New-York tribune., 1870-04-21
PIE BOSTON RADICAL CLUE.
INDIVIDUALITY IN CU,rk, ,rH AND soCIET

CLAIMING, MIR. SARGENT, MIR. Los"fELLoW,
JAMES FREEMAN CLARK, AND OTHEI.'
BOsToE, April 19.--Eyen Spring fails 10 be
"gcrtle when Radical Clubs are in question gtsroh
beat upon tie "Transcendentasts" with rs most p'G.
loss pour and the April shower which peed them yes.
terday was a rain steady and hopeless. Tie meeting
was the house of the Rev. Dr. Cyrus 4. Bart0l whose
gracious gontlcness and seforgetful hospitality ought
TO soften and dlsarm a Boston wind, except
that Boston winds tO Do rospccors Of hereto
persons. Touched a little with the melancholy Of the
day. the Club less lively than usual The subjects
discussed grave subjects, and the absence of
Of habtu6s sens1ly felt. Col Higginson. with
gttering lance in rest, not there. Mr.. Wasson
and Mr.. sanborn failed TO brave the elements; and
though John Weiss and Mr.. Potter at hand. ard
listened faithfully, neither Of them opened bis lips
In their places orthodox ministers cast leayen into
the lump and for the most part the hercsy was Of
mild and modified order.
The essayist, Mrs. Ednah Littlehae Cheney. ia the
widow Of Seth Cheney, whose cayon pictures are Joys
forever in 80 many households Her subject was "Iho
Value OF Individuality in the Organization Of Church aud
Society" In the vegetable world, she said nothing IA
wonderful the power Of the Germ and the art OF
the scientific gardener rests upon his study Of the specific
character OF plants and the influence OF circumstances
upon them. Put seeds into the ground exactly
alike that the ordinary can detect no difference be-
tween them give them the SOIL the sun and
air, the water and nourishment, and they VIII,
perhaps, come up with characters so different that
only q careful observer would recognize thetn
as belonging to the same family. But
put seeds of the stock under the
most different conditions of soil and culture,
and despite the vast difference Of the plants,
or fruits in SIZE color and richness Of flavor, they VIII
still betray common origin SO in animal life, however
great the changes produced by culture and domesca-
tOn the power Of the germ still shows Itself IN repro
dueton there is strong tendency 10 return 70 to
original type so the modifying forces are OF al
IN oir A "A
the simple foundation OF all vegetable growth; germ
and cell is the beginning OF all animal me- center
and circumferencethis is all the secret OF the grand
system In which the mighty worlds that stud the nid
night heavens work out the law Of their existence FROM
the center warmth and heat radiate to the cireumfe
once and when we discover the law for society
that the central light shall radiae prosperity JOY health
and love equally on all the problems OF social economy
will be solved
The grand puzzng question In the study OF the animal
and vegetable worlds from purely material point of
view is Whence grows This power Of the gernthis NE
which enables it to appropriate 10 itself whatever Il
fitted TO its inward nature The materialist cannot
answer this question. He has to stop short in the cah
of cause and effect. and refer this power % source
which he may name but cannot understand. Iho
spiritual thinker that it is the power OF tbe
Divinity within u.s. 1t is the consciousness Of this IN
heranee OF Divinity which gives us our innate alth IN
Immortality all mythologies the typical man IA tie
direct child of God. In all genuine organizations
whether OF church. state or community there must Oe
central root running down to the Divine source, ana
there must also be a circumference, limited by crcuin
stances and absolutely requiring from time to time to be
broken I'D to give place life. And it is not in the
center but in the circumference that creeds and nations
differ so widely. In the deepest spiritual communion
lew and Greek Christian and Mohamnedan, may alike
draw near to the Divine Center, and meet there.
The science astronomy reveals to Us the existence Oh
great nebula floating space organized into saI
ably filled with the ghtest conceivable matter which may
hereafter become organized into active force All We
know of these vast regions is the presence OF DVh
there So we may well believe in great outlying posi-
bity of spiritual and truth not yet incarnated IN
individual FORMS We hardly conceive Of the Divine
Mind as wholly incarnated in any form OF life or ot
faith But, with this Of the Divine in all for
meeting point, there Is st the intense individuality Of
every germ which makes each nature and each religion
itself and not another. The obstinate hold with whlh
the jews have cung their old religious ideas ana th.'
peculiar forms of faith has often been quoted as
miraculous proof OF the truth OF prophecy yet Is only
singularly striking instance OF the power or indvidu
a,ity the enacty with which the germ retains lts CHAR
acer unchanged through many differing eircumstlnees
The long continuance of national tendencies is curl
ously interesting. The Greek aud Latin Churches never
have been Chrisanized ont Of national pecuaritieS'
The Greek is still speculative, the Latin practical. II
nice distinctions OF the Greek language appear IN tie
theological expres ssiOns Of the Greek Church, ana
stern logic and law OF Cavnism Is Roman love OF law
and logic carried to extremes This existence OF mal
churches the world of sects in the church, Of parties
in the state, is no more unmixed evil than the
| variety Of character and tie force Of viii among
| men. The evil begins when each sect or church
or marty tries to put the others And We SMILE or
weep at the inconsistency OF human nature "Aeh IAo
religious body which claimed for itself the largest b'ry
becomes In its the consolidated church, and mates
and persecues others with the bitterness and rgor
from which itself has suffered. Thus, the Luthcrans
turned on the Anabapsts, the Independent drove out
the Presbyterian, the Puritan hung the Quaker the
Unitarian shut the Radical, aud doubtless the mo-
mont the Radicals Of to-day feel themselves mpeied %
precise statement and positive work, they viii think
like Dickenss barber that they must draw the line
where
There is perpetual need Of the natural Organization u
religious ideas. There is indeed ocean OF spiritual
truth which, Nicheet says OF the matsral ocean, fl
OF the very essence life Some souls strong enough
and free enough to eeddrecty from this fountain Oi Me-
but most need TO have spiritual as wei as our
material food gradually aSSmulated and prepared Tor
u.s. Not all OF lis live pork and plato in the woods
like Thoreau; we want home but should open its
doors and windows freely to the sunlight The home of
our souls has called Chrisauy-aud so dear Is tLe
very name this old homestead that it IS wonder that
many shudder Mt the idea of laying II aside as they would
shrink from giving up the family name for that OF
stranger In this Mrs Cheney felt herself Chris
tan She believed Christianity to be organized and
special influence and found for herself in the teachings
Of the NewTesament something higher than rom any
other but If Christianity oAacted that SAe
know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him cruclhed the
home prison. from which she must break 'orth
ANY religonst makes grand mistake when be per-
suades himself that all the good in the world comes nom
his own creed or church 1t is like the idea OF the Pans
that Athauasius must have acquired his superior Tore
sight OF the future through dvinatons by the means or
birds II the great merit Of Christianity is In its aSser