Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-07
UNITARIANS CONFER
JOSEPH PRIESTLY MEETINGS IN
ALL SOULS CHURCH.

The first business session of the Joseph
Priestly Unitarian conference was held this
morning in All Souls Church. 14th and L
streets In the absence of the president,
Judge Morris of Baltimore, Rev. Frederick
a. Hinkley of Philadelphia, president of the
council of the conference. was chosen to
preside. About fifty delegates In at
tendance from churches located in Phia-
delphia. Germantown. vIneland n. J.. Will
nngton. Baltimore, Lancaster and this city.
DIR. Hinkiey announced a brief devotional
service to open the meeting. Several hymns
were sung, and the delegates were led In
prayer by Rev James ii. Ecob. The an
nusl address of the president of the coun-
Gil was then delivered by DIR. Huxley
He explained that the Joseph Priestly
conference was formed a few years ago In
cider that the churches in the middle east
might have a separate organization from
the middle states conference. which extends
far northwest Buffalo, n. Y and whose
area is too large to permit of attendance
by all of the delegates at It's annual meet
tnss. This Is the third meeting of the
frleStly conference. he said the first hav
ing been at Wilmington, Del. when 1t was
organized.
a brief sketch OF the life of Joseph
Priestly, after whom the conference was
named formed part of the address.
Prlestly came to this country because of
persecution in England for his sympathy
with the French revolutionists and estab-
lshed the first American Unitarian Church
in Northumberland, Pa, in 1874 He was
also instrumental in establishing the first
church OF this denomination In Philadelphia
In the year 1898. He Is widely remembered
scientist. but 1t was to commemorate
his work in the behalf of Unitarianism that
The conference was given his name.
Twelve delegates to the conference are
solicited from each church, and the meet
ings are democratic in character. DR.. Hink-
ley said Unitarianism aimed to be the
democracy OF religion, just as the United
States stands for democracy In political be-
liefs
"UnItarianism he declared "also stands
for an affirmative cause, and. with all re-
spect TO the Roman Catholic Church and
all forms of Professionalism. II has great
principle to teach in religion
Meaning of the Church.
What the church stands for was then ex-
plained In detail by DR.. Hinkiey. In the
first place. he said, 1t did not believe that
man should make creed 10 which to pin
faith, but believed In ever searching for
- newer and better truths. The church stands
for the Infinite, eternal and all-wise spirit,
he said. for the man Christ who repre-
sents all that is true and good; for revela-
ton everywhere and in everything; for the
natural and gradual evolution of human
nature toward good; for evil as condition
I'm mans evolution and not state TO
which man has fallen. and for salvation as
gradual growing toward what is better.
I'VE believe in making the world beauti-
fu," he said. land that the straight way
TO heaven is to- bring heaven to earth We
believe that the world Is ever getting better
and always has been We|are optimsts.
He concluded his address by asking that
the brotherly spirit prevail between the
churches in the Priestly conference where
they are far apart, like pioneers in new
country"
After the appointment of committee to
nominate list of candidates for the Of
fees of the conference for the coming
year. the subject of the morning was an
nounced Worship in Theory and Prac-
ticc" Addresses were made upon this
theme by Mrs. James III. Ecob and Rev.
Alfred R. Hussey.
During the morning song entitled Men
OF Thought Be Up and Stirring sung
by Mr.. and Mrs j. W. Hutchinson. Mr..
Hutchinson is the last survivor of the ia
nous New England family of seven broth
crs of that name, who in civil war times
sang jubilee songs all over the country and
helped arouse northerners against slavery
He is an old, white-haired man, but his
voice is still good He and his wife sang
without an Accompaniment.
The conference adjourned shortly before
o'clock for luncheon. which was served IN
the church building. The afternoon session
opened at o'clock. addresses on mission.
airy work and on THE Use and Abuse OF
the Bible" being on the program.
PHYSICAL Power of Working Man.
THE physical power of a working man
today is / 600 times great as II was one
hundred years ago; and have the authority
of the United States government or rather
OF a bureau of the government, for the
statement" Rev. DR.. Edward Everett Hale.
chaplain of the United States Senate, de-
clared last evening at the conference The
statement was approved by DR.. Robert s.
Woodward, president of Carnegie lnstitu-
ton another of the speakers of the even
ing Secretary of War Taft discussed reli-
gious tolerance shown in the solution OF
the Philippine problems.
An audience which filled All Souls
Church attended the opening meeting last
evening. The general subject for consider
evening. The general subject for considera-
ton was Religion and the Modern Mind
L. G.. Il. Pierce, pastor of All Souls Church,
presided and introduced the speakers.
As a scientist President Woodward paid
high tribute to Priestley as a man of
science, and discussed scientifically the re-
suits of Priestley's work. The speaker said
In part;
1904. His period of highest activity was |
contemporaneous with the French reyolu- |
ton, a most extraordinary time in the evo- |
luton of the human race. We are taught |
in school to view Napoleon as the great |
man of that age, but a close view by the |
thinking man makes him insignificant be- |
side such men Priestley and the other SCI |
entists that lived then. What are the three !
important lessons. the trinity of lessons |
which may be drawn from the life of Priest
ley? / have summed them up as, first the
lesson of inquiry which led him to an in |
quiry into physical science and to the dis |
covery of gases and of the basis OF mod
ern chemistry; second, the lesson of the
value of doubt. or his agnosticsm, which
led to his Investigations in theology and
thirdly. the lesson OF tolerance the need
and value of which are better appreciated
now than in Prlestley's time. All perhaps
may be summed up in the lesson OF prog
ress.
Use of the Lessons
How are we to make use of these les
sons? We are unable 10 make use of the
best knowledge we possess. Why is 1t?
Let me illustrate. We are able now to
abolish certain forms of diseases and can
summon the necessary machinery in a min
ute. Why may We not do Il? Because
sosiety Will not issue a permit Why do
we not abolish typhoid, which has been SO
plentiful here In recent years? Let us
make use of the experience which we have
gained through lives like Priestley's to pro-
coed with progress and multiply the capac-