The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-07-20
SATURDAY, JULY 20.
EDITORIAL.

Lie AaIIolus disc sses in the
June Forum, "Who are the Degener-
ates?" the reference being of course to
Max Nordau's sensational book. The
article makes some necessary distinc
tions with reference to those who may
come under Nordau's classification-in
for example, the following: There can
be no question that many of the pseudo
geniuses in art and literature, such for
example as Oscar Wilde, are degenerates.
Most men of genius, especially on the
artistic side, have shown marked signs
of degeneration; they, technically speak
ing, have a degree OF degeneration, but
they are not true degenerates. The true
degenerate is never real genius, but a
pseudo genius, or as Lombroso calls him,
a mattoid. 1t is this kind of person, the
art and literary, the political and social
mattoid, that society should scrutinize
and beware Of" We trust that with DIR.
Dana's warning people will fight shy of
the "mattoids." They are dangerous
class to have round-but have not been
usually known by that name.
SON
THE reports which
The Boston '95" we print this week
convention. of the Boston Con-
vention of the Y. P. G. U. denote an
impressive and every way notable gath
ering. Despite the inevitable COMPARE
son with tie big Endeayor meeting it
was evidently in many ways remark
able assemblage of the youth of our
church, with the usual sprinkling of the
veterans who chime in with the young
people and count themselves always
young in the work of Universalism.
The reports embody no careful and pre-
meditated estimate of the number actu-
ally in attendance. The figures will
come hereafter certainly enough were
on hand to constitute the gathering
phenomenal in our annals-always ex-
cepting the Gloucester Centennial, when
1900 tickets were sold. We go to press
too early for any account of the delibera-
tive work of the Convention, the col
umns given elsewhere recording only
the public services. The large gather
ing and the enthusiasm developed by
this great meeting will assuredly re-
dound to the advantage of our Church,
and create a new interest and inspira-
ton all along the line.
500
AT the last meeting
The Ohlo Alliance. of the Ohio Uni
yersalist Woman's Missionary Alliance,
it was voted that the entire annual
membership fee of one dollar shall be
devoted to the work OF the State Alliance
We infer that this action will receive
the hearty CO operation of the local Alli-
ances. In the judgment of many it was
a mistake in the first place to make any
division Of the membership fee, but at
the time, it was thought that by that
method the old argument. "We need all
of our money at home" might be more
successfully met. But such arguments
are not needed with the six hundred or
more women who now constitute the
membership Of the Ohio Alliances. One
dollar a year-less than two cents
week,-is small sum, for the women of
our Ohio church to contribute to the
PRONUNCIATION and spread of an interpre-
tation OF Christianity, that has done SO
much to elevate women to their true
position in all relations of life. The
spirit Of Universalism is at the founda
tion Of all genuine progress. Let the
Ohio women show by renewed effort
that they appreciate this truth.
500
IT is not Universal
Inc Dogma VI list of America, but
Eternal He'll clergyman of the
Church Of England who gives this an
swer to the question What has the
dogma of hell done?" Look" he says,
"at the verdict of history. It's answer is
decisive. Never did lust and vice in
every guise so rage and riot as when in
the middle ages this dogma of hell eter-
nal was most firmly held. He'll fire bred
a veritable hell on earth. Those who
talk of Universalism as antinomian, do
not face the facts of history. Better
we're it if they did so, and then were to
look at home, and remember the awful
danger of teaching creed whose fruits
are SO often those well described in the
following striking words. in which a
Roman Catholic priest states twenty
years experience in the Confessional:
The dogma Of hell. except in the rarest
cases, did no moral good. 1t never af-
fected the right persons. 1t tortured
innocent young women and Virtuous
boys. 1t appealed to the lowest motives