The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-01-21

| announcement to our friends 10 the west and
the world shall be made better by the thorcua b
dispensation OF the Gospel of Love Don't be
discouraged by the sound of ten thousand dol
| lars. Think only of the one dollar. II you
know OF any one who has cot a dollar to spare,
beg it for the good canse. 1t is not 10 be spent
on travelling agents, but to assist feebler socie-
ties and prepare young men for the ministry
Gen. Hersey, at the conclusion of Mr.. Gibbs,
remarks, said he would ask the ladies to try
and contribute their dollars before the centen-
nary at Gloucester, so they could shout glory
haleluiab! with the assemblage there. He
wanted all to understand that they are re
| quested to raise $4,000 for the Seminary al
Westbrook, for the needs of the Seminary re.
| ally required it, 1t was a most important
| work, and the $25 900 must be raised.
The report Of the Executive Committee was
| adopted.
Tho doxoiogy was then sung by the choir
tn al ben reelection pronounced, and the meeting
| adjourned TO IL o'clock P. NJ
| EVENING.
| AT the evening meeting there was another
large audience in attendance The exercises
dill not commence until about Z IL o'clock,
although the hour on the printed programme
was fixed at z. The exercises commenced with
a beautiful voluntary on the organ, followed
by concerted piece, which was finely sung by
tae excellent choir connected with the church.
Prayer was then offered by Rev. Mr. Record
OF Westbrook; after which the choir sang a
beautiful response, followed by the singing OF
the l44th hymn, BY both choir and congrega-
ton. The opening address was made by
REV. j. c. SNOW,
| of oo;1 l. H.
could hardly be called an address, since others
| were to come after him who were mighter
| than he. He considered the present year a
| test year. This year we were hundred Years
| old, with increasing responsibilities laid upon
us, and as We meet them would our course be
| one OF triumph or hard struggle. As far as
( Maine responded to the appeals mace 10 her
| would she raise the hearts of the Unversalist
| denomination or lay greater burden upon
| the other States. The objects of the meeting
were set forth in the report of the Executive
Committee, and met with hearty approval in
| the afternoon; aud this evening we are met to-
| geth& to see what that approval means. We
| had come to that pass when we must make
| our influence felt as educated people, We
need them in the law. the pulpit, the press,
| and in our schools. Other denominations are
| building UP their educational facilities, and
We must Go likewise; but it can only be done
| by liberal contributions and heartfelt labor.
| For the Westbrook Seminary, to make that
institution what it should be, interior to none
| in the State, must contribute at least $25-
| 900. The year had been called hard ope in
| financial circles. 1t may have been, but if un-
| der these circumstances we raise the mouey it
will be glorious record for the denomination.
| Mr.. Snow was followed by the
| REV. A. BATTLES,
Of Bangor. Mr.. Battles said that he thought
the century between ITO and 1870, the grand
est (oext to the beginning of Christianity the
would had ever seen. 1t has given br' to
| such illustrlous names as no other century has
cen, taken collectively. These thirteen colo
MES have become great natloo with a wealth,
/ literature and refinement that has placed
| her great upon ea tn. England has passed
from the government of a king to hat of the
people, for Johu Blight rules that kiGsdom,
| and in all parts of the world the native inal-
/ ienable rights of man have taken the place of
| crowns, or are fast acquiring the power. The
| true Democracy, the masses, are gaining edu-
| catiOn, and the rights of the people are being
recognized. Independence of thought is COM
ing to be recognized Now men are asked to
| bring every question in o the courts of reason
and have it decided by the evidence of enlight-
ened thought. know that the Pope may scat
| ter encyc zeal letters through the world and
call ecumenical councils, but the Catholic
church will find it is IN vain, and that not only
| will Professionalism laugh at them, but in time
the most enlightened among themselves. That
council will find they have not got simple
monk as Luther was TO deal WITH but that the
| letorner they have to contend with is the
nineteenth century reformer,the public schools,
the p,in'ing press and the telegraph. 1t is
| ,ince ITO that Howard has made his voyage of
| charity around the world, besides Others. In
| This Century institutions for The blind, deaf
| aud insane have been started, and the chains
| have been struck from the slaves of this coun-
| try and the great serfs of Russia. In litera-
ture change has taken place. Intellect and
| genius have never experienced such a change
as o-day; they have filed their pages with a
enderer pity for the WOES Of humanity. Mrs.
| stowe shows Us the suffering bondmen, Whit
| tier the barefooe'd boy, an D ckenS The heart
| breaking sorrows of the poor. Rogers and
Powers in their sculpture bring us into sympa-
| thy with the slave and the tree.
The marked change has been in RELIGION
| Edwards aud Bellamv at the beginning OF this
century filled the werld with their gloomy
| torebodings. They covered human minds with
| cloud aud people dreaded the life to come;
| they felt that only few favored ones could
hope to attain happy immortality. What ia
this change? The same as the boys knife,
which was the same as he had years before
only it had new handle and new blades II
Edwards should preach in an,O cthodox church
in Portland this morning, the Information
would be given that no service would be held
| 10 the afternoon. The old sign, Orthodoxy,
| still hangs over the door, but the new partners
| don't preach the doctrine Of their Fathers only
10 name. This is true of Hyacinthe, Temple,
| Beecher, Storrs, Murray, Bellows and Clarke
| These changes have come not through this
| channel or that, buC every new Improvement
aud every new experiment helps to bring it
about by showing the benefcence of God
they show the signs of the second coming of
Christ to baptze the world anew in these glo-
| rious truths. 1t was most provdential that at
| the time whec John Adams and Thomas JEFF
| fersou were drawing up the Declaration of In-
| dependence, which declared all men free and
| equal, that John Murray should come and sup
pn ment that declaration by the greater one
| that men were equally loved by God, the
| Father, and equally entitled to heaven and
| blessed immortality.
| The great good this centenary is going to
do to us is to recOpsecrate us and to inspire
| and uplift us to heaven, to catch the bret yes
| which shall be waited to our hearts. To teach
| Us, not so much to look after the erection OF
| monuments to the dead, as to work for the liv
| ing. Let us not look upon setting but upon
| rising suns, and keep awake to new truths
| Our treasures we say are our own They're not.
They're Gods. He has a lien on then. Give
| them literally so that our Westbrook Semina-
| ry can stand co equal in power, and standing
| with Phillips Academy, Apdover, with schol-
| arships endowed SO that the hundreds of poor
young men and wome in the State can re-
ceive good educ .ton. Why are your halls
| ROBBED in black and the States waiting to do
honor TO the remains to Geo. Peabody Be-
cause he left Urge fortune? No. Roths-
child left forty millions man should be
| ashamed to meet his God who leaves behind
| MIN forty millions. 1t is because Peabody dis
pensed his great fortune with unheard of lIber-
| atty for the benefit Of fellow creatures.
This address was one of he finest we ever
| listened to, and ought to be published in
pamphlet form. No justice can be done to it
| by an abstract.
An original Hymn, written by Mrs. e. M.
Barstow, was next sung by the choir. At the
conclusion of the hymn,
| HON. SIDNEY PERHAM
addressed the meeting. He said his remarks
would he noticeable tor brevity. He believed
in progress onward and howard. from the low
er to the higher; that the world was further
| advanced this year than last. The world is
coming to see that religion is not a means to
escape final punishment but glorious life in
| ITSELF We have come here not so much 10
| talk as to act. We have come to raise money.
| We have promised to raise $35, 900, and we
must no; only promise to do it but we must do
it. A society that has raised two million dol
lars IN ten years will not fail We must con-
| slider that centenary never comes but once in
hundred years, and we ought to be proud
that we have the chance to make our mark.
HON. ISRAEL wAsHBURN, JR.,
thought it was well at the beginning of this
new ceonry to rake an account o! stock. He
then defined what he considered Christianity
TO be. He considered Love the great motive
power in the regeneration and redemption OIL
mankind. 1t was here he understood TIL . o.
iversal'st Church to stand, believing in an ON
nipresent, ever loving Father, with a lovins
Son as mediator The angels sang the soug
OF love over the advent of Christ at Bethle
hem, and you must keep step TO that music
There are but Two cbu' ches in the world
Those who believe in God, the Father, and
Christ, the loving mediator, and those who be
iieVe In the Athanasau creed. To-day IS hear.