New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-24
DIR. HALE on UNITARI5NISM.
OUTLINING HIS CIIURCHs POSITION IN DIS
COURSE AT SARATOGA

OUTLINING HIS CHURCHS POSITION IN n DIE"
COURSE AT SARATOGA
Saratoga. n. Y. Sept 2S.-The Unitarians who
mr.. here TO attend their National conference -
tened TO an interesting address by the Kew III iD-
vard Everett Hale IN Convention Han TINS morn
,g Dr Hale took this double text Tor MS oiS-
,onrs.. Jesus said: Men shall know them by the'r
fru,ts'": the Pharsees said: The people 'li'
knoweth not the law cursed In opehihs lie
said that as some OF his hearers had perhaps
never heard OF the Unitarian church OF AinefIc",
he would depart somewhat from the hap'' VI ~
preachers He continued, in part:
We exist as a church simply to bring IN the
Kingdom OF God But any Other church wou h,d "a"
separate organization from them W nay opyer o
has II which cannot be advanced by tnS tn! !,o
cornDactIy organized religious communities mes
questions the more intcrestng Dec auSc a.ir
pressions by which Christianity Is III in Al
churches are all Unitarian espresso s. ne ate1
tons makes in practice very simple confession oi
faith. and l. is almost alwayS a llV,i In. ie n
her Constitution Thus when this people submit mt
ted its faith to universal suffrage II Sd ~
do. that ali men are born totally dcpraved W eh
his country established public educauHh, 10. a.
ali these children are chdren OF wrath anu o 81
the devil. am probably speakng 10 3b co dratb Of
sons who trying to believe mat at Ie v" ~
a wicked man he IS condenned TO e'efhal irni,y
MI are the only adequate symbols But no c0un-
try in fact punished wicked men by deaih Where
scaffold or the swift shock of an electric cprLem'
was TO be followed instantly by an t'ernoi ntl
SO the country establishes everywhere rel orlna I
tory prisons But man in his senses ever NoieI
for a refOrmatOry If he knew. as the confession
teaches him. that only a handful or men are
elect and that the great majority are Incapable oil
good and cannot be reformed.
America believes the whole. not In CalVlnis'lc
theology, but in liberal religion. But when say
that the laty by an immense preponderdhce re-
tect the theological systems. | am Obliged 20
Acknowledge that the clergy of America. by a pre-
porderanCe perhaps as great receive ana peIeNe
The Calvinisc confessions. II is at this point mat
the Congreg tiona churches appear. IN theory the
Congrecat onal Church is church of laymen IN
theory the Congregational Church has no estab-
lished form of doctrine In theory each makes It's
own confession. And here the Cnitarans appear;
We hold to the severest demands of what Is called
CONGREGATIONAL order Our ministers DO not nave
to believe anything which layman does not be
lieve Our people all kings and priests 10
The world of America, now divided between a
clergy who believe one thing and la1ty when
believes another the Unitarian Church offers a
simple organization. and its freedom for the study
and practise OF religion.
The Rev. Francis q. Peabody, OF Harvard VIII
deliver an address tomorrow evening. and on
Tuesday morning the regular sessions of the con-
ference will begin. Senator George +. Hoar, of
Massachusetts, will preside.