Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1891-09-25


its open saloons and gambling dens
and its houses OF sexual debauchery
ilourishing almost without restriction
there is certainly little danger from
excessive preaching and practice OF
morality. A Unitarian church does
not mean the mere preaching of NOR
ality, but it means the promotion Of
! morality and better life by other
methods as we'll. There will be a
reading room, it is hoped, in the new
church building where young men can
drop i'll of an evening and spend Il few
hours with papers and books or COM
panionable friends. The church is to
be built in such way that it can be
used for other purposes than for re-
ligious services. A kitchen and din
ing room are provided for in the in
terests of sociability and good fellow
ship. Then there is to be a place for
music and dancing for those who wish
and stage for private theatricals,
musical concerts and lectures. All
entertainments it is proposed are to
be given under the auspices of the
church, and as the object is not so
much to make money as to serve the
higher interests OF the public only
such amusements as are either inno
cent, and wholesome, or educational
and of noble inspiration will be Sc
cured or presented. A church that Is
pledged to help people to find and ap-
preciate wholesome amusement may
not in that be doing work that is usu-
ally recognized as legitimate church
work, but it is good work nevertheless
and something that is much needed
in this community. The mother OF
the modern theater, let it be remem-
bercd, is the church. 1t was the neg
lect of a great duty and great Oppor-
tunity when the mother deserted her
child.
A Unitarian church in this COM
munity will mean one more church
which may be counted on to support
any movement for better government
and better society, better health and
better life.
Friends, have | magnified what q
Unitarian church means in this COM
munity? Not ii you and / are true to
the principles we cherish. Not ii each
one nobly lifts the yoke of duty in the
service for which we are pledged.
Geo. William Curtis, the distinguished
orator and journalist, declared in a
public address that L" it may be truly
said that wherever there is Unitarian
community, it is lover of liberty, a
leader of thought and a conservator Of
morals" His words concerning the
Unitarian building in Boston on the
occasion of its opening are no less ap-
plicable to the one under process OF
construction at the corner of Ninth
and Franklin streets in Olympia:
1t will be temple to promote the
wisdom of the teachings of Christ.
Doing its just office, it will be the
center of every humane, generous,
lofty endeavor to lift up the down.
trodden everywhere and of every kind;
to adjust those intricate and perplex-
ing problems Of civilization which is
given to us of this generation to con-
slider; to foster always an ever wiser
charity and an ever sounder and more
humane penal code; to purify politics;
to organize government more wisely
to curb the ferocity of party; to bring
the Unitarian spirit, broad and hu-
name and Catholic to bear upon every
aspect,upon every departments of human
activity. Doing this the Unitarian
house will stand in this city the
House Beautiful whose Interpreters
shall be love, humanity, Christ"
Life has few things to offer that are
nobler than the opportunity to give
and work in the interests of such a
house in this community. May we
serve it so faithfully and we'll that:
"In it we shall find the end of living
And the anchor OF belief"