Year: 1869

Ward Howe and Lucy Stone Blackwell.


Boston, May 2s, 1869.


largely attended meeting OF the Free Religious
Association was held in fremont Temple to-day.
Rev. q. b. rockingham opened the meeting with an
address, IN which he stated the position which the
society occupied before the pubic-having no creed
to propagate differing very much In their belief but
all seeking after the truth. He referred to
similar movements In other places referring
particularly to Germany, where meetings were held
every year, which, in nearly all their details, were
similar to those held here and the report OF which,
If written out, might answer for the report OF q
meeting here In Boston. He stated that the move
ment was calculated to inaugurate an era OF the
absolute supremacy OF human reason in spiritual
matters. He then referred to similar movements in
Switzerland and to the vast proportions OF this
movement, which was not composed OF small
band making its way through trackless wilderness.
The purposes OF this society were peace, harmony
and unity, and yet in the attitude OF the churches
the word unity meant warfare. Religion was orga-
nized division. and not organized unity. One OBJ
ject OF the Association was the study Of scientific
theology; not OF theology for that was anything but
scientific. God Is not definition; He is the soul OF
things, and in Him we live and move and have our
being 1t had been objected that they did not call
themselves thests deists, Christians or anti-Chrs
tians; they were anti-nothing; they made
war upon no religion they made war
1t be pure, let be sweet let it be steady and the
world will be created anew. They were here to-day
to oshow few beams OF that light.


DR.. Etanger, OF New York. Editor OF the
Jsacish Times was introduced and read Q
appeal for truth-the truth Of one God and one
humanity, having carried the race to which ne
belonged through persecution in triumph. Juda-
ism knew no distinction between man and man, but
recognized the God who manifested himself through
man. He quoted from the Talmud to show the spirit
Of liberalism which 1t breathed. He referred to the
Bible as the first book Of the greater bible which
shall contain the universal history OF man.


Rev. Jesse H. Jones, Of New York city, desired to
speak Of Jesus in orthodox ight-that same Jesus
who was despised eighteen hundred years ago. and
who had been again rejected to-day; that same
the law Of life; who broke through the law OF
self1shness, which before his time the corner
stone Of human life; who taught that the more q
instead Of the now universal theory that the more
you had the smore were men bound to serve you
Christ had placed Ehe golden age IN the future; all
other leaders OF religion had placed their golden age
In the past. The world was dying with sel1shness
and the Christians were bearing the chalice OF love
to the lips OF the dyng-the elixir OF eternal love-
Jesus Christ was the Sherman, and they were march
ing under his command to the sea. They invited all
to join them In the grand march.


Rev. Francis e. Abbott said they wanted to OFFER
platform in which every one could speak his own
Wished to speak. Protestant ' Christianity, he
claimed, was compromise between Roman CatnO-


clsm and free religion and he had come here to-day
to throw all compromise behind them and to stand
up for free religion.


Ralph Waldo Emerson was received with great
applause. He opened by saying that we might now
reinquish our strife in the theological world. He
stated that the Author OF Nature had not left himself
without witness In every sane mind and that The
moral sentiment speaks to every man the law after
which the universe was made; that we find identity
OF design throughout nature;. that there is a
force always at work to make the best better ana
the worst good St. Augustine said that that which
ts now called Christianity originally existed among
the ancents He believed that Christianity was not
only as old as the creation, but more, that mans
religious susceptibility can find the same idea In
numberless conversations. The religious can find re
gion wherever they associate; where he finds narrow
religion he also finds narrow reading. We are all
believers In natural religion we all agree that
Wise mem wsa their Tegon to go alone oniy hum
bly, bowling themselves before the source Of wisdom
which they have discovered within themselves.
George Fox said that he heard the words OF Christ
and God. He knew them only in his own soul. 1t
n the principle Of our own Testament that its
humanity. Let 1t stand but do not attempt to
lift 1t out Of humanity IN sound frame OF
mind. We read or remember the religious say.
ings OF religious teachers only for friendship
and the social identity which they open to us; but


na noe The fS w uz
eagerly fasten their eyes upon the difference be-
tween their creed and yours put the charm was to
find the identity between the two. In conclusion he
expressed his pleasure at seeing SO many men of
different views here, and made the remark that it
was wonder that there Christ. but that there
was not thousand.


After the conclusion OF the remarks of Mr.. Ener-
son the Chairman read letter from Lucretia Mott,
who il sick and unable to be present.


At the afternoon services Colonel I. w. Higgin-
son read the report OF the Executive Committee,
and also letters from Dr. A. ii. Quint, OF New Bed
ford; Rev. Philip Brooks, OF Philadelphia; Rev.
VIM. II. II. Murray, OF Boston: Rev. Lyman Abbott,
Professor Sew Of BroNn an Of
which expressed sympathy with the objects OF the


Mrs. Julia Ward Howe then read an essay ON the
subject OF "Freedom and Restraint In Religion"
True religion had come at last IL was easy TO vote
ourselves Free but not to make ourselves Tree. In
speaking or the Church she said that each sect de-
tected narrowness in every other sect, and each
might well devise broader and more liberal plat
form. Speculation contained but little real reli-
gion, and In her opinion, controversy was the
great obstacle to freedom. great many considered
Christianity to mean superstition and the study OF
theology the confession OF natural religion Reli-
gion encompassed our entire natures and unlocked
the whole moral and Intellectual elements Of man.
while natural religion was active In the few and
very uncommon. Indeed, she held that the Free Re-
lglous Association had at last tendency to correct
the religious errors OF the different sects and opn-
IONS The tendency Of the inquiring spirit OF the
age was to free ideas, tree types and make them
aspiring and ndepsndent de Mrs howes essay was


Colonel A. ID. Higglnson denied that free religion
was negative in its character and ideas, but
giving Instances OF the ineficieEcy OF Christianity
practiced, he said that the difference In mans
religion depended on the spirit in which he accepted
the code OF virtue. In regard TO the high moral
purpose OF the association 1t was noticed that many
OF the persons composing the association were
among the leading refurmers IN the most successful
reforms of the day, while their opponents were
among those IN the sects who had always stood in
the way OF true progress. Natural religion was good
enough for the people to live ny and die by-in snort
IL was the hope OF the world.


Mrs. Mary Grew charged upon Christianity all the


bes that had ever been uttered against true religion
She arraigned the Church OF hign ecclesiastical
crimes aud misdemeanors and that II had crucided
Christ thousand times since he had been crucifed
by the Jews. When theologaus can prepare any
thing better than the Sermon on the Mount, they
had better repudate Christianity. She heard OF no
better system OF Christianity than that OF Jesus Of
Nazareth. The world was asking for spiritual food,
besides the dry husks OF theology.


Rev. Miss Gibson discussed the necessity OF a re-
ligon that would know no scots, and would re-
cognize women as the equal Of man.


Rev. DIR. Bartall, OF Boston, said that Christ be-
came mediator and the voice of q moral sentiment
merely; that Christ did not come to preach Chris
tianity but the truth; and that we would be most
like hlm when we preached In the spirit In which
he spoke.