The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1901-10-31
Impressive Execises Mark the Install
alton of Gss Florence Buck
atJnitarian Church
sERMoy BY PRESIDENT ELLIOT.
Rev. EenrV M. simmone, jenkins Lloyd
Jones, A. C. Grier and z. G. SIM
mons and other Speakers.

A fer being closed for more than
twenty years, the First Unitarian
church of this city has been opened
and the Rev. Florence Buck, one OF
the leading ministers of the Unitarian
church in the West, was installed as
the first pastor of the church under the
new regime Sunday evening. The in
sta1lation of Miss Buck was the most
notable event of many years IN Uni
tartan circles in Wisconsin, and dis
tinguished corterie of the ministers
and 1aymen of the church we're in Ke-
nosha to attend the ceremonies.
In honor of the event the church was
richly decorated with a wealth of
autumn flowers and in the chancel had
been placed u great mass of white
chrysan themums, sent to Miss Buck
with a letter of congratulations from
the members of the Unity Unitarian
church at Cleveland, where the new
minister of the KenOsha church has
served as pastor.
In the center of a group of ministers
was the Rev. Samuel A. Elliot, of Bos-
ton. Mass. a son of President Elliot,
of Harvard college, and the presi-
dent of the Unitarian society of the
United States. Other ministers on the
platform were the Rev. Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, ofsC Chicago; the Rev. A. c..
Grier, of Racine; the Rev. Henry S1n1-
MONS, of minneapolis, and the Rev.
Marion Murdoch, of CIeveland,$ o.
Representing the lay mem bers of the
church was z. G. Simmons, president
of the boardgof trustees.
The services were opened with an
organ voluntary played by Mrs. Her
bert e. Tanner. After the voluntary
the choir sang the anthem, Awake,
Put on Thy. Strength" The Rev.
Henry Simmons, a former pastor of
the church, delivered the invocation,
after which squintet rendered the
song, "How'Good is the Giver."
The installation sermon was
preached by the Rev. Samuel G. Elliot.
Mr.. Elliot took as a topic verse from
IL Corinthians, THE Simplicity
Which is in Christi In opening his
address he spoke of the growth of the
church in the West and the cardinal
principles of the creed. In closing his
brief sermon he spoke directly to the
members of the church, bringing out
the teachings of the church.
The Installation Sermon.
Mr.. Elliott spoke in part as follows:
''It is curious and suggestive fact
i say it not for Boosting or dispar-
agement-that the Unitarian churches
and some others similarly constituted
are the only modern Christian churches
into whose MINISTRY Jesus could be
admitted if he was here in the flesh.
He would have to add a great deal to
his statement of faith and assent to
good many doctrines that he never
said anything about or be excluded.
If he should adhere to his original
teachings no bishop could lay hands
on him without violating rubric, no
synod orspresbytery could license him
to preach. The Apostolic succession
could not make place for its originator.
Tried, by the protestant creeds and say
ing nothing more than he said IN Pales-
tine he would not pass-so false is the
position in which good Christians have
placed themselves by identifying faith
with theological opinions.
"The teaching of Jesus consisted in
some beautiful parallels illustrating
the character of good men and the love
of the Father God-and some plain
precepts about duty to God and man.
There was nothing that could be called
a scheme of salvation. From the Cos
pe1s you cannot derive the popular
creeds. There is not trace of TRIM
tartan thought there, no theory of the
fall of man, or of reprobate nature, or
of the popular notion of the atone
ment. tits certainly the unique desti-
nation of the Unitarian church that 1t
alone stands for the simplicity of Jesus
Christ-not blinded by old testament
legend, nor the mystical theories of
Paul, nor the tradition of the fathers
of councils, synods, popes, bishops and
presbyters, the Unitarian church
builds on the two commandments-w
do not identify Christianity with &C.
c1estiastical esta b1ishment or orthodox
traditions, it is not dependent on mira
c1es or signs, it is not perpetuated in
series of christianity is
to us the testimony of life-our
Christianity is not SO much the faith
in Jesuit is the faith of Jesus-the
reaffirmation of his truth of the faith
that made him what he was. To be a
Christian, as we understand it, is to be
Christ1ike-it is TO make truthfulness
more instructive, integrity frmer
thought purer, friendship more deli