, 1874-09-17
THE RELIGIOUS CONVENTIONS.

Although thls is not the season Of tho year for
religious conyontions Two notable Conventions
aro III session, in addition to tin Episcopal gath
cring in OhicaEo-.ho universallst General Con"
yention ut Now York City and tho Unitarian Ma
tional Conference at Hayatogs. Ono Of tho
most remarkable features Of tho formor donom"
lnatsop ia tic fact that during 'ss hundred years
Of oxiatonco 1t has probably contributed moro
according to its ability, for educational p'rposoa
than my other denomination. It haa ovor 700
aocioties, with four colleges and many prospor~
GUS nchools, Anlf-a-dozon religious newspapers,
and quarterly magazine. Tho Unitarinns, On
tho othor hand, although they can boaat much Of
tho best scholarship OF tho county, havo but bo~
tween s0o aud 400 societies, two theological
sohools, two newspapers, monthly magazine,
and no college, although their theological mode
OF thought is supposed to insp,ro Harvard Col
loge, and they have strong sympathlcs with two
or three other prominent colleges.
The proceedings OF these two bodiea are Pc
cuinily interesting. they represent tho liberal
thought mud liberal theology Of the country.
Tho Unitarian denomination largely comprises
the bost scholarship Of tho country; and yet it
doos not progress. purity because the vory tom
donoy Of lts oxtromo lbarality ia to cause dofoo-
tions from the main body, and partly because 1t
does not engage In missionary effort or propa-
gaudisn Of any sort. It ID religion Of tho H.
brary, of thought and thoory-a religion roc
ognizing science and ita developments, conscrv-
%,,1 1n-1 1,h&.Hnr
! orthodoxy OH tho Que hand md seiouco, na rep
roaonted by Huxley, Tyndall, and Spencer, on
tho othor, with leaning towards the latter. an
able and eloquent discourse by tho Rov. Robert
Collyor, which WAS printed in tho Inst issuo Of
| TIE Tribune, upon the "Opon-Hcaven Here
aftor," is as forciblo G presentation Of it's great
school Of morals as has yet boen made nlr,
Collyor sums up Tho Herea1tor as follows:
Hcreaftcr not merely as a hope, but aa a reality
nit, not quality Of the soul aloue, hut Of tho whole
man md manhood. That Hereafter which gathers tc
ita heart al that haa been, and ia and will be; the
secd-tne. and aun,iner, aud harvest; Tho blrh aud
life, and DEATH, nu what comes utter death, In thiE
world of Ali hayo said and done tho way Of God
with here, which gives sach worth to this worlt
md life that 1t Ia foolish aud vun to cry down tht
present oxBtouce In tho interest Of anotar a. wonlt
be, by comparison, for TINT In Western Now Yorl
wlloae land planted thlcR With rosrs to despias
tie plants Which bring him this summer wealth o
fine esscuce, because they rooted In compost ant
| sot about with thorns.
THIS may not be tho solution Of problem II
theology, but II IL tho solution Of = groa
problom Of humanity, aud its manlneHs. sym.
patty, kndlness, and purity will commend Uni
tarianisn In directions it has not before tray
otsod. i. s letting down somewhat the pride o
culture md scholarly refinement. aud appealing
moro directly to humanity. This Conferono
ma5 not suggest any practical plans for th'
spread Of Uuitariauism by the machinery com
mon to other denominations, such rs roviva!s
and missionary cruHades, aud individual appoa
mud labor, but IL has neyertheleBB Bnnt out
stirring appeal to humanity, and manifested
great and all-abounding charity, which vii
soften the asporties which other denomi
nations havo tolt towards it. and perhaps aug.
geat TINT man wauts something besides " onto
1ogicnl and pro-temporal holp aud consolation
for his spiritual nature. If, as MI tho signs in
dicate, liberal thought Ia isavoping tile Who'll
theological lump, this denomination, which ha
been ut Btand-Btilt 30 lony, may yot have a
important part to play in tho reconciliation 0
| hcience and rAfirion.