davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
ANOTHER of the Symposium writer's

ANOTHER of the Symposium writer's
gives similar testimony, adding an IL
Illustrative remark of DIR. E. HI. Chaplin
in the closing years of his great New
York ministry: II cheerfully sent q few
lines upon The Message of Christmas
To me as l grow in years and church
work, Christ and Christmas and church
growth are inseparably connected. l
appreciate the words of our own beloved
Chaplin. When young minister COM
plimented him and said, Bro. Chaplin,
it must be a source of great pleasure to
you to know that your life is complete
success and that your fame will forever
stand, among the great of earth True
said the Doctor. applause is sweet. but
standing near the sunset of my earthly
life, / declare to you, that instead of
having it said, DIR. Chaplin was great
preacher-a great orator, would rather
have it said when l am gone In imi'
tation of the Master DR.. Chaplin spent
his life going from home to home among
the needy and sorrowing telling the SIM
pie, sweet story of the Saviour's life.'"
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
THE MESSAGE ONE OF HOPE.

THE message of Christmas is pre- emil
nently one of hopo. Our Christmas fes-
tival has two-fold origin; but in both
cases it's sources are in human hope.
When the sun paused in its journey
southwark and showed signs Of another
return to the north, our Teutonic ances-
tors celebrated in a feast the hope thus
given of another spring, summer and
harvest. When the world awakened to
the value of the life and thought of
Jesus it celebrated his birth. This, too,
was festival OF hope; for never had a
deeper pail of despair and religious hope
lessness fallen on the world than just
before the advent of Jesus. His mes
sage dispelled this gloom, for he was
more than a moral reformer; he was a
religious prophet and his message one OF
religious faith and inspiration giving
new certainty of God 8 goodness, of mans
divine nature, of his glorious destiny.
In the North these two festivals were
early united, both being filled with the
gospel of rejoicing and hope.-REv. ROD
NEY F. JoHoNNoT, Oak Pork, I'LL.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22

1t is easy to say, "thank you" but
gratitude, the spirit of thanksgiving,
is one of the rarest and most happy
of the souls emotions. When it
springs from consideration of the
blessings that belong alone to time,
our troubles may so darken the mind
that we cannot see the good things
that we have in this life, though they
may be innumerable. In the shadow
of affection the fountains CONCEAL,
unless the soul is in conscious union
with God, and, in the light of immor-
tally, sees the unsearchable riches of
Christ. the treasures in heaven, and
makes real to itself its heirship, as a
child of God, Dan inheritance incor-
ruptable. But what blessing would
come to common life could we all
withdraw our attention, even for
day, from our losses and wants, and
fix our thoughts on what we have,
until the burden of discomfort is
lightened, and the generous impulse
flows in word and deed of kindness to
fellow-mortals less fortunate than our
selves. GEO. H. DEERE.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
Letters to the Editor.
THE Los ANGELES PARISH.
SIERRA MApRE. Cal. Nov.

SIERRA MADRE, CAL, Nov. q.
10 the Editor of THE UNIvERsALIsT:-
DEAR BRo.-We are moving success
fully in our work in Los Angeles. Stead
lily and surely, though greatly hampered
for want of financial means, we are find
ing and holding the Universalist element
In and about this city. People of vary
ing shades of belief appear at our meet
ings and disappear, but the Universalists
come aud stay. Our first real loss was
IN the passing to the other life of one of
the deacons of the church, Bro. d. A.
Ripley, whose faithful wife remains with
us. Always Universalist, though never
till lately belonging to the organization,
he rejoiced in the advent of a church in
this place, signed it's constitution, re-
ceiviug fellowship and gave it hearty
support the last six months of his life
with great content. His age was 76
years.
BY the death of another also, Mr.. d.
A. Cummings, we became acquainted
with Mrs. Cummings, member of DR..
Cranes church in Belvidere, ILL.,, and
her two sons, who now reside here and
who were pleased to find a church of
their own faith to which they could
turn for comfort and sympathy.
We are expecting to add several new
names to our church roll at the fret
quarterly meeting of the new year. The
Woman's Universalist Union of thirty
five members is looking and laboring for
a church building, to obtain which was
the object of its organization, and we
are in hopes, based on some encourage
ment, at least, that lot will be pro-
vided in season for the building. The
Sunday school has just given it's first
Harvest Concert, where amid profusion
OF flowers and fruit, the music of piano,
violin, guitar and mandolin, played by
little fingers. blended harmoniously with
voices of children between the ages of
five and ten years. And now all are
preparing for Christmas Festival, for
tree and play and sale of the goods
the ladies have been making.
Monthly social and literary meetings
have been instituted which are proving
a great help to the church.
We expect also early ia the new year
to be benefited by one of the series of
two days meetings to be held under the
auspices of the Woman's Universalist
Association of California for the purpose
OF church extension. The first of these
occurs at Pomona, Dec. 10th and 18th.
Will the Universalists who intend to
spend the winter or longer time in
SouthernCalifornia. please hold in mind
that we have church in Los Angeles, that
we worship Sundays in California Hall,
1191a South Spring St., at IL A. NJ, with
Sunday school following service, and
that all are more than welcome. The
Sunday morning papers of the city will
direct those who may lose this address.
Brother ministers visiting here please
turn in and give us word of encourage
ment. Yours Fraternally.
A. A. RICE.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
CHRISTMAS A SONG AND A PROPHECY.

CHRISTMAS A SONG AND A PROPHECY.
The characteristic of Christmas is
joyousness. Christmas came down from
the skies in a song and in prophecy of
Joy. 1t breaches the happiest of doc
trines and is therefore rightfully the
happiest of festivals. 1t makes the glad
dest night and the gladdest morn we
have It's bells sounding out over the
earth cause the universal air to tremble
with delight. Through its marvellous
influence the heart of the Christian
world reaches high-tid once year. No
other event nourishes our hope and
brings it to such blessed fruition as this.
How many countries enshrine it in ever
green and laurel. How many millions
of homes, and lives, and memories are
gilded anew in its light, and what count
less multitudes of children, too happy to
sleep, watch in expectant bliss for its
first streak of dawn. And when the day
opens what cheerful greetings, leaping
from lip to lip, fill the land!
Joy is generous always, and hence
Christmas restraints our selfishDess,
swells our charity. unifies our creeds,
melts down our hostilities, opens our
purses, excites our desire to give. Joy
inspires benevolence. and benevolence
joy.-REv. J. HI. FUTILE, minneapolis.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
SIGNIFIES THE POWER OF A GREAT
LIFE.

A THOUGHT appropriate to the season
is that of the power of great and good
life in the world In all that is essential
in living Jesus lives more intensely to-
day than he lived in Palestine nineteen
hundred years ago. His influence, which
scarcely had beginning during his
earthly life, has now become world wide,
and sways millions of souls. His hui
manity, love. sympathy. and self.renun-
citation have become the most effective,
as they are the most persistent, forces in
the world. They now begin to appear to
men to be the solvent of social problems
and the crown of individual life. They
constituted the real greatness of the
great personality which embodied them
in perfection. Our lives will be strong
and benefcent only to the degree in
which we make these qualities dominant
in them.-REv. ORELLo Cone, Akron, o.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
MAKE LIFE USEFUL.

Make your life so useful to the great
human world, that when you go away
the little children will miss you, and the
older people will revere your memory.
Make your home place in which the
Christ shall dwell an angel of light, joy
and strength. Make your church as
broad as the needs of the human race.
Let your good will flow out in wider
circles until it touches the whole realm
of God and man. Let your mind and
heart have an unbounded hospitality.
Let your word be inherent with truth,
your every act one of sweet kindness.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
HAPPINESS FOR OURSELVES AND
OTHERS

No BETTER evidence of the wisdom of
Christ's teaching can be imagined than
the fact that when, once year. in honor
of his advent, we unite in the practice of
his law of kindness, the gladness Of
that day is as the Joy of Heaven itself.
1t is also evident that if we could al
ways feel and act as we do during this
brief carnival of peace and good will"
the millennium would be established.
But to educate US into such permanent
disposition and conduct is the purpose
of the Christian Gospel. Therefore the
message of the Christmas cheer is both
confirmation of the truth that we best
find happiness for ourselves in creating
it for others, and revelation OF what
human life will be when that ethical
civilization to which the ministry of
Jesus gave the most potent impulse is
complete, and the world keeps perpetual
Christmas.-REv. j. FRANK THOMPSON,
Akron, O.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
CHRISTMAS AN EvANGEL.

The message of Christmas is an evan
gel. 1t repeats the ancient song of the
angels, "On earth peace, good will to
men," 1t is the gentle dew of love des-
cending upon all hearts. 1t is baptism
of the mellow light of charity falling up
on human souls. 1t is the spiritual rain
bow of everlasting promise. 1t is the
message of forgivenesses-of estranged
kindred clasping hands-of repentant
prodigals returning home-of empty
arms again filled--of heart-hungers salts
fed. 1t is the dearth of tears. the birth
of smiles, the gift day of all souls, the
tidal wave of Joy so high 80 mighty that
it floods universal humanity. Through
the spirit that pervades the air at
Christmas God will wipe the tears from
off all faces, and sorrow and signing
shall flee away. REV. AARON A. THAY-
Err, LAGRANGE, I'LL.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
Personal.

The local paper of Hamilton o., speaks
as follows of Rev. Charles G. Conner.
who now goes to La Crosse, Wis: THE
church to which he is called is
the largest and best of the denomina-
ton in Wisconsin, and in the second city
of the State. Mr.. Conner stands very
high in Hamilton as a minister and a
man. La Crosse is to be congratulated
in securing so able preacher"
Rev. e. j. Felt has resumed the publ
cation of 1.-THE Waterman" the very
useful parish paper, which he formerly
issued in Norwalk, as the parish paper
of Tacoma, Wash his present location.
The first number which we have re-
ceived contains considerable valuable
matter and is good advertising medium
for the Park Universalist Church Of Ia
coma.
On Friday, Dec. 7, there passed from
this life, at her home in New York City,
Mrs. Cornelius HI. De La Mater, whose
name has long been associated with the
fortunes and work of the Universalist
church in that city, Especially in the
pastorate of DIR. ]. NJ. Pullman was the
helpfulness of herself and her husband
strong support of the pastor. Since the
death of Mrs. E. H. Chaplin. Mrs. De La
Mater has been the president of the
board Of management Of Chaplin Home,
in which responsible position she rem
dered the most valuable services to the
institution and it's beneficiaries.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
THE MESSAGE ONE OF SPIRITUAL
TRIUMPH


The word conveyed by Christmas is
that of spiritual triumph 1t is the re-
violation in the soul of man of the rare
experience felt by Jesus and conveyed
in the words, "These things have I
spoken unto you that my Joy might re
main in you, and that your Joy might be
full" Clearly the joy referred to here
is not that of feshly indulgence or bar
rem ease; but it is that of intellectual and
moral conquest over the flesh and the
world, over the powers of sin. darkness,
and death.
We approach the Christmas now go
near at hand with unfeigned gladness,
because we are conscious that no back
ward step has been taken in the course
OF human progress. The flood of time
has only borne man on to more lasting
victory. Labors. sorrows, and trials in
individual, family and national life have
but helped each and all to the purer
and deeper visions and the divine ideals
and activities attained. In the life and
love of Christ we conquer EBEN
IL. CHAPLIN, Lincoln, Neb.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
der that the guilty might get off. +"

der that the guilty might get of"
Thus travesty is made of justice,
the necessary connection between sin
and penalty broken, and confusion
thrown into the dealings of God with
man. The remedy lies in the appli-
cation of pure Christianity to the
hearts and lives of men. "The type
man is not Luther, but Jesus. The
aim is to apply the spirit of the
church of the first age to the condi-
tions of the present time"
The genius of Christianity contains
all the elements of reform, not only
for the individual soul, but for society
as a whole. The solidarity" of the
human family must be recognized as
Jesus and his apostles recognized it.
"The task of modern religion is to
cleanse both heaven and earth. To the
earthly labors of Hercules it adds
the Olympian war of the Titans. Be-
fore it can sweep away the slums, the
sweaters den and the drink-shop, it
must, like the nursery myth woman,
sweep the cobwebs from the sky"
"a Christianity brought into con-
formity with Christ would prove a
resistless engine of all public and
nationa. reforms. A simpler faith,
purer ethics, more fraternal sociol
ogy and more pacific patriotism,
give but these" and the way is pre-
pared for glorious victory at last
1t is a hopeful sign to find such an
article as this published in promi-
nent literary periodical. 1t shows
the tendency of the age towards
more rational and Christ-like views
1t must exert liberalizing influence
over all who read it. Us
CANTON N. Y.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22

SEVERAL of the writer's in the Sym
postum accompany their contributions
with some private words to the editor,
which are worthy of reproduction. We
can only give two extracts. One of the
writer's gives this testimony: "The longer
l live the more certain do become that
there is nothing in the world worth liv-
ing for. but these great and divine quail
tiles of the Master, wrought into our
lives and made to blossom out of them
for the delectaticn and blessing of
mankind-especially for the happiness
of the few who love u.s."
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22

eve have long felt the need of
some cognomen that will accurately and
invariably differentiate the Orthodox
Christians those whose creeds include
the doctrines of the trinity and endless
punishment, from Unitarians and Uni
versalists and all other Christian peoples
who cherish not only the Larger but the
Assured Hope. The word Liberal is
the one commonly used. 1t is, however,
open to at least two serious objections.
First of all it is hardly respectful to the
modern Orthodox to accuse them, even
by implication. of illiberality; we may
as we'll accuse them of bigotry-a word.
however, which they might well retort
upon their accusers. Further, the word
Liberalism is even more flexible and
varied than the word Socialism; it is
made to include the teachings of such
divines as the late DR.. A. P. Peabody
and those of Col. Ingersoll! Our Uni
tartan friends make frequent self-appli-
cation of the word. Yet in a commun-
ity where they are not in companionship
with those of somewhat similar beliefs.
they rarely or never accept the cogno-
men. We doubt il Unitarian parish
in New England, in city or town where
there is no Uniyersalist organization,
ever calls itself Liberal Christian. Words
are very serious things when they stand
for things; they are yet more serious
when they stand for all sorts of things"
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22

THE following paragraph from the
Leader" touches point which has Of
ten engaged the attention of The UNI
vERsAL1sT. Here in the West the word
"Liberal''-a good word in itself; yea,
even noble word has had the fortune
of "Old Dog Tray" and been frequently
found in very bad company; hence it is
not always wise to adopt the word in de-
scribing the ministry of the Universalist
Church. We avoid it's use whenever
possible, but find difficulty in escaping
the necessity in many cases. We now
transfer the paragraph from the Leader
and give it our hearty assent.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
s OUR CHRISTMAS SYMPOSIUM 81
The Message of the Joyful Christian Festival. =.
n

never die. This spirit is the vital spark
of the Christian religion. In the cele-
bration of the birth of his body let us
not forget the higher birth of the Christ
spirit. Each time that we do kind act,
say loving word, or feel thrill of love
for those who would injure us, then is
there Christmas Day within us. The
message" of each Christmas should be
the annunciation of the birth of Christ
in the hearts and lives of all the children
of God.-REv. CHARLES EDwARDVARNEY,
Storm Lake, la.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22

chorus shall be inspiring to the last de-
gree.
Christmas means good will to all and
hence it has the Genius of the Perpet.
ual Festival. 1t will be more and more
as the old human and divine world real.
ICES its essential unity. -REv. f. L. REX.
FORD, Columbus, O.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
THE MESSAGE OF THE SON OF GOD.

he ME1ooAUE Vt me SON Of OOD.
CHRISTMAS is the natal day of babe
born in a stable and Graded in a manger
where oxen fed. Nevertheless, with
what outpourings of songs and praise;
with what wealth of garlands and bios
SONS does the whole civilized world an.
nually hail and enwreathe this day!
What other natal day equals or APP
proaches this anniversary of Marys
child? Is there any rational accounting
for the wonderful, worldwide demon
strations of the Christmas tide, except
upon the hypothesis that he whose adj
vent into our world is thus celebrated,
was the Son of God as truly as the son
of man? Mere human leaders never
have and never can grow into the love
and worship OF their fellows as this
Christ of Bethlehem has grown into the
love and life of humanity. The message
Of Christmas therefore abides still
precisely that which the angel sang it
at the advent.-"And unto you is born
this day, in the city of David, Saviour
who is Christ the Lord. "--REv. L. d.
BoYNToN, Rochester, Mimi.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
THE VITAL SPARK OF THE CHRISTIAN
RELIGION.

EVERY birth is holy and every child
divine, since Jesus, the Teacher and
Saviour Of the world came in the man
ner of the human child and grew into
divine manhood. The example and sac
rifce of his life, together with his teach
ings. gave birth to a spirit which can
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22

Let your sentiment of fraternity have
no limits. your charity be wise, and help
full, and benefcent. Your love like that
OF Jesus, consecrated to the salvation of
every soul.-REv.M. HI. HARRIS, CHICAGO.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22

We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old
and New Testaments contain a revelation of the
character of God, and of the duty, interest and
final destination of mankind.
IL.
We believe that there is God, whose
nature is Love, revealed in one Lord Jesus
Christ, by one Holy Spirit of Grace, who will
finally restore the whole family of mankind to
holiness and happiness.
III.
We believe that holiness and true happiness
are inseparably connected, and that believers
ought to be careful to maintain order, and
practice good works, for these things are good
and profitable unto men.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
Wniversaltst
j. S. CANTwELL, D. D., EDITOR.

THE EDITOR is assisted by able writer's
in all departments. The Interior and Western
States are represented by regular correspond
ents. News from the churches solicited and
always welcome.
.*.An articles intended for The UNIvERs AIIsT
should be addressed Editor of The Univer-
salst, Chicago, ILL.,"
s*.TERMs: $3.50 per year, ST. 20 six months,
postage paid. Sample copies to any address free
on aDplication
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
FIELD AGENT, T. I. MOORE.

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