The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-05-22
OUR CONTRIBUTORS.
THE GENIUS OF UNIvERsALISM.
BY E. L. RExFoRD, DID.

| absolute friendliness toward all sects
and parties and persons who are try
ing to do this world any good. 1t is
not so vain as to assume that all the
manifold WORK needed to be done in
this world can be done by any one
party or by any one method. Multi
tudinous methods must be employed,
and accordingly Universalism, looks
with favor upon the saving work of
all who seek to do good, from the
Catholic church to the Salvation
Army, from the Democratic party to
the Prohibitionists, and it has SO
much faith in the essential and in
destructible sentiments of the soul
of man, that it does not believe that
any man, or any party, can finally run
away with humanity. Mr.. Lincoln
said, "You may deceive some people
all the time; you may deceive all the
people some of the time; but you can
not DECEIVE all the people all the time"
Aud so we say religiously. You may
run away with humanity today, but
you must bring it back tomorrow.
Or, perhaps it will return itself and
bring you with it, or perhaps, again,
you have been running away with
yourself while humanity has re-
manned steadfast.
The genius of true Universalism
so delights in seeing good accom-
plished that it is panied to see any
evil done through even conscien-
tious devotion to false leadership.
But here is its consolation; the habit
of conscientious devotion, even to a
false standard, will prepare person
for doing a vast amount of good
when the true light shall shine.
An engine wrecking a train on a
wrong track will do an immense
business when the tracks are rightly
laid.
A conscientious devotion, even to
wrong standard, is preferable to in
difference to right one. 1t begets
better habit and promises a greater
good bye and bye. A genuine Uni
versalism looks upon humanity every
where and in all times as an unbrok-
en- brotherhood. Parted it may be,
shattered on the rocks of national, or
tribal, or family or partizan prejudice,
shattered it may be by the decisions
of the older councils, even at the al
tars of its world wide worship, still
Universalism sees this same human
ity broken and parted at the lesser
affairs, united at the altar of worship
before the God of the whole earth, all
seeking the Best. Its eyes fill with
pathetic tears before the spectacle of
a world wide cropping of human souls
after God and it reaches forth hand
of fellowship to one and all, conscious
that no human being possesses here
upon this earth the absolute and final
light.
Let partialism say "no" to all this
if it will; genuine Universalism will
say "yes," And it will hear, descend
ing through the very palpitating
spaces, the voice of the All Father
speaking to his sincere child: "This
is my beloved son or daughter in
whom l am we'll pleased"
So far as the recognition" of
Universalism is concerned, l think
we may say it is growing fortune in
the public mind. But the fortune is
for those who are growing. 1t is an
incalculable fortune for man to ap-
preciate the spirit and meaning of a
genuine Universalism.
Its central proposition was so start
ling at first in this country that it
provoked an immediate warfare. But
now the process of recognition has
generally reached the stage of 81
| lence. The open warfare has ceased,
and that means vast change. Here
and there an open and frank and
friendly word is spoken, but this is
not common. 1t is not time yet, but
the time approaches.
I do not judge, however, that the
success of this faith is to be deter
mined by the degree of its recogni-
tion on the part of other churches;
only as other churches and other
types of strength gather to its au-
gust standard. 1t is in the world to
grow, to humanize our divinity" and
to make divine our humanity, and
no man, no church, can be more hon
ored than by an intelligent devotion
to its all-inclusive spirit. | do not
look for any immediate unity of the
churches on doctrinal basis. The
field nearest to all the churches
which marks the vanishing point of
all differences is the great field of
practical Christian work practical
human work, and it may be that