The Portland daily press., 1896-10-22
TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
Liberals and Conservatives Among
the UniVersaliSts.
DOCTRINES TAUGHT AT TUFTS
DIVINITY SCHOOL.

Conservative and Liberal Frofessors-New |
Greed Debated an Afternoon-Presi- |
dent Capen for It-Differences Between |
Old and New.
The first business taken up at the Sec
ond days session of the Universalist GEN.
earl Convention was the report of the
Executive Committee made by the Score
tary, Rev. DR.. g. L. nemarest, of New
Hampshire. This was the thirty first
annual report, and it gave the general
and financial standing of the society for
the last fiscal year. Five conferences of
the society had been provided for during
the year, that of New England being
held in Portland. Five meetings Of the
board of trustees havs been held, at the
first of which John E. W. Joy was elect
ed chairman for two years. A commit
tee on information, with Mr.. Adams as
chairman, Was formed for the purpose of
coll Getting and disseminating necessary
and useful information respecting the &C.
tivities of the society.
During the yenr ton clergymen have
died, 90 licenses have expired or been re-
| voked, and IA have withdrawn or been
dropped from the ministry. During tho
year IS clergy men have been licensed,
and the total number in the ministry is
791, an increase of nine during the year.
| There are in the denomination 1905
parishes, having 45. 4O5 families, 49,441
church members, SO, $40 Sunday school
members.
The parish property is SO, $50, 600 and
the parish expenses and contributions
have been sl,569, 200. The amount ex-
pended on church edifces has been
1857, $50. The contributions for mission
aries have been $50, 300. There has been
during the year an increase of $3.50, 900
in parish expenses, and nm increase of
$3.50. 600 in parish property.
| The indebtedness Of the society was the
important topic of Wednesdays session.
The report shows that year ago the
debt was $17.0S3. an increase over the
preceding year of $5,625. This year the
debt was $29, 1893 an increase Of $3.50
The increase of the debt this year. DR..
Demarest said, was due to the same
causes that had brought about the in
crease of the year before. An attempt to
reduce tho expenses of the missionary
establishment has not been favorably
received. And the people have not pro-
vlded the means to carry out the work,
which they call for. "The trustees,
said DR.. Demarest, "have.been living on
faith, and faith does not pay bills or car
~ on Missions. The reason for the
debt is that the parishes have failed to
do their duty in making contributions.
AS to the permanent funds Of the sooi-
ety, the report showed that they amount
ed to the grand total of STA, ZIG, OF
which the general convention had over
Ss71 600, the State conventions over
s4l2, 900, and the missionary bodies over
$50, 900.
When the report had been read DR..
Blanchard said he did not see anything
in 1T to Justify the tremendous outory
which had been made about the finances
They seemed to be in excellent condition
after all.
Next came an address on "Sermons
that Help." by Prof. A. ". Pierce. Of
the Seminary at Barre, Vt. This address
was one of the most notable of the SEES
sion; and met with cordial appreciation
from the audience. 1t was q plea fol
more Of spirituality in the sermon, more
appeals to the heart, more arousing Of
the innate religious feeling, more recon-
mendation of the Fellowship with jesus
Christ, and less discussion OF theories Of
evolution, less of lectures on literature,
fewer attempts to answer Ingersoll and
Voltaire
Rev. Mr.. Cutter, of Melrose, expressed
his appreciation Of what Prof. Pierce
had said but cited an instance of man
in his congregation whom he had con-
verified by sermon answering Ingersoll.
Rev. Mr.. Thomas, of Plymouth
Mass, also commended the address, tax
ing occasion to say that much as h
yenerated Christ, yet he felt that every
Universalist must reserve for God the
first place.
Rev. DIR. Perrin, of Boston, endorsed
thB advice of Prof. Pierce that thu
, preacher should appeal to tho emotiona
, and spiritual side of human nature.
DR.. Emerson, of Boston, recalled how
ths great English orator Somers hat
made his reputation in sin gle speech
and deelared.amid great applause tina
Prof. Pierce had made himself leader il
the denomination BY that address.
, There was further discussion by DR.
, Patterson of Roxbury, Rev. Mr.. Jones,
of Barre, VT, and Rev. Mr.. Durham
of Wakefield.
The next portion Of the meeting wa
devoted to the discussion of the En-
richment of Church Service" Firs
| Prof. L. r. Lewis. Of Tufts oolleg'
spoke on music. He began by reviewing
briefly the attitude. or rather lack OF adti
tude of tina denomination towards sys
tenn of church m usic. The crude, old at
tempts at hymnoloRy were recalled ont
compared with the better and more 20
etical efforts that succeeded them. Th
service of today Is the result of art On