The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-11-10

Schindler) a candidate at the time for
its Missionary Agent this is told out
of schoo) were not working along the
line of federation, but were actually
busy carrying out in Dixon the more
aggressive policy of establishing
Peoples Church in its name. This
Dixon matter was used as an object
lesson to show how the Congress
scheme was being worked out in prac
tice, as against the contention, vigor-
ously pressed in certain quarters, that
its object was harmless federation
OF existing liberal bodies and not
rival organization. This point re-
quired calculation at that time as the
public mind was confused on the
question and needed enlightenment
Hence the title of the article, ''Is This
the Work of Federation7" 1t was
plainly to be seen that SO far as Dixon
was concerned no federation with the
Universalist Society was proposed
and that the Peoples Church, under
the uspices of the Congress, was an
Independent movement.
1t is now claimed, first, that injus-
tice was done to Messrs. SCHNEIDER
and Alcott in the remarks of The
UNIvERsALIsT in relation to their con-
nection with the movement. In that
article it was stated, O that Rev. Mr..
SCHNEIDER had recently engineered
the movement for Peoples Church
in Dixon. (2) That the organization
was designed to supersede the exist
ing and long established Universalist
Society in that town. (0 The UN1yER-
sALIsT quoted Mr.. Gould in "Unity"
as stating that "the movement had
the benefit of Mr.. Alcott's leadership
during the month of August"
These facts remain unchallenged
and are part of the record. 1t is true
that Mr. SCHNEIDER engineered the
movement" According to the COM
munication of the Trustees he was on
the ground early in the inception Of
the movement "to look the field over"
and he held the preliminary meeting
to test the outlook" No more
plant nor ready instrument could
be chosen for the purpose. His gen.
ius for the decentralization and disin-
tegration of Universalist parishes is
we'll known by all who have studied
his career in our ministry. That we
gave him the credit of engineering
the movement" is the result of our
clear understanding of his relations
to the case. We did not, however,
claim that Mr.. SCHNEIDER was the or
iginal instigator of the movement;
nor did we affirm that he sought to
occupy the Universalist church for
the services of the Peoples Church.
But he was the party who engineered
the movement" accepting the respon-
sibility of directing the enterprise of
superseding the Universalist organi-
cation by the new organization, and
in this work he was assisted by Rev.
Mr.. Alcott, who, according to Mr..
Gould in Unity" spent the vacation
month of August in Dixon in the SER
vice of the Peoples church. In view
of these facts and remembering the
d enomin ational fellowship Messrs.
SCHNEIDER and Alcott hold, The UNI
vERsALIsT said and here repeats:
The question remains for the Uni
versalist public-and it cannot be
long evaded--what kind of Universal
list ministers are those who lend their
aid and influence to the overthrow
and disintegration of Universalist
parish, to found another organization
on its ruins?
We held and now hold these two
ministers responsible for their part
in the Dixon affair. Their compile
ity in the case stands against them
and will stand in the fair and impair
tial view of all loyal Universalists.
No matter how ready the work was
made to their hand by the Trustees,
or people connected with the Dixon
parish, their connection with the
movement was not loyal or even hon.
orable while they held the Universal
list fellowship. In whatever degree
they gave assistance to the projected
work of Peoples Church, inaugu-
rated under such circumstances, and
designed to supersede the Universal
list Society, they were aiding and abet-
ting a destructive movement one that
was not simply disloyal in spirit but
in fact, and for their share in the trans
action they will be held responsible.
The Trustees of the Dixon parish
we understand that one name was
refused to the communication
claim that the parish was "dead be
yond resuscitation before Messrs.
SCHNEIDER and Alcott made their APP