The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-13
A CHURCH UNION,
1t Is Proposed Before the Unitarian
Club.

~ 30 fiVpOoSa Lh(
Club.
Nearly 100 members OF the Unitarian
Club of California attended the banquet
given at the Palace Hotel last night.
The club is an organization of laymen OF
the Unitarian Church and was primarily
formed. as the president terseiy put it las,
night, Ito give the members of the church q
chance to talk back at the ministers nc
were always preaching at them" but it was
found advisable to call in the ministers a,
first in order that they might hear the criti.
ciSms of laymen and reply. and at las,
because the laymen were not speech
makers ana the ministers were, and a
banquet Will out speeches Is case of play
ing Hamlet with Hamlet left out
Last night, after discussing a sumptuous
menu, the club listened to an ESSAY upon
Re ligious Cooperation" by Rev. n. A.
Haskell OF San Jose.
IL was the intention of the club to gather
around the tables the representatives of
every religious denominatio in California
and to have the opponents of each faith
discuss, IN turn. the essay of the even
ing. Unfortunately. outside the orthodox
churches there was but one representative
of the other denominations, namely, Rabbi
Voorsanger. bat he made up for the absence
OF the others IN mastery argument as
surprising in It's liberal tone as it was in
teresting and instructive.
Rev. Mr.. Haskell took the ground that,
as there is but one God, aud as he
has but one law for all men - that
OF faith, hope and love - the sooner
the churches oil any and every de-
nomination dropped creed and sectarian.
ism and united In work to benefit human
kind the quicker would come that power TO
the church that was promised by the Mas
ter and lenged for by his servants. He cited
the great reform movements now be-
ing inaugurated in England, where
civic centeTs or unions are being formed BY
members of all the churches. members of
all the philanthropic societies, the police,
city council, aldermen and boards OF educa-
ton, all OF whom are united to suppress
evil ana better the condition of men and
women, regardless of their religious belief
and he prOphesied that not until the So
called Christians OF America could forget
that the road 10 heaven their church pointed
out was the only road would the real work
of Christianity be felt In the world.
Rabbi Noorsanger was the first speaker
called upon to discuss the essay of the
evening. While he agreed with Rev. Mr..
Haskell upon the proposition that so long
as each church had its little stepladder TO
heaven" there could be no unity of action,
he differed with him in regard TO the idea of
the religious bodies, as religious bodies.
Joining together In any common movement.
He pTophesied that when the Christian
men OF this country. forgetting church and
creed. but meeting on the broad plane of
patriotism and Christian citizenship; when
the Jew, the Catholic. the Unitarian and
the Methodist met together as men and wor-
shippers OF common God and lovers OF a
common country, then would the brother
hood of man be a possib ility.
"All religions" said the rabbi. ''are like
the strings of harp. Each gives a differ
ent sound. but, thank God. when they are
swept by the divine hand, they blend in
harmony. .pt the rich be less selfish the
poor be more soicitous for their own wel-
fare, and then will come the day when
church and creed will be forgotten and
men band together TO give other men back
their manhood"
Frank j. Symmes, president OF the club,
followed IN brief address, then Rev. DIR.
Mel, the eminent Episcopal clergyman,
Rev. DIR. GarDett Of San Jose and Rev. Mr..
Wendte OF Oakland closed the discussion.
The meeting was one OF the best ever held
by the club. and out Of it may grow a
movement that will do great good to San
Francisco.