Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-11-02
THE UNITARIAN SOCIETY.
The Story of Seventy=Five Eventful
Years, l826=l9Ol.

W. nit -
EhiSm IN tn" mother state.
Eut the great strif, bc1vr.u I'M. -.
Wings "i u" orthodox church began
w" 'it nineteenth century and we of
.'uaS NV" realize the intensity d,
'hat was aroused durin:. the
next fifty Years.
''"fiN every parish contained some
"i'hlh ITS ranks that We're no, so,,na
IN doctrine, and in fact some Of thc
| P"St"fS themselves We're tinr1ul.d with
So-cal!cd heresies. The South Parish
OIL Augusta, our mother church Ala
nor escape this ard We find bits Of ,.v-
locnce here and there that orr mas,
significant.
heN. isaac Foster. the frs, settled
minister of the town. before thn iucrr-
| Po'dti"h or the three Parishes who
WIS ordained IN l1S6. wa accused Of
"oidifS the free will doctrine of Ar
"cnianism ana WAS finally dismissed
Key. Daniel stone. who was or.loi,..;
N 1874 as the first settled mi,.ist,.. ,,,..,,.
| what IS now the south parish IL l.,
'NSta. did not prove to be of the high
| Calvinistic belief. but was also NJ ,bn
| Armenian persuasion. MANY Of h;e
| ''''ii we're dOuplltSS III SYM
pa'hE with MN but many others were
OF the stricter type. The parish h.la a
meeting on Dec. =. 1909. to consider n
petition to the Legislature for amend
ment of the act dividing the town and
| creating three parishes 50 as ia nrr
Vent the polling off from one parish to
| another.
| \ special committee made this Sig
nliicant report which was adopted:
| The present difficulties Of the. par
Ish are of such nature that il would
he Tor their interest not to petition the
Legislature for such amendment.
| The difficulties however continued
In lsoS. 2 special committee appointed
TO consider the adviSability Of sever
ing the pastoral relations reported adj
| Nerscly and stated that were that done
they Very much doubt whether the
| parish would be sufficiently united To
settle minister for many years"
| In the same Year upon IN. petition of
| thirty-Six members Of the South Par
| ISL the Legislature" created by special
| act the Third Religious Society Of .Au-
| Tueta. In 1909 4 reconciliation was If
| fectcd. the act Incorporating the Third
| i''ii@I'uN ~ it'N "''S dIlcdttp ana the
same year KEY. Mr. Ston" severed his
connection with thr parish
Between lNp' ANA lNl1. many preach
crS both OF thc taiviniStic and the
| liberal school We're heard. among the
latter being Rev. Andrews Norton.
afterNard the distinguished Prof. Nor
ton Of Cambridge. ana til" Rev. VIM.
| EllorY Charming Of Boston
II i evident mat at this tim" there
was larGe liberal element in tn" par
| iSh ana n" tW" WinIS could not agree
up"'. MINISTER. me cEuiCh ItS"li WAS
'aiI inlS;I". but the parish was Inclined
I" q "road"t View. THIS period III
therefore TN" NOR" interesting 10 Ms.
| car nitdrian chur, hes hay" grown
~ in two MaNs. either ~ withdrawal
from tn mother CalVinistt" church or
rs lihrF"i chang" Within mat church
| ifs III. I'm tile former case Now
rnu}ch az in som" cases Il nov parish
| N.% formed: in the latter TIL" parish I'.-
| N; incl tht same. our own church Is
N Illustration Of thu fCrmrT.
Tho FirSt Parish in Portland. who's"
history dates back 10 the early part OF
In" 18th century. is an illustration II
IT,. batter. 1t passed through tn"
"Ni,d.r;ltr Callinism of PdIS"n
Smith. tn Armenian l"anin@s q
Person Dcan", both Of whom however
ve.t, +, -rINcd iii nrth0do% circles IN
Til ID emerged intu the early FORM "i
| l'aijarianisn" under the Rev. lchab'd
nj .hui< VINO Was ordained in lN"'-
since that lat" tn" first parish 81
~ tland h"S remained f" pIIar 81 -
trriani.m ~; Maine.
Thr t-uitariau churches ol k"nne-
bunk. Belfast. StAndish. thstinc ana
Tast port were also the first parishes III
th.i. respective towns.
I'his was h. precise period when tht
South Parish in Augusta was passing
through th. crucial test, and had thr
iii cral rI''ln' mt 'hrh p:tN"'''i
oi-ot q fancy 'c say 'n ,,, int S' an@
PARISH would noW y Unitarian "hu
ii, orthodox church would be the
daulht.r inst, ad Of II" mother.
j XVII. t>vo Years before the w"
ia, lions could unit" and tn' I>tN'
,rianin Tarpan was invited II VIII
Z. i.I1. III Dccome the settled minister
He WA then 4 young man not quite
81, ~. MI Il