out a circular to a considerable number lief or their Christian faith? I know of Western ministers and laymen pro- of no one who has said this. Certainly pounding a series of questions-all, I for one, have said just the opposite of however, carefully framed so as to avoid this. Or who has urged that Unitaritouching the real Western Conference anism generally, West or East, has lost difficulty, or the real problems which its effectiveness in developing character, are pressing for solution in the West. or promoting education? I know of no Among others, the junior editor of the one who has thus urged. UNITARIAN received one of these circulars. After giving its inquiries due consideration, he sent to their author a somewhat full reply, which was refused publication. Believing, however, that it is calculated to throw light upon the general situation, as well as upon this whole matter of the circular, and the answers thereto which have occupied so much space in the Register of late, we give below the more siguificant portion of our communication: CHICAGO, July 16, 1886. To the Editor of the Christian Register: Your inquiries are interesting enough, but why should they be made? And especially why should they be made now? You ask if there is "any decline in theistic belief among Unitarians"? if there any tendency to disown the moral force or the spiritual truth which Unitarianism has received from its Chris is " tian heritage"? if there is "any de- What really is it that we have said? Not that Western Unitarians in any considerable numbers have given up, or desire to give up, theism or Christianity but the exact contrary. What we have said is that certain leaders want Western Unitarians to give these up, (that is, in the sense of placing them among things no longer regarded as essentials), and have succeeded in carrying the Western Conference and some other organizations in favor of this surrender policy. But we have stoutly denied that this correctly represents the real mind and wish of Western Unitarians generally, who, we have steadily maintained, are at heart, both theistic and Christian, and desire their churches and Conferences, and the whole Unitarian movement so to appear and so be known before the world. Indeed the strongest part of our complaint againt the action at Cincinnati was that it did not truly represent the Western churches; and the main point of the pamphlet (The Issue in the West) was, that Western Unitarianism has always been theistic and Christian, and wants to remain so, and is not only injured, but is misrepresented and put in a false light before the world, by the Ethical Basis Movement, which a few esteemed brethren are so sleeplessly pushing forward Let me indicate a few questions, which, if you had sent them to leading Western Unitarians in the place of the questions you did send, would have been to the point, would not have confused the situation, would have brought you light upon the real "condition" and "tendencies" of "Unitarianism in the West". QUESTIONS. considerable numbers, have given up, 1. So far as your acquaintance and or propose to give up their theistic be- observation go, are the Unitarians of the West generally aware of the real Christian and theistic basis, and adopt character of the action taken by the instead the Free Religious statement Western Unitarian Conference at Cin- of purpose and fellowship proposed by cinnati,―aware that it removed the con- Mr. Potter? ference off the basis of Unitarianism 9. Have you ever discovered anything (by any standard of Unitarianism known) in the history or experience of those and placed it upon the basis, distinctly, Western Societies, which have most of Free Religion? And so far as they nearly approximated the Free Religious are aware of the real character of that position, which leads you to believe that action, is it your judgment that they a still further advance on the same road generally accept it and abide by it? would religiously or morally benefit those societies. 2. As to the Unitarians of Illinois, do they generally understand that their state conference last fall also placed itself on a basis of Free Religion? And do they generally acquiesce in the same? 3. Is it generally understood clearly by Western Unitarians that a few men, personally loved and honored by all, have been laboring quietly but persistently and determinedly for years to get organized Unitarianism in the West generally, to lay aside all declarations or confessions that it is either Christian or theistic, and to recognize nothing as essential but free inquiry and ethics? 4. Is it generally known that these men are trying to bring about a condition of things in the West such that the Unitarian name shall not any longer necessarily mean Christian or theist? 5. Is it generally understood that these men are laboring, of course with perfect conscientiousness, to get the Western Unitarian ministry open to any who wish to enter it, even if they are not believers in God, or immortality, or worship? 6. If all this is generally understood, how do you think the mass of Western Unitarians feel about it? Do they assent or do they dissent? Will they agree to such a revolution of Western Unitarianism as these facts contemplate, or will they not? 7. Do you think Western Unitarians generally approve of the course of the western publishing committee in putting (in its tracts) the Index in its list of Unitarian periodicals? 8. So far as you know do Western Unitarians approve the recommendation of the editors of Unity, that our National Unitarian Conference shall do away with its present preamble and its whole 10. Has your observation of the effects of Free Religion and Ethical Culture (West or East) been such as to convince you that either is superior to Christian or theistic Unitarianism, in producing the spirit of worship, consecration of life, nobleness of individual character, charity toward others, or a desire to be useful? 11. As churches and individuals lose their interest in the Christian and the theistic positions and verge more and more toward the Ethical or Free Religious, is it your observation that they usually give more money for religious and missionary purposes? 12. If the extreme and revolutionary views of Mr. Gannett and a few others should eventually, by dint of persistent pushing, come to be accepted by a majority of Western Unitarians, as they have already been accepted as the basis of the Western Conference, and some other organizations, what do you think the result would be? My dear Mr. Editor, if you had cared to send such questions as these, to a hundred ministers and laymen in the West, they would have been to the point, they would not have been misleading, they would have brought you information which would have thrown real light upon our great and serious Western problem,-a problem which we may all be sure will not be laughed down, nor pooh-poohed down, nor be got out of the way by calling it a "scare", nor be covered up by irrelavent questions, but which will remain until it is frankly and sincerely faced and honestly and candidly solved,-the problem whether Western Unitarians, against their own wish and best judg The Christian, or The Ethical, or Uni West answer, Yes! Theistic party in the ty party answer, No! 2. Is worship essential to Unitarian ism? The Christian, or The Ethical, or Uni Yes! 3. Ought our churches to stand distinctly for belief in Immortal Life? ment in the matter, are going to allow a few esteemed but extreme brethren, whose religious views were biased by the Free Religious movement of twenty years ago, to get control of the rest of the denominational machinery in the Theistic party answer, ty party answer, No. West, as they have already got control of the Western Conference, one or more State Conferences, the Western Sunday School Society, Unity, and the Western Tract Publication work, and thus push on, little by little, transform ing Western Unitarianism (contrary to the real wish of the great body of our people) from the Christian, or at least theistic movement, it has always been, to an Ethical or Free Religious movement? The Christian, or The Ethical, or Unity party answer, Not necessarily. 4. Ought emphasis to be placed on the moral and spiritual leadership of Jesus Christ and the historic and vital connection of our movement with the Christian Church? The Christian, or The Ethical, or UniTheistic party answer, ty party answer, Not necessarily! Yes! The Christian, or The Ethical, or UniTheistic party answer, ty party answer, Yes! No! This question, Mr. Editor, just this, which your inquiries so strangely miss, is the exact question, and so far as I 5. Ought our ministry to be open to know, the only seriously important non-believers in God, immortality and question, that is, at this immediate worship, if such non-believers desire to time, before Western Unitarianism. enter or remain in it? Has it not been evaded, confused, and covered up long enough? By reason of your distance from the West, you may not have fully understood it before; but now that it is clearly before you, will you not kindly give your attention to this, and not to questions which are quite foreign to the Western issue? Fraternally yours, J. T. SUNDERLAND. THE ISSUE IN THE WEST, IN BRIEF. AND CONTRASTED. The Unitarian ministers who were present at the Lakewood School of the New Theology, held frequent and earnest conference on the Western Unitarian situation. All who attended, so far as known, deplored the action of the Cincinnati Conference in refusing to deelare, or take any action towards declaring the Conference to have any distinctly Christian or Theistic purpose, or any purpose including worship or an object of worship. There was entire unanimity of sentiment among those present at the consultations as to the action that ought to be taken to place the matter fairly before the Unitarian body; and though several had left before any result was reached, the following contrasted statement expresses our understanding of the position of the parties, and the significance and gravity of the ques tions at issue between them. The Christian, or The Ethical, or UniTheistic party answer, ty party answer, Yes! No! 7. Ought our Conferences, Associations and other general organizations, which have administrative or missionary functions, and ask contributions from Our churches to carry on the same, to stand on a distinctly Christian or Theistic basis of declared aim and purpose? The Christian, or ! The Ethical, or UniTheistic party answer, ty party answer, No! Yes! 8. Ought money contributed to any of our denominational organizations for Unitarian missionary purposes, to be used to "give assistance to any church or organization which does not rest distinctly upon the Christian basis ?” The Christian, or The Ethical, or UniTheistic party answer, ty party answer, Yes! No! 9. To sum up in a word: Is Unita1. Is belief in God essential to Uni- rianism essentially or necessarily Christarianism? tian or Theistic? The Christian, or The Ethical, or UniTheistic party answer, ty party answer, No! Yes! On the question of the essentialness of ethics both parties are agreed. On the essentialness of " Freedom, Fellowship and Character", both are agreed. On the essentialness of "Truth, Righteousness and Love", both are agreed. Both parties unite in saying, men must believe in all these in order to be true Unitarians; there is no true Unitarianism which leaves these out. So far we go together. Then we separate; and in this wise: The Christian, or The Ethical, or UniTheistic party say: ty party say: No, UniTo these ethical and tarianism is a strucfree thought essen- ture no part of which tials must be added rests fundamentally certain Christian and on any Christian or Theistic essentials,viz: Theistic belief whatat least belief in God ever, not even belief and worship, the hope in God. Ethics and of Immortality, and free thought exhaust the moral and spiritual its essentials. The leadership of Jesus. Christian and Theistic These are precisely as beliefs named used to necessary to and fun- be regarded, and still damental in Unitaare regarded generally, rianism as are ethics as necessary; but that and free thought. Uni- they really are so we tarianism is an arch, deny. We contend for one foot of which rests a new interpretation upon ethics and the of Unitarianism which other upon Christian shall place these Theism. It is equally among non-essentials. impossible to take Individually most of away either founda- us believe, and believe tion without destroy- earnestly, in these, and ing the arch. sincerely wish others generally to do the same. But this is purely an individual matter. These Christian and theistic beliefs are no necessary part of Unitarianism, and must not be declared to be. Nothing is essential to Unitarianism but ethics and free thought. The above comparisons and contrasts show in brief exactly what is the issue in the West. It is for Unitarians West and East to judge for themselves whether the matter is a trivial one or not. judge for themselves which side is right, and to take their stand accordingly. A. A. LIVERMORE, A. P. PEABODY, RUSH R SHPPIN, J. T. BIXBY, JOHN SNYDER, HENRY H. BARBER, LAKEWOOD (Chautauqua), August 7, 1886. Lest any readers of the above think it may not be a correct representation of the position of the Ethical or Unity friends, we allow them below to speak for themselves: "What makes a Unitarian? Emphasis hearty and complete on freedom, fellowship and character as the supreme things in religion—this and not our theism, however grand-this and not our Christianity, however dear. * * * Yesterday the test-point was at 'Christian'. The question at that point is about settled and the point nearly passed. What else does the National Conference amendment mean but that while most Unitarians are Christians, they do not make that name the test of fellowship? There can, then, be nonChristian Unitarians. To-day the test-point is at theism' and 'worship'. Our friends have called another halt-these 'beliefs' at least, they say, are necessary to make a Unitarian'. * * * We think this bit of history justifies us in holding they are not necessary."-W. C. G., in Unity, Jan. 23, 1886, p. 260. "In the west, the ethical, or almost purely ethical, basis of our State Conferences, all organized the last dozen years, attest again this tendency [to hold nothing as essential to Unitarianism but those vital principles, Freedom, Fellowship and Character in ReBy fellowship we mean full right to ligion']. * * * We do not mean church hospitalour common name. ities; we do not mean right to teach in a Sundayschool class; we do not mean right to be a Unitarian layman; we do not mean right to be ordained as a Unitarian minister without previously defining one's belief: we mean none of these things merely, though all of them, of course, where no personal objections enter. We mean fellowship, unquestioned and coequal right to the Unitarian name, the same for nonChristian as for Christian, the same for non-theist as for theist. The editors [of the UNITARIAN] do not mean this. They mean it as far as through the layman, through the Sunday-school teacher, through church membership and the ordination day; but let a minister openly surrender the Christian's or the theist's name or worship, and [they hold] his pulpit and himself become non-Unitarian and his building ceases to be a church" [at which Mr. Gannett complains].-W. C. G., in Unity, March 20, 1886, p. 33. "We frankly welcome to our Unitarian name those who do not call themselves Christian and thiest. * We said in a previous article] that the time had now come for Unitarians to recognize and proclaim the fact that its 'principles' [Freedom, Fellowship and Character in religion] alone, and not its 'doctrinal be liefs' at all, gave title to our name; and we applied this to the greatest belief of all, belief in 'God'. * * * We do mean that those three principles are for us the essentials of Unitarianism. * * * We are more strenuous about this 'creed' of ours than are our friends for their theistic creed."-W. C. G., in Unity, May 29, It is for Unitarians West and East to 1886, pp. 173, 4, 5. "Then can there be ‘Unitarians' who are not Chris- expresses its purpose, as a body, to be the promotion tians'? Yes! And who do not worship? Yes! There of a religion of love to God and love to man."-Resocan be; and are there any such among you? Yes, a lution rejected by the Western Conference at Cincinfew. Practically, then, how do Unitarians differ from nati, May, 1886. the Free Religious Association or the Ethical Culture Society? As to the basis of fellowship there is no difference. But the F. R. A. work specifically for that basis, that and nothing else. It came into the world to press those principles, 'Freedom, Fellowship and Character in Religion', upon the host of Christian sects and churches that ignore them. As individuals its members have doctrinal beliefs, but as an association ing on the same principles as basis, and working also have to be in order to be 'Unitarians': is that it? cisely."-W. C. G., in Unity, Feb. 13, 1886 p. 295. Pre "We hold him to be 'Unitarian' who emphasizes Freedom, Fellowship and Character as his three grand There is another great word which right willingly we would admit [to a place with emphases. *** these] save for one reason-it is worship. And the reason it does not enter is because to most minds it still carries a more than ethical significance; it is the gate through which for them the 'God'-doctrine quietly passes in. That is why some friends want it in the motto, and that is why it must stay out."-W. C. G., in Unity, May 29, 1886, p. 174. "The National Conference will never represent the jubilant movement of reverent thought and devout rationalism in this country until it changes the equivocal, disturbing and dividing words of theology in its constitution for the universal words of righteousness. We heartily commend the following substitute for ex isting articles, proposed by Mr. Potter [in the Index of May 7, 1885.], and second his motion for its adoption, unless, perchance, a still more ringing rallying cry for human progress' may be framed: "The churches and societies, Unitarian and other, here assembled, reserving to themselves the right to hold and proclaim such other religious principles and beliefs as may seem to them individually to be reason able and true, but agreeing together that freedom of thought is a sacred and inalienable right of the human mind, and that true character is of vastly higher moment than any uniformity of creed, do hereby unite themselves in a common body to be known as the American Conference of Unitarian and other Inde pendent Societies, to the end of energizing and stimulating one another to the largest exertions in behalf of the important interests which they have at heart for the promotion of righteousness and truth."Unity Editorial (senior editor), May 23, 1885, p. 119. THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF The Thirteenth Conference was held July 15-21, at St. Paul. The attendance at these meetings has grown steadily from the beginning, and was this year the largest on record. The gathering is essentially a Conference. Its doors are open to every one, and the most varying views, differences of opinion that under ordinary circumstances would seem fatal to friendly intercourse, are expressed most freely and without exciting unkind feelings in the opponents. No resolutions are passed, nothing is done, the Conference has no offices to bestow, no contracts to let; the purpose simply to meet, to know each other and to exchange opinions, to tell results in the most informal way, brings these delegates together year after year, and makes them say as they go back to their homes, "It was good for us to be there." The delegates present at St. Paul were, to a man and a woman, workers in some cause of Charity or Reform, many of them of high standing in their respective departments, most of them giving the work of their lives to the cause they represent; hence the con spicuous absence of the crank element, and the very practical turn the discussions usually took. There was one very marked principle frequently expressed, coming up again and again, not only in questions of Charity and the treatment of the defective classes, but also in the debates on Reformatories and Jails, and that was the importance of the personal element in all such work. Nothing was more emphasized than the thought, that not Institutions, nor Systems, however good and complete, are to save and bless mankind, but that men are to save men, that whoso would help his fellow man, be he blind or halt, or criminal, must limitations, the Western Unitarian Conference hereby come into personal contact with him, "Resolved, that the primary object of this Conference is to diffuse the knowledge and promote the inter ests of pure Christianity."-Resolution rejected by the Western Conference at Cincinnati, May, 1886. "Resolved, that, while rejecting all creeds and creed |