to dance, play cards and act charades in his house ; 
 this met with some criticism, but I believe the result 
 proved there was less general dissipation among those 
 who had this privilege than among those who were denied 
 these amusements. 
 
 I cannot close this paper without reference to the 
 women who were members of the Unitarian Society of 
 Geneva when 1 was there a growing girl ; they had then, 
 they still have, an enduring influence over me. I am yet 
 trying to order my conversation, my manners, my life 
 after their model. "Strength and honour were their
 
 Random Reminiscences. 87 
 
 clothing they opened their mouths with wisdom, and in 
 their tongues was the law of kindness they looked well 
 to the ways of their households and ate not the bread of 
 idleness." I, with many others "arise and call them 
 blessed," having known them a "Trust in all things 
 high" comes easy to me. 
 
 I have lived the greater part of the half-century in 
 orthodox communities, but 1 am still of the liberal faith, 
 and have been thankful many times for the larger trust 
 which that has seemed to bring me. 
 
 One of the most abiding memories for me of the 
 power of that faith was my mother's face during her last 
 illness when an orthodox relative said to her: "I hope 
 you realize no one can have eternal life except through 
 belief in Jesus Christ." My mother turned and with 
 wide open eyes, said slowly and distinctly, "you know I 
 do not believe that, and I assure you I am not afraid."
 
 of (JBarUj 
 
 OF THE GENEVA CHUECH, BY MES. MAEIA LE BAEON TUENEE. 
 
 -^-.^ 
 
 have been requested to write some of my recol- 
 lections of the earliest days of our little church, 
 but when I put on my thinking cap, I am 
 surprised as well as ashamed at the meagerness of my 
 memories and their mundane character. When, however, 
 I thought of the eloquent flights of fancy, the tender 
 memorials and the entertaining historical articles that 
 would be written, I concluded that perhaps a few remem- 
 brances of a superficial nature might not be out of place. 
 Of Mr. Conant's preaching my memory is very faint, 
 as I was only twelve years old when he left us, but I re- 
 member the man himself well, and how we all loved him, 
 and yet one of my most distinct recollections of that 
 noble-hearted minister is one of my worldly little mem- 
 ories, how one Sunday the boys sat down in the back 
 pews and fell to laughing and playing, as boys will do 
 even ministers' sons, and Mr. Conant paused in the midst 
 of his exhortation to sinners to repent and said, in his 
 clear, decisive way: "John, you may come and sit here 
 on the pulpit stairs." The dead silence that fell upon
 
 Of The Geneva Church. 89 
 
 the children of that congregation could be felt. In those 
 days fathers feared not to rebuke their children. 
 
 I remember also a little social incident, connected 
 with Mr. Conant. He was spending the evening at an 
 informal gathering at the home of one of his parishioners. 
 As the hostess passed cake to her guests, she arranged 
 an extra large piece next her good minister as she passed 
 the basket to him, but he reached over and took a smaller 
 piece beyond. "Mr. Conant," said the good lady, 
 "when I was a little girl I was taught to take the piece 
 nearest me." "But," he responded with his bright, 
 shrewd smile, "when I was a little boy I was taught 
 never to take the largest piece." 
 
 I have another little memory of Mr. Conant, of a 
 purely personal character. We children were in the back 
 garden one evening, riding about on our horses, which 
 horses were wooden sticks, possessed of greater or less 
 degrees of life and spirit. We heard that some one was 
 calling on our parents and, full of childish curiosity, at 
 once put our steeds to full speed to ride to the front on a 
 tour of discovery, exclaiming in full chorus ; ' 'Who is here ? 
 Who is here?" To our consternation instead of the elders 
 being in the parlor they were sitting in front of the house 
 enjoying, the summer evening. My fractious steed had 
 carried me within reach of a gentleman, who at once 
 caught me and, as my pony fell lifeless at my feet, he 
 drew me into his arms, saying laughingly; "I am here, 
 and I have caught you," and he kissed me most tenderly. 
 It was Mr. Conant, and I well remember how, in spite of 
 my shame and embarrassment at our unintentional rude- 
 ness, I felt a rapture of delight at the affectionate caresses 
 of my beloved minister, and when, after holding me some 
 time, he released mo I crept back to the other children 
 feeling quite sanctified.
 
 90 Memories of JEarly Day* 
 
 No one can recollect more distinctly the noble men 
 and women who attended church in those bygone days. 
 There was that lovely gentleman, Mr. Samuel Clark and 
 his wife who was called by those who knew her best, 
 "St. Polly;" conscientious Dr. LeBaron and precious, 
 sympathetic Mrs. LeBaron, whose wise counsels and ex- 
 ample served, in after years, as guides to so many of the 
 young friends who gathered at her home, and her sister, 
 Miss Carr, the dear "Auntie Carr" who is with us yet. 
 Then there were the three Clark sisters, Harriet, Caroline 
 and Ellen, whom we all remember better by their married 
 names, Mrs. Patten, Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Davis. Mrs. 
 Davis did not live in Geneva after her marriage, but I 
 never can forget when she was at church how she used to 
 sing. She would open her mouth and the music would 
 pour forth as free and clear as the song of a bird. They 
 were all musical and when visitors would ask Mrs. Patten 
 to play on the piano for them she would demurely reply: 
 "Thank you, I don't play, Caroline. plays." Then, after 
 listening to some of Mrs. Wilson's delightful music, they 
 would urge her to sing and she would respond with equal 
 modesty: "I do not sing, Harriet sings," and so they 
 would get even with each other. We hope they are all 
 three singing together now in their home beyond the skies. 
 
 Then there was our lovely Mrs. Larrabee, with her 
 great mother heart, and dear Mrs. Dodson who always 
 sat in the same pew and never looked a day older as the 
 years rolled by in tens and twenties. She never forgot 
 the little child she lost and, I think, never heard a refer- 
 ence to death or little children from the pulpit without 
 the tears of tender memories filling her loving eyes. 
 
 Of Mr. Woodward's pastorate, my memories are 
 very pleasant. His was the reign of sociability, as was 
 most natural, since his own family contained every ele-
 
 Of The Geneva Church. 91 
 
 mont of social charm, a cheerful, hospitable host, a de- 
 lightful hostess and charming young people. Cannot all 
 those who were young people in the old church days re- 
 member that it was during Mr. Woodward's stay here that 
 we enjoyed the most delightful social gatherings of all 
 kinds? There were celebrations arid entertainments of 
 tableaux and music, amateur theatricals that have never 
 been excelled, church sociables that were really sociable 
 and one entertainment, that stands forth most distinctly, 
 was the pretty cantata, "The Flower Queen," though to 
 Mr. Harvey the success of that was due, as he was the 
 manager and inspirer and singing master. I think it was 
 sung for the benefit of the church, and so can be appro- 
 priately mentioned here, but you who remembej- it will 
 not object to dwelling on the memory. How sweet was 
 our lovely rose, Nellie Larrabee; how stately Julia Dod- 
 son, the sunflower; how charming was Louise Towner, the 
 hollyhock, and how sweetly modest, her younger sister, 
 as the crocus; while Alice Woodward, as dahlia, filled the 
 old court room with her fresh young voice. Then there 
 were Theresa Clark Mollie Larrabee and Mary Yates, 
 singing their duets and trios together, and the pretty 
 groups of heather bells and bright faced chorus singers, 
 while Emory Abbott sang the part of the recluse in his 
 sweat, sympathetic voice. I can see them all as if it 
 were yesterday. 
 
 Thinking of singing reminds me of another of Mr. 
 Woodward's specialties, his choirs. When he came 
 among us we had a good choir, led, I think, by Mr. 
 Harvey and composed of Julia Plato, Carrie Larrabee, 
 Mary Wells, Charlie Stevens and, unless my memory fails 
 me, Henry Pierce; but when the Harveys went to Aurora 
 and the Stevens soon after to Batavia, we were in danger 
 of beino; left "to die with all our music in us." This
 
 92 Memories of Early Days 
 
 emergency was Mr. Woodward's opportunity and he came 
 to the rescue, organized and trained the older young peo- 
 ple and, from that time on during his stay, the music 
 was one of the most attractive features of our service. 
 First was the older set of girls, Nellie Larrabee, Alice 
 Woodward, Mary and Lizzie Long, Kate and Mary Curtis, 
 Lucy Moore, Julia Dodson and others, while the basso 
 profundos were, Alfred Woodward, Russell Jarvis, young 
 George Patten, Emory Abbott and others, especially A. 
 W. Adams who came among us at this time and whose 
 fine voice was heard in our choir for nearly a quarter of 
 a century. Next came the younger set, Lizzie Woodward, 
 Theresa Clark, Libbie Towner, Maria LeBaron, Ella Plato 
 and Minnie Wright, with Jessie Nelson to play the me-' 
 lodeon, and in those good, old days the choir sang in a 
 gallery that went across the back of the church and, dur- 
 ing the singing of the hymns, we all turned round and 
 looked up at the fresh young faces and enjoyed that as 
 much as the music., that was often poured forth with more 
 vim than skill. Mr. Woodward had in his own family 
 an entire .quartette of fine voices, and often did Mrs. 
 Woodward's grand alto give finish and culture to the 
 younger voices that formed the choir. 
 
 Another thing that was carried to perfection during 
 Mr. Woodward's stay was church decoration, especially 
 at Christmas time. We were not hampered by artistic 
 criticism, nor fear of repeating ourselves, nor was the 
 church too good or new to drive nails into, wherever they 
 seemed desirable. The sole and only idea was to make 
 the church a bower of beauty, and so we nailed long fes- 
 toons of evergreens everywhere and hung up crosses and 
 anchors and wreaths arid put texts of green letters over 
 windows and pulpit and gallery, and that homely old 
 gallery became, for the time being, a thing of beauty, a
 
 Of The Geneva Church. 93 
 
 living platform, a green frame for the sweet singers who 
 chanted the Christmas hymns. And that dear old pulpit! 
 I would love to see that pulpit once more. I think I have 
 heard it called ugly, but I cannot remember it so. It was 
 beautiful to my youthful eyes, and such a fine thing to 
 trim. We could wind green all around the pillars and 
 nail it about the top and bottom, and make such a mass 
 of greenery of it, that we thought it perfect. 
 
 I could continue these memories to more recent times, 
 but have already used more space than I expected, and 
 have written more for my own amusement than with any 
 idea that this will be used during the semi-centennial 
 exercises.
 
 AT THE HOME OF ME. J. D. HARVEY, SATURDAY JUNE 11 AT 
 IP. M. , REV. GEO. B. PENNEY PRESIDING. 
 
 FTER partaking of the refreshments served 
 by the ladies, Mr. Penney called the guests 
 to order, under the shade of the trees 
 where they had assembled, by saying: 
 
 I purpose now turning this gathering into an Anarch- 
 ist meeting. You need not be alarmed as I do not in- 
 tend to set you to killing policemen or blowing up public 
 buildings. I simply wish to put this session on the basis 
 of the Anarchist's ideal state where each shall have due 
 regard for the other. 
 
 By a glance at the cards which are in your hands you 
 will see that our program is unlimited as to quality, un- 
 limited as to possible quantity, and that we are limited 
 only as to time. As American citizens we resent any- 
 thing in the nature of a gag law, and if we conform to 
 the. true ideal of the Anarchist, the speakers will have 
 due regard for the audience and the audience for the speak - 
 
 NOTE: The responses were stenographically reported.
 
 A Cambrian Prophet. 95 
 
 ers and each speaker for those who are to follow, and we 
 shall find repressive measures unnecessary. 
 
 31 (*mttflm tyvovhet. REV. JENKIN LLOYD JONES. 
 It takes a revealing stud to understand God's revelation. 
 
 From observation of similar occasions I conceive it 
 to be the duty of a Toastmaster to make pleasantly ap- 
 parent the fitness of the various speakers to respond to 
 the subjects assigned them; but no words of mine are 
 necessary to make it fully apparent why Mr. Jones, kins- 
 man of R. L. Herbert the fourth pastor of the society 
 should respond to the first toast on our list. 
 MR. JONES' RESPONSE. 
 
 The task assigned to me carries me far beyond the connection 
 of Mr. Herbert with the Geneva Society. I remember when a 
 soldier boy in the tented field, my father, ever quick to discover 
 any note of progress, got into the habit of sending me frequently 
 a copy of the Drych, a Welsh paper published in Utica, N. Y., 
 which gave frequent correspondence from Vermont, signed by the 
 letters, "R. L. H." and my father used to send word along that 
 there was a "man that would soon grow too large for his orthodox 
 fetters." "Ti;ere was the man to be looked for." The world went 
 on and the visits of the Drych became less frequent to camp. I had 
 lost sight of the initials. My father had not. When in the first 
 year of my work in Janesville I began publishing those little les- 
 son leaves that wero used in the Sunday Schools in our primitive 
 times, I received one day an order, briefly expressed, but written 
 in the most exquisite penmanship, from Fair Haven, Vt., enclosing 
 subscription for copies of my Sunday School lesson, signed "R. L. 
 Herbert." Instantly the "R. L. H." of my war experience came to 
 me, and I wrote to my father at once that I had struck "R. L. H." 
 again. 
 
 Soon after that I learned that a Methodist church in Iowa 
 was in theological trouble; and that they had sent East for a 
 Methodist minister, who was also in theological trouble, to preach 
 the dedication sermon of the church at Marion, Iowa. It turned 
 out that it was my mystic correspondent "R. L. H." From that 
 sprung a correspondence which a few months afterwards brought 
 him to Janesville, Wis., to one of our Wisconsin conference meet- 
 ings In the press of delegates visiting the town on the first even-
 
 96 A Man without Guile. 
 
 ing, there crowded to the front a little man with long hair; without 
 waiting for introduction or any preliminary courtesy, he said, "Is 
 this Jones?" I said, "Yes." And then I found myself clasped in 
 the iron embrace of this man, more hearty and as explosive as 
 that with which school girls greet each other after a long absence. 
 From that time to the day of his death, our spirits clasped as 
 ardently as his arms had enveloped me. I found him indeed a 
 "Cambrian Prophet." The sauce he gave to life was none of your 
 sickly sweet preserve, but a sauce flavored with a sense of the im- 
 perfection and the weakness of the world. His earnest words were 
 seasoned with a painful sense of the bad there is about us, and 
 so of course his life burned itself out on those high prophetic 
 plains which measures life not "by figures on a dial, but by heart 
 beats." His oft quoted line, which he adapted for himself, was 
 taken from the lines of one of the old Druid Bards, which says, 
 "Let me love and thrill or let me die." When the summons came 
 to attend his funeral away off under the shadows of the Rocky 
 Mountains, I was unable to reach there in time to discharge that 
 tender office, but five days after the earth closed over his coffin I 
 stood under that cloudless sky, over the grave that held all that 
 was perishable of R. L. Herbert. The next Sunday I stood with 
 his weeping people in the little church at Denver and shared with 
 them, and all others who ever came within the reach of his elec- 
 trical spirit, a sense that something had gone out of the world 
 when his voice was stilled. So I am glad to stand here this mo- 
 ment with you in this glad anniversary of this Society, to claim a 
 part with you in these blessed memories, and to feel, as I said to 
 one of your members a moment ago, that however doubtful my 
 case may be when I present myself at the gate over which St. 
 Peter presides, if the balance should be made out against me in 
 any and every other respect, I think if, as a last resort, I say, "But 
 dear St. Peter, please remember this, I had something to do in 
 giving to Geneva, that Saint's Rest on earth, as pastor to that 
 Church of blessed usefulness, R. L. Herbert, James West, and 
 Thomas Byrnes," I think he will swing the gates open and say, 
 "Come in!" 
 
 31 SKem ntth<mi ttile. MRS. J. D. HARVEY. 
 
 -Amid all life's quests 
 
 There seems but worthy one to do men good. 
 
 The Geneva Society might justly claim that its 
 chosen leaders have been men of marked individuality. 
 You heard this -morning about the "Man in Earnest" and 
 Mr. Jones has told you of the "Cambrian Prophet" and
 
 A Man without Guile. 97 
 
 you will now hear from Mrs. Harvey, who speaks from per- 
 sonal reminiscence of ''A Man without Guile," George 
 Wheelock Woodward, pastor from 1858 to 1863. 
 MES. HARVEY'S RESPONSE. 
 
 It has fallen to my lot to do a difficult thing, to try to do 
 justice to the memory of our second pastor, "The Man without 
 Guile" as he has been called. My difficulty is, to satisfy myself at 
 this distance from the meagre memories of thirty years ago. 
 
 To talk now from the impressions of a girl of twenty about such 
 a man would ba inexcusable, if it were not my only opportunity to 
 do justice to a man, whom I fear I did not sufficiently appreciate 
 when he was with us. Young people are very critical and their 
 judgment seems to them equal to any test, and it makes me blush 
 now as I recall the superior smiles we indulged in when we thought 
 we detected an old sermon. How could girls of twenty know that 
 such sermons as his, from the text, "Speak every man the truth 
 of his neighbor" could not be preached too many times ? I doubt 
 if even now we realize after thirty years' experience, that we 
 actually need such a sermon about once a month. I think ministers 
 must get very much discouraged over the curiosity that their peo- 
 ple show to see how finely and strongly they can say things, and 
 how many new things they can say, but never want to hear them 
 the second time, nor by any chance try any of their plans, set 
 forth so eloquently, and see how they might work. 
 
 George Wheelock Woodward was born at Hanover, New 
 Hampshire, in 1810. He inherited culture, intellect and refine- 
 ment from a long line of ancestors, who were all either Professors 
 or Presidents of Dartmouth College. One English ancestor 
 sleeps in Westminster Abbey, and among his American progen- 
 itors he numbared Miles Standish, also John Woodward and Ebe- 
 nezer Wheelock who founded the Moore Charity School for Indian 
 children in northern New Hampshire about a century ago. His 
 father was judge of the Supreme Court of New Hampshire, and 
 died when George was only eight years old, leaving him to the 
 care of a most judicious mother, who supervised his education 
 with the aid and advice of her brother, the late George Ticknor of 
 Boston. 
 
 He entered Dartmouth at an early age, graduating with honor, 
 and afterwards entered the Divinity School at Harvard where he 
 was a close student, entering with earnestness and enthusiasm in- 
 to the study of his profession. 
 
 After graduating he preached some years in New England, 
 and then removed to Galena in this State. There he began a sort 
 of itineracy, preaching alternately at Galena, Dubuque and Savan- 
 na, but he was in advance of the time, and after some years of
 
 98 A Man without Guile. 
 
 faithful endeavor, the Unitarian work was abandoned, with such 
 heartache and disappointment as you ministers may understand. 
 In the meantime Mr. Woodward had made for himself a home in 
 Galena and identified himself with the interests of the city. He 
 inaugurated the system of public schools in that city and was 
 elected County Superintendent of schools and afterwards City Clerk 
 and Collector of taxes, filling all the positions most acceptably. 
 
 Aware of Mr. Woodward's efficiency in any position which he 
 had filled, in 1857 his long time friend, Gen. J. D. Webster, induced 
 him to come to Geneva, in his interest to take charge of the office 
 of the Danford Reaper Company, and soon after, upon Mr. Conant's 
 departure for Rockford, this society invited him to minister to 
 them, and he found himself again at work in his chosen profession. 
 The old time fire flamed up again clear and bright as he bore 
 testimony to the faith that was within. 
 
 I find in reading over his sermons, as I have been privileged to 
 do recently, that most of them were written in the early years of 
 his ministry, before he came to Geneva, but they were remodeled 
 and retouched for our benefit as I well remember. As I re-read 
 these as they were written during the second quarter of the cen- 
 tury, I am impressed with the vigor and freshness of the thoughts. 
 
 I have heard it said that Mr. Woodward was in advance of his 
 time. I see now how it was true. He does not seem to have been 
 much interested in what we might call radical reforms. Probably 
 he never heard in those days of charity organization yet, when he 
 preached the sermon from the text, ''Pure religion and undefiled 
 before God the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and widows 
 in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world:'' 
 when he preached this sermon, he put all the spirit of the motto 
 of the Charity Organization Society. "Not alms but a friend," into 
 the word visit, he made it appear that true charity was not in that 
 easiest way of all, giving money, but giving one's self, and that self 
 must ba kept pure and unspotted from the world. The emphasis 
 which he laid upon the fact that the two must go together, was a 
 sermon in itself. How much of such charity is there in the world 
 to-day ? And yet this young man pleaded' for it over fifty years 
 ago, as his Master had done nearly twenty centuries before. 
 
 He saw beyond many of the plans for reforming the world, and 
 saw what Kindergartners, individualists, and all the most advancad 
 people of our time see now, that it is the individual that must be 
 pure and good, that reforms must come from within, not without: 
 and he preached that we must analyze and judge ourselves, and we 
 shall see ourselves rightly. He draw a strong picture of the man 
 stripped of all seeming, standing at the bar of his own conscience, 
 "He sees that his innocence was inaction, that he had been unre-, 
 proached, because unknown. He thought himself just, but was 
 only legal, temperate while he was a cowardly venturer to th.3
 
 A Man without Guile. 99 
 
 brink of excoss; thought himsalf charitable, but finds he never 
 made a disinterested sacrifice in his life; hospitable, but he was on- 
 ly ostentatious; zealous for truth, but it was only for a system; 
 patriotic, but he was only a partisan; forgiving but only cowardly. 
 Can we bear to be stripped of our fancied excellencies, and have 
 our motives ready for analysis? Do we venture to look with a 
 steady eye into our own hearts? Dare we read to the bottom of 
 the page?" 
 
 I wish I had time to tell you how exacting this young man was 
 of himself, how honesty in business, uprightness in everything 
 was his standard. It has been said of him that he carried this too 
 far to succeed. Perhaps he did, if success means making money 
 and knowing how to keep it. He was a thorough business man in 
 the best sense of the word. Promptness, accuracy, thrift, talent 
 in an artistic way, and public spirit he had. A man who had the 
 foresight, the energy to inaugurate the public school system in his 
 town, was surely a success. 
 
 His favorite text, "Whatever ye do, do all to the glory of 
 God," he carried into his every day life, his business and social re- 
 lations. He taught it in the way he drilled the choir and managed 
 the Sunday School, always drawing out the best work and endeavor 
 of the young people in everything they did; helping them to make 
 a success of everything they undertook, if it were only entertain- 
 ing themselves. 
 
 I remember his manner, dignified but cheery, sympathetic, 
 magnetic but quick, imperative, and, as one of our musical friends 
 used to say, staccato in his style. He was kind, considerate, but 
 rather strict in his family, always busy working out his mechanical 
 and artistic ideas in many pretty pieces of furniture and house- 
 hold conveniences. He believed in the dignity of labor and taught 
 it to his children and showed infinite wisdom and patience in some 
 of the most difficult problems of life. He had many good ideas 
 regarding woman's dress, which they are only now beginning to 
 see. He could teach your mothers how to take better care of their 
 babies, as I have occasion to remember. 
 
 With Schuyler Colfax he was active in establishing the I. O. 
 O. F. in this state, and was grand master pf the state and grand 
 representative. He was also a Mason but was never so active in 
 that order. 
 
 When the wild storm of war spread over all the land he was 
 among the earliest to the front, and shared in all the terrors and 
 hardships of those first dreadful days. Port Henry, Fort Donald- 
 son, Shiloh, were names whose meaning he knew only too well. 
 After more than a year of most trying hardships, when his health 
 had utterly failed, he was "honorably discharged;" the surgeon 
 said, "that he might go home and die paacafully with his family." 
 There are some here who will remember the solemn day when the
 
 100 Other Pioneers. 
 
 two ministers came back to the little church together, and one 
 gave no token in return for the loving greetings, but lay speech- 
 less and cold, and the other, (only a wreck) said a few, trembling, 
 parting words, before you bore him away to sleep among kings. 
 
 Little by little he fought his way back to a trifle firmer hold 
 on life, but the day was forever darkened. His eyesight was much 
 impaired, preventing him from very active work the rest of his 
 life, excepting a few years he held the position of Professor in the 
 college at Pulton for the soldiers' sons. There his influence was 
 fine upon the youth about him. 
 
 Few of the young people who came under his influence but 
 were the better for it. His home and home life impressed every 
 one who came within its influence as very sunny and bright. No 
 friend ever crossed the threshhold of the Woodward house with- 
 out being made gladly and heartily welcome; and after all, is not 
 home influence more potent and far reaching than any other, es- 
 pecially upon the young ? And it is in behalf of the young people 
 of the church at that time, that I gladly pay this tribute of affec- 
 tion and grateful remembrance to the second pastor of our little 
 church on the corner. 
 
 Other 3Himefir, REV. T. B. POKBUSH. 
 
 Nor much fastidious as to how and when: 
 Yet seasoned stuff and fittest to create 
 A thought-staid army or a lasting slate. 
 
 We feel that this 1$ a celebration not only of the 
 Geneva Unitarian Society, but that it is a celebration of 
 
 t/ ' 
 
 Unitarianism in the West; and especially of the Western 
 Movement which the Geneva church seems to typify in 
 so many ways. We will hear from Mr. Forbush, a man 
 who, from his position, as overlooking the field is well 
 fitted to tell us something of 4 'Other Pioneers. ' ' 
 MR. FORBDSH'S RESPONSE. 
 
 It is one of the felicities of being a Unitariarrminister, that 
 you are perfectly sure, if you only live long enough, when you die 
 you will be reckoned one of the Saints; and as I think back over 
 the list of men whom in the early years of my ministry I was 
 privileged to know in this wjst3rn country, it saams to me that 
 they all ought to have the "St." prefixed to their namss. This 
 church in order of establishment was the eighth church west of 
 the Alleghanies. The 'pioneer church was the church at Mead-
 
 Other Pioneers. 101 
 
 ville, founded by that grand old man, Hiram Huidekoper, in 1825. 
 Through the influence of Mr. Huidekoper, there came to Cincin- 
 nati and Louisville Ephraim Peabody and James Freeman Clarke, 
 both establishing themselves for a little while in those Southern 
 towns in 1830; then in 1831 came William G. Eliot to St. Louis. 
 In 1836 the church of the Messiah in Chicago got itself organized, 
 though who its first pastor was I do not know. In 1840 the church 
 at Quincy was established and in 1842 this church at Geneva. 
 When it was my privilege- first to make the acquaintance of- the 
 west, Hosmer at Buffalo, Stebbins at Meadville, Livermore at Cin- 
 cinnati, Hey wood at Louisville, Eliot at St. Louis, Shippen at Chi- 
 cago, Mumford at Detroit, Billings at Quincy, and your own Conant 
 here in Geneva, were the ministers of the West. That was in 
 1853; and of those men only three now remain to us. Two with the 
 very aureola of sainthood around their reverend heads; those dear 
 old men, Heywood at Louisville and Livermore in his retreat up 
 among the hills of New Hampshire; while Shippen is our honored 
 minister at the Nation's Capital. At that same time or very soon 
 afterwards, there came to Alton, Haley with his beautiful young 
 wife; his friend Withington following very soon afterwards to 
 Hillsboro. About the same time, for they were all classmates, 
 John Murray organized the Unitarian church at Rockford, and 
 Kelsey, Conant's brother-in-law, established himself at Dixon. 
 
 The first sermon that I gave in the state of Illinois was spoken 
 in the little church at Dixon, where the voice of a liberal minister, 
 I am sorry to say, has not baen heard for ever and ever so long. 
 
 What shall I say of these man ? Simply that they were faith- 
 ful soldiers in the beginning of a crusade here in this western 
 country against the old theology, and in favor of the enlightened 
 liberal religion in which we now rejoice. Some of them succeeded. 
 In the sight of men some of them failed. The matter of success 
 or failure was not so much a matter of faithfulness and earnestness 
 as it was a matter of location. I am told that William G. Eliot 
 preached the first winter in St. Louis half the time to less than a 
 dozen people. St. Louis grew and William G. Eliot's church grew 
 with it. My friend Kelsey went to Dixon and preached there to 
 a congregation larger than Eliot's. But Dixon did not grow and 
 Kelsey was forced to leave. 
 
 I must not dwell upon these early pioneers; I can only mention 
 them. Their very names will call up to you memories more sweet 
 and more refreshing than any which my words would awaken. 
 Just so it is to-day all over this great western country. For where 
 fifty years ago there were seven churches west of the Alleghanies, 
 to-day there are between one hundred and thirty and one hundiW 
 and forty churches, and a great many of them are working among 
 just the same obstacles, with just the same possible chances of suc- 
 dess or failure, that Geneva had fifty years ago: that Rockford.
 
 102 Letter. 
 
 and Dixon and Alton had afterwards. I was very much interested 
 in the paper which we heard this morning concerning Mr. Conant, 
 because it recalled to me so vividly just the things that are coming 
 into my daily life now, of men working here and there on the wide 
 plains of Dakota, in the fastnessses of the Rocky Mountains, and 
 away up in the frozen wilds of Manitoba; working just the same, 
 whether in log cabins or in little school houses, wherever they can 
 get a chance to speak the word which is to them and to many of 
 their hearers the word of life. And when I recall how some of 
 them do not get any more than that two hundred and fifty dollars 
 which Mr. Conant received, and have to take some of that in 
 "truck," then I feel that the conditions of pioneering are not over 
 yet in this country. There is pioneering still to be done here in 
 Illinois. There is pioneering all the way west until you strike 
 the Pacific Ocean. And when it is all done here, we may be left, 
 to pioneer in the Sandwich and Fiji Islands. 
 
 Friends, this same spirit that stimulated Conant when he 
 planted himself here at Geneva is what we want in our young men 
 to-day, and the same spirit that animated the people of Geneva 
 when Conant planted himself here is the spirit we need all over 
 this wide West to-day. I firmly believe that wherever there is that 
 spirit in the man and that spirit in the people, success is sure. 
 
 Let me tell a little story, to illustrate the other side of the 
 case. Why did Geneva succeed and Dixon fail ? The morning 
 after I preached at Dixon I was riding into Chicago with a Dixon 
 man who came and sat by my side and said to me very confidently 
 ''My friend, there can be built just the biggest church right here 
 in Dixon of anywhere in the state of Illinois, provided you will 
 send us the right man." "Now," he said, "We could easily raise a 
 thousand dollars a year for Starr King." That is the secret of the 
 whole thing. Geneva took the man that came to it and gave him 
 what they could. Dixon waited for Starr King at a thousand dol- 
 lars a year, and is waiting yet. 
 
 gettev, ROBERT COLLYER. 
 
 I don't think I ever heard of a Unitarian during the 
 first eighteen or twenty years of my life, except in terms 
 that tended to prejudice my mind against them as a class 
 of people to avoid as I would avoid a pestilence. The 
 one man who did more than any other to remove that 
 prejudice was Robert Colly er in the few times that I 
 heard him at the University Chapel, and occasionally 
 meeting him at the Sage College table. And although he
 
 Letter. '103 
 
 cannot be with us to-day he has sent his greeting, which 
 I will call upon Mr. Harvey to read. 
 
 LETTER BEAD BY MB. HABVEY. 
 
 DEAR FRIENDS: 
 
 I would love to be with you when you celebrate your golden 
 wedding in the church made sacred to me by many memories, but 
 I cannot come and so must send my greeting and blessing by what 
 the Scotch call "a scart o' my pen." 
 
 But it comes from my heart you may be sure because you are 
 enshrined there, and as far away as I am from you, when once and 
 again I find some one who can tell me how you fare; it is almost as 
 when I light on a man from the old home nest over the sea, so 
 eager I am to hear all about you and wipe the film from the picture 
 I treasure of the old chapel and of those who gathered there when 
 I first came to know you more than thirty years ago. You had 
 not come to your silver wedding even then, t but had given bonds 
 for this you are to celebrate in the faithful keeping of the vows 
 you made to have and to hold a church of your faith and order in 
 Geneva "for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse," so long as 
 you should live, and to maintain her as we try to maintain our 
 homes in all good will and good fellowship toward the churches of 
 other names but still to say, here is our home place and worthy of 
 all our love. 
 
 And it was no. wonder that I should be drawn to you and yours 
 because it was my good fortune to know your first minister and to 
 count him very soon among my dear friends; to see him often in 
 the two years that lay between our first meeting and the time 
 when he went as chaplain to give his life to the Republic; to ren- 
 der my poor tribute to his rare and noble manhood when his dust 
 was brought home for burial, and to write a memoir of his good, 
 true life. And it was in writing the memoir that I caught the 
 thread of the story of your church he gathered and organized fifty 
 years ago and of the little band of men and women who were his 
 ''helpers in the Lord;" the noble and beautiful story of the faith 
 and courage which lay in the sowing that has ripened for your 
 reaping and happy harvest home: how a hope dawned first that 
 such a church might be gathered rather a forlorn hope I said as I 
 read his journals, but here was the man to lead it arid the twenty 
 ail told who said, we will follow, and so the hope won the day by 
 faith and courage. So the house of the Lord was built at which he 
 he worked as he found the time with his own clever hands and 
 then from the date of his settlement to the close of his ministry 
 among you of sixteen years he was only absent from his own pulpit 
 on three Sundays. 
 
 Nor could the pulpit and parish, with what these mean to so
 
 104 Letter. 
 
 many of us now, satisfy his desire to be "a workman that needeth 
 not to be ashamed." He must labor with his own hands at many 
 things besides the church that he might not be a burden to you 
 when you were all poor together in this world's goods and only rich 
 in faith and hope. He must do many things one never thinks of 
 doing now, that he might make ends meet and tie, and use the 
 pioneer's axe and saw on week days as truly as he used the Bible 
 on Sundays. And so in the journal he left there is the raciest rec- 
 ord of minister and man I have ever laid eyes on. Sunday is 
 sacred but the week day's work is blended of the secular and sacred 
 while all flames sacred as you read because of the man as he tells 
 you day by day how he "Wrote at a sermon and made a door. 
 Worked at a sermon and doctored sore eyes. Made a plan for a ser- 
 mon and a pair of quilting frames. Read Neander and made a chair. 
 Wrote at a sermon and drew wood, snow two feet deep. Doctored a 
 sick horse and cut wood. Read Neander and horse died. Read Ne- 
 ander and mended a pump. Wrote at a sermon, read Neander and 
 made a wheelbarrow. Planned a sermon and made a bedstead for 
 the cobbler." 
 
 The cobbler was a cripple, helpless and very poor when he 
 came to live among you. He could mend shoes if he could find a 
 place to live and work in, but there was no place. Well, your 
 minister built a place for him and furnished it with his own hands: 
 got him all the wood he wanted for the winter, sawed, split and 
 piled it for him; got in provisions for him. You gave him work 
 to do, who are still alive and remain, and the result was the hap- 
 piest cobbler in Kane county, with never a doubt in his heart about 
 such a liberal Christianity. So the story stands to his name first 
 and then to yours of the early years when he was your minister 
 and faithful friend, while he has no word to say of a day lost in dis- 
 mal reflections over the contrips of nature and the world we live 
 in, or in growling because things do not always run to suit Augus- 
 tus H. Conant, no report of a fevered Saturday or a blue Monday. 
 And so he being dead, yet speaketh on the day of your jubilee and 
 it is all as healthy as well baken brown bread, and apples, sweet 
 and sound to the core. I mind also with affection the minister 
 who was with you when we first foregathered Mr. Woodward 
 whose face was a benediction. He also was my friend, but here I 
 must pause and only stir up your minds by way of remembrance, 
 ' leaving the story of the later years to be told as it lies in your own 
 hearts and minds. 
 
 But may I say now that in these years I have wondered once 
 and again whether the good old church would hold on to her life 
 in the hard times you have had to meet and master; but there you 
 ai*e and will be, when this script comes to you, singing the song of 
 your golden wedding and looking forward from that to your well 
 rounded cantury. And then from that as my faith and hope stands
 
 Early Women. 105 
 
 those who will bz with you as little children now, may be so great 
 of heart that they will only be content to look forward to the 
 thousand years when the small one of the faith we hold has be- 
 come a great nation, for sure I am that this truth of the one living 
 and trus God, our Father on which our churches are founded, will 
 be that of our common Christendom in the good time coming, but 
 greater still and nobler then as the harvest is greater and nobler 
 than the sowing of the seed, for believe me, 
 
 "Through the ages one increasing purpose runs, 
 And the thoughts of men are widened with the process of 
 the suns." 
 
 Indeed always yours, 
 New York, May 23, 1892. ROBERT COLLYER. 
 
 OBarltj ^tUcrtnen. MRS. MARY P. JARVIS. 
 
 Through suffering and sorrow thou hast passed 
 To show us what a woman true may be. 
 
 You heard it said this morning that "This has always 
 been a woman's church" and now Mrs. Mary P. Jarvis, 
 one of the women who helped to give us such an honor- 
 able reputation will tell us something of the other ' 'Early 
 Women." 
 
 MRS. JARVIS' RESPONSE. 
 
 It is rather hard for you, after hearing these speeches, which 
 must have been so clear to you, to be obliged to listen to one who 
 is not accustomed to public speaking. 
 
 Of the work of the women in the earliest days of the church 
 I have no personal knowledge, but the Church and Sunday School 
 in which, I was interested from the time we came to Geneva, in 
 1855, showed the effect of their faithful work. Among these, and 
 of those whose work had then ceased were, Mrs. Scotto Clark, Mrs. 
 Betsey Stelle Carr, and Mrs. Mary Jane Whiting, (who was inde- 
 fatiga'ble in the work w^hile here, and continued her aid, even after 
 her failing health required her to leave Geneva, ) and others whose 
 names are unfamiliar to me. 
 
 I found the Church, Unitarian as it was, had already inaugu- 
 rated two Saints, St. Polly and St. Maria Mrs. Sam'l Clark and 
 Miss Maria Clark all who knew them, know that they were 
 worthy of canonization. 
 
 The first thing which str.'.ck me as a newcomer, was the hos- 
 pitality which welcomed us to the church and made it a home to us.
 
 106 The Original Geneva. 
 
 Though a Unitarian from childhood my first home-feeling in a 
 church was in the little church of Geneva. As an illustration of 
 this hospitality, I well remember that one Sunday when Mrs. 
 Chas. Patten called for me (as was her frequent custom) she said, 
 "We must have very little to say to each other to-day, for there 
 are many strangers present, and we must devote ourselves to them." 
 
 The teachers of the Sunday School were chiefly women; a few 
 of the men (to their praise be it spoken) also had classes. An in- 
 cident in which Mrs. Chas. Patten was concerned as a teacher, oc- 
 curs to me, an amusing effect of Unitarian teaching. In Mrs. 
 Patten's class was a little black girl whom Miss Orton had taken 
 to bring up. Going home from Sunday School the child passed 
 through our place, and was attracted by the ripe, red cherries, 
 climbed the trees and helped herself bountifully. Miss Orton 
 tried to bring her to repant of her wrongdoing, but in vain. 
 "Oh," said the child, "There is no hell, Mrs. Patten says so. I 
 ain't afraid." 
 
 This hospitality of which I have spoken, was shown in the 
 homes of these women as well as in the church. I well remember 
 the pleasant social gatherings at Mrs. Chas. Patten's, who having 
 no children, was more free for social duties but not infrequently 
 the gatherings were at Mrs. Wilson's, Mrs. Dodson's, Mrs. Larra- 
 bee's, Mrs. LeBaron's, Mrs. Geo. Patten's and at many other of the 
 homes. Gatherings for charitable purposes, for Sunday School 
 teachers, etc. I have not time for the further mention of names 
 I wish to make no invidious distinctions. I can only say of these 
 women that they did what they could. 
 
 It was a great pleasure to me to feel with what unanimity they 
 worked, each doing what the circumstances of her separate life 
 made possible; but all zealous for the success and welfare of Church 
 and Sunday School. I remember no dissensions, even no differ- 
 ences; all was harmonious combination for the one purpose the 
 success of the little Church so dear to them all. 
 
 rigtnal (fiJffttctm, MR. B. W. DODSON. 
 
 -methinks I would not (/row .so 
 
 Because sweet flowers are slow and weeds make haste. 
 
 This morning I welcomed you first to Geneva. Ge- 
 neva is just now trying to have a boom; at least, we are 
 growing a little, and I know you will be interested in 
 knowing something about the early days of our city. I
 
 Fifty Year*. 107 
 
 will call upon Mr. Dodson to tell us of the "Original 
 Geneva." 
 
 MR. DODSON'S RESPONSE. 
 
 Mr. Chairman, having no address to offer you to-day I will, 
 with your permission, speak my excuses from the floor, or from the 
 ground, properly speaking. I had not thought to say anything, but 
 this fetching poetry that you have put into the toast for the 
 "Original Geneva" is a great temptation, and if I made no further 
 address it would be to inquire the meaning of that poetry applied 
 to Geneva. I am not sure as to whether the inference is that Ge- 
 neva is growing too fast or that there is a superabundance of 
 weeds here. Perhaps it might be claimed both ways. In lieu of 
 attempting to speak on the "Original Geneva," which I am sure 
 you will all agree must have been a very beautiful Geneva, judging 
 from the reports we hear about it, I have thought to off era sugges- 
 tion, and with your permission, Sir, I would like to suggest that 
 prior to the friends leaving this assemblage that they shall take 
 occajion, each and every one of them to sign the visitors' register 
 which has been started here, as friends in Geneva would like to 
 retain a written record of everybody, every individual who has 
 honored us with his presence to-day. I have nothing further to 
 add, Sir. 
 
 Umr. MRS. JULIA DODSON SHEPPARD. 
 
 We are now to have what is always regarded as a 
 great treat, an Author's Reading. You will notice on the 
 back of our little card a poem by Mrs. Sheppard, which 
 she has kindly consented to read to us, and I hope that 
 she will see fit, or that the spirit will move her, to talk to 
 us also. 
 
 MRS. SHEPPARD'S READING. 
 
 My friends, it is a disastrous thing to invite a person to any 
 entartamment who thinks she writes poetry. I have been proud 
 this winter because I have been making butter, all my relatives 
 have had a portion of that butter, and once when invited out, I 
 took my butter with m3, and said to my friend, "You have heard 
 of certain poets who when invited out to tea, ask, 'wouldn't you 
 like to hear my last poem ?' " I only ask. would you like some of 
 my last butter ? My friend replied, "I can stand the butter, but I 
 could not the poetry." I thought when Mr. Penney asked me to
 
 108 Letter. 
 
 read my own poem, how proud that friend would be if she could 
 hear me on this occasion. 
 
 Fifty years! Oh little church upon the plain, 
 Tell us your story, is it loss or gain? 
 You who for half a century have stood 
 Contending for the striving after Good, 
 Instead of unbelievable belief; 
 Hold you the battlefield in joy or grief ? 
 * * * * 
 
 The old walls seem to echo all around, 
 "With everlasting gain I hold the ground; 
 Here have true men and patient women stood, 
 And lived, and died, just trying to be good, 
 Thus have they strengthened others for the strife 
 'Gainst sin and self, and blessed this earthly life, 
 Thus to their children's children given 
 'None other than a ladder up to heaven.' " 
 
 fiettetr REV. JNO. R. EFFINGER. 
 
 We had hoped to have with us one who has always 
 taken a deep interest in this Society, Mr. Effinger, but he 
 sends his greeting, which I will read to you. 
 MR. EFFINGER' s LETTER. 
 
 MY DEAR MR. PENNEY: 
 
 As the week advances and the cold, damp weather shows no 
 disposition to depart from the even tenor of its way, I think I must 
 be content to be with you in spirit and by letter, rather than in the 
 bodily presence. 
 
 Please convey to the First Unitarian Society of Geneva my 
 hearty congratulations on having attained the ripe age of fifty 
 years. It is a great event in the history of one of our western 
 Unitarian churches to celebrate its semi-csntennial. It is a mat- 
 ter not only, of local, but general interest to our body. If lam 
 not mistaken there are but few older churches west of the Alle- 
 ghanies, namely those at Louisville, St. Louis, Chicago and Quincy. 
 
 All honor to the pioneers of our faith in this western land! I 
 would offer my little tribute of thanks and praise to the men and 
 women, who, planting their homes on the wide and then lonesome 
 prairies of Illinois, set up there the beacon-light of a religion of 
 reason and the moral sense. There are a few of us whose hearts 
 have not glowed with new zeal on reading the story of the "Man 
 in Earnest," who, with equal skill and grace could plough a field
 
 Letter. 109 
 
 or make a churn, or preach a sermon, or minister to the passing 
 soul. How dear was his name to every Unitarian in the State, and 
 how treasured the memories and associations of this church at Ge- 
 neva, which owes its existence to his consecrated energy and 
 enthusiasm! 
 
 Under the careful husbandry of such hands as Conant, Ed- 
 dowes and Herbert your Society took such vigorous root that we 
 must now look upon it as one of the established things, if Unitar- 
 ians can ever consent to consider anything in the shape of a church 
 as "established." As you meet together the hearts of many who 
 are absent will be turning toward Geneva with congratulations on 
 your past and good hopes for your future. Regretting that I can- 
 not ba with you and with hearty good wishes for a successful 
 meeting and continued prosperity, 
 
 T am yours most cordially, 
 
 Chicago, June 9, 1892. JOHN R. EFFINGER. 
 
 getter. PROF. SAMUEL, CLARKE. 
 
 1 will also call upon Mrs. Agnes Hoyt, who has a 
 letter that she will read to you. 
 
 LETTER READ BY MRS. HOYT. 
 
 After a few words to myself he says: 
 
 The little picture of the dear 
 
 old church on your invitation stirs many memories of my early life 
 that are among the things to me most valued, held most sacred. 
 
 I have to recall the Sundays with each one of our dear good 
 people in their well-known seats. I remember clearly the delight- 
 ful feeling of being entirely at home among the best of good lov- 
 ing friends; the blessed sense of peace and helpfulness that came 
 equally from our good friend in the pulpit and from those with 
 whom we sat. Such a canter of genuine goodness to stimulate and 
 help everything that makes for true living, carried on bravely and 
 joyously and withal, humbly, I have never found elsewhere. 
 
 With this I always associate my impressions of the Prairie 
 life as I came to know it in those days. The picture is very vivid 
 to me of June afternoons on the fields that reached the horizon 
 and knew no bounds. There never was a bluer sky, light clouds 
 never sailed more freely; the afternoon breeze was delicious in its 
 sweet freshness: the notes of the prairie birds are clearer than all 
 others; the beautiful prairie flowers were out in endless profusion, 
 fragrant and brilliant; and the wonderful insect life in countless 
 numbsrs seemed full of cheer and joy as they went swiftly about 
 their beneficent work. What a glorious world that was! How it
 
 110 Cui Bono f 
 
 touched and stimulated every particle and fibre of worth within one. 
 
 Never has there come to me such a sense of glad freedom, of 
 unbounded room and beautiful, good things for all, as there on the 
 prairie. Everything was so pure and true and unlimited that it 
 seemed to be God's storehouse, and it was the greatest privilege 
 to be there. 
 
 And so two of my most prized memories of the West, most 
 prized because they have been most helpful to me, are of our 
 church with you dear people, and of the wider church outside all 
 walls. 
 
 All greetings to you and, with a full measure of its old time 
 meaning Good bye. Yours always, 
 
 Williamstown. June 8, 1892. SAMUEL F. CLARKE. 
 
 ui fpotto ? REV. T. G. MILSTED. 
 
 We have with us to-day another of the Chicago min- 
 isters whose name, but for a miscarried letter, would have 
 appeared on our program; but I know we will all be glad 
 to hear from Mr. Milsted. 
 
 MR. MILSTED'S RESPONSE. 
 
 Daar friends, ladies and gentlemen: They say that man pro- 
 poses but that God disposes. Some of us, however, have disposing 
 powers a little nearer to us. or that perhaps act upon us a little 
 oftener and a little more forcibly perhaps than that greater dis- 
 posing power. When I told my wife recently that before my church 
 closed I was going to Davenport to see my mother, she said, "Very 
 well, then you must go this week." That settled it for me, and 
 this week I prepared to go. We had heard of this celebration at 
 Geneva, but, through the miscarriage of the letter of which Brother 
 Penney spoke, we did not know what the nature of it would be: 
 when we found this out, my wife said. "You can't go to Davenport 
 this week; you must go to Geneva. " So here I am. 
 
 Mr. Penney had asked me to speak on the subject, "Cui Bono?" 
 "What is the good of the church; for whose benefit is the church?" 
 And as I had told him I would be in another State at that time, I 
 supposed that, of coui'se, he would have assigned that subject to 
 someone else, so I came expecting to have only the pleasure of 
 listening. So you see there may have been some special Provi- 
 dence in this arrangement after all, for if I had planned to speak 
 of the "Owi Bono?" of the Church, you might not have escaped so 
 easily as you now will, because I have had only a few moments to 
 think of the question, "What is the use and benefit of a Church 
 like this."
 
 Cui Bono ? Ill 
 
 If I could only point to the two or three sainted characters 
 that have sanctified this Church, and have given the blessing and 
 the banediction of their spirit to the world, I know that all of the 
 faithful men and women who have toiled here would say that all 
 the toil and work of their lives was not in vain, in having given to 
 our denomination and to the religious world the lives of such men 
 as Conant and Hertort and tha other workers here. I hold that 
 such characters are unique in modern Christendom, and their only 
 parallel is in the early days of the martyrs when men's souls were 
 stirred to their depths. They could not have found room for such 
 characters in other churches, because their souls were open to all 
 God's stock of truth, and they did not have to apologize for it; they 
 did not have to blind their eyes; there were no secret recesses in 
 God's creation into which they did not dare to look, but they gave 
 their great characters to our modern life, and that is one of the 
 b3nefits that this church has basn, not only to this placa but to our 
 country. This church is to be the great school of your souls and 
 of the souls of your children. There are in your midst schools to 
 train the minds of the young; you should also have a place to train 
 their souls, for we do not come into the world full-grown men and 
 women of God. We are born with our Godlike faculties in the 
 germ, just as we are born with our mental and physical natures in 
 the germ, and just as it takes the school to unfold all our powers 
 of mind, and just as it takas all the great benefits we have of a 
 physical kind to unfold and develop our physical natures, so I hold 
 it needs the church to unfold a\id develop the divine nature; and 
 for that purpose the .church exists here for you and for your 
 children. 
 
 As I was coming out here to-day I looked out of the car win- 
 dow and I saw some birds sitting on the telegraph wires, and I was 
 reminded of the baautiful poem by Mrs Whitney, in which she 
 tells about these little birds 'sitting on the telegraph wires, and 
 how that they chitter and flitter and fold their wings, and think 
 that for them and their sires were stretched always on purpose 
 those wonderful wires.' And as they sit there and think, if they 
 think at all, that those strings were stretched for themselves, the 
 news of the world runs under them; how values rise and decline; 
 how great souls are taken away from our midst; how armies meet 
 in battle-shock, and while that is going through the wires, they 
 only see the wires stretching away. So the lines of eternity, and 
 immortality, and theithought of God and the diviner life run throuhg 
 our lives. Often like the birds we only see the visible thing and 
 forget that through the lines of our lives are flying the messages 
 of God and eternity too deep and vast to be wholly comprehended 
 by our mortal powers. The church is continually in our midst to 
 call these messages to mind, to interpret them to us that their 
 grand meaning may strengthen and uplift our souls.
 
 A Living Saint. 
 
 The Church can only be good and great with great and good 
 and loyal men and women within it. The Church is only made of 
 those that are within it, and unless you are true, the Church will 
 not have the influence in this community that it should have. 
 Your Church does not exist for freedom only. Rsad when you get 
 home all that beautiful poem of Bryant on Freedom, in which he 
 explodes the fallacy held by so many people that freedom is simply 
 to do nothing, and in which he says: 
 
 "O Freedom! Thou art not, as poets dream, 
 A fair young maid, with light and delicate limb, 
 And wavy tresses gushing from the cap 
 With which the Roman master crowned his slave 
 When he took off the gyves. A bearded man. 
 Armed to the teeth, art thou; one mailed hand 
 Grasps the broad shield, and ons the sword." 
 
 Then he goes on to tell how he is scarred, and how his 
 
 "Massive limbs 
 Are strong with struggling." 
 
 And how he has even been imprisoned in "dungeon deep," but 
 that he broke his walls and chains and came out to do good; and so 
 freedom in religion is not some light and delicate thing, it is some- 
 thing strong. It rises up equal to all responsibilities, and we hope 
 this Church through the next fifty years will ba as good and great 
 and glorious as it has been in the fifty years that we celebrate 
 to-day. 
 
 3C fjitttt0 S*atnt, MRS. J. D. HARVEY. 
 
 Before we proceed with the second half of our pre- 
 pared program, there is one more toast that is not down 
 here. It does not need to be, because the people of Ge- 
 neva and those who know and have come in contact with 
 the people of Geneva, find it written on their hearts. I 
 shall call upon Mrs. Harvey to respond to the toast, "A 
 Living Saint, Timothy Harold Eddowes. " 
 MRS. HARVEY'S RESPONSE. 
 
 At the risk of appearing bafore you again with a Very red fao 
 and the engine having the best of it, I have come to say one word 
 outside of the program. You have heard about so many Saints 
 that we have had with us in the past, but we ai\3 so fortunate as to
 
 Response. 113 
 
 have still another one who is here, and who, we hope, will be here 
 for many years. 
 
 We have a great many ministers here to-day who are doing a 
 great work in the world, but it seems to me to be a small thing to 
 preach, to what it is to do everything except preach; but that 
 is what our Saint does who has been here t wenty-five years, any- 
 way. He has not preached here regularly for many years, but he 
 buries us all, marries us all, doas all the work in between I could 
 not tall you all the things he doas, but he is what keeps this 
 Church going. He manages the Sunday School, and above all, he 
 has faith that we will always have some money to keep up this 
 Church and will always have a minister, even when no one else be- 
 lieves it. 
 
 Last yaar, the trustees were very much discouraged and it 
 was even feared that we could not go on, but we handed everything 
 over to him, and how successful he has been you can judge from 
 our Church and our fine young minister who is here. He believes 
 in young ministers; imports them every few years; teaches them 
 how to preach; warns them off the breakers, and does everything 
 that can be done. And that is our "Living Saint" whom I wanted 
 you to know about. [Calls for Eddowes.] 
 
 REV. T. H. EDDOWES. 
 They insist upon hearing from Mr. Eddowes. 
 MR. EDDOWES' RESPONSE. 
 
 I have always liked Geneva very well, but I did not know I 
 had got to heaven. It is very true that I have known this Church 
 twenty-seven years, and it was the first Church that I ever had, 
 but I felt as soon as I cam3 to Geneva that this was my home. 
 Thsre was something about my earlier horns that I had never liked: 
 it was at that place, Galena, that I spoka to you about this morning 
 where my father's family had such hard times starting a Unitarian 
 Church. The rest of my family were very much attached to Ga- 
 lena, but from my childhood on, I was always glad to go away from 
 it and vory sorry to go back to it even while my folks were living 
 there; so when I came to Geneva and found there was a Unitarian 
 Church here, and I could have charge of it, I was at home, and if 
 heaven and home are the sam3 things, I am perfectly willing to 
 take this for heaven. Mrs. Harvey has told you of what I do for 
 this Church. I am vain enough, or weak enough, or something or 
 other enough, to say that it is just the one thing in this world I 
 had rather do than anything else, because I became so interested 
 in the people who were here when I came; and there is something 
 or other about the Eddowes family that is always putting them in
 
 114- The Illinois Conference. 
 
 situations where there is a forlorn hope to carry. Whatever un- 
 der the sun I should do in a place that didn't need a "factotum" or 
 with a church that could run itself, I don't see. I should have to 
 emigrate or else should have to say that I was not in heaven. 
 [Cheers for Eddowes.] 
 
 getter. REV. CHESTER COVELL. 
 
 When Mr. Duncan, as he says, "discovered' 1 me, he 
 sent me down to Buda, and then to Geneseo to have Mr. 
 Miller and Mr. Oovell look me over, and I have here a 
 letter from Mr. Covell which I think will serve as a very 
 good introduction to Mr. Duncan, who will respond to 
 ' 'The Illinois Conference. ' ' 
 
 DEAR FRIENDS: . 
 
 It would be a great pleasure to me to be with you on the occa- 
 sion of the anniversary exercises of which you speak. Honored 
 names will be then called up, which have been connected with 
 your organization names I much revere. Conant and Herbert 
 can never be forgotten. A line from the latter in '81 speaking of 
 our Illinois Conference, says, "That Fraternity will always be very 
 dear to me, however far from it I may physically be." And how 
 very dear he was to the Geneva Church, and our State Conference. 
 
 I must say circumstances will not permit my attendance: but 
 I rejoice in the good time that awaits those who attend. 
 
 Fraternally Yours, 
 
 Buda, June 3, 1892. C. COVELL. 
 
 he miittotft xmference. REV. L. J. DUNCAN. 
 
 We hope to leave behind us an enduring work whereby those who come 
 after us may "Climb by our labors and thank God for our lives.' 1 '' 
 
 Mr. Duncan will now respond to "The Illinois 
 Conference. ' ' 
 
 MR. DUNCAN'S RESPONSE. 
 
 Ladies and gentlemen: It were far better if Father Covell 
 himself were here to speak to this toast, for he is one of the fathers 
 of the Illinois Conference and for many years its secretary and 
 missionary in the field. I would it were that he could bs here and 
 say to you the words that I must speak. 
 
 In responding to this toast, I am first of all glad to remember
 
 The Illinois Conference. 115 
 
 that it was in the Geneva Church that the first steps were taken 
 to incorporate the Illinois Conference on its present basis. Prior 
 to October, 1885, there had been for ten years a talking conference 
 in this state callod the "Illinois Fraternity of Liberal Churches;" 
 but in Octobar, 1885, they thought it was time to begin to do some 
 thing more than just talk about this liberal religion, and so at the 
 meeting of that Fraternity held here, steps were taken towards 
 the incorporation. Officers were elected; the name was changed 
 to "The Illinois Conference of Unitarian and other Independent 
 Societies;" the motto, "Freedom, Fellowship, and Character" was 
 adopted; Mr. Effinger was elected the Secretary of the Conference 
 and we started out to bj a working organization. Through all the 
 sixteen years of this Conference life, for I count the Fraternity 
 and the Conference as at present organized one living body, 
 through all the life of this Conference, I find that the Geneva 
 Church has been most loyal; sharing in all the responsibilities 
 which that Conference has had to face, sharing also in the tri- 
 umphs which that .Conference has achieved. And so I feel per- 
 fectly confident that the constituency which I represent here would 
 feel glad to have me say to you that you have the hearty congratu- 
 lations, on this anniversary occasion, of the Illinois Conference, 
 and to express the earnest hope that the relations which have 
 been so pleasant and so profitable between us in the past may be 
 continued in the future. 
 
 The Illinois Conference to-day is doing all the work that comes 
 to its hands; all that it can find to do. It has only been about six- 
 teen months since the active work of the Conference has been 
 carried on. Prior to that time, for various reasons, we were un- 
 able to do very much in the field for several years, but in the last 
 sixteen months we have been prosecuting a pretty vigorous work. 
 The Sunday Circle at Princeton has been revived and set to work 
 in a practical way which bids fair to give us before long another 
 liberal Church in Illinois. A Sunday Circle has been started at 
 Ottawa, 111. I noticed to-day in the history that was read, that the 
 first communion service of this Church was attended by thirteen 
 people; the first service that was held in Ottawa was attended by 
 thirteen people. Let us hope that Ottawa may have as rich a his- 
 tory in the next fifty years as this Church has had in the past fifty 
 years. A little Circle has baen started at Wenona, a most inter- 
 esting Circle in that it is representative of so many different lines of 
 thought, there are Universalists,Unitarians,Quakers and- some peo- 
 ple who call themselves "What Nots" for want of a better name. 
 There has been a new movement started at Sterling and Rock 
 Falls, where I shall go to-morrow, that gives promise of abundant 
 success. Prior to last December, there never had been a liberal 
 sermon preached in that town; and I found people there who did 
 not know, as close as they are to Ganeva, that there was such a
 
 116 The Illinois Conference. 
 
 thing as a Unitarian Church. There are other places I might 
 mention, but particularly I want to speak of the new work which 
 is just coming to us at Streator, which gives good promise of grow- 
 ing to a strong movement. It started under particularly discour- 
 aging circumstances. Indeed, the beginning of the Streator 
 movement was no start at all. I went down there and after can- 
 vassing for several days, gave it up completely as a hopeless place; 
 but not many months after, there came the word, "Where is that 
 young man who came here last fall ?" They had lived, just the 
 few informal words that had been spoken there, they lived, and 
 somebody had been interested enough to find out where they could 
 have some more; and so the work has baen carried on, and it is 
 growing. 
 
 This Straetor movement is something of and indication of the 
 spirit which is all abroad in Illinois. Go where you will, you will 
 always find some one who is ready for our message. Never have 
 I gone to a place yet and made inquiry for people of Liberal, re- 
 ligious opinions and convictions, and failed to find some. I believe 
 most earnestly that if we would realize our opportnnities and our 
 duties we would find in a short time that the work in Illinois 
 would bs growing faster than one missionary could possibly take 
 care of. I tell you, friends, we have for these people what is to 
 them the very Bread of Life. We have to feed to spiritual babss 
 the sincere milk of the Word, and speaking of milk reminds me 
 of a story with which I will close. 
 
 A few years ago, a young couple, city-bred and accustumed to 
 the fare that we who live in cities have to put up with, concluded 
 that they would spend a summer in the country;-so they went into 
 the country and bought their milk, and other supplies, of a neigh- 
 boring farmer and enjoyed it. They believed that farmers were 
 perfectly honest and perfectly trustworthy, and that they could 
 drink that milk without any fear or apprehension whatsoever; but 
 unfortunately one night they kept some of it over, and their confi- 
 dence received a rude shock, for the next morning there was a 
 suspicious look about that milk that sent Mrs. Younghusbandover 
 to the farmer's to inquire about matters. She said, "I thought 
 that when I came out here into the country I certainly could find 
 unadulterated food, but I find that it is not so, the milk that you 
 sant us is adulterated." They inquired what was the matter. 
 "Why," she said, "this morning when I looked at the milk I got 
 of you yesterday, it was all covered with a thick yellow scum, and 
 then my husband and I notic3d furthermore that the milk was of a 
 much yellower color than that which wo hava b?en accustomed to 
 get." "Well." said the farmer, "you must understand that this 
 scum you are talking about is the cream, and that the rich yollow 
 color you are speaking of is a sign that the milk is perfectly pure 
 and unadulterated." "Don't tell me. don't tell m3: we always paid
 
 Letter. 117 
 
 the highest market price for milk, and always got our milk of a 
 reputable dairyman, and I guess I know pure milk when I see it. 
 Pure milk is characterized by a beautiful pale blue tint." And 
 vain were the efforts of the farmer to convince her that that pale 
 blue tint was a sign of adulteration. Now, what is the point ? 
 Simply this: the difficulties we have to contend with arise from the 
 fact that .the people to whom we go are so accustomed to having 
 their religion adulterated; it is so watered with orthodox theology 
 that they expect it to have a pale blue tint, and cannot recognize 
 or appreciate pure and unadulterated natural religion when they 
 get it. It is our mission, friends, to so educate those people, and 
 so to cultivate their taste for the "sincere milk of the word'' that 
 when we come to them with natural religion, God's blessed gift to 
 man, and say to them, "This is yours; yours to develop," that they 
 will receive it in perfect confidence, and without that fear and 
 trembling and distrust with which they meet us. 
 
 Oh, friends, let us fill ourselves full of the mission that is be- 
 fore us. Let us be imbued with the spirit of those men and women 
 who were the founders of this Church and go forward unfaltering- 
 ly with our work. If we will only put the spirit of pure and un- 
 defiled religion into our work we can reap as rich a harvest as did 
 they, and leave behind us as goodly a heritage. 
 
 getter* REV. JAS. H. WEST. 
 
 Before I introduce Mr. Byrnes to respond to the toast 
 "Freedom of Thought and Speech," it seems to me it 
 would be very proper to read to you the greeting from Mr. 
 West who found here, what he feared he should find no- 
 where, absolute freedom of speech. 
 
 MR. WEST'S LETTER- 
 
 MY DEAR MRS. HOYT, AND FRIENDS OF THE GENEVA CHURCH: 
 That it does not now seem possible for us to be with you on the 
 occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary, is, believe me, a matter of 
 large regret to us, for we have earnestly desired to be present. We 
 thank you heartily for your invitation. 
 
 As you well know, our three and a half years' work with you 
 was a bright chapter in our lives. We always think of you with 
 love. And that the little society still continues, and continues 
 fairly prosperous considering the many limitations amid which it 
 laboi-s, is matter for congratulation for all. That it may continue 
 always with the Progressive Spirit we may well hope and labor to- 
 wai'ds. In repetition the soul can never rest satisfied. It has been
 
 118 Letter. 
 
 perhaps the greatest drawback of the Christian Church that it has 
 deemed itself a fixed body; the possessor of a completed system; 
 anchored to an infallible word, to which nothing might be, nor 
 needed to be, ever added. For when new discovery, scientific re- 
 search, deeper thought of students, have found out certain things 
 of Nature and the Soul which cast cloud on things former, and 
 proved them fallacious, the Church has and naturally, consistently 
 from its standpoint deemed it its duty still to uphold the error. 
 It thus has weaned from itself the allegiance of many (the deepest 
 thinkers perhaps; the truth-lovers; the men of the largest soul and 
 largest faith), whose company, could the Church but have looked 
 upon itself as the repository of a "progressive" rather than of a 
 "fixed"Word, and thus been able to retain them in its midst, would 
 have made it the great power for good in modern restless time 
 which in earlier years it was in matters of faith and the amalga- 
 mating of intermixing nations. 
 
 In the present era, however, it would really seem that the 
 Church is waking up to a nobler consciousness of itself; to a nearer 
 right appreciation of its opportunities, of its privileges, of its du- 
 ties. The great word in Nature, sounding throughout the universe 
 from farthest new-circling sun condensing out of fire-mist down to 
 the latest expanding chestnut or maple tree by our door, is Progress. 
 And this great word the Church is now beginning to make its own. 
 
 In repetition the soul can never rest satisfied. Without growth 
 it must forever feel that something is lacking. And something is 
 lacking. 
 
 "In the same brook none ever bathed him twice 
 
 To the same life none ever twice awoke. 
 
 We call the brook the same, the same we think 
 
 Our life, though still more rapid is its flow, 
 
 Nor mark the much irrevocably lapsed 
 
 And mingled with the sea." 
 
 There is indeed, for all men and things, a C3rtain unconscious 
 change, as thus' hinted in the lines of the poet Young. But how 
 much better the progressive spirit; the Progressive Spirit, con- 
 sciously a co-worker with God! The Spartans in battle threw their 
 shields before them, and then fought their way up to them. Well 
 for us that, seeing how inadequate much of the old is, how 
 meagre, often repellant, largely unsatisfying. we to-day find a 
 "Liberal" fold open to us, which our fathers knew not, wherein we 
 may dare to propagate our highest dream, speak our deepest faith, 
 and, if indeed we cannot yet wholly justify all we utter, or give 
 scientific chapter and verse for it, may still launch our faith for- 
 ward for the world to ponder, and then courageously, month by 
 month, year by year, gathering argument, fact, inferenca, fight
 
 Letter. 119 
 
 our way up to it, and prove it even batter than we claimed! Even 
 more: 
 
 "Swift of fo3t wa^ Hiawatha! 
 He could shoot an arrow from him, 
 And run forward with such fleetness 
 That the arrow fell behind him." 
 
 It is interesting to see, week by week, positions held thirty, 
 twenty, ten years ago, by liberal religious advocates, and at that 
 time looked at with scoffing or with horror by the "faithful," to- 
 day being accepted and preached boldly by them; while the "lib- 
 erals" are again thirty, twenty, ten years in advance, propagating 
 truth which onca more is matter for scoffing or for horror to those 
 who by and by shall accept and teach it likewise. "All in good 
 time," then. 
 
 Nor may we ever stop! There is Progress yet to be. Faith 
 goes on. There can be for us "no resignation of office or winding 
 up of affairs, but always a proceeding to business: not taking off 
 our clothes till we go to bed." Even one thing of Beauty found, or 
 two things, must not detain us. The Yankee in Italy glanced at 
 the Apollo Belvedere, and told his attendant to "check" it in the' 
 list of curious objects seen, as he must pass on! He could not stay 
 there. The world had more in it, even of admirable statuary, than 
 one Apollo Belvedere. Translate, friends, this incident for your- 
 selves into matters of the soul. 
 
 Never was the outlook for man's spiritual life so bright, so 
 cheerful, so luring, as to-day, with the Church beginning to unwind 
 its age-fastened eye-bandages. 
 
 "Out of the dark the circling sphere 
 
 Is rounding onward to the light: 
 We see not yet the full day here, 
 
 But we do see the paling niyht." 
 
 That the little Unitarian Church in Geneva has not failed to 
 have its part in the new, modern developing fiat, "Let there be 
 light," should make the hearts of all of you very glad and grateful 
 during this Semi-Centennial celebration. Believe us present with 
 you in spirit, with our best hopes and love, and with our expecta- 
 tions that, in your midst, the Progressive Spirit of which I have 
 briefly written will never die out. 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 JAMES H. WEST. 
 
 Leicester, June 6, 1892. CORA LIVERMORE WEST.
 
 120 Freedom of Thought and Speech. 
 
 $vest>aitn of ltw0ht an& gipeech. REV. THOS. P. BYRNES. 
 
 The worst sceptic in the world is the man who does not trust the integ- 
 rity of his own mind to sift truth from error. 
 
 We will now hear from Mr. Byrnes, of Humboldt, 
 Iowa, Pastor of this Society from 1887 to 1890. 
 MR. BYRNES' RESPONSE. 
 
 Freedom of thought and freedom of speech is the soul of Prot- 
 estantism, while the absolute dominion of the Church over the 
 human mind is the soul of Catholicism. Protestantism during its 
 four hundred years ot history has not always been true to its first 
 principles and its real ideal, for it has often set up sources of au- 
 thority as absolute in their dominion over the human mind as that 
 of the Pope or the Church of Rome. The creeds and bibles, the 
 Luthers and Oalvins of Protestantism have ruled the minds of 
 Protestant men and women with the same iron hands the Pope of 
 Rome has wielded, and yet freedom of thought and speech was 
 wrapped up in the revolt o* Luther as certainly as the sturdy oak is 
 in the tiny acorn. It took three hundred years or more to develop 
 that sturdy oak that we see here to-day. It took three hundred 
 years to give us freedom of thought and of speech, as it has been 
 illustrated to us to-day. But it came; it came with the Declara- 
 tion of American Independence. It came with Theodore Parker 
 and his volcanic address on ''The permanent and the transient in 
 religion." It came with the prophetic voice of Emerson; and that 
 great prophet's call, the Divinity School Address, that Holmes call- 
 ed "Our Spiritual Declaration of Independence," that established 
 religion on its true and final foundation, the living human soul liv- 
 ing in constant communion with its God. Freedom of thought and 
 speech has came to stay, as the result of the pleading of Martineau, 
 and that book of his, "The Seat of Authority in Religion," that 
 lays the philosophical foundation for the religion that Emerson 
 hadannounc3d with the voice of the prophet. Now, I don't mean 
 that all Protestant men and women are free to think and speak on 
 religion to-day, but I mean that Protestantism has established the 
 right to think and speak, and vindicated its validity in the relig- 
 ious life; and so far as the spirit of the times is discernible, free- 
 dom of thought in religion is in the air to-day. The real conflict 
 and antagonism that is shaking the foundations of all the great 
 sects to-day is this conflict and antagonism between freedom and 
 authority in religion. It is the same old conflict between the Cath- 
 olic and the Protestant principle in religion. The Reformers 
 brought with them such a load of Catholic authority from Rome 
 that these two principles are really fighting for life to-day in al- 
 most every Protestant sect. This conflict in the Presbyterian
 
 Freedom of Thought and Speech. 
 
 church is a conflict between these two principles. Briggs is stand- 
 ing for nothing more or less than the Protestant principle of free- 
 dom of thought in religion; while Patton and his cohorts are un- 
 consciously working for the Roman doctrine of authority in relig- 
 ion. Now, if freedom of thought is the soul of Protestantism; and 
 the absolute surrender of the human mind to the dominion of the 
 Church is the soul of Catholicism, then either one or the other of 
 these two principles is to triumph in the future. There is no mid- 
 dle ground between them; there is no compromise. It is either 
 absolute free thought or else the absolute surrender of the mind to 
 an authority higher than itself. Now, it matters not what that 
 authority is. Authority is the same the world over. Protestant 
 authority is no better than Catholic authority. They both devel- 
 op the same cringing character and vassal spirit. Authority in re 
 ligion is for the one purpose of bringing into subjection the human 
 mind. 
 
 John Henry Newman, perhaps the greatest authority of this 
 centui-y, one that has stood the most vigorously for authority in 
 religion, says that men outside of the Catholic Church have tried 
 to devise schemes to bring wilful human nature under subjection. 
 "But where," he says, "Is the representative of things invisible 
 that has the fores and the toughness necessary to be a breakwater 
 against the wild intellect of man." He finds no authority equal to 
 Catholic infallibility outside of the Catholic church, and he defends 
 that infallibility on. the ground that it does bring into subjection 
 human nature, that it does furnish a breakwater against the wild 
 intellect of man. 
 
 I can not, on this occasion, go into any extended inquiry of the 
 foundations on which freedom of thought and speech rest. It rests 
 on that foundation so well laid by Emerson in that great declara- 
 tion of his. "That nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of the 
 human mind.'' It rests upon that Scripture teaching of the true 
 light that "lighteth every man," and it ought to have said evei'y 
 woman, "thatcometh into the world." Freedom of thought is 
 simply the right to listen to the witnesses that God has implanted 
 in every sane mind. Freedom of thought is the right to follow 
 the light that lighteth every man and every woman that cometh 
 into the world; and resting on this foundation freedom of thought 
 and of speech stands secure with such men and women as are here 
 represented to carry out and illustrate it to the world. I would 
 not to-day stand for freedom of thought and of speech only as a 
 privilege, as a luxury, that we liberals ought to congratulate our- 
 selves that we enjoy. I would insist upon it as a duty, freedom of 
 thought is the first essential to a manly anda.womanly character. 
 Freedom of thought and slavery of thought will never produce 
 the same kind of character until all things are possible to man as 
 well as God. Freedom of thought and free religion produce self-
 
 Woman's delation to Religious Freedom. 
 
 propelling men and women. Slavery of thought and subjection to 
 authority produce cringing, leaning, self-distrustful men and 
 women. When you settle which of these two ideals is the highest 
 you have settled the kind of religion to teach in this world. 
 
 Now, freedom of speech rests upon the same foundations that 
 freedom of thought does. If the mind has the right to think, 
 then the lips and the tongues should have the right to utter thought 
 to the world. Freedom of speech rests upon the conviction that 
 the world has a right to its intellectual and spiritual wealth. We 
 may say that men and women are free to think if they want to; 
 that there is no policeman to guard the mind, but I tell you, there 
 are policemen; there are dogmas and superstitions that do this 
 work more effectually than the blue-coated policemen that stand 
 on our corners. There is no city in the world so well guarded as 
 this city of the mind is by the grim dogmas of superstition. As 
 soon as the tendency to free thought arises in the mind, these 
 specters of absolute authority of the Church, of endless hell rise 
 up to suppress the first thought that rises in the minds of many 
 men and women to-day, and until this state of things is changed, 
 until Protestantism and Catholicism shall have been brought to 
 freedom of thought and of speech, this Church and the Churches 
 that stand for those principles will have a great future in this 
 world. 
 
 to 
 
 MRS. CELIA PARKER WOOLLEY. 
 
 Newidsas and motive? were at work within hsr, the results of which 
 were likely to be all the more genuine that they were only half rec- 
 ognized by herself. 
 
 I think, as in the first case, I need not enter into any 
 discussion or give any reason why Mrs. Woolley should 
 respond to "Woman's Relation to Religious Freedom." 
 MRS. WOOLLEY'S RESPONSE. 
 
 I have bsen wondering, Mr. Chairman, whether you stopped 
 to consider the amount of moral dynamite in the selection of this 
 subject, the combination of two such words as ''woman'' and "free- 
 dom." It is a rather serious subject to me and I fear I shall not 
 bs able to treat it with that lightness and ease that belong to after- 
 dinner efforts of this kind. It has prompted me to take a text, 
 not from the Bible, but from one of our modern prophets, Olive 
 Schreiner. It is from one of the shorter allegories in her latest 
 volume of "Dreams," and is entitled, if I remember aright, "The 
 Angel of Life," and runs as follows: The Angel of Life approached
 
 Woman's Relation to Religious Freedom. 123 
 
 a woman sleeping, bearing a gift in each hand, and saying to the 
 woman "Choose." The woman waited long and finally chose 
 Freedom. The Angel smiled and said ''That is well. Hadst thou 
 chosen the other I would have given thee thy choice, but I should 
 have gone away, not to return. Now I shall return, and when 
 thou see'st me again, I shall bear both gifts in one hand. 
 
 There is a profound truth in this little fable whether you re- 
 gard the sleeping woman as typical of the entire race of men and 
 women together, typical of both as truth-seekers, or whether you 
 take the figure as standing for woman alone, in her search for a 
 higher and more complete womanhood. It leads us also to think 
 of the comparative merits of love and freedom as factors of 
 growth. I don't know that I would go so far as to say that a 
 broader and truer synthesis is reached in the word Freedom than 
 the word Love, but I certainly feel that the last word is used in 
 often a very injurious and misleading way. I hear much preach- 
 ing of love in the pulpits that offends both my taste and judgment, 
 still, undoubtedly love is the grander, more inclusive word than 
 any other in our human speech, when rightly used. What the 
 allegory means to teach is, I think, that if Love is the word de- 
 fining the spirit that governs all things, Freedom is the word- 
 which defines that method of growth by which we reach the truest 
 conception of love and become its helpful ministers. 
 
 Historically, the allegory does not speak the truth. Histori- 
 cally, as a matter of fact in her own personal experience and that 
 of her race, woman has never chosen freedom before love. On 
 the contrary, all her choices have been those of love, those choices 
 represented in the various relations in life which she has been 
 called on to sustain, of society, the family, the church. So that 
 when we try to talk about woman's relation to freedom, or to re- 
 ligious freedom, we seem to have little to say. We should find a 
 great deal to say if we were to speak of woman's relation to relig- 
 ion. Then we could speak of her zeal, her devotion, her piety, 
 the large numbers she has always brought to the support of the 
 church compared with man. But when we remember how often 
 that devotion has been purchased at the cost of real intelligence 
 on her part, how her zeal has generally stood for bigotry and 
 ignorance, then we see the difficulty of saying much in her favor 
 on this special subject. But the past is one thing, the future an- 
 othe.r, and my subject is justified by the hope and the promise held 
 out to woman and to the world through her, in this era of awaken- 
 ing intelligence and responsibility in which we live. To-day, we 
 stand at that point in the development of religious thought, or ra- 
 ther in the development of all thought, when freedom is seen to be 
 a necessary condition of intellectual life. Socially, religiously, do- 
 mestically, woman never enjoyed that degree of liberty that is 
 given her to-dav. freedom to use her own mind and heart in
 
 1% '4 The Literary Value of the Liberal Faith. 
 
 solving the problems of life, that comes to her not as a woman but 
 as a human being. To be of great worth to the world and to man 
 she must cultivate all her powers unhindered, must make the most 
 and best of herself. She must choose freedom first, before love, 
 or love will bs unworthily chosen. As I think of this, and remem- 
 ber how complex are all the relations of life, see how much of pain, 
 misunderstanding and seeming wrong such choice on woman's part 
 means, I see how the strain and pain of new growth must be felt 
 by man as well as by her, how she has in some respects the easier 
 task, since she has but to choose for herself; while man who has so 
 long held the reins of privilege, influence and authority must make 
 her choice his, choosing freedom for her with freedom for himself. 
 Men have much to learn and suffer here. 
 
 In their religious life women have had a voice and influence 
 only on the lower plain of the church's practical work. Woman 
 has contributed too little to the thought the higher spirituality of 
 the church. Men will be her natural leaders here for a long time 
 to come. Not until she has learned to think independently as well 
 as reverently will her relation to the coming creed founded on per- 
 fect mental liberty, be established. 
 
 Uitetrarjj llalue af the gtbrml |?aiih. 
 
 MR. FORREST CRISSEY. 
 
 In the absence of Mr. LeBaron, who was to have 
 responded to "The Fox River Valley" I shall call upon 
 my friend Mr. Crissey to speak to us upon the subject 
 which is suggested to me by a story which I heard Mrs. 
 Sheppard tell the other evening, and with her kind per- 
 mission, I will mangle it. It seems a lady had been at- 
 tending Mr. Gannett' s church, and was calling upon her 
 former pastor, a Presbyterian. He asked her where she 
 attended church and she to]d him. He asked about the 
 the church, if it was a strong one; she said 'no, that it 
 was not,' and ventured the assertion that 'outside of New 
 England there were very few popular Unitarian churches. ' 
 He looked over his glasses in a peculiar way and said, 
 "Yes, I believe they are not very popular, but Unitarian- 
 ism is in all of our literature and it is in the air." 1 call 
 upon Mr. Crissey to respond to the toast, "The Literary
 
 The Centennial Celebration. 
 
 Value of the Liberal Faith." 
 
 MR. CRISSEY'S RESPONSE. 
 
 It seems to me that nothing short of malice aforethought 
 could have devised the toast "The Literary Value of the Liberal 
 Faith." 
 
 If the master of ceremonies had proposed some subject at least 
 partially open to discussion: say for instance, "Is this Collation 
 Satisfying to Appetite;" "Is there a Unitarian Church in Geneva" 
 or "Has it Rained" then there might have been some chance for 
 response. But when there is not a book that can hope to outlive 
 its decade in all the real literature of to-day that does not owe its 
 creation to the liberal spirit which we celebrate, how can you con- 
 sider the Literary Value of the Liberal Faith open to discussion? 
 From Hugo and Emerson down to the last paper covered novel in 
 the news agents's pile you can scarcely name one volume that con- 
 tains a touch of genius that has not caught its vital spark from the 
 Faith That Makes Faithful. More than that you cannot point to a 
 line in any of the reputed literature of orthodoxy that stands up 
 above the dead level of its surrounding platitude that does not 
 baar upon its face the proof that its author had lapsed into a mo- 
 ment of natural thinking, of free thought. 
 
 The legitimate issue of a mind impregnated with the genuine 
 orthodox spirit is a literary crab, bound to progress backward into 
 the gathering dust of Sunday School library shelves, without hope 
 of resurrection beyond being sent with donations of cast-off cloth- 
 ing to struggling missionaries upon the frontier. In no realm of 
 activity does the human mind approach so near to creation as in 
 literature. What kind of a creation can you expect from a mind 
 bound with the chains of the old creeds, dragging the heavy ball 
 of a belief in eternal torment and the orthodox conception of God? 
 
 Imagine a mind that believes that thousands of its fellow be- 
 ings are going down to everlasting damnation, indulging the nice 
 discrimination in the quirks and foibles of human nature, the de- 
 lightfully trifling leisure and exquisite artistic finish which we 
 find in W. D. Howells. Only a mind that believes in the ultimate 
 happiness of all and in the final triumph of good as the sure destiny 
 of the universe can have that liberty of thought, that largeness of 
 Faith and that repose of mind which is vital to the creation of 
 true literature. 
 
 imtettttt(U clcbration, REV. J AS. VILA BLAKE. 
 
 With prescient sight, more daring than a seer's 
 My soaring spirit leaped ten hundred years.
 
 Centennial Celebration. 
 
 You may not have noticed, but it is nevertheless true, 
 that this program falls naturally into three divisions. The 
 first is reminiscent; the second is general; the third is pro- 
 phetic, and now we will hear from Mr. Blake about ' 'The 
 Centennial Celebration. ' ' 
 
 MB. BLAKE'S RESPONSE. 
 
 BRETHREN AND SISTEREN: You never will know what a fine 
 speech I had prepared. All day, since I learned what I was to 
 apeak about, I have been busy thinking of fine things to say. I 
 have been observing this beautiful scanery; looking at the birds, 
 the trees, the grassy lawn, the sunlight, striving to win from each 
 a bit of expression for this hour. And I got it. But I have received 
 a violent shock. A few moments ago a friend said to me, "Are 
 you going to talk much? The Lord help us, if you are." And I 
 haven't recovered from that shock sufficiently to speak to you. Be- 
 sides, I noticed the poetical couplet with which I am introduced 
 on the program: 
 
 "With prescient sight, more daring than a seer's 
 My soaring spirit leaped ten hundred years." 
 
 Since I looked at that I have been trying hard to remember 
 whence it came. I have a dim idea that I have met those lines be- 
 fore somewhere. Between the shock I have spoken of and the oc- 
 cupation of my mind observing those lines, what I had to say 
 has gone clean out of my head. "Leaped ten hundred years!'' Did 
 you ever know anything so foolish as the poets are, if you can call 
 that line a poet's ? I think I could write two lines just as good as 
 those are, myself. "Leaped ten hundred years." Why, I find an 
 insurmountable difficulty in being required to leap fifty years, to 
 tell what is in reserve for your Centennial; and after the shock I 
 have spoken of, I shall not try. I will not fail by trying. There is 
 time enough, though the hour is late; but I shall not give you any- 
 thing after that shock. I shall simply tell you a story, which you 
 can apply for yourselves, about an Eastern Darvis who came to a 
 town in his travels, ascended the pulpit, and the people being gath- 
 ered all around, as you are, said, "Oh ye p3Ople, do you know what 
 I am going to talk to you about?" And they said "No, we do not 
 know." "Oh!" said the Darvis, "I will not talk to such a pack 
 of fools." And he got down from the pulpit and went away. The 
 next day he came and cried out. "Oh y.3 people, do ye know what 
 I am going to talk to you about?" And they all cried out, remem- 
 bering their, disappointment the day before "Yes, we do." 
 "Then," said he, "There is no need of my talking." And again he 
 went away. The next day he came as before. I think he must
 
 The Centennial Celebration. 1*27 
 
 have had some such people as these of the poet in his mind, that 
 could look forward and tell something about what was to be. He 
 said, "Oh ye people, do ye know what T am going to talk to you 
 about." And they, better instructed, answered, "Some of us know, 
 and some of us do not know." "Then," said the Dervis "Let those 
 who know tell those who do not know." And he went away as I 
 do now.
 
 ^ "^ 
 ROM the large number of congratulatory letters 
 
 which were received, a few have been selected 
 for publication as being of general interest to 
 those who will read the published proceedings. 
 
 FROM EDWARD EVERETT HALE, D. D. 
 
 ROXBURY, MASS., JUNE 15, 1892. 
 MY DEAR MR. HARVEY: 
 
 I am sorry to see that your love-feast has passed. I meant to 
 write a historical letter, because I remember Conant perfectly 
 well. He was one of the most distinguished missionaries I have 
 ever known. 
 
 At that time we thought the Rock River country was the 
 kingdom of heaven, and in that very year I offered my services to 
 the Unitarian Association, to go to the West and spend my life as 
 a preacher, if they would advance fifteen dollars for my expenses. 
 The board met and considered the subject, and sent me word that 
 they did not think they should get enough for their money. In 
 this they were undoubtedly right. I did not go, and that is the 
 reason that I am writing you here now, instead of writing to my 
 friend DeNormandie the account of the success of the fifty-year- 
 celebration. 
 
 When I received your letter, I did not even hope that I could 
 myself come to Geneva, because I am going to England just at this 
 time, but I did think I could send my congratulations. 
 
 Truly yours. 
 
 EDW. . HALE.
 
 Congratulatory Letters. 
 
 FROM MARIE L. LAMB. 
 
 546 GARPIELD AVE., CHICAGO, JUNE 2, 1892. 
 MRS. A. O. HOYT; DEAR MADAM: 
 
 Through Miss LeBar,on, my daughter and I received invita- 
 tions to be present at the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of 
 the Unitarian Society of Geneva, 111. 
 
 Be assured that the infirmities of seventy-seven alone compel 
 me to extend to you, with our thanks, sincere regrets for absence on 
 this very interesting occasion. 
 
 It was in the summer of 1854 that we, with our pastor, Rev. 
 Rush R. Shippen, picnicked on the island, I think, in Fox River. 
 It was a lovely day and we had a delightful time. I thought it one 
 of the prettiest towns I was ever in. 
 
 That day was the commencement of a charming acquaintance 
 with Rev. and Mrs. Conant. We had the pleasure of enter- 
 taining Mr. Conant several times when he exchanged with our 
 pastors. 
 
 I several times visited friends in Geneva, whom I had known 
 from childhood in Massachusetts, and the cemetery where the dear 
 elder friend of my young years is laid, the first wife of Mr. Wm. 
 Chauncy Wilder a Miss Waters. Mr. Conant told me she had the 
 finest, clearest Unitarian mind he had ever met; it was a feast to 
 converse with her. 
 
 I would like very much to again meet Mr. and Miss Eddowes. 
 Will you please give my compliments and address to them? And 
 Mrs. Long and her little people; I want to see them so much. Oh, 
 how I wish I could once again enter the dear old church and list- 
 en to the voice of prayer and song. 
 
 Hoping that the days may be pleasant and your celebration a 
 success in every particular, and begging you to excuse the garru- 
 lous propensity of an old lady, 
 
 I remain very sincerely yours, 
 
 MARIE L. LAMB. 
 
 FROM THOMAS MOULDING. 
 
 CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 10, 1892. 
 MRS. A. HOYT: 
 
 We should be pleased to attend the fiftieth anniversary of the 
 organization of your Church, but at the last moment find that the 
 state of my own and Mrs. Moulding's health impels us to leave the 
 city to-morrow for Colorado. We have very pleasant recollections 
 of the little Church; my father and family found a genial Church 
 home there in June, 1851, he had been a Unitarian for over twenty- 
 five years at that time and found in Mr. Conant a grand good 
 friend and delightful preacher and our whole family learned to
 
 130 Congratulatory Letters. 
 
 love him dearly. We were no more strangers in a strange land 
 when we or rather they, as I remained in Chicago, reached Geneva. 
 
 Yours respectfully, 
 
 THOMAS MOULDING. 
 
 FROM C. A. PHILLIPS. 
 
 CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 7, 1892. 
 MRS. A. O. HOYT, DEAR MADAM: 
 
 I regret very much indeed that I shall not be able to avail 
 myself of your kind invitation to attend the Celebration of the 
 Fiftieth Anniversary of the organization of the First Unitarian 
 Society of Geneva, Illinois, to be held at that place on the tenth , 
 eleventh and twelfth insts. 
 
 I have delayed answering your communication in the hope 
 that matters might so shape themselves as to enable me to be pres- 
 ent and to meet, once more at least, the friends and relatives whose 
 ranks are becoming year by year more thinned as one by one they 
 reach the end of that road "which widens and brightens as it leads 
 to heaven," and are called to face the great mystery whose shad- 
 ow is ever over all the Children of Men. Only the most impera- 
 tive reasons could have kept me from attending the Celebration, 
 but nothing is left me now but to convey to you and through you, 
 my warmest regards to those toiwhom I am allied by blood or friend- 
 ship and whose kind faces are always fresh in memory when I 
 recall the scenes of the four happy years (from 1849 to 1853) which 
 I spent in Geneva. 
 
 Hoping the occasion will be one of unalloyed pleasure and de- 
 light to those who are so fortunate as to be able to participate, I re- 
 main. 
 
 Yours very sincerely, 
 
 C. A. PHILLIPS. 
 
 FROM HON. J. C. SHERWIN. 
 
 DENVER, COLORADO, JUNE 9, 1892. 
 DEAR MRS. HOYT: 
 
 I have just returned and find your invitation to attend the 
 Fiftieth Anniversary of the organization of the Unitarian Society 
 of Geneva. I am sorry that it is impossible for me to accept that 
 invitation and meet the friends, old and new, of that society. 
 
 The sunlight of June does not glorify a more interesting spot 
 to me than that old church. The deep shadows of its surrounding 
 maples are not more gratelul to the children who play under them 
 of a summer's day, than are the precious memories that have their 
 origin within the sacred walls of the dear old church. 
 
 What blessings have flowed from it, to us all! 
 
 The zeal and eloquence of Herbert, the joyous Sunday Schools,
 
 Congratulatory Letters. 131 
 
 the kindly social gatherings, the haunting recollections of loved 
 ones never again to enter its precincts in bodily form, all crowd 
 upon me as I write. 
 
 I know it will be a time of rare pleasure to all who are so for- 
 tunate as to attend. I will be with them in thought. 
 
 May the recollections and achievements of the half-century 
 now closing be a prophecy and sure guarantee that the next fifty 
 years shall even surpass them in all good work for the glory of 
 God and the uplifting of man. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 J. C. SHERWIN . 
 
 FROM COL. JOHN S. WILCOX. 
 
 ELGIN, ILL., JUNE 6, 1892. 
 MRS. A. O. HOYT; DEAR MADAM: 
 
 As I think of your little church, memory recalls so many forms 
 and faces very dear in boyhood and young manhood, thirty-five 
 and forty years ago, Mr. Conant, the pastor, and his always pleas- 
 ant, cheerful wife, with their family, the Clark's three gener- 
 ations, the Pattens (and how we young people loved Mrs. Charles 
 Patten, ) the Wilsons and many others. It is very pleasant to 
 recall the bright memory of those far away days. It is sad to think 
 of so many friends whose greeting shall be heard no more on earth. 
 It is unmistakably delightful to know the eternal day is not far 
 away, when we shall see and know yet more clearly the joys of a 
 still closer friendship. 
 
 I sincarely hope the occasion will be helpful and pleasant to 
 every one present. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 JOHN S. WILCOX. 
 
 FROM PAUL R. WRIGHT. , 
 
 SANTA BARBARA, CAL., JUNE 6, 1892. 
 DEAR BRO. JOE: 
 
 Your letter of May 30 relative to the proposed Celebration of 
 the Fiftieth Anniversary of the organization of the Geneva Unita- 
 rian Church was duly received. We had previously received cir- 
 culars and letters of similar import from Mr. Eddowes and Miss 
 Fanny LeBaron. 
 
 I regret that we cannot be present on that occasion and that 
 we can furnish nothing that will contribute materially to the in- 
 terest. Of course, as you suggest, the interest of the Celebration 
 will mostly center around the memory of Mr. Conant. Kind and 
 heartfelt words of eulogy will be spoken, because they are deserv-
 
 132 Congratidatory Letters. 
 
 ed. I am glad to believe that there will be present at the Celebra- 
 tion many of the old time friends of Mr. Coiiant who can use more 
 fitting language to express the sentiments which all his friends 
 cherish for his memory, than I ana able to command. My acquaint- 
 ance with Mr. Conant commenced about the time when he was do- 
 ing some missionary work and endeavoring to establish a liberal 
 Church in the very orthodox town of Elgin, but I did not, as you 
 seem to suppose, have any active part in the movement. I was 
 then a member in "good and regular standing" of the orthodox 
 Congregational Church, although, even then, I had drifted a long 
 way from the Calvinistic creed of my church, and attended Mr. Co- 
 nant's meetings as often as circumstances permitted. I enjoyed 
 his preaching greatly. The substance of his discourses was far in 
 advance of the average sermon I had listened to up to that time. 
 
 A more intimate acquaintanca with him helped me at a time 
 when I needed help. Doubtless many persons can bear the same 
 testimony. What higher tribute can we pay to the memory of any 
 man, than to say that he helped those with whom he came in con- 
 tact helped them to clearer thoughts and better lives! Probably 
 Mr. Conant never knew the extent of the help he conferred upon 
 the world, but if he should be present at the coming Celebration, 
 (and who knows that he will not be?) I can imagine that he will 
 hear much that will be gratifying to him. 
 
 I have a warm regard for other members of this little Church 
 with whom I was acquainted, but most of them have long since de- 
 parted this life. 
 
 I am sure you will have an enjoyable time at the coming gath- 
 ering, and I hope it will be a successful one and the coming of the 
 Year of Jubilee for the Geneva Church. 
 
 Much love to you all, 
 
 PAUL R. WRIGHT. 
 To Mr. J. D. Harvey, Geneva, 111.
 
 f \N Sunday, June 12, the last day of the cele- 
 I I bration, teachers and pupils, old and new, 
 ^^-S gathered in the church to listen to words 
 
 from those who associated the early days of the School 
 
 with their own youth and from those whose later memorie's 
 
 are connected with the school's progress. 
 
 Besides the papers which are published, remarks were 
 
 made by Mrs. Mary P. Jarvis and Miss Jarvis of Cobden; 
 
 by Miss Francis LeBaron of Elgin who strove to impress 
 
 the children with the significance of the occasion ; by Rev. 
 
 Thos. P. Byrnes of Humboldt, Iowa and by Mrs. H. A. 
 
 Gould of Geneva. Two papers are here presented in full 
 
 as follows: 
 
 Historical Chapter, Rev. T. H. Eddowes 
 
 Sunday School Memories, - - Mrs. Ellen E. L. Woodward
 
 BY REV. T. H. EDDOWES. 
 
 YlILY 20, 1851, Mr. Conant preached his tenth 
 anniversary sermon. Referring to the state 
 
 ,_, I of affairs at the time of his coming in 1841 
 
 he says: 
 
 "Elder John Walworth had been preaching a part of 
 the time the preceding year; the Methodist minister in 
 the circuit had sometimes preached here, but for want of 
 encouragement had abandoned the place; there had been 
 also Episcopal and Presbyterian and Baptist preaching, 
 and I was informed that there had been as many as 
 ten unsuccessful attempts made by ministers of one re- 
 ligious denomination or another to sustain worship or 
 establish a society in the place. The moral and religious 
 reputation of the village was low; intemperance, profanity 
 and disregard for the Sabbath were characteristic of Ge- 
 neva in 184-1. There was one star of hope in this night 
 of moral darkness; it was the Geneva Sunday School. 
 
 A young man from Cambridge (Harvard) University 
 had settled in the place and engaged in the legal profes- 
 sion. Seeing the exposed moral condition of the children 
 of the village, he engaged the assistance of a few friends
 
 Historical Chapter. 135 
 
 and opened a Sunday School. Fearless of the ridicule 
 that might be cast upon his enterprise, and faithful to his 
 high convictions of duty, from Sabbath to Sabbath, while 
 no society existed and no other worship was held, he 
 gathered his little company of children together to impart 
 to them ideas of God and Christ and eternal life, and to 
 endeavor to lead them into the paths of virtue and relig- 
 ion. On my first visit to Geneva in 1840 I found him 
 thus employed, but before my return from Cambridge and 
 the commencement of my ministry here he had been 
 called by the providence of God to a higher sphere, and 
 his Sunday School was left to be sustained by other hearts 
 and hands. His dust hallows our burial ground, and the 
 name of Caleb A. Buckingham is and will be hallowed in 
 the hearts of that band of teachers who were connected 
 with him. * The Sunday School 
 
 and the efforts put forth in establishing and sustaining it 
 were the most hopeful appearances of moral and religious 
 life and progress in the place. 
 
 For my own encouragement, and as an indication that it 
 might be my appropriate sphere of labor, the Sunday 
 School had been started and was sustained chiefly by those 
 of the same denominational faith." 
 
 This extarct with one reference in Mr. Conant's jour- 
 nal under date of Sept. 1, 1846, where he says: "Our 
 Sunday School is in a flourishing condition seventy or 
 eighty connected with it," makes all the history of the 
 Sunday School we have previous to 1868. 
 
 No better place will occur in these memoirs to 
 charge the present and coming generation in the Church 
 with the importance of preserving every item of history 
 connected with the School. I find that it would be of 
 much interest to note who among the earlier settlers were 
 pupils or officers. It would also have been quite worth
 
 136 Historical Chapter. 
 
 the time and effort to have had a catalogue of the first 
 library and copies of every manual used in the school as 
 well as of the periodicals taken and distributed by it. 
 
 It could easily be shown how important a place the 
 School has filled in the history of the Church if we only 
 had the records to show how faithfully its work has been 
 carried on through all the various ups and downs of the 
 Society. I think it can be said truthfully that it has 
 never stopped though there have been periods of suspen- 
 sion of its activity for sufficient reason. We should have 
 the records that would show how when there was an in- 
 terval between the pastorates the School has been the 
 outlet for the zeal of the society which kept the church 
 open for supplies, (it is on record that in one instance 
 the School paid for preaching out of its treasury) and how 
 when it seemed that the school must be given up if we 
 did not have a minister, that consideration has been suffi- 
 cient to rouse the resolutions that we would have a minister. 
 
 A complete record would also have shown us that the 
 zeal which supports the School is no fitful matter. Al- 
 lusion has been made to the services of Miss Carr. Other 
 names could be given of those who have given their en- 
 thusiasm, their culture, their wisdom, their time and their 
 strengthen that long, steady way that counts up into decadt s 
 and scores of years of service, but all the records stand 
 below that of Harriet Patten who in this school and others 
 was a teacher for fifty years. Mrs. Mary P. Jarvis, Mrs 
 Robt. Long, Sr., Dr. LeBaron and Mrs. A. H. Conant are 
 names that stand well up in the list. Of the present 
 teachers and officers, ten in number, six have served the 
 School over ten years, three of them over twenty years. 
 Another name to be gratefully recorded is that of Mrs. 
 Mary J. Whiting. Mr. Conant makes mention in one of 
 his anniversary sermons of the great interest she had in
 
 Historical Chapter. 137 
 
 it, the work she did in it, and how after her active work 
 was ended by removal, through many years of invalid- 
 ism, her efforts made from the sick room resulted in pro- 
 curing one hundred dollars worth of books for the library. 
 
 In 1868, a Sunday School Society was formed the 
 object of which was to provide a more intimate connec- 
 tion between the Sunday School and the Church; the 
 officers of the society being elected from the Church by the 
 School. The object has not been fully attained as but 
 few of these officers have appreciated the field for useful- 
 ness offered them. We still keep up the annual election 
 however in the hope that some one will some day show 
 what an honor it is to be president of the Sunday School 
 Society. Ours was the first School to introduce the 
 observance of Children's Day or, as it- is less happily 
 though more popularly styled, Flower Sunday. 
 
 My chief concern on taking charge of the School as 
 Superintendent in 1865 was the library. It has been an 
 object of special care ever since that time. In the ab- 
 sence of any public library I am confident that it has been 
 the means of establishing a taste for first-class fiction in 
 a large number who would not otherwise have come in 
 contact with any but the lower grade; not that our 
 library is confined to fiction but it necssarily predominates 
 in providing reading for as young a class as attend our 
 Sunday School. 
 
 Somewhere in the seventies during the prosperity of 
 Mr. Herbert's pastorate we reached the dignity of a 
 printed catalogue of the library. The attendance in that 
 day was so large that it was a necessity in facilitating the 
 distribution of the books. It showed that we had be- 
 tween five and six hundred volumes. We have kept the 
 number about the same since that time by the removal of 
 worn out or uncalled for books, as we have replenished
 
 138 Historical Chapter. 
 
 from time to time. One of these replenishments, it is 
 pleasant to note, came in the form of a donation from 
 Unity Church of Chicago, as an acknowledgement of the 
 services of the School in responding to the calls of that 
 Church for flowers at various times for their special ser- 
 vices. It is equally pleasant to record that one of our 
 visitors at the semi-centennial celebration left us a dona- 
 tion of ten dollars for the library, five dollars of which 
 was given in memory of Mrs. Patten's work.
 
 BY MRS. ELLEN E. L. WOODWARD OF CHICAGO. 
 
 V" " ' - *"" s 
 
 DO not remember ever to have heard of Rip 
 
 Van Winkle appearing in a bonnet and gown, 
 A rubbing the mists of years out of dim and faded 
 eyes and endeavoring to understand and reconcile past 
 memories with present conditions; how it is that faces 
 that .were young and joyous thirty years a-gone have ha- 
 loes of white hair about them. Other faces which looked 
 up with the sweet, trusting eyes of childhood, stand bow- 
 ed with my own, and more than this, they say: "This is 
 my daughter," or "This is my boy," and behold, comely 
 maidens and manly youths are standing beside them 
 eagerly waiting to take up and carry on the work of life. 
 Other faces come and go, flitting in and out among you 
 all, and one close at hand is a fair young daughter of 
 New England. Full of the enthusiasm of her years she 
 goes about the Master's business. A little while and the 
 dear eyes will be closed and the pale hands rested from 
 their labor. The first young teacher had been promoted 
 to the highest place there to dwell in the light of the 
 great white throne forever and forever. One after anoth-
 
 Sunday School Memories. 
 
 er have followed until the number in the yon quiet haven 
 out-numbers those who wait a little longer. 
 
 It is a bewildering thing to do, to wake and find 
 one's self here, for the place is haunted, is full, is crowded 
 with the unseen, subtle yet still vivifying presence of 
 those whose hearts were wrought into the very stones and 
 mortar of the building. We heard yesterday much of 
 their patient, earnest work through times of sunshine and 
 of shadow, but the chief glory of the Church has not been 
 reached, has been saved as. we save choice bits for the 
 last the Sunday School! The Sunday School which, no 
 matter what the vicissitudes of the Church, has gone stead- 
 ily on with the most important aim in life accomplished 
 the religious education of the young. It has had faith in 
 itself, in its members, and to-day, after half a century has 
 passed, it can look upon garnered sheaves, and say with 
 reighteous pride, "Of all who have entered here starce 
 none but have illustrated in most honorable upright lives 
 the teachings received in this venerable building." Per- 
 haps the storms and strife of the world may have been 
 more than some could stand against; they are rare who at 
 some point on the weary way do not stumble, perhaps fall, 
 and are bruised with cruel hurts, and sorrowful suffering 
 comes to all; but at eve the Father leads his tired chil- 
 dren home, and tenderly shields them in his fold. 
 
 In the main the beautiful faith we profess has demon- 
 strated its truth in the lives of its children as the years go 
 on and on. 
 
 I think 1 am not mistaken when I say as a "substance 
 of doctrine" taught by this Sunday School, that we be- 
 lieve that as the majestic oak is contained in embryo in 
 the tiny acorn, so the powers of an angel are wrapped up 
 in the little child. His mind says one "not you, nor 1 nor an 
 angel can comprehend. " We have aimed to do this child's
 
 Sunday School Memories. 
 
 mind simple justice, having faith in it, and most especial- 
 ly as fitted for religion, not that we consider it virtuous 
 and holy at birth, for these qualities cannot be born with 
 us, they are the free, voluntary effort of a being who 
 knows the distinction between right and wrong and who, 
 when tempted, adheres to the right. We have faith in the 
 child as capable of knowing and loving the good and the 
 true; as having a conscience to take the side of duty; as 
 open to motives for welldoing; as formed for knowledge, 
 wisdom, piety and heavenly love. 
 
 Believing thus, and knowing the world will do its 
 duty by the little one, knowing it will teach it all evil pas- 
 sions without check or guide, passions given for good and 
 wise ends when rightly guided and disciplined necessary 
 ingredients of character , but it is no part of the world's 
 duty to furnish the needed counterpoise, balance wheels 
 that will keep all these passions under proper subjection; 
 to furnish the bridle which will guide them in the right 
 course and restrain them when of undue speed. Neither 
 is it any part of its duty to still further develop, nourish 
 and strengthen those higher moral and religious feelings 
 and obligations which should sit on the throne of man's 
 mind and preside over the whole character, the whole man. 
 The great end of this life is the foundation of character 
 which shall be fitted for the life that is to come. To ac- 
 complish this has been the aim and object of this School; 
 to do what it could to render justice to the powers and 
 faculties of the child's mind and, so far as may be, to 
 supply defects in the education the world gives it, in a 
 word, to awaken moral and spiritual life in the child, and 
 great moral and religious truths are nearer to a child than 
 the principles of natural science. The germs are in his soul. 
 All the elementary ideas of God and duty and love come to 
 him from his own spiritual powers and affections. Moral
 
 142 ^Sunday School Memories. 
 
 good and evil, virtue and vice are revealed to him in his 
 own motives of action and in the motives of those around 
 him. Religion carries its own evidence with it, more 
 than history or science and it should rest more on the 
 soul's own consciousness, experience and observation. 
 
 That this school has been potential in awakening 
 clear, affectionate perception of the reality, truth and 
 greatness of religion is amply illustrated in the lives of its 
 children now to the fore, and who to-day with loving 
 tenderness commemorate with grateful hearts the close of 
 its first half -century and with brightest hope look forward 
 at the beginning of the second.
 
 he 
 
 S the time drew near for the semi-centennial 
 it seemed to some of the oldest 
 members of the society and some 
 who had grown up within the walls of the church that, as 
 golden weddings are usually the occasion for the present- 
 ing of valuable gifts to the bride and groom from the 
 younger members of the family, so it was right and prop- 
 er that some substantial gift from the children of the 
 society, now scattered over the land, should be presented 
 to the Church at this time, and a parsonage was pre- 
 eminently the most desirable gift. 
 
 Accordingly Messrs. B. W. Dodson, T. H. Ed- 
 dowes and Miss Frances LeBaron constituted themselves 
 a committee to look the field over, correspond with the 
 children of the Church and ascertain their wishes. The 
 results were most encouraging and cheering words and 
 generous donations came from many friends. 
 
 The next appeal was made to friends of the Church 
 who had never been members and to the Chicago and 
 other societies. Here again most encouraging sympathy
 
 14.6 The Parsonage. 
 
 and generosity was found and strong expressions of ap- 
 preciation of the bravery and faithfulness of the little 
 Geneva band were received. 
 
 The home society has done well and old and young 
 are giving of their small store. With the amount in 
 hand, Robert Long, Architect and Builder and a member 
 of the society, under guidance of the building committee 
 appointed by the society and the original committee, is 
 erecting on the lot south of the church, between two rows 
 of beautiful maples, a tasteful, convenient, eight-room 
 cottage, in modern style. 
 
 One item of unusual expense in this particular cot- 
 tage is the room to be used as a library and pastor's study 
 and which will be fitted up accordingly. Here will be 
 collected valuable books from the libraries of the early 
 pastors, and modern books from various sources for a per- 
 manent, minister's library. This convenient home and 
 valuable library will ever be attractive to the future min- 
 isters and go far towards making them contented with the 
 small salary the present society is able to pay. 
 
 The key that has unlocked the purses of the donors 
 to this parsonage fund is "In Memoriam. " All have 
 given gladly in loving remembrance of their parents, of 
 the pastors of their youth, of the friends who had lived 
 here and borne this Church upon their shoulders and of 
 happy days spent here with this pioneer band in the olden 
 time. The society may well feel that the spirits of those 
 who have gone, though silent, are still present with living 
 influence.
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA