Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-09-21
. UNIQUE ASSEMBLY.
ALL RELIGIONS EXTEND THE HAND
OF FELLOWSHIP AT CHICAGO.

RID FAIR, Sept. D.-ISpecial. I-By
the courtesy of DIR. John Henry Barrows, I
was one of the 200 or more guests the other
evening at the reception accorded the ORR
entails at the residence of MIR. A. C.. Bart
lett, and there was assembled, / dc verify
believe. the most unique group ever seen
on this western continent. In the place of
honor, between DIR. Barrows and the host
ess, stood the venerable archbishop of
Zante, the Most Rev. Dionysius Latas,
magnificent in his rsbes of Office, and both
in facial aspect and physical manhood look
ing the born ruler Of men. On the other
side OF the doctor stood Bishop Keane, and
all around were Parsee, Hindoo and China
man, Protestants Of many denominations,
and here and there one Of us common men
| "a journalist, or q lawyer, or the like-to
modify the tone of the picture.
When the formal presentations We're over
and the people began to scatter through
parlor and hall and form into groups, there
was a moving panorama of %colors, races
and faiths. A high priest from India, clad
in snowy white from turban to slippers,
talked earnestly and in excellent English
with a Methodist preacher from Missouri,
who looked as if he had just stepped outtof
Peter Cartwright's biography and into
lLDIellZO DOW = ClOJneS.
The resident and other Christian guests
were chiefly Chicago's Four Hundred
and in the highest style of evening dress,
among them Mrs. Potter Palmer, Mrs.
Charles Henrotin, Mrs. Annie Besant of
England, Miss Jeanne Sorabji of India,
Principal g. NJ. Grant of Canada, ex.Sen-
ator Lyman Trumbull and many eminent
lawyers, preachers, doctors and other per-
sons OF note. The hall decorations consist
ed of the flags of various nations and flow
ers from many climes. Music added its
charm, and when one looked on the odd
combination of ultra fashionable city peo-
pie with plain country preachers, Catholic
priests in their clerical habit and orientals
blazing with color or respondent in snowy
%hite the th3aaSSs.ts excited Were beVnnh
the power of words co set forth. But it was
one of those rare occasions in which dress
cut no figure, and if a plain newspaper
man felt too conspicuous in his everyday
clothes he only had to back into a corner
and strike az. 9ttitude to be mistaken for
a distinguished foreigner. Surely such an
other assemblage was never seen out Of
India, and probably not there.
All this is but preliminary TO some notes
on the parliament of religion, which is by
common consent regarded as the greatest
success of the age. Consider these facts:
Out of several thousands invited from all
parts of the world, less than a score posi-
lively declined; out of 10 who promised to
be present and talk or send papers, only
three failed, and of those who sent their
names to be recorded as actually present
all We're in the city on the opening day ex-
cept five. 1t is seldom, / think, that our
national congress Is SO full on opening day,
and yet these people have come from the
ends of the earth. OF course such an ex-
traordinary gathering has infiamed ardent
Christians, excited enthusiastic humani-
tarians and set the superstitious to fore
casting. A talented Adventist of the radi-
cal school has already proved to his own
satisfaction that this is one of the signs
that the end of the d~ispensation is nigh.
for when these people return home the
gospel will have been preached unto all ns-
tions, and then shall the end come
A Cstholic Affair.
The true catholicity of this affair and .ts
world representative character may be
shown by q BRIEF outline OF It's proceedings
to date. The separate Catholic congress
ended on Sunday. the 10th, and next day
the great parliament convened In the Hall
of Columbus, in the Art institute, every
N"tbSo SpsSO GIL tAhCs u spcCtdtUTS,
while thousands were turned away. Onthe
platform was ut least one representative OF
every faith except Mormonism and fetich-
ism (f faith the latter be-, and bishops of
every Christian body which Is episcopal i'm
government. All joined. $500 voices at
least, in singing Praise God From Whom
All blessings Flow" Jew and pain, Brah-
man, Buddhist and Parsee singing as freely
as Methodist and Catholic.
Then followed the Lords Prayer by Car
dinal Gibbons, nearly all the assemblage
joining; m address by President Bonney,
the patria3chal blessing by Archbishop
Latas of Zante, Christian, Buddhist and
Shintovist bowling together as he raised his
hands; the address of welcome by DIR. Bar
rows and responses by Archbishop Feehan,
Rev. Augusta j. Chaplin, ID. d.; Harlow n.
Higinbotham, T.. g. Mazoomdar of India,
Prince Wolkovsky, III. Dharmapala, Minas
Cheraz (~Armenian), Swama Viyekauda
(Jainl Miss Sorabji (Parsee), Birchaud
Raghavi Ganthi and Bishop Arnett, col
ored. oh, IL was worth a year of common
life TO witness such a union.
On Tuesday presentation of beliefs was
made, the most interesting addresses being
by Rabbi Wise, Rev. Maurice Phillips of
Madras, Hon. w. Il. Harris and Shaku
p'Ieu' ShiNcTsdl regret WAS Itlb AT the
absence OF Hon. Mr.. Justice Amer Ali, as
his title runs for he is the lineal descend
ant in the first born male line of the great
Ali, companion of Mohammcd, and is the
only well known man of that blood who
has adopted BuGdhistic views. His pap.r
was well read, however, and received with
applause. On Wednesday Hon. Punu
kwang Yu of the Chinese legation at
Washington eSpounded Confucianism, Zit
Luzen Ashitsu told of Buddhism in Japan
and kinza Ringe Hirai of the same coun-
try told us of the influence of Buddhism in
psomoting a moral life. On this and each
succeeding day Christian teachers alter
mated with those of other faiths, but thers
was no controversy-only presentation of
views.
Religion Versus Irreligion.
On the next three days the principal lee
turers were Rev. Lyman Abbott. Rev. Jo-
seph Cook, Takayoshi Matsuyama and
Reuchi Shibata Oh Shintoism, Cardinal
Gibbons, Julia Ward Howe, Protali Chun-
der Mazoomdar, Nirchand II. Ganthi, Mrs.
4 Il, ID