Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-05-12
Leading Literary Lights Who We're
Prominent UnitarianS.

Leading Literary Lights VINO were
Prominent Unitarians.
1t will be acknowledged by every
well informed person that the liberal
religion faith has been held by large
majority of the men who have been
most prominent in the world of science
and letters.
Scattered all through these great
lists which have come to us, and which
are to be arranged and classified and
placed among the permanent archives
of the Unitarian Association, we lind
the following notable personages in the
last seventy-five years who have won
national or international fame in the
various departments of human ac-
tivity. They were all Unitarians,-
men and woman whom our liberal
faith has nourished and strengthened,
and who in their turn have enriched
and inspired it by their noble character
and example. Many of the great de-
partments of human thought and ac-
tivity are represented here. They are
the names of great and good men who
have enriched our common daily life,
our literature, poetry, art, science, edu-
cation, discovery, Jurisprudence and
philanthropy; and who have contri-
buted their part toward the lasting
glory and honor of our common
country.
We have been in numbers but feeble
folk i'm comparison with the great hosts
who marshall themselves under various
Christian names i'm this country. Our
| organized numbers are few and small,
whatever may be the strength of the
great unrecognized mass of those who
think our thoughts and are inspired
and helped by our leaders; and this,
perhaps, gives increased dignity and
strength to this noble roll of honor.
Among the presidents and statesmen
may be mentiOned:
| iohn Adams. John Quincy Adams,
| Willard Fillmore. Alexander II. Everett.
John c. Calhoun. Edward Everett.
Charles Sumner. Charles Francis Adams.
Hannibal Hamlin. Thomas Dawes Eliot.
| John p. Hale. Henry b. Anthony.
| George F. Hoar. William E. Chandler.
Thos. Jefferson Daniel webster.
Benjamin Franklin.
1t would be wearisome to name all
the great jurists who were prominent
Unitarians during these seventy-five
years, and who were on the supreme
bench of the United States, but they
number nearly thirty. Among them
may be named:
John Marshall, Chief Justice United
S tates Supreme Court.
Joseph Story, Associate Justice Uni
ted States Supreme Court.
Johh A. Campbell, Associate Justice
| United States Supreme Court.
Samuel F. Miller, Associate Justice
| United States Supreme Court.
Theophilus Parsons, Chief Justice
Supreme Court, Massachusetts.
Lemuel Shaw, Chief Justice Supreme
Court, Massachusetts,.
Among the governors of states are
the following:
John Davis, Massachusetts,.
| John III. Clifford Massachusetts.
John A. Andrew, Massachusetts.
Alexander III. Bullock, Massachusetts,.
Emory Washburn, Massachusetts,.
| John ID. Long, Massachusetts.
Thomas Talbot, Massachusetts,.
George ID. Robinson, Massachusetts.
]. @. A. Bracket, Massachusetts,
Oliver Ames Massachusetts,.
+. T. Greenhalge, Massachusetts,.
Roger Wolcott, Massachusetts.
Edward Kent, Maine.
Onslow Stearns, New Hampshire.
Cha rles III. Bell, New Hampshire.
Governor Lippit, Rhode Island.
Ichabod Goodwin, New Hampshire.
George Hoadly, Ohio.
Charles Robinson, Kansas.
Governor Bagley, Michigan.
Gov. Mckinley is Methodist, and
many other great men are members of
the churches, but it is safe to say a
large number of the men who have
been prominent i'm state are liberal re-
| ligious thinkers.
Among the great historians of our
faith / name the following.
7
George Bancroft, Richard Hildreth,
John g. Palfrey, Francis Parkman,
James Parton, Jared Sparks.
| Scientific men almost without eX-
ceptiOn are liberal i'm their religious
views. Here are few specimens:
Nathaniel Bowditch, mathematician.
Louis AgassiZ, naturalist.
Benjamin Pierce, mathematician.
Jeffries Wyman naturalist.
Loammi Baldwin, engineer.
Samuel Morse FELTON,, engineer.
Joseph Lowering, naturalist.
Benjamin A. Gould, astronomer.
Edward Q. Pickering, astronomer.
Maria Mitchell astronomer.
Gen. A. w. Greedy, explorer.
Asaph Hall, astronomer.
Prof La Conte, of California.
1t is a significant fact that most of
the great poetry of this century has
been written by our own Unitarian
poets. will name a few:
Henry w. Longfeliow.
James Russell Lowell.
Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Christopher G. Cranch.
William G. Bryant. Charles Sprague.
John Pierpont, Charles T. Brooks.
X. III. Stoddard Julia Ward Howe.
John Weiss. Jones Very.
Although John G.. Whittier was a
Quaker, yet he was in sympathy with
the religious views of liberal christian
ity.
The famous authors who were re-
cogniZed leaders of the Unitarian
church are too numerous to mention.
American literature would shine very
dimly if their work had not been done.
Among them appear such names as
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Nathaniel Hawthorne.
EdwardEvere Hale.
George William Curtis.
| Thomas Wentworth Higginson.
Mrs. A. ID. Il. Whitney,
Harriet Prescott Spofiord.
III. ID. Thoreau. Bayard Taylor.
Hannah Adams. Margaret Fuller.
| Henry Ware. William Ware.
Grace Greenwood. George Ticknor.
| Edwin p. Whipple. William w. Story.
N. p. Willis. George Ripley.
| Louisa AlcOtt II IT. Trowbridpe