The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-07-25


tute. A brief summary of the gen
eral features of the Convention is all
that is possible, and all that will be
of interest to the religious world at
large. There are Unions in nearly
one-half of the churches of the de-
nomination. These were represented
by delegates from twenty-three
States. The largest auditorium of
Hasbrouck Institute was we'll filled,
and sometimes crowded during the
different business sessions and plat
form meetings. Certain well-defined
and positive characteristics revealed
themselves to the careful observer.
1t was not "hurrah" convention.
There were times when the enthus-
iasm ran high. At the opening meet
ing on Wednesday evening there was
a great deal of fire. Once during the
convention there was almost vol
canic outburst. 1t was when the
earnest desire of the whole body bore
down the personal determination of
the President, Elmer j. Felt, of Ia
coma, Wash, not to accept re elec-
ton. The work had prospered so
finely during his two years of admin
istration that the delegates could not
be reconciled to a change of officers,
and when he consented to continue
as President, the Convention broke
into tumultuous expressions of graft
tude. These were only momentary
outbursts, however, and the temper
of the Convention from beginning to
end, was that of body of earnest
workers, anxious to develop plans for
practical work.
The hearing of reports and the dis
cussion of provisional methods for
future work, revealed conviction of
permanence and stability. There
was less of the bombastic and vision
ary tendency than heretofore, but
there was more of the unexpressed
consciousness of strength and power
The year had tried the soundness of
methods, and they had stood the test.
Financial solvency, over thirty per
cent of gain in membership, and the
knowledge that the mission work
assumed years ago had become a
self-supporting reality, convinced the
most timid that the probationary
period of the Young Peoples Chris
tian Union is past and that the So
ciety has come to stay.
Nothing revealed the conviction of
growing strength and usefulness
more than the new attitude that the
Union more and more assumes toward
the general church. There was less
sensitiveness to criticism. There
was little disposition to go on forever
reiterating denominational loyalty.
The Young People went about the
task of increasing the working spirit
ual influence of this Union with the
assumption that wherever it sue
ceeded it must add to the usefulness
and Christian influence of the Uni
versalist Church. They neither apollo,
gized for existence nor declaimed
their Universalism so much as at
previous conventions. They seemed
so thoroughly convinced of the value
of their work that they were willing
to go forward and trust to the future
to vindicate their wisdom.
The Convention was thoroughly
self-contained and independent in it's
decisions of how it should advance
the cause of Universalism. Various
propositions came to it regarding
radical revision of its financial and
missionary methods. The substance
of their propositions was, in one way
or another, for the National Union to
adopt the General Convention plans
for raising money, and hand over to
the General Convention the super
vision of the missionary work in the
South, to which the Young People
have devoted most of their energies.
With a persistence that became
monotonous the Convention voted
down every proposition of this kind,
and, while earnestly favoring coop
Grafton in every possible manner, in
sisted upon going forward with its
own we'll defined and SO far success
full ideas. 1.-TWO cents a week for
missions" and Son to Atlanta" were
the two points which the young peo-
pie would not and did not surrender.
With a positiveness that admitted of
no doubt the Convention believed in
its ability to choose its own method
of giving its bsst service to the Uni
versalist Church, and declined to ac-
cept the invitation of the General
Convention to make large surrender
to its methods. do not judge the