The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-04-25
THE PERSONNEL OF THE BOARD
OF TRUSTEES.

WRITING of the Board of Trustees of
the General Convention, in a recent
number of the Leader, DR.. j. Coleman
Adams gives an interesting description
Of the personnel of the Board, which our
readers are herewith permitted to share:
ut would be most useful experience
if it were possible by photograph and
kaleidoscope to connect every meeting of
this much criticised body Of mentor
though the personnel changes, the criti-
cism goes right on,-with the eyes and
ears of all the Universalist membership.
An inside view Of the resources, the re-
sponsibilities, the duties Of the Board,
the calls made upon it. and the spirit in
which it deals with them would be most
wholesome and helpful in its results. A
glance at the men in counsel would GER
tainly be both reassuring and soothing
to the chronic critics and naggipg
friends of our church administration.
ain the chair sits one of the most re-
markable laymen the Universalist
Church has ever produced, whose splen-
did talents for organization, administra-
ton, financial device, and ecclesiastical
law have been generously and faithfully
given to the church of his love. and
whose sign manual is written over more
good schemes and lasting benefits in our
UNCONVENTIONAL affairs than most men
will ever realize. A Board meeting
without John D. w. Joy as chairman
would seem as strange and lonesome as
Boston is without DR.. Miner.
"At the table which he has covered
with files of papers arranged in the
strictest order for the despatch of rou-
tine BUSINESS. its the General Secretary,
DIR. Demarest. whom one would be dis
posed to call venerable until the bust
ness begins. and it is discovered how
wonderfully the man of nearly eighty
years holds in his memory the details,
the facts, the figures of Convention mat
ters, the names of men and women in
the Church, the past policies, acts and
resolves of the Convention, the present
needs, and the pressing demands of it's
business. His brain must be pigeon
holed like lawyers desk, and his men,
ory is as indispensable as an indexed
reference book. 1t will be years before
there is any other man with such
knowledge of the Universalist Church.
its history and it's machinery during the
period of organization and constructive
work.
"Side by side with these men, and rep
resenting with them the seniors in the
Church and its exective counsels is Sid
ney Perham, whose loyalty and devotion
have not cooled with the progress of the
years. and whose quiet. calm counsels
are a valued element in the deliberations
of the Board DR.. Rugg and DR.. Sweet
ser come next in the term Of service, the
former cautious, discreet, thoughtful of
the vested interests of the denomination,
and dead in earnest in prosecuting the
work of his office as Financial Secretary;
the latter aggressive. persistent. far
sighted, and courageous in the faith he
holds in the future of the Church. Three
laymen on the Board are relatively new,
and bring large abilities to the service
Of the denomination Stevenson Taylor
of New York, whose splendid business,
abilities are so finely blended with high
personal character and wide acquaint-
ance with men; Henry Manning of
Stamford. Conn, keen. careful. we'll
poised in judgment; and Harry M.
Fowler, whose tested ability in the work
of the Young Peoples Christian Union
is the guarantee of the service he will
render on this Board. And then there
are the three new clergymen,-Almon
Gunnison Of Worcester, Massachusetts,
gray enough to be among the veterans,
and wise enough, too. in denominational
lore and experience; @. Ellwood Nash.
fresh from his new duties at Lombard