Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1901-10-25
A GREAT son OF GUfLFORD
THE SCHOLAR OF UNIVERsALIsM .
How lie Traced the Doctrine Back 10
Apostolic Times and showed IL the
Dominant Truth OF the Early Shurch
What Learned Men, Even Those OPP
posed, Said Of HIS work-AnhiVersary
OF His Birth Last sunday.

Last Friday was the anniversary Of the
birth, in GuifOrd in 1896, of one OF the great
est of Nermonter~, Rev Hosea Ballpu' - ~
the father and first president OF luits coiiese
and the man who gave the UniNersaN>t lath
an impregnabe place in scholarship, so that,
though il l. still IA a denomination small us
thought has,leayened that Of the whole Prot-
e,tant religious world and even beyond. Ii
was within few wears of his birth that the
good DR. Dwight OF ale, traNehn@ through
Vermont declared il TO he state OF u nj
yer,aiistS and intidels.' Though 1t Is doubt
less true that there were never more ueNoul
pioueers than the early Nermonters, the splr-
il of it, mountains and all the teachings OF It's
struggles were toward free and independent
Thought, so that Vermont was stronghoi Il
of Tniyersaist doctrine. This Gullford boy
son of Asahe Ballou. and who spent MS
youth in Halifax, naturally partook OF TINS
Vermont spirit and was doubtless inhuvh'eu
also by the example OF his great uncle. Hosea
Ballou lst. the father and oracle" OF tnl-
yersalism. before whom there was no organ
lied denomination in America, and VINO after
nrearhinp a full 10000 sermons and writing
enough TO fill 100 volumes. left 1000 nourlsh-
ing churches. He also, though native OF
Richmond, \ II, was of Vermont ldenti-
~ herause of his long labors. from ~ 10
ls0-. in Barnard. Woodstock. Bethel and
Hartlapd. preached much in this county a.
well As all over the state, as did other nights
of TuiverSasm, like his brothers and sylvia
nus Cobb, well remembered oN our oiuer
people. The family before him back 10
Roger Williams time had cen one OF Bap-
tist ministers aud in that most uemocra,lc vi
politics was grown the sturdy independence
that brought Hosea to face accommodation
for his faith and won over three OF the other
sons of the BAPTIST parson, Maturn Baliou,
to the Universalist ministry.
The second Hosea was associated WIN nlS
great uncle great in both senses III the pun
LEGATION of the Universalist Magazine, and his
chief monument. even beyond Tufts and the
impulse of high and clean scholarship when
he gave it. and for which he made tour OF
Europe to study college methods. Is his An
cent History of Universallsm. III was a
work on which he spent five years, as mark
ed for candor rs for its profound schotar-
ship and careful examination OF autnorltles
In the dead languages. and il Is admitted TO
have exhausted the subject, 30 far AS the hrst
six centuries of the Christian era are con-
cerred. He showed that tniversalism was
the dominant doctrine of the church in the
age Immediately succeeding the apostolic, anu
that In five of the seven great centres or UNI
yersities of Christian learning 1t was openly
| taught. DIR Edward Beecber, after protract-
| ed study In the same field. admitted. contra
| nv to his expectations, that Mr. Baliou was
! right in his claim
| lie WA. NJ once a logician and a seer. For
spiritual discernment he can be named win
| Pascal. Claiming and Martineau. More than
any other man OF his generation he explored
the entire system of Universalist doctrines,
ami anprehended the Christian faith ~ a
philosophy. His name among Universallsts
| is like the name of socrates in the worl OF
letters. Chaplin and starr King found en-
chantment in his cOmpanionship,' says os-
ear Stafford, ID ID.
DIR Ballou married Clarissa Hatch OF HAT
| A e slasr ttrn and three ttatIWl-
TORS All are now dead. Rev Hosea + Ballou
30 long the beloved Universalist pastor al
Wilmington. was one of the sous OF the first
Hosea of whom the late Judge n u Rallou
of Nottingham and W + Ballou Of Towns
bend were grandsOu>.