The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-04
THE LIBERAL FAITH.
Meeting Of the Unitarian Con.
ference of the Northwest.
SERMON BY ELOQUENT DIVINE.
The Rev. John White Chadwick, Of
Brooklyns Prsaches ON "Aen's
Need Of Religion"

The second session OF the Pacific Northwest
conference of the Unitarian and other liberal
Christian churches commenced LIST evening
with . special service ss the Unitarian church
on Seventh street near Onion The feature OF
the service was the eloquent sermon delivered
By Rev. John White Chadwick, Of Brooklyn,
NY.
The interior OF the church had been hand
somely decorated for the occasion BY the ladies
OF the congregation. The services were taken
part in By . number OF clergy, who sat upon the
platform. Among them were Rev. W. G. Eliot.
IT,, Rev. ". N. Mitchell. OF PuyaIlup; Rev. E.
n Wilbur, OF Portland, and Mrs. N. {. Aitkiu.
The music was BY special choir. under the
direction Of r. II. Lindsay. and was particu-
larry good The choir consisted of the follow
ing: Mrs. C. b Grant. Mira Mamie Run, MrA
John Nichols, John Graham, H W. Carroll, A.
w. Conant, Miss Jennie Smith, Miss Helen
Devos and Mr.. Lndsay.
Rev. John White Chadwick 10 . gentleman
known not only to the particular church to
which he belongs. but to the religious and
literary worlds of America Al reviewer,
biogrspher aud the author of two or three
volumes O. poetry. he has made . name not
second to that which he has earned as preacher
ana lecturer OF the Unitarian church. He 10
now making his frst tour Of the Coast, aud is
the guest OF Hon. Joseph Shipper. president
OF the conference.
I, 10 az agent of the American Unitarian -Asso-
citation that NJ. Chadwick 10 visiting this Coast.
fulfilling duties that have heretofore fallen to
the lot OF Rev. Thomas Van Ness, who, by his
call to the church in Boston At one time pre-
sided over by Ralph Waldo Emerson, 10 no
longer able TO FL the ONCE Of missionary agent
The particular lKbors referred to are OF very
congenial nature and are much In the line OF
friendly calls on the various pastors OF the Uni
tartan association. the interchange Of views on
subjects pertinent to the church, and the inQuir-
ing into the condition. spiritual and financial,
of the churches visited. As Mr.. Chadwick put
Il, the Unitarian association is q working body,
gathering funds from well-to-do churches and
distributing to those which need aid. establish.
ing aud maintaining friendly relations. ana do
ing missionary work to the extent OF aiding in
the establishment OF new churches
Thus far the travelling cleric has visited
churches in Denver. Salt Lake and Colorado
Springs. end the leading cities OF California and
Oregon. He expects to complete his journey
within ten weeks from the time OF leaving
home, the second week in March.
As Mr. Chadwick progresses he sends back to
Rev. Gitndau Reynolds, the secretary OF the
Unitarian Association, reports OF his WORK. aud
at the May meetings OF tho general conference
in the East he will make q general report on
the whole work accomplished
Mr.. Chadwick 10 q man rather above average
height solidly built, has an engaging manner,
good talker and has considerable magnetism.
He has been pastor Of the First Unitarian church
OF Brooklyn Tor twenty-pine years. His prinei-
pal recent work in literature pure and simple
has been the biographies of Cardinal Newman,
Lord Tennyson and George William Curtis In
addition to his "RecolIections of William Cur
tis," published by Harper Brothers some time
ago, there is now in the press . eulogy of the
man whom he knew for quarter Of a century
and with whom he was on terms OF intimate
friendship for about thirteen years. He is q
constant contributor TO the Christi0n REGISTER
the Unitarian, the Nation and the New York
Eren,ng Poet. On the last mentioned paper Mr.
Chadwick holds the position of 'keepsr Of the
graveyard. that 10 TO say, he writes the obituary
notices OF celebrities, and these articles in.
voFe much time and labor they are naturally
prepared before the demise OF the subject. as, in
fact must be done and is done In all large news
paper Offices
mems Need OF Religion" was the subject OF
Mr.. Chadwick's discourse last evening. He
began By saying:
There are those who do not think that such
thing exista Some OF them believe Ii never has
existed. Any opinion TO the contrary has been.
they say. mere superstition the device of
rriests, intent on their own practical good
fortune. so far from being needed, they assure
us, the need TO get rid OF IL has been i'm pe ratye
Aud they tell us why. They say they will not
take the statement OF Its enemies, bur will let
Its friends declare what evils il has wrough.
with It's ssceticisns. starving and lacerating
human flesh. making the marriage of true
minds aud hearts a shameful thing compared
with the announcement aud reiraning OF
monk aud Sun. making the uses OF
The mimi equally with those of
the body su accu rsed thing. TO think a fault. to
reason crime, 70 Investigate a sin, to doubt
damnation. To its aeeeTicisms add, they say
ITS prosecutions, and they tell us OF
that dreadful thing that was sometimes done,
The waiting III OF living child when the cor
ner stone of a great cathedral was laid ana they
Insist that the whole history Of religion Is epito-
mixed In that mons,rous tragedy; that cit has
been waliug in of humanity, burying ii alive
shutting IL mp from human sympathy aud helm
breeding insanity anu cruel death Bu. there
are those who. while allowing all these "a n Jul
facts which might be multiplied a hundred fo,!
without reading more than one old book Ieas
history of the inaui.iiion, too evolutionary
IN Their philosophy to think that anything
which has been So prominent aud cnyrussiug in
the WORLDS history has been Imposed upon hu-
mainly. aud - not natural product OF its
teeming HE But among these there
are iua0y " no would say that whatever need
there has been for religion Ia the past there is
no longer any need Tor IL 1t has played its Part
and done Its wcrk. 1t may exist for some time
longer, but IL will lag superfuous ON the stage
IL VIII b. one OF those suTyiyals o. which there
ARE 80 many. In the words of Paul they
seem to hear the words OF universal man
Is child. / thought a. a child | under
stood as child. now | am a man. | nut
sway childish things religion with the rest
BUSINESS, ART. science, domestic comfort ami
felicity. these are manly things for manly mon
These sufficient 10 I'll ilp the M asure 81
their days. A. between this Interpretation and
the other. YOU sre perhaps prepared 60 finj the
teeono Tar more rational But is II actually sos
For one. cannot wonder that meas Indictment
al r9liglon. locking back ward over the ta.t has
been so damaging. IL - the superficial spects
that impress as. and they are not beautiful ar
engaging 10 the backward look Murder VIII
out, aud 50 viii persecution. so. too VIII su-
retstaon Gnd every baser thsug bat tie best
things are quiet as the starlight ANA the
dawn That the thing that has been will be IS
not a whit moe true than that the thing which
10 has been. The exploiting Of all haser tbiprs
the hiding OF the better things is God Tho
wtrherait deinsioa Was no: all there was of re-
igtoo N salem and Aarb.ehead ana Boston > o
years agA There was much lifting ~ the hesri
e. divine ideal Of Justice, truth and love
much resting ot mons broken strength upon the
huuntfe right arm. Ana what WAS true in 1fo,
g. the Ccast towns of Massachusetts hs. hr..s, a.
true Ia times and places W here the Sa.arl rsr>e
euiions would have been bcautii u. ame,ltx IN
comparison with the things actually doas he
Notii the superficial Dgluess the beautv Of 70
ligion hid .tsclf away in myrlads of ten,iar
tfasiing hearts
carry TX On his srgumeat IS TO the theory n.
relieio9. he ssid that IL what rligat DO called
the Vulgar theory has the moro obvious truth. II
IS the scleaiinc, tie evolutionary. that com.
mands cur deeper thought lie held ths. every
psss Of science goes 10 prove tAe luevilahlenes.
81 religion. II rcst have been SIS natural To
hannah nature as a young child t. It's mothers
welcome breast frlessly h.erzrchies he ,,ro.
noanced the products, mot the causes Ct religion
TAey could not have produccd those things
watch make up the suns total OF religion As TO
;hs evolutionary theory 10 held that was both
rational and irrational: rational as an accom-,
Of what has been already; lsss rstionsl when
natural selection having done its part artificial
selection proposes 10 eliminate religion as II -
from tue new order of the world. Artificial