Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-10-01
THE
UNITARIANS

/ I
Christ because the younger genera
tion cannot be led TO think In terms
OF the rigid theology Of n quarter OF
a century ago. iaymen as well as
clergy throughout the country viii I
follow with interest the sessions Of I
the 2sth biennial meeting Of the Cen
eral Conference OF Unitarian and
other Christian churches which opens
here Tuesday.
In the event Of division within
the orthodox churches, the Unitarian
church. which stands at The opposite
pole from the premillenarians. IL re-
garded by many as the logical church /
home" for the liberals. This view is
accepted az national Unitarian head
quarters IN Boston. particularly as the /
conference is scheduled 20 consider 4
lplans for 25 per cent increase IN /
membership this fall as a part Of an /
extensive program Of expansion. made /
possible by the financial canvass Of 1
last winter when $4,000 900 was raised /
within the denomination.
Chief Justice William Howard Taft /
Of the U. s. Supreme Court has issued |
caii as president OF the conference
for Unitarlans Of North America TO
assemble for the sessions which viii
continue through October 7. He says.
In part: There Is revival among
unitariahs having the purpose 10
mike the church more useful than II
has been in the past. as a means of
curing that destructive indifference
Go religion and the church which
threatens the moral fiber OF our pres
ent civilization and / urge, therefore.
that every Unitarian or anyone hav-
ing interest IN liberal religion, s1ip-
port the conference by his presence"
Chief Justice Taft's revival ac-
curateiy defines the present activity
Of his church. Since the last confer
, ence at Baltimore in 1919 the forward
stride Of this denomination has been
of great significance. Rating their
faith almost as old as the country
itself and claiming in their fellow
ship such representative Americans az
President Jefferson, Edward Everett
>, Hale. James Freeman Clarke, Mrs
! Julia Ward Howe. Charles w. Eliot.
! president emeritus of Harvard Uni
|, versity--with % Of their faith among
q the So Americans listed in the Hall OF
= Fame in New York university-ths
y Unitarlans last fall declared them
! selves for militancy in reaching
4 Americans without church ahiliation,
~ organized the first Campaign" in the
~ history OF the denomination and
In through the support of approximately
IN $4,000 contributors in more than 400
,e parishes. obtained the funds with
r. which the church now proposes to
1e make it's next step in expansion.
81 Coincident with tho nation wide
lp movement. the Unitarian Laymen's 3
o. League has come to the attention Of
ID the country as one Of the leading or
al CARNATIONS OF laymen working for
he their church Within three years II
IN has built up membership Of II, ,440
he active members. The League now hat
h. local chapters In 242 American cities
az As part Of It's work II has sent many
vs prominent Unitarian ministers on mis-
"a sionary tours; has made possible the
ut free summer schools Of theology for
ne Unitarian ministers, this year at tho
he University Of Chicago and for the last
Of two years at Harvard, where the sum-
n mer theological course had been aban.
'ir doned ten years ago; has assumed
a leadership in carrying the message Oi
rs Unitarianism to college and univer-
a slty centers and has just ended a ma.
D. tional convention at Narraganset
Oh Pier for local chapter presidents witf
ur more than 225 delegates from all partl
81 Of the country.
The department Of church extension
Of the American Unitarian Association
in the same period has vigorously ap
at piled itself to building up "outposts
ny in the South and West where Uni
eu tarianism Is practically unknown. Tn
an purchase Of real estate and church
20 equipment has involved transaction
in as widely separated points as Col
hs orado. California, Florida. Massa
.es chusetts, Tennessee, Salem, Oregon
m Tulsa, Okla, New York City an
Washington, d. c. In New York Cit
interest centers in the Unitarian wor
a., at Columbia University. The Nations
- church in Washington, made possibl
~ by the combined efforts of the Amer
can Unitarian Association, the locs
-. church body and the Unitarian cam
- paign, is expected TO be finished with
"a in year. The advance report Of tn
49,, 80 department points also to a revival (
~. its work in Salt Lake City, RedlanC
and Sacramento, Cal. Passaic. n.
,u,, Lawrence, Mass, Asheville, n.
taa Charleston, w. Va, Eugene, Ore, ar
tod other cities.
60 The Women's Alliance. representa-
$4,000 Unitarian women, has increas
- its membership within the last ty
years and is prepared through loc
the branches, to add further to the wol
ide the women did in the financial car
paign. Ehe missionary work has be-
the quickened and even the young peop
nat of the denomination, through Il
nto Young Peoples Religious Union, I
organization with $50 societies in Il
os- principal cities of the country
/ against so two years ago, are no
Il preparing to make a stand at the CO.
ference for representation on 4
err boards of trustees Of parish churche
L. The attendance this summer at Il
on Isles of Shoals, n. H., where a r
has ligious institute is held annually
ac- the Unitarians, broke all records al
her drew to it's meetings representativ
so. of 131 chapters of the Laymer
'ta- League and more than 100 men al
Who women recruited by the departme
'or- of religious education of the Americ;
Unitarian Association.
in
ice; --