Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-15

Rev. Dr. U. G. B. Pierce minister OF All
Souls Unitarian Church in this city Wneh
asked by a Star reporter for his OPINION OH
the action of the church federation commit
tee In refusing membership In tire RECREATION
which is soon to convene in New YORK 10 the
Unitarian delegates, said that he rather an
ticipated such action. He Is not worrying
over the matter, and thinks the so-calied
slight should not be taken greatly to
heart
A dispatch from New York says:
JTnitarians all over the country have been
aroused by the refusal to admit Dr. Ed
ward Everett Hale. John D. Long, former
Secretary of the Navy, and the Rev. Dr.
Samuel A. Eliot, son of the president of
Harvard University. There is strong prob
ability that the committees action will be
challenged on the floor of the convention
when it meets in Carnegie Hall next month.
In order to make clear that the refusal to
extend an invitation to the Unitarians was
a UNCONVENTIONAL matter and not personal
the executive committee yesterday gave
out the correspondence on the subject with
the Rev. DIR. Samuel A. Eliot, president of
the American Unitarian Association. I'm
der date of September %, 1905, DR.. Eliot
wrote:
Il am advised by the Rev. z. T. Root,
federation Of churches, to get into COM
munication with you in regard to the inter
church conference on federation In New
York in November.
'In the course of the summer have
learned through friends that our presence
in the conference may be unwelcome to
some of the friends who are cooperating
in the meeting. / accordingly communi-
Gated at once with Mr.. Root and asked
him If these rumors had any Justification
He replied in a letter which l understand
that you had Endorsed, to the effect that
they had justification. l am therefore con-
strained to write directly to you and to
ask you to lay this matter before the exec
utive committee.
an interchurch conference on federation
will deliberately exclude the representa-
tives of the churches that stand peculiarly
for the unsectarian principle in American
religious life and which have been fore
most in all efforts for Christian unity. Am
1 not justified in thinking further, that
1t would be a mistake in judgment to or
ganize the proposed national federation
upon lines which will exclude from men,
bership some of the most beloved and
trusted leaders Of Christian life and
thought in our land?"
Replying to DR.. Eliot, the Rev. Dr. Elias
mfttee wrote:
LAS / understand, Mr.. Root stated the
situation correctly. The committee of cor
respondence felt constrained TO limit to
some extent the sending out of invitations
| to denomina tional bodies asking them to
appoint delegates to the coming inter
church conference on federation.
|
u
''This action was taken after very serious
| consideration. and I am confident that the
committee would decline to reopen the dis
cussis. of the matter. need scarcely add
/ that this decision was in no way personal
1t was/fearned this week that Univer-
salists, as well as Unitarians, were not IN
| Guided when the invitations were sent out
The committee decided that the line should
| be drawn between church organizations
which recognized Jesus Christ as head OF
| the church and those which did not. Ac-
| ceptances have been received from twenty
| seven churches, representing total mem
/ bership of eighteen million persons.
The Rev. Dr. Thomas r. Slicer Of Al