The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-12-18

or the MathewsOn street NJ. Il. church.
President Eugene c. Myrck was in the
chair and called the business meeting TO
order at 7 o'clock.
The usual routine business. including
the reading OF resolutions in memory OF
two late members of the club, Hon Olney
Arnold and Charles A. Lee. and the cleo
tion OF three new members. was quickly
disposed of.Then the members and guests
repaired to the diniug room where col
lstion was served.
AT the conclusion OF the repast all re-
turned 10 the parors, where the speakers
of the evening, Pres. r. II. Capen, ID. d.,
OF Tufts college and the Rev. III. 1. Cush-
man. were introduced.
Or. Capen spoke on "Universalism In
the Nineteenth Century" while Or. Cush-
man selected as his theme, "Our Types
OF Churchmanship:"
DIR. CAPEN's ADDRESS.
President Myrick introduced DR. Capen
first, who said that his address was
practically an elementary one. and one
that was written for beginners and nom
believers I'm Universalism and not i'm
tended for such a scholarly audience rs
| II was his pleasure TO address. DR. Capen
| then went on 20 say that Universalism Is
| the grandest contribution that has been
| made TO the religious thoughts OF The
, nineteenth century. Its first proclama tiOn
| I'm America by Murray was I'm the last
| decades OF the eighteenth century Tho
| movement was contemporaneous with the
| American Revolution and the setting up
| OF our great Republic.
| Perhaps the ideas of equality of man,
| obtained partly from Locke and partly
| from French doctrinaires, which Amerl-
| can statesmen formulated as political
| proposition on which TO build a new ma
| tion. had prepared the way Tor the lotc.
| lest spiritual teaching OF the unity of the
| race based on the fatherhood OF God.
| To have a proper understanding OF the
| originality of THIS movement we need TO
remember the religious thought OF the
| time. The prevailing belief OF the en-
| tire seaboard, from New Jersey to Massa-
| chusetts. was what has been styled the
| New England theology, Calvinism Of the
! sternest type. modihed by che teachings
| OF Edwards. Hopkins and other great
| lights OF that age. Everyone must be
| conscious that, taking the country as a
| whole, and / might add to the entire Pro-
| testant world at least all Of IL that is
| alone and active, facing with confidence
| the problems which the various move
ments OF the age have presented, the
ethical theology has taken the place OF
| the arbitrary, mechan cal, and one might
| also say fantastical theory, which took
| no account either OF the constitution
| of society or the facts OF human nature.
| in tell x us. what God is and how and
| 10 what end she works. The new thought
| has forever displaced the old.
| The characteristic of this thought Is
| that the entire universe is a universe OF
| law; that nothing is done In II arbitrar-
| ily or capriciously; that nothing happens
by chance; that nothing walks with ann
| less feet.
| Outside of. the ranks OF philosophy
| among those who may be more properly
| termed theologians. there has been a
constant and steady and. in these latter
| decades, a very rapid trend toward the
position of the Universalist fathers, that
| the Holy Scriptures. rightly and ration
| ally interpreted no less than the spiritual
| consciousness OF mankind. point con-
| clusively 10 D moral plan and a benehcent
| purpose in the creation of the universe,
| the government OF the world and the
| destiny OF man.
DIR. Capen then quoted from Tennyson,
| Browning. Lpngfellow and Whittier.
| Besides the general convention. which
has supreme Jurisdiction over the entire
| Universalist following. there are 46 state
\ or local conventions, including the Cana
| dian provinces, Scotland and Japan. There
are 9i1 parishes. comprising $3.50 fami-
| lies.
That would indicate that there are up
| wards of 260,000 attendants upon Unlyer-
\ salst minstraton.
/ The church has always been active I'm
| the establishment and nurture Of educa-
| tional institutions. Under it's Immediate
/ oversight are four colleges and as many
| academies. The total endorsement is
nearly four million dollars. The Univer-
| salist church is fully equipped 20 DO tre
| work OF great Christian body. The light
| of Universalism that has shed the bright
| est glory on the nineteenth century. will
not grow pale and lose its radiance IL
the twentieth century.
REV. MR. CUsIIAIAN'S ADDRESS.
| Pres. Myrick then introduced the Rev
| Mr.. Cushmah. who took as his subje -
| Our Type of Churchmanship." Mr.
| Cushman said in part: My type takes a
| forward look. 1t Is quite easy to tell what
| has been but IL is more difficult 10 tell
| what is TO come. / am here simply 10 80
| out OF the way a little and see II we
cannot discover something for our church
| I'm the new century.
| Very little attention was paid 10 our
| church life In the early part of our his
| tory. and we have been realizing slowly
| that we are a church and "A part OF the
| Universal church of God.
/ do not know any church that has any
| more sanity characters, and / do NOT
| know any church whose members have
| manifested n better average Of right 'uus-
ness than the Universalssts, and / cla IN