La Junta tribune., 1909-12-11

the proceedings and papers Of the
First Congress OF the National Feder-
alton Of Religious Liberals. held at
Philadelphia last April in the meet
ing house of the Society OF Friends.
1t deals with such topics as: Re
ligious Tolerance and Good Citizen
ship" THE Nature and Mission OF
Religious Liberalism" Religion and
Modern Life" Religion and the So
cial Question" Religion and Re-
FORM The Fellowship OF the Spir-
it."
At the closing session. addresses
were made by representative men,
bers OF the following religious bodies:
Baptist. Christian, Episcopalian. Eth
ical Culture Society, Friend, German
Evangelical, Jewish, Lutheran, Uni
versalist. Schwenkfelderian Unitar-
ian.
PercNal Chubb, OF New York. Lee
turer Ethical Culture Society, spoke
as follows:
"On the basis of numbers. mine must
be the smallest voice heard here to-
night-the voice of the extreme left
II cannot even be said,-to use the
In the parliament of religion. OF us
figure employed here tonight,-that
We advance under the banner OF the
Lord. Some of us own no Lord. The
fact that anyone should wish to bear
aloft the banner that Is inscribed
with the simple device-Truth. Right
and Love-is enough for us. II there
is anything We would have inscribed
on the other side of that banner. II
might be that fine saying: "A Life is
a Confession OF Faith" We admit
no other kind OF ultimate confession: !:
we ask for no other.
However. what chiefly wish to
say is how gladly we. OF the Ethical
Societies. grasp the hand OF fellow.
ship which is extended to us here.
We would eagerly embrace every OPP
portunity that is offered - and it
comes so seldom-to unite with others
in that fellowship of the spirit which
is to us the supreme and. indeed, the
only form OF religious fellowship.
For us, II is the only fellowship.
say; for we differ from most of
you here as not having or desiring
any fellowship In creed among our
selves. Ours is fellowship In the
spirit of truth. but not In any one
system of truth; fellowship In love
and duty. but not In any one way
OF justifying. OF rationalizing these
fruits of the spirit. For us they are
self.authenticating. their own excuse
for being. 1t Is In no temper of
controversy. but TO remove prevail
ing misunderstanding. that venture
TO explain that this fundamental posi-
tion is not the result of any light
opinion OF creeds and PHILOSOPHERS.
On the contrary, We expect every
one In our religious communion 10
attempt to build an ever-eapanding
creed. But because knowledge wild
ems with the years and the centuries.
and wisdom grows with living, W.
regard creeds and PHILOSOPHERS as de
veloping continuously with the devel
oping life OF the individual and the
race. And so. because fixity or final
ity In creed Is impossible, or unde
siyable even. II is for MS n form oi
intellectual impie,y to commit ones
self to a philosophy or belief. except
In provisional manner and with
the full hope OF outgrowing II.
in the spirit OF such a fellowship
We would be united with others abov.
all distinctions OF sect and race and
creed In great brotherhood OF the
ship OF Socrates and Buddha and Con
fucius. no less than that OF Jesus
and Paul and John; Aurelius and En-
crson. as well as st. Francis and a
kempis. In short. OF that great world
wide communion OF saints and he
roes. who are the cloud OF witnesses
to the eternal reality Of truth and
goodness.
In such spirit we would unite with
all those who would unite with us
In tattling for the things which will
lift us and the men OF our genera
tion above the crippling narrowncss
OF their political oreeds. purging them
Of what In partisan and selfish. and
above the bitter sectarlani,m OF our
sociological creeds, our extremes OF
socialism and anarchism. Let us be
as sturdiiy ms We viii socialists or