New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-01-22
UNIVERSALISM IN AMERICA.
IT'S CENTENARY YEAR.

o starte the Nineteenth Century at this stage OF lis
life it is hard matter to sly anything OF 10 10
ANYTHING, which shall disturb its lofty AIR OIL KNOW
iugness and Of supreme indifference toward ordinary
man and things or to throw it sufficiently off its
guard to extort from it cry of wonder or an eA-
clamatOn Of delight. IL is now seventy years oid'
and it scorns to exhibit any such spirit OF childish
ness rs would be implied by such manifestations OF
ignorance as these. When it was child, IL Thought
as a child and spake as child; bot now that
if has como to mans estate. it rcpndiates
its childish ways no reference ia here IN
tended TO our National Debit In its youth, it would
have screamed with delight at the appearance Of
comet or falling stnr butnow it views the heavens
through its telescope with great an appearance OF
nonchalance as could DO displayed by tho most
bobitual theatergoer and accomplished critic OF tho
stage when viewing the dainty
orgnette and no matter what the story or the scene
may be, whether of the wondrous beauty Oh some
group of sister stars Of the perfect harmony OF
family relations which exist between the planets
and the sum- or of the material nature OF the soit-
hued nebuls whose Office is through saorlnce OF
self TO bring forth worlds and systems, or OF some
wayward, meteoric child OF tho skies, broken
loose from the family bond and now sowing his wild
oats Mt tremendous rate through space, or fnally
Of some ntcrstclar tragedy in which two rash stars
one 70 the nineteenth century, which merely lowers
its glass serenely, and proceeds without the least
emotion or astonishmen to make notes for criticism
on the music of the spheres.
Its receptive and digestive powers are truly mar
velous 1t breakfasts on miracles, dimes on won
ders makes a supper OF great events anu dlgesIs
them all without the slightest dlihcnlty' NOtmDg
short of a Byron scandal, or IN unusually horrlDe
tragedy. is news to il; nothing else can cause
an elevation of its eyebrows or bring it to evlnce
4 more than ordinary interest for moments time.
You rush into its presence all excited with thc news
of your discovery of the constitution OF the sum- or
of the germs of animal life and it simply glances at
YOU careessy and looks as though 1t did not thihK
vour information worthy of tho noise you make
about it.
Not. therefore. with the hope Of startling the Nine
tenth Century from its aspect of composurc or even
with the expectation of attracting from it any special
word of Communications but merely with the hope
of STRENGTHENING itself that it may in the future eX-
ercise greater influence for good upon the heart
beats of the ages, the Universalist Denomination
in America proposes to make the present year, as
being its centenary anniversary season OF revival,
of rejoicing and of extra work. No ostentatlOn VIII
be made no attempt at display for the sake OF as
play; no blowing of trumpets for the sake OF mere
sound but n combined effort will be made so TO
strengthen the cause of Uniyersalism IN the land'
so to build up the Zion of its faith, that the sight
of its towers shall be attractive to the eyes OF
men, and the music Of its Gospel notes have wider
influence upon their short time ago the
largest Protestant denomination IN America, the
Methodist observed its centenary year. From the
efforts which it then put forth, from the enthusiasm
which it then aroused, ana from tue
nroctical shape which that enthusiasm took,
ha MpfbOliStg
since that time have reaped abundant benefit
Younger by some years than the Methodsts
as an organized denomination, tho Universal
lists. believing they have equal cause. at least to
rejoice i'm the spreading abroad of their faith de-
terine that in proportion to their relative ability
they will not be behind their brethren OF the former
faith in testiyng by their works to the strength OF
their convictions their thankfulness for that con-
tinued mercy which has led them through the past
100 wears and their determination to deserve so far
as human effort may. the continuance OF that
mercy in the centuries which are to come.
Iniyersaliss found their belief on the teachings Of
Christ. They believe that Christ taught Universal
ism nnequiyocally and distinctly. When, therefore,
tLey Announce the celebration of their Centenary
year they do not mean the Centenary year of Unyer-
salism as a doctrine, but the Centenary year OF
Uniyersalism as being the distinctive tenet OF
an organized Denomination in this country. AS
to the truth of their distinguishing ldea'
the final holiness and happiness of all the human
family they believe it, of course, to be as old as
the creaon they believe it to have existed III the
mind Of God as divine idea from all eternity, and
to have begun to be a practical reality when the
first man was born they believe it to have been re-
veaed obscurely to the early members of our race,
and TO have been taught implicitly if not explicitly,
by Moses and the Prophets and finally to have been
fully declared by Christ himself and by those discl-
pies whom he commissioned to preach the truth
which he had received from the Father Ihey DeleVe
a truenterpretaOn of the New Testament TO support
the truth of their idea nynciby and they know from
history that their Interpretation OF That BOOK Is not
new Interpretation, but is rs old MS the book ITSELF
They trace their fundamental doctrine through the
writings of the early bishops of the Church. and they
find il plainly emphasized by such distinguished men
and recognized interpreters of holy writ as Clement
of Alexandria, President of the great Catechetcal
School at that place; Origen, who succeeded him IN
that postion. and who from the prominence he gave
TO the doctrine of universal salvation has sometimes
been called the father of Universasm; Euscbius, the
ronowned father of Church history; the two Greg
cries. Didymus the blind and Jerome, who, from his
secluded cell at Bethlehem sent forth an lnllnence
which reaches to the present time. OhlVersal-
ists therefore, claim Tor their doctrine, even Wheh
viewed simply as a human theory or as an lnterpre.
tation of the Bible great prestige IN point or
age as can belong to any other Christian sect In ,he
year of Lord 553 at the min ueneral C0hcIi VI
the AT that time undivided Church, the Emperor
Justinian passed decree, or rather ordered inc
Council to pass decree, by which Orgen ana all his
doctrines, including that OF Uniyersallsln' were
mathematical; and from that time onward to the
time of the Reformation, since decree OF
tho Catholic Church was forever binding
the doctrine of Universal -, salvation was
regarded as a heresy; and although its fires
,yere NOT onite extingushed, but preserved in