Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-03-09
uxirARfax AxxIrEnsAnr.
Celebration Of the 25th Anniversary oI
tho Indication Of the Church.

Celebration of the :5th Anniversary of
the Dedication of the Church.
The 25th anniversary NJ the dedication
Of the First Unitarian Church took place
Sunday. The services continued through
out the day and were very largely at
tended.
The interior Of the church building was
verv tastefully decorated The pulpit
platform was mass of hot-house plants.
ferns and palms. The window stills on
either wall were decorated, and at each
panel hung large cngraviugs of great and
good Americans, prominent in the moral
| and literary growth Of the nation. They
were Bryant, Lowell, l.ongfellow, Whit
tier and Holmes-all but the last but one
| members Of the Unitarian communion.
The whole OF The specially prenared pro-
grammc for the day was carried out with
the exception Of the presence of the Rev
William II. Furness. ID. y. DIR. Furness
absence was great disappointment to
everyone. He preached the dedicatorv
sermon . years ago and his presence again
Sunday was looked forward to with
peculiarly pleasiirable anticipations. But
Dr. Furness' extreme age lover 20 years.
and his indisposition for the past few days
entirely precuded his being present.
The services were conducted by the
| Rev. Grirdall Reynolds, secretary Of the
| American ITniiarian Association. The
II
| We, on Israel {" sung by Miss Wales, The
anniversary sermon was preached BY MIR.
| Reynolds. This was preceded BY HYMN
| composed BY Dr. Furness, commencinI
| 'ro the truth that makes us free" The
| topic Of the sermon was the "ldell
| Church" The text was from Ephesians
| VI. 81 "'fhat He might present il to him
| wrinkle, or any such thing; bnt that II
should be holy and without blcmsh." He
| said in part
THE apostles, when they spoke Of
| church. whether in bread or narrow
sense were not thinking at all af the or.
| gnnizatiou, which IL took centuries nj
! human experience and craving, wisely or
| unwisely to create. They were dealing
with far simpler matter. 10 them q
| church was an almost Informal assembly.
It was gathering. - congregation of men
| aud women who had been swept into the
current Of the new spiritual movement.
Men nowadays sttach much Importance
to the cternals Of a religious experience: its
rule. it4 forms. its dpgnas within inst
limits this tendency is good But after AL
these thugs arc on the surface, not Ut the
heart Of the spiritual kingdom. It is the
motive and nnt the government; the zeal
and not the ritual: the convictions, and
not the dogma, which gave reality to a
church. EStcrnals played no great part in
| ttlN DNlmltNp CHRISTIAN ne.
There Ind come TO Pau vision " the
ideal church, not in material aspects. but
in its spiritual hopes and experiences. Let
lis rartakc of his vision IN ideal church
must mcau All assembly of mon and
women who love the truth aud desire
more and more To POSSESS It, Who wish
some clearer revelation Of tiod and his re-.
latinn with them; some deeper knowledge
nc themselves and their duty. The moment
| a hat fNs,F tEi,
will break out Of Gods world, they cease
10 be a living church. They are like the
beautiful body out of which the soul has
gone.
TO such spiritual conditions Jesus
came
The afternoon exercises were largely de
voted to history If the church and lis
work. A history of the church during the
raSt % years Of It's existence was read by
Mrs, Augusta l.. Cnnunt. The intiatorS
meeting that fnreshadnwed the establish
ment of the Unitarian church here was
held by Il. X. Sewell and Thomas Y
De Normandie, November 9Th, 1865: thu
, first preaching April 18th, 1895. in lnstiiut,
Hall. The successive preachers were Rev
DIR. A. Farley, BROOKLYN Rev. Mr.. Angel
Rev, Fielder Israel. The latter was callci
and settled December LIST 1866; after thrc
years he was called to Taunton. Mass: sue
ceeded by Rev. William II. Thorne, VIII,
| resigned WITHIN the year, followed by tn
: Rev Fielder Israel, who accepted a recall
/; after three years service he went to salem
! tho Rev. NJ. w. Pratt followed in thre
years he was succeeded by DR.. II. W. vii
, son, who was pastor for seven years. tn
!. Rev. William T.. 'fiiden served for ST.
months; his successor was the presun
q pastor. Rev. ". H. Johnson, who was in
! stalled December 18th. 1880
/, Memorials Of deceased member wcr
= read by Mr.. johnson. This had been pre-
d pared by Lea Pussy, who was unable to b
present on account Of the critical illness Q
y Mrs. Pussy. Other reports included thos
Il nf the Young Peoples Association, b
y Miss Helen W. Clarkson; the school r,
:; port, by Miss Gertrude e.. Pyle and tn
q Little Helpers report by Miss Elizabet
I! Niclds.
d The evening service was conducted b
3 Mr.. Reynolds. lie spoke upon the mi
n snnary field Of the Unitarian Church.
q The church tracts are given away onl
I, on application they are forced upon Il
II one total Of 100000 were distribute
last year. Clcrgymen have received 20 N
copies Of the life of William Ellery Chaul
ing, Previous to the closing hymn AT
nj the bencdiction vocal solo was beau,
. | fully sung BY Miss Wales.