The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-10-02


because they are so ardent and prosper so
well, or all go to church SO faithfully, or al
ways have such good ministers-and can't
you get along just as we'll in their churches
as in one of your own, and your children are
perhaps in other Sunday schools, because
you cannot have them out of the Sunday
school-some Sunday school Right here is
one of the grandest opportunities for mis-
sionary work, in the whole denomination.
Rev. Miss Garard followed in brief
address, speaking principally to the
point of how to rear children so that
they will attend church, and become
interested in worship. DIR. Demarest
and several others made brief addresses.
Organization.
Mrs. Crum laid before the meeting
an application for charter for the
Woman's Association, and a Constitu-
tion and By Laws for the government
of the body, substantially those already
adopted by the Illinois Association.
1t was voted that an application be
made for a charter for the Association,
and the Constitution and Bylaws pre-
sented were adopted. The officers of
the organization are as follows:
President MRS. Amos Crum, Du-
buque.
Secretaru-Mrs. G. D. Van Vechten,
Cedar Rapids.
1feasurer-Mrs. W. A. Pratt, Cedar
Rapids.
A Board of Directors was also chosen.
Following these preliminaries an appeal
was made for membership in the organ
ization, and the majority of those pres
ent gave in their names and dollars.
Now that the Association is organized,
we may expect that the women of the
State will annually give a good report
of themselves, and grow into an influ-
entail and helpful auxiliary association
for the prosecution of the missionary
work of thelState.
"Universalism as an Idea and an Ideal"
The evening services began at 8.
Rev. M. FL. Houghton, of Storm Lake,
on the above topic, was the preacher,
assisted in the service by Rev. DR.. De-
marest. Mr.. Houghton's vigorous and
eloquent discourse was every way
acceptable to the congregation. The
text was Heb. vi, /: Wherefore,
leaving the principles of the doctrine
of Christ, let us go on unto pefection.
Following is an abstract
We are living in an age of wonderful
activities. On all sides men are thinking
as never before. The tendency of the
age is to the development of thought
The telegraph, the steam engine, the
printing press and our free schools, are
instrumental in securing this important
result. The world needs thought, and
the more it receives the wiser and better
it becomes. AL true religion welcomes
every addition to the worlds store of
knowledge. The universe is the thought
of God wrought out into objective reality.
The sands of the sea and the stars OF
heaven are the white and shining thoughts
of the infinite intelligence made tangible
and real for our acceptance and guidance.
DO not think less, but more about this
magnificent world in which you are
placed. Now, as much as we love the
ideas of the finite and infinite mind, as
mere ideas, they can never reform or save
the world. 1t is not life's plan that they
should do it. An idea exists for the in.
tellect alone; and many people have no
other religion than mere play of ideas
up and down the shining ways of thought.
The whole system of Grecian philosophy
was mere play of the intellect; and the
gods of ancient Greece were the children
of the imagination alone. Weneed more
than ideas to save us. We need ideas
which have exceeded their own limits as
the rose exceeds the bud, and have bios
somed out into their own rich fullness.
In word an idea becomes an ideal when
it enters into the heart and moves the
life, as steam moves the engine. Coal
and water may remain in the fire box and
boiler for ages, and the machine remain
stationary or still; but set fire to the coal
and heat the water and the ponderous
wheels culver with life, and soon move
the worlds commerce with lightning
rapidity. So an idea may remain in the
intellect any length Of time, but unless
it is allowed to warm and glow and spread
its flames through the heart, the life is
not moved up into God and the ripe full
ness Of its own heavenly powers. We
love our beautiful ideas and they are
necessary, but we want them blazing forth
into the lofty ideals of the soul. In the
voice of the text let us leave the mere
principles of the doctrine OF Christ and
go on to that ideal perfection which
comes from the opening of the spiritual
nature to the inhowing of the love and
power of God. Pure religion passes
through the head into the heart. Let us
see to it that it does not stop half way,
but that it tunnels the mountains of the
intellect, and runs its train of heavenly
freighted truth through into the inner
life Of the soul, there to warm and trans
form it into the likeness of God con-
tinually.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBEk "a.
Friday morning. conference was held