The Portland daily press., 1896-10-21
MONEY AND EDUCATION.
These Subjects Discussed By UniVer.
SaliStS.
SHOULD COLLEGE TRAINING BE
REQUIRED OF PASTORS.

A Spirited Discussion With Entertaining
Debators-The Finances of the General
Convention Fruitful Topic.
The New England Conference of the
Universalist church began at Congress
Square church at $50 a. m. Tuesday,
with quite largo attendance.
The ministers meeting was first In
order, and over this arose some debate.
Rev. Vim. E. Gibbs, of Lawrence, Mass,
presided. At first 1t was intended to
have the meeting confined strictly to the
ministers, and all women, laymen and
reporters were requested to leave the
hall. Some little complaint. arose over
this, and there was a motion to have the
removed ones readmitted. One minister
said he understood that the meeting was
private, and that not even their wives
were to be admitted. Another said that
If anything WAS to be said or done that
his wife couldn't hear or know about,
he didn't propose to stay. At this there
were cries of Hear, Lear," and Good. "
Then Rev. DR.. Blanchard of Portland,
said that while it had been intended to
have the meeting private, there was no
especial reason why others should not
attend. He therefore thought the doors
should be opened. 1t was SO voted, and
those on the outside returned.
The first address was by Rev. DR..
Bicknell, of Cambridge. It was foroi
bio, sensible address on the condition of
the denomination. The outlook he
thought was not wholly prosperous. The
denomination was subject to violent as
saults from without, and was not SO
thoroughly buttressed by zeal within as
1t should be. He did not mean to say
that there was any cause for despair. 1t
simply was a situation demanding earnest
ness, industry and courage. Universal
ism had paused the days of its poverty,
when 1t had to struggle for actual exis-
tence. Care should be taken that now in
the days Of greater comparative wealth,
this active, aggressive spirit should be
maintained. Each prosperous church
should have another church to whose well
be more of the missionary spirit. While
he would have the Universalist church
and ministry cultured church and min
istry, no would have it above all an
active ear nest jealous church and minis
Try. The speaker then went on to speak
in more detail of methods of church
work.
d. II n II Of do
Island, next spoke. He thought DIR.
Bicknell had laid too much duty upon
the shoulders of the clergy in the matter
OF raising money for the churches. He
would have in every theological school
professor of missions to teach the voung
clergymen how to go out and labor,
beyond the confines of their parishes.
This question of raising resource was
conditioned on the religious feeling In
the hearts of the people.
Rev. W. II. Morrison, of Manchester,
New Hampshire, referred to the charge
that Univeraalism cuts the nerve of the
missionary movement made at a
meeting of the American Board in Port
land several years ago. That charge
stung all Uniyersalists, yet if something
had not cut the nerve of Uniyersalist
missionary enterprise, what were they
here for? He said be had no doubt that
there we're churches in Portland that
Congress Square could buy twice over,
but which did twice as well in contribu-
tions as Congress Square,. Why with
faith SO broad should we have oh arity
80 narrow! Why are We Universalist in
profession and Calvinistic in charity,
q while other churches are Calyinistio in
creed and Universalisu In giving? In the
opinion of the speaker this trouble was
not attributable to liberal views, but to
faulty organization for the purposes of
giving money. 1t was question of
business methods, not of creed. Their
agent. very good man, did not 60 to
the delinquent churches to stir them up,
but went to the generous churches to try
to get them to give more. He wanted to
come to the speakers parish, a very
generous one, and was N ad as a wet hen
when he was discouraged. After the CAN
Wasting agents, came the cent day
plan, which didn't work well. Then
the churches had drifted away from the
General Convention. Also the Leader,
the paper of the denomination, didn't
tell what churches did their duty and
what did not. The speaker favored going
-.