The actual life of such a man is an object lesson, and if considered with any care cannot be misunderstood nor mistaken.

that is here still, but because of his strove to follow the example of him character. So much has been written who went about doing good. He was about him during the month that has a religious man, in the way of the simelapsed since his death that there is ple, cheerful, trusting liberal faith, and nothing new now to be said about the this gave character to all he did, and details of his life and work, but we can- made that completeness of manhood not refrain from adding our tribute, which surprised all who knew him, and even though so late, to his large public makes his loss so deeply mourned. spirit, to his absolute integrity, and to his benevolent interest and helpfulness in whatever might make the world better and man happier. In our own household of faith he was a loved and How many are to-day full of unrest honored worker, giving not only of his and dissatisfaction who have been, as means with an untiring generosity, the world too generally considers, sucbut, what ever made his money doubly cessful? The reason is plain. They valuable, giving himself, his time, his have cultivated only one part of their thoughts, his wise business ability. And nature. The man who cultivates the from the earlier days when he was an whole of his being lives a true life and earnest worker in the Sunday-school, to finds blessing in all.

these later years when he has been one

of our foremost laymen in whatever

MISSIONS.

A. S. W.

Communications for this department should be addressed to Mrs. Eliza R. Sunderland, 175 Dearborn St., Chicago. RELIGIOUS STUDY CLASSES.

offices of trust or honor might help our WOMAN'S WORK AND POST-OFFICE churches, he has remained always a kind, courteous, upright man, and an earnest unashamed Christian. O, busy men, who give so freely of your wealth, let the thought of Henry P. Kidder lead you to give a little more of your-ening of our denominational consciousselves.

A LAYMAN'S TRIBUTE.

An encouraging indication of a deep

ness is to be found in the efforts of our Women's Conferences, east and west, within the past few years, to direct attention toward, and awaken an interest in, the study of our denominational literature and history. When the Unitarian women of the west organized themselves into the Women's Western

Long ages ago, one who had acquired about all the world has of material prosperity said, in the bitterness of his heart, "All is vanity". One has recently passed away in Boston, who had acquired a great and unusual share of the world's goods, but who never said Unitarian Conference five years ago, or felt that all was vanity. Whence the two objects they set before themthe difference? Just here: the latter selves as reasons for their organization not only sought and won material suc- were: first, the broadening and deepencess, but he sought and won that higher ing of their own religious life, and seclife, which transformed and transfigured ond, the carrying of their religious all his material possessions, and made thought to others. These objects have his life, his whole life, rich. Nothing to since crystalized into the practical forms him was vanity or in vain. He worked of Post-Office Missions and Religious hard in his "business", and his work told. Study Classes. At its last annual meetEvery business transaction was an hon- ing in St. Louis last May, the ConferHe could meet and look every ence appointed two general committees, man with whom he had dealt, squarely one to extend and systematize post-office in the face, and meet his eye without mission work, the other to prepare proflinching. He worked diligently in ev- grammes for religious study classes. erything, so far as was in his power, The latter issued a printed report in that had for its object the elevation and leaflet form, in September last, containimprovement of his fellow-men. He ing three carefully prepared pro

est one.

grammes, with references for extended courses of reading, upon—

I. The Growth of the Hebrew Religion.

gence on religious subjects? How do we insure general intelligence on purely literary subjects? By and through study classes, in school and college and II. Unitarianism in America. literary club. What an immense widen III. Unitarian Doctrines. ing of the literary horizon has been These included respectively X., IX., effected within the past twenty-five and XVI. subjects; each of these sub- years through the one instrumentality jects, however, comprehensive enough of the literary club! What an immense to bear dividing into two, three, or four widening of the religious horizon might parts to meet the wish on the part of be effected in all our churches and comany society for weekly or semi-monthly munities in the next twenty-five years meetings. In addition to these three through religious literature classes! In specially prepared programmes, the many places Thursday evening is set leaflet also contains the study pro- apart by the orthodox churches as grammes for 1884-85 of the St. Louis prayer-meeting night. Suppose our and Cincinnati Women's Associations, Unitarian churches should join the sisand of the Chicago Women's Associa- terhood of Thursday evening meetings, tion for 1885-86, as showing what but make a leading feature of the evenwomen have already done or are doing ing a study, consecutively, of Christian in this direction of religious study. history, of religious biography, of reSpace will not allow of any extended ligious poetry and hymnology, of our notice of any of these programmes, and special Ünitarian history and doctrines? such notice is rendered unnecessary by | Or suppose, in churches which have but the fact that the leaflet itself, contain- one Sunday service, Sunday evening ing them all, can be had by sending five were set apart for such a systematic cents to Miss F. Le Baron, 175 Dear- study of religious literature, beginning born street, Chicago, Ill. with our own Unitarian faith and history, can any one doubt the immense gain in interest in, as well as knowledge of, these subjects which a few years would bring about? It may well be questioned whether any church should feel that its church life is complete without such a definitely arranged study class, with its courses of study, its text-books and its promotions, as carefully planned for as they are in the work of the Chautauqua circles, for instance. And here is work which calls for women's help, both as leaders to plan and as pupils to execute. In how many churches have study classes been carried on during the past year? In how many more are there earnest women who will see to it that such classes shall be established during the coming year? And then, once established, who will put thought and heart enough into them to make them live on from year to year? It is very certain they will not live and prosper without earnest and persistent effort on the part of some one, any more than schools and colleges, lecture courses and literary clubs will

The committee announce that their special aim in preparing the leaflet is to aid in establishing, this year, as many classes as possible-weekly or semimonthly, when the members live near enough together to admit of it; monthly, where subjects and circumstances allow more elaborate preparation and require fewer meetings. Could this aim be widely realized, how great a work would have been accomplished for Unitarianism. We constantly hear complaints of want of interest on the part of our people in our church and denominational life; but interest in anything grows with knowledge. Let us each be persuaded that, as a denomination, we do stand for certain great faiths and principles; that these faiths and principles have a real, vital interest, and have had a history, and then let us make ourselves intelligent with reference to those faiths and principles and that history, and I am very sure there would be no further ground for complaint of lack of interest or loyalty in our Unitarian ranks. But how shall we insure this general intelli

live and prosper without earnest and to the carefully prepared paper and the persistent effort on the part of some

one.

interested discussion which followed, it is doubtful whether a single one of the But it is not in churches alone that hundred and twenty ladies present such study classes are needed and are failed to carry away a higher estimate of feasible. Two or three or half a dozen the heart side of her own and her chil. liberals, in places where there are no dren's natures; and not a few were liberal churches, would find in such ready to assent to the earnest word of classes social and religious helps of a one of the speakers, who said: "It congenial and elevating kind, and might seems to me that this subject of trainthus lay the foundations of the Unita-ing the affections is not limited to chilrian church of the future in those dren and young people, but is a lifetowns. I know one church, now pros- work for each of us, and as such should perous and, I believe, self-supporting, be carefully and thoughtfully considered which started a few years ago by a and planned for." number of young men meeting Sunday And what has all this to do with re. afternoons to read and talk over Unita- ligious study? asks some one, forgetrian tracts and sermons. If any isolated ting, as we are all only too apt to do, Unitarians read this, who are longing that love is the fulfilling of the law, for a church fellowship, why not follow divine as well as human, and that all their example? Send for the "Programmes for Religious Study", select a course of study, invite to join you all whom you can interest, and in due time other Unitarian churches will come into being.

culture, so-called, which stops short of this goal of loving,-upward toward the supreme excellence, God, outward toward fellow-men,-is but a one-sided culture, unworthy the name.

At the February meeting the subject for consideration by the association will

THE CHICAGO WOMEN'S UNITARIAN ASSOCIA- be "Co-education of Husbands and

TION.

This is a religious study association, made up of members from the four Unitarian churches of the city. It holds its meetings monthly in each of the four churches successively.

The pro

Wives", and at the March meeting, "Reading for the Young"; both prac tical subjects, which ought to elicit some wise, practical suggestions bearing upon every-day life and duty.

Aside from all the actual gain in

gramme calls for a lunch served added knowledge and clearer thinking promptly at 12:30, at the close of which and it is not a little in either directhe literary exercises begin. These tion, which may justly be credited to consist of a fifteen-minutes' report of the Chicago Unitarian Women's Assothe current religious events of the ciation during its nearly four years of month, followed by one or more papers work-its existence has been more than upon the topics assigned for that day, justified, such is the testimony from all and these in turn by a general discus- sides, by awakening among the memзion of the subject. The January meet-bers of the different churches of the ing was held on Thursday, Jan. 28, in city a sense of common sympathies and Unity church. The topic for the day common aims, which has greatly was "Training of the Affections". So strengthened each and all. much has been written and thought and said for some years past on the subject of intellectual culture, that it came as rather a surprise, seemingly, to not a few, the suggestion that there was an affectional nature, the training of which was worthy of thought and care as great as that given to the culture of the intellect. Yet after listening

LITERARY NOTES.

E. R. S.

Sanskrit is taught at the University of Kansas.

James Russell Lowell is to sail for Europe, March 27.

The Mormons are about to erect a college in Salt Lake City.

The Unitarian Review for March opens with an article by Rev. M. J. Savage on Debt of Religion to Science"; Col. Carroll D. Wright declares "The Duty of the Pulpit towards Social Reform ", and Rev. N. P. Gilman's paper on "The Reaction Against Individualism" follows in the same general line. A second part of Rev. Mr. Bixby's Newport address on Religion and Theology in Germany, and Rev. Dr. Schramm's account of Mr. James Colegrove, who, during the ex-fill out the number. The number is a strong "The Jumping Procession at Echternach", istence of the Colegrove Book Co., in Chicago, was the president and leading business manager of the company, is now connected with the large book house of S. A. Maxwell & Co., 134 Wabash avenue.

who crowned himself king “By the grace of God", and caused much laughter thereby, has failed entirely in his often-repeated attempts to have a church in Germany-there is none. They have philosophies, but no churches.

a

as an excel

We are glad that one so noted for an absolutely open and fearless mind as Rev. J. W. Chadwick, has spoken out so strongly-in his sermon Gnostics and Agnostics, just published by G. H. Ellis, Boston-on that stupendous piece of elaborate nonsense," Esoteric Buddhism". He compares it, very aptly, to the The English magazines, of whatever politfantastic systems which, under the name of ical or religious stripe, are teeming with Gnosticism, grew out of the early mingling suggestions and discussions of the quesof Christianity and heathen philosophising. tion of disestablishment. In the Spectator "Here, as there, is the same wild-cat specula- of some few weeks ago there was tion, the same scorn of the slow, patient sober Christian discussion of the question methods of the scientific men, the same stu- whose temper would serve pendous pyramids of knowingness resting lent example in sectarian squabbles. The upon the same slender apexes of fact and ob- church, it said, had a larger duty than that of servation, and, most conspicuously of all, the fighting for pecuniary or social privileges. same identification of religion with a purely It should remember rather its own character intellectual process and result, with more or than its possible prominence, political or less contempt for mere morality' as an affair otherwise. In its treatment of adversaries its which cannot seriously concern the devotee first thought should be, not of advantage, but of knowledge on his way to its supremest of generous fairness; it should seek rather to heights." save itself from secret faults than to be captious in its criticism of rivals. Perhaps if Kristofer Janson, the poet-preacher from this had always been the spirit of the church Norway, now living in Minneapolis and la- no such discussion as the present one could boring as a missionary among his fellow-be carried on for long without answering countrymen throughout Minnesota, has re- itself. But, cently published a volume at the Gyldendal book house in Copenhagan, entitled "Præriens Saga" (The Story of the Prairies), describing the life of the Scandinavian settlers in our Northwest. It is said the work will soon appear in an English translation. Mr. Janson is the author of some twenty or more volumes, many of which rank high in the literature of his native land, where he is famous as a zealous worker in the language-reform movement and a lecturer on historic, æsthetic and philosophic topics, as well as an author of poems, dramas, romances, short stories and descriptions of travel. To an American public he is chiefly known through his missionary labors and his musical romance, "The Spellbound Fiddler".-Chicago Tribune.

Mr. Janson's very latest production is a religious work of a doctrinal character entitled "Is Orthodoxy Right”, which will be published soon in the Norwegian language, in five small volumes, by John Andersen & Co., Chicago. The volumes are to appear at intervals of two months. The subjects of the different volumes will be as follows:

1. Is the Bible an Inspired Book? 2. (a) Shall we believe in three Gods or one? (b) Was Christ God or Man? (c) How did the doctrine of the Divinity of Christ arise?

3. Does the Bible teach an through blood?

atonement

4. The History of the Devil. About Miracles.

5. About things to come.

FOREIGN NOTES.

Prince Bismarck's speech in the Reichstag, on the subject of the treatment of the Poles, shows the lack of any leavening religious influence in Germany. The present Emperor,

dissenters and churchmen alike are seeking "The great design unfinished lies", and tionists", in the Contemporary Review for a remedy. In an article entitled "The SalvaJanuary, there are some suggestions which might prove useful in this matter.

It is somewhat astonishing to learn that in 1884 these people raised and expended about $373,280; that they have in England alone a constituency of over half a million. And be it said that many of these are people who before had given no attention to higher things at all.

Mr. Francis Peek, the writer of this article, gives as one strong reason for the success of the Salvationists, the persistency with which they insist on making every convert a converter. This, he says, has the effect of making and keeping enthusiastic those whose baptism had been merely the result of emotional accident. He thinks, too, that could the Church of England civilize some of the methods of the Salvationists and still keep the vitality in them, the church might succeed as have they. Indeed this last political campaign in England, if it has fallen short of both Liberal and Tory expectations, has at least given an impetus to church reform-and the reform asked for and needed is not unlike that demanded to-day in America. Practical charity needs no recruits, no improved machinery; it is not the church machinery either here or in England which needs looking after. But there is something higher and better, and at the same time more intangible, than these, for which to-day there is great need-we want the religious temper, the spirit which comes from companionship with God. The Salvationists in one way, the agitation about disestablishment in another, is each doing something towards this in England.