The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-02-08
WONEN'S ALLIANCE.
"What Is Worship" Subject
Of Conference This Morn
ing in Universalist
Church.

Metropolitan District met this morning IN
the First Universalist Church, on fTy
place, with an exceptionally good audi
ence, consisting of ladies from Jersey
City, New York, Newark and the Oranges,
among whom were several clergymen.
The meeting opened with prayer and the
reading of minutes and reports. The
treasurer reported a balance of S2.13 on
hand, and Mrs. George r. Hough report
ed on literature, giving a list of pub
locations relating to Universalism since
the last meeting. Mrs. Clarence Duke, OF
this city, gave very interesting paper
on current events. The Rev. Mrs. Eaton,
of New York, was asked to draw up a
resolution on the death of Queen Victoria,
which resolution was adopted later.
Then began the social programme. Mrs.
Harriet Sibley Ward rendered two selec-
tions, my Legacy Helen Hunt Jacson,
and Words" by Adelaide Proctor, after
which Kipling's Recessional was sung by
the double quarttette from the Woman s
Glee Club.
The conference was on What is Wor-
ship" and Mrs. John L. Scudder was the
first speaker, introduced by Mrs. A. j.
Newbury. Chairman of the Programme
Committee Mrs. Sherman, of New York,
President of the Alliance, occupied the
chair Mrs Scudder gave very intrest-
ing talk illustrated with idols, relics from
foreign lands.
Having married into a missionary fam
ily'' said she, whose work has been
largely in India, I will begin in that
country and say that all the facts | give
you are true. created mundane egg and
after remaining in it 430 million years
burnt the shell and came out an object
with 1000 legs, 1000 arms, 1000 heads and
/, 900 eyes. The egg then resolved itself in
to fourteen worlds.
ssThese people of India believe said
she, ..that there are seven inferior worlds
with a thousand hells, and in the trans
migration of souls and for a sin COM
mitted in this life a man must suffer in
his new shape. If he steals clothes he
will turn into a lepe, if he steals grain
into a rat, and if he lays hands on the
property of priest into crocodile. This
makes living very uncomfortable; instead
of getting red nose in his new shape he
will have black teeth, if he or she is a
scandal monger.
These are the punishments for small
crimes, but of they assume large proper
tions he goes to one of those 1000 hells,
where they see the King, (his Satanic
majesty, who is represented as an enor-
nous being, whose eyes are as large as
lac of water, whose voice is as thun-
der, whose body is covered with hair as
long as palm trees, and TO add TO his pic
turesqueness, streams of fire proceed from
his mouth, and the noise of his breath is
like a roaring tempest, while in his right
hand is a terrific iron club. In this hell
the punishments meted out resemble the
Spanish Inquisition, perhaps they copied
India, for they pour boiling oil over the
sinners, and take them into trees hum
dreds of miles tall and hurl them out Of
them into a gulf below
Mrs. Scudden concluded by saying that
there were many forms of idol worship IN
America, chief of which was the worship
| of the almighty dollar.
The Rev. DR.. Chapin of Mount Vernon
was the next speaker She said that the
faculty of worship is something inborn
and the tendency to love, worship and
adore expresses itself in very young chill
dren.
at is not without reason" said she that
we maket our churches beautiful-it is
not without reason that the light is soft
ened. All these things have quieting in
fuence on the soul. These is such a
thing as church etiquette, and children
should early be taught this. remember
as child believing the benediction was
simply a time to put on wraps and get
ready to go home. Let no one think be-
cause he sat for half an hour with the
congregation be has worshiped God"
| Following this was a general discussion
| on worship. Mrs. Pierce, of New York
thought worship was looked upon toe
much as something to be gotten out OF
the way as quickly as possible. M rs
Brice Collard indorsed Miss Chapin's re
marks on the benediction. and Mrs. John
A. Walker suoke of the lack of reverence
/ amonk young and old, hich she thought
more a habit of carelessness than an ac-
tual lack.
''To gain the reverence demanded, she
said, we must be worthy both as individ.
ual and nation"
Mrs. Hudspeth-Benson said this spiri
of worship was all very well, but ont
could scarcely expect a starving man tt
thank GOD for that fact
e
| MR.. DATz'S COLLECTOR.