The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-08-31
SERMON.
cHRIsTIANITYlAND THE HOME.
BY REV. LEE s. M'CoLLEsTER.
Detroit Mich)

the sentiments of life as the home.
As Howard Payne's universal hymn
has expressed it, "There is no place
like home" The old home is dear to
the soul even at the later end of ones
DAYS. The new home is the inspiring
dream of fond lovers. The affection
of the home is cord that binds to-
gether members of family even
though separated by leagues of land
and sea. The relationships within
the home are the tenderest, strongest
and noblest of human experience.
Much as sentiment gathers around
the affairs of the home, the true pow
er is based on laws and conditions re-
moved from sentiment.
To see the relation of Christianity
to the Home-as is the theme-it is
necessary to look at the problem from
several points of view. They are:
The home as the unit of society.
The home as the history of devel-
opment.
The home as an agent of Chris
tianity.
The home in ideal relationship.
The terms "family" and "home" are
not synonymous and interchapgea-
BILE. The difference between them is
one of sentiment. The family is the
scientific term to describe the unit of
society; while the term home is the
family in it's ideal estate. That the
family is the unit of society, cannot
be too frequently stated, nor too
clearly seen. Much as we may extol
the power and development of the
individual, he is not the real unit Of
measure for society. A single person,
whether man, woman, or child
is only fraction of a whole. That
whole is family. Man, woman, or
child, separately has but limited
career. Any of these left to itself
would perish and with it the race. A
world made up of men is no better nor
worse than world made up of wom-
en-. Each lacks the elements of per-
petuity and development. But these
becoming a unit not only continue
the race but enlarge its character and
multiply it's functions for the unity
of society. 1t may be said that the
family is based on physical, social
and moral laws, all of which must be
observed if the conditions of society
at large are to be improved. Under
these laws the first office of the fami-
ly is the perpetuation of the race, the
second is the enlargement of human
relationships, and the third is the re-
fnement of the quality of life. AS
the unit of perpetuation the family is
fundamental. The continuance of
society depends on the continuance
of the family as nursery. The ratio
of births to the average family marks
the supply of life to society as a
whole. Again, the family is unit of
measure for social awakening. The
species man is companionable
being. His happiness and unfolding
depend on his associating with his
kind. If the family exists only as a
unit for the perpetuation of the race,
the life of humanity dwarfs. What
might be is dormant. Only through
contact can the nan discover and
express all his characteristics. The
better elements of being are drawn
out from the treasury of the individ-
ual according as he is influenced by
the personality of others.
1t is not enough for people to exist
together; they must live together as
related and social minds. The ideal
of the inter relationship of the race
is the family, for the family thrives
on the principle that the happiness
and profit of each promotes the hap
piness and profit of all. Even again;
the family is the unit of social pro.
gress. A higher humanity is the ideal
of the race, but the elevation of the
race will not come from the develop
ment of individuals outside of the
social relationship. To elevate man,
or to elevate woman, or to elevate the
child, separately, are not the same as
elevating them together as unit.
And human society cannot be eleva-
ted except this unit is elevated. That
attempt to elevate man or woman
separately is partial in effects; and
that altogether erratic attempt of re-
formers who have scheme for re-
modelling society in a decade, to
elevate society as a whole, regardless
of parts, is only temporary in its
results. The improvement of the
family is the permanent process for
improving society. In still another
yav the family ia a INIT of refinement