The evening times., 1899-10-19
UNITARIANs ELECT OFFICERS.
Am Important Business Session of
the Conference.

the conference.
Considerable important business was
transacted and number of interesting ad-
dresses were delivered at the session of the
Unitarian conference today. The morning
session began shortly after 10 o'clock. at
All Souls Church, with Senator Hoar in
the chair. On behalf OF the committee
on business, George A. King, of Washing
ton, reported on the resolutions introduced
yesterday, having as its object the forma-
tion of better church organization. The
committee made several notifications in
the resolutions as il read yesterday, and
as reported it is as follows:
Resolved, That We Commend to the serious con-
sideration of our churches the advantages OF
better organization of our church life To this
end we heartily recommend:
First. That each and every one OF our churches
shall give honor and dignity TO its statement of
religious spirit and purpose; shall make its state
ment simple, clear, and strong, and having its
membership involve not a test of creed or sacra-
ment, but shall make il an expression of Chris
-tian purpose and pledge OF loyalty. The simple
statement In the love Of truth, and in the
spirit of Jesus, we unite for the worship of God
and the service Of mar" which is in in more
than eighty of our churches is commended
Second. That this or similar statement be
adopted by each church. or incorporated in the
articles OF organization Of the society or parish.
and that all persons in the parish be invited and
urged 10 subscribe to the same, and thereby be-
come members of the church.
Third. We especially recommend also that the
classes in the Sunday Schools when their men,
beTs come to maturity, be encouraged to publicly
Join the church. after some definite preparation
and instruction.
Mr.. King, on behalf OF the business
committee, also reported a resolution gov
erning the ordination of Unitarian minis
ters. The resolution places several re-
strictions upon ordinations and names the
organizations of the church which shall
have the power to ordain a minister. After
some debate the resolution was adopted.
Rules for intrCductions TO, or the re-
moyal from, the Unitarian ministry, were
presented for the approval of the confer
ence. The rules were approved by the fell
lowship committee and were unanimously
adopted
The Rev. T. G. Williams, of Tarrytown
\. Y, delivered an address, taking for his
subject, Religion and Education" in
which he made a strong plea for the teach
ing OF religion in Unitarian schools.
Religion" said the speaker. comes
through education and not through a burn
ing bush as il did to Moses" The speaker
had gotten his religion. he said. partly from
an orthodox minister whose views he ana
lyzed and questioned.
alone cannot adequately propagate relig-
ion. Ii can do but a small portion of the
work and much must be left 10 the
denominational schools and church socie-
ties. Education Of the youth in a religious
way is the vital method by which religion
can be handed down TO succeeding genera
uons- The school is the seed that carries
on the life OF the church. The deep rev.
erence OF the English people for religion -
he concluded, lis the result of the teach
ing OF religion in the schools there
Adelbert Moot, of Buffalo, n. Y. was
the next speaker. He took for his theme
Religion and Citizenship" In referring
10 the Philippine question, the speaker
said:
THE principles of the Declaration of In
| dependence should be applied TO their
/ case, but those principles cannot be applied
! TO their case until they are ready for the
I application of such principles. Some of
! the principles of the Declaration can be
applied when the war shall cease, and some
may require considerable period of time
for their application. There will be neither
| profit, glory nor honor in the Philippines
upon any basis whatever except a basis
of absolute Justice to every Individual
! high or low, friend or foe, there residing.
/ We have heard too much questioning of
motives, too much calling of names, in
connection with the Philippine question" "
The Hon. Carroll ID. Wright followed in
1 powerful address on the relation between
religion and sociology. He said in part:
Sociology deals with the institutions
which enable society to perform its in
hnitely varied functions, and every feature
of society which comprehends the action of
a group of individual units represents
some institution, for all organizations hay-
ing the purpose of regulation, government,
or defense are institutions created by in
diyiduals in their relations to each other.
| So customs, laws, habits. traditions, re-
ligion-eyerything that represents the ac-
| tion of men in groups-are institutions in
a sociological sense, and must have been
| influenced in the largest degree by religious
| emotions.
Sociology aspires to the solution of the
| problems of society. Religion is more than
an aspiration; it is a hope. and it is
through the hope of relation to God that
makes the man Of hope something more
| than human, something divine. Religion
| and sociology compass something more
than correlated forces; they involve an in
terweaving of interests and recognition Of
a common source of existence, of life, of
| action, and Of human end. They must be
studied side by side each acting upon the
other each determining the destination of
The struggles Of man assume a different
phase as the development of religious be-
lief goes on, and as the development of So
eial relations accompanies religious devel-
opment The injunction of the great Mas
ter. Bear We one anothers burdens is
the consideration of others in as ardent a
way as the consideration of self. IL is the
balancing of abilities, the social ideal So
! in the great command of the greatest
teacher of divine truth the world has ever
| seen, and Of inspired teachers before and
since his birth and death, religion and So
ciology find their deepest expression
Following the addresses the report of the
. committee on nominations was heard and
| the election was held. The following were
elected general officers of the conference:
Senator George F. Hoar, Worcester, Mass,
president; Hon Carroll d. Wright LID.
Washington; Gov Roger Wolcott. Boston: !:
Hon. Dorman B. Eaton, LID. New York /:
Hon. George z. Adams, Chicago; Hon.
Thomas ]. Morris, Baltimore, and Hen.
George c. Perkins, San Francisco, vice
presidents; Rev. D. W. Morehouse New
York, general secretary; William Howell
Reed. Boston, treasurer.
The following members of the general
council were elected: Rev. Minot ]. Saw
age, ID. D., chairman, New York; Rev.
! Edward E. Hale, D. D., Boston; Rev.
Howard N. Brown. Boston; Mrs Robert
| II. Davis. New York; Charles E. Murdock,
San Francisco; Hon. Francis C. Lowell,
Boston; Rev. Paul rockingham, New
Bedford; Rev. William H. Lyon, D. D.,
Brookline, Mass; Rev. ID. w. Morehouse,
secretary; Rev. Thomas R. Sheer, New
York; William Howell Reed, treasurer,
and Rev. w. w. Fem, Chicago
These were named as members of the
al