The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-01-30
UNORrHODOX LONDON.
The CenRregaticns that Listen 20 Messrs.
Martineau. Picton, voysey, and Conway.

LONDON, Jan. IO.-NODOuy mas tne
rubrio OF London society particularly exactlnR,
but two or three rules are peremptory. For I'm
stance, you must 20 to church on Sunday.
Relatively 1t matters little what mode Of worship
you prefer you may even renounce entirely the
conception Of worship in any form, but your
remuneration must be an overt, public act per
formed I'm company or, In Yankee parlaDce, lin
meeting" The stringent enforcement Of this
rule has led TO curious results. In other coun-
tries free thinkers are the least greearious Of
men, but here in London there s no phase or
graduation Of ratonalism but has It's organiza-
ton, its chapel. often It's ritual. 1t may be in
terestina to glance at some Of these heterodox
societies, following the historical order Of de-
velopment, that rs, beginning with Martineau's
and ending with Moncure Conwayis.
The Unitarian chapel In Little Portland street
retains the impress given IL by James Martineau,
who, however, has Withdrawn 10 become the
head Of the New Manchester College. a species
Of Unit erian university. The congregation Ia
e1 clusivey made up OF well-dressed, nice-look-
ing people manifestly belonging to the upper
middle class. At least four 1fths Of them are
women, a circumstance worth noting, because
we shall observe its opposite elsew here. The the
ology here In vogue, liberal II Is, has retained
q considerable nucleus Of dogma, and Its precise
standpo will be readily understood when wo
tone, and TO seek authority In the text OF
Scrip ure land not outside Of iD for divergence
from tho faith OF the English Church. In short
you get an Impression that the Cnitarians OF
this particular group think they have gone quite
far enough, and half regret the steps already
taken. We may add that they employ liturgy
tsaid to have been adopted by more than two
hundred chapels In Great Brittany which IL
modelled closely on the Anglican prayer book.
-
socinianism to Positivism and sheer atheism lie
the Church Of Free Christians In Clarence road,
Kontish town, presided over by the Rev. Mr.. Pic
ton A point to be noted here besides decided
preponderance OF the masculine SEX Is that not
only the pastor, but his flock, which belongs for
the most part to q social grade Disseminated by
Englisbmen the lower middle class, were
originally Calvinists attached to that wing OF
| dissent, known as "The Independents" which
furnished Cromwell his Latin secretary aud his
| redoubtAble Ironsides. The Free Christians Of
Kenllsh town. however, have SO far outstripped
Milton In their departure from Anglican tensts
that when Mr.. Picton exchanged recently with
| U nitarian minister his bold language heard
| with positive dismay while his own people were
equally dissatisfied with the conservative doc
trnes OF the Socnlan divine.
A good many persons deny tho right OF Uni
| tarians to reject the supernatural origin Of
| Christianity and at the same time preserve tho
name Of Christians, or to exclude from religious
| communion Mohammedans, Buddhists, Jews,
and theists generally. In their view the univer-
sal church is not logically a Free Christian
Church, but Free Church open to every body
| who admits the existence OF God. There are
| In London two purely theistic congre0ati ons.
the most conspicuous OF which Is guided by the
Rev. Charles VoyseY. No one denies the singu-
lar ability OF THIS clergyman. Since Newman's
detection, perhaps nothing has occasioned m orc
scandal and annoyance In the Established
| Church than Voysey's pamphlet, Tine Sling
and the Stone" Ia rcfutation OF Cnrist's divinity
and the dogma OF original sin), which subjected
| him to a prosecution In the Court OF Arches,
| and finally cost him his bene1ce. lie breaches
at present In 81. Georges Hall to an audience
more noteworthy In point OF quality than OF
numbers there Is u marked disproportion Of Ia
| Giesl, but the building fund for new chapel is
| RAPIDLY expanding, and the list presents many
| distinguished names. including those Of baro-
nets, army officers, and scientists like Sir Charles
| Lyell and Sir John Bowrng. On the ground
| that the secret of progress In religion as well as
| constitutional government lies In the insinua-
| ton OF new ideas under familiar forms, Mr.. Voy-
sey has followed Mr.. Martineau In compiling a
liturgy based on the Anglican ritual, but divest-
ed Of every Christian formula, OF everything dis
cordant with simple theism. His Revised
| Prayer Book includes one notably progressive
| featured formal service for cremation.
| 1t might be supposed that the Rev. Charles
| Noysey was free from the reproach OF dogma
tism nevertheless, advanced thinkers conds mo
his insistance on two points Of faith-belief IN a
Deity, aud In future life. The church founded
by Moncure ID. Conway, on the other hand,
ufiirms nothing, neither does II deny everything
| Uor that too would be dogmatsm), and its atti-
CATION. In fact II is open TO all who decline To
doGmatlcally assert the nome xstence of God
South Place Chapel, FinsOury square, where
Mr.. Conway, some ten years ago, succeeded a
| famous thestic teacher, j. w. Fox, is a capa-
cious, handsome hail, having a gallery at both
sides, an organ over the entrance, and u plat
form, equipped only with a reading desk. at the
upper end. The church Is usually well nled
and you will remark many serious. intelligent
| faces, MANY ladies too, some OF whom are hand
some and elegantly attired. The conRreRat N
reminds you in its general aspect of the audi
ence Mr.. rockingham draws around him in
New York. You will very likely see Sir Charles
Dixie, Bradaueh, ana other red Republicans,
for Conways church represents radicalism In
| politics as well as religion.
| Mr.. Conway walks up the aisle In frock coat,
turns up the gas, and opening a book on the
| reading desk, gives out a hymn. From this col
lection, by the way, OF Hymns and Anthems, "
| begun by Fox and completed by Conway, every
trace OF dogmatic theology has been eradicated.
In place OF prayer Il need hardly say that the
conception Of prayer does not appear more un-
reasonable to Tyndall than TO Conway is sub
stituted a 40 called meditation" which Is a
sort of ethical monoloeue calculated to stir up
and eev lte the mind, without appealing direct
ly to the Deity. This is usually followed By the
reading of passages from the Sacred Anthoio.