Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-19

of the conference during the next two
years covering expenses until the next
conference will be held. He was glad, he
said to be able to announce that of this
sum about 81 800 had been already received
by him. In response to an appeal by Mr..
Reed the remaining 500 was raised in
few minutes.
The subject first considered was THE
Practical Appeal of the Unitarian Church
to the Life Of the Twentieth Century" The
speaker, who opened the discussion, was
Mr.. George Z. Adams Of Chicago. He said,
In part:
"One of the great things that Unitarian
ism has given to the world is a higher idea
of the possible development of the human
soul and a higher idea of the dignity of hui
man life than prevailed in the religious
world before the time of Charming. The
best thing which the Unitarian Church can
do for the national life of the twentieth
century is to preach to the nation the same
inspiring doctrine of hope and trust which
Charming and Theodore Parker preached to
| the individual soul.
"Wiu our vast influence be exerted for
| good or for evil? Is there any danger to
| the moral life of the world in the spread Of
American ideas? The danger lies, according
| to foreign observers of American life, in
| our intense materialism, by which Is meant
| our eager pursuit of wealth. To this ac-
! count may be charged the corruption Of
| our municipal politics, the average Ameri-
| can being too intent on making money to
! see to it that his city is governed as 1t
| ought TO be-
Il think the average American does not
| give SO large a part of his life and thought
| to making money he did thirty or forty
| years ago Life in this country has more
! varied interests than 1t had then. Still, the
| danger of too much industrialism remains.
| To overcome it is the service which the
| Unitarian Church owes to the national life
| of the twentieth century.
| Religious RecOnstructtOn.
| 1.-The Appeal for Religious Reconstruc-
| ton was the subject of the address of
| Rev. Paul r. rockingham of New Bed
| ford Mass. He said among other things
| The most important and the one great
| commanding appeal to Unitar1ans is that
| for religitDs reconstruction. 1t has been
| claimed that the work Of Unltar1anS is
| done, and that no appeal should be made
| The time for appeal was for the nineteenth
| century. There was an appeal made then.
| and it was for destruction. | believe the
| people of the world are waiting for us to
| make an appeal for religious reconstruction.
Because a thing has been false ant
| crude on the outside it has been assumed
| that II false and crude all through
| We require a new set of vital religious
truths. The Unitarian leaven has been al
| work long time, and we ought to be able
to produce a loaf of new theology
| think men everywhere are looking for 6
| reconstruction of religious ideas. We neeC
new household of faith. The materiaN
| are all around us and we are waiting fol
| some one to take hold OF them and bullC
a complete structure.
| The speaker said he wanted to take ISSUE
| with a remark made by President Hoar II
| his annual address, that Unitarian.sm wa:
| something that could not be Defined anc
| that that was its strength. For his par
! he thought the fact that it could not be de
fined was the weakness of Unitarianism.
| ..Unitarians have set up new point OF
| view and it ought to produce a new set o
views. They have created a new atmos,
phere and it ought to sustain new forms
| of life President Hyde of Bowdoin Col
lege and DR. Gordon of Boston speak from
| the orthodox side, demanding reconstructed
| forms of faith. If We are going to gather
| in the unchurched we must offer then
something definite
AppeaI to Christian Sentiment.
On the appeal of the Unitarian Church
to Christian sentiment the Rev. Adelber
l.. Hudson of Buffalo, N. Y, said in part
Our western civilization is profoundi.
swayed by sentiment. We may affect sor
OF anthracite cu.ture-heat without fame
but give us an occasion worthy to kindl
our enthusiasm and we show ourselves a
| once as inflamma BILE as dry drlftwood.
The sentiment which has most infiu