USA > Illinois > Kane County > Geneva > Fifty years of Unitarian life : being a record of the proceedings on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the organization of the First Unitarian Society of Geneva, Illinois, celebrated June tenth, eleventh and twelth, 1892 > Part 10
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Letter. 119
our way up to it, and prove it even better than we claimed! Even more :-
"Swift of foot was Hiawatha! He could shoot an arrow from him, And run forward with such fleetness That the arrow fell behind him."
It is interesting to see, week by week, positions held thirty, twenty, ten years ago, by liberal religious advocates, and at that time looked at with scoffing or with horror by the "faithful," to- day being accepted and preached boldly by them; while the "lib- erals" are again thirty, twenty, ten years in advance, propagating truth which once more is matter for scoffing or for horror to those who by and by shall accept and teach it likewise. "All in good time," then.
Nor may we ever stop! There is Progress yet to be. Faith goes on. There can be for us "no resignation of office or winding up of affairs, but always a proceeding to business: not taking off our clothes till we go to bed." Even one thing of Beauty found, or two things, must not detain us. The Yankee in Italy glanced at the Apollo Belvedere, and told his attendant to "check" it in the list of curious objects seen, as he must pass on! He could not stay there. The world had more in it, even of admirable statuary, than one Apollo Belvedere. Translate, friends, this incident for your- selves into matters of the soul.
Never was the outlook for man's spiritual life so bright, so cheerful, so luring, as to-day, with the Church beginning to unwind its age-fastened eye-bandages.
"Out of the dark the circling sphere Is rounding onward to the light: We see not yet the full day here, But we do see the paling night."
That the little Unitarian Church in Geneva has not failed to have its part in the new, modern developing fiat, "Let there be light," should make the hearts of all of you very glad and grateful during this Semi-Centennial celebration. Believe us present with you in spirit, with our best hopes and love, and with our expecta- tions that, in your midst, the Progressive Spirit of which I have briefly written will never die out.
Affectionately yours, JAMES H. WEST.
Leicester, June 6, 1892.
CORA LIVERMORE WEST.
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Freedom of Thought and Speech.
Freedom of Thought and Speech. REV. THOS. P. BYRNES. The worst sceptic in the world is the man who does not trust the integ- rity of his own mind to sift truth from error.
We will now hear from 'Mr. Byrnes, of Humboldt, Iowa, Pastor of this Society from 1887 to 1890.
MR. BYRNES' RESPONSE.
Freedom of thought and freedom of speech is the soul of Prot- estantism, while the absolute dominion of the Church over the human mind is the soul of Catholicism. Protestantism during its four hundred years of history has not always been true to its first principles and its real ideal, for it has often set up sources of au- thority as absolute in their dominion over the human mind as that of the Pope or the Church of Rome. The creeds and bibles, the Luthers and Calvins of Protestantism have ruled the minds of Protestant men and women with the same iron hands the Pope of Rome has wielded, and yet freedom of thought and speech was wrapped up in the revolt of Luther as certainly as the sturdy oak is in the tiny acorn. It took three hundred years or more to develop that sturdy oak that we see here to-day. It took three hundred years to give us freedom of thought and of speech, as it has been illustrated to us to-day. But it came; it came with the Declara- tion of American Independence. It came with Theodore Parker and his volcanic address on "The permanent and the transient in religion." It came with the prophetic voice of Emerson; and that great prophet's call, the Divinity School Address, that Holmes call- ed "Our Spiritual Declaration of Independence," that established religion on its true and final foundation, the living human soul liv- ing in constant communion with its God. Freedom of thought and speech has come to stay, as the result of the pleading of Martineau, and that book of his, "The Seat of Authority in Religion," that lays the philosophical foundation for the religion that Emerson had announced with the voice of the prophet. Now, I don't mean that all Protestant men and women are free to think and speak on religion to-day, but I mean that Protestantism has established the right to think and speak, and vindicated its validity in the relig- ious life; and so far as the spirit of the times is discernible, free- dom of thought in religion is in the air to-day. The real conflict and antagonism that is shaking the foundations of all the great sects to-day is this conflict and antagonism between freedom and authority in religion. It is the same old conflict between the Cath- olic and the Protestant principle in religion. The Reformers brought with them such a load of Catholic authority from Rome that these two principles are really fighting for life to-day in al- most every Protestant sect. This conflict in the Presbyterian
Freedom of Thought and Speech. 121
church is a conflict between these two principles. Briggs is stand- ing for nothing more or less than the Protestant principle of free- dom of thought in religion; while Patton and his cohorts are un- consciously working for the Roman doctrine of authority in relig- ion. Now, if freedom of thought is the soul of Protestantism; and the absolute surrender of the human mind to the dominion of the Church is the soul of Catholicism, then either one or the other of these two principles is to triumph in the future. There is no mid- dle ground between them; there is no compromise. It is either absolute free thought or else the absolute surrender of the mind to an authority higher than itself. Now, it matters not what that authority is. Authority is the same the world over. Protestant authority is no better than Catholic authority. They both devel- op the same cringing character and vassal spirit. Authority in re ligion is for the one purpose of bringing into subjection the human mind.
John Henry Newman, perhaps the greatest authority of this century, one that has stood the most vigorously for authority in religion, says that men outside of the Catholic Church have tried to devise schemes to bring wilful human nature under subjection. "But where," he says, "Is the representative of things invisible that has the force and the toughness necessary to be a breakwater against the wild intellect of man." He finds no authority equal to Catholic infallibility outside of the Catholic church, and he defends that infallibility on the ground that it does bring into subjection human nature, that it does furnish a breakwater against the wild intellect of man.
I can not, on this occasion, go into any extended inquiry of the foundations on which freedom of thought and speech rest. It rests on that foundation so well laid by Emerson in that great declara- tion of his. "That nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of the human mind." It rests upon that Scripture teaching of the true light that "lighteth every man," and it ought to have said every woman, "that cometh into the world." Freedom of thought is simply the right to listen to the witnesses that God has implanted in every sane mind. Freedom of thought is the right to follow the light that lighteth every man and every woman that cometh into the world; and resting on this foundation freedom of thought and of speech stands secure with such men and women as are here represented to carry out and illustrate it to the world. I would not to-day stand for freedom of thought and of speech only as a privilege, as a luxury, that we liberals ought to congratulate our- selves that we enjoy. I would insist upon it as a duty, freedom of thought is the first essential to a manly and a womanly character. Freedom of thought and slavery of thought will never produce the same kind of character until all things are possible to man as well as God. Freedom of thought and free religion produce self-
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Woman's Relation to Religious Freedom.
propelling men and women. Slavery of thought and subjection to authority produce cringing, leaning, self-distrustful men and women. When you settle which of these two ideals is the highest you have settled the kind of religion to teach in this world.
Now, freedom of speech rests upon the same foundations that freedom of thought does. If the mind has the right to think, then the lips and the tongues should have the right to utter thought to the world. Freedom of speech rests upon the conviction that the world has a right to its intellectual and spiritual wealth. We may say that men and women are free to think if they want to; that there is no policeman to guard the mind, but I tell you, therc are policemen; there are dogmas and superstitions that do this work more effectually than the blue-coated policemen that stand on our corners. There is no city in the world so well guarded as this city of the mind is by the grim dogmas of superstition. As soon as the tendency to free thought arises in the mind, these specters of absolute authority of the Church, of endless hell rise up to suppress the first thought that rises in the minds of many men and women to-day, and until this state of things is changed, until Protestantism and Catholicism shall have been brought to freedom of thought and of speech, this Church and the Churches that stand for those principles will have a great future in this world.
Woman's Relation to Religious Freedom. MRS. CELIA PARKER WOOLLEY.
New ideas and motives were at work within her, the results of which were likely to be all the more genuine that they were only half rec- ognized by herself.
I think, as in the first case, I need not enter into any discussion or give any reason why Mrs. Woolley should respond to "Woman's Relation to Religious Freedom."
MRS. WOOLLEY'S RESPONSE.
I have been wondering, Mr. Chairman, whether you stopped to consider the amount of moral dynamite in the selection of this subject, the combination of two such words as "woman" and "free- dom." It is a rather serious subject to me and I fear I shall not be able to treat it with that lightness and ease that belong to after- dinner efforts of this kind. It has prompted me to take a text, not from the Bible, but from one of our modern prophets, Olive Schreiner. It is from one of the shorter allegories in her latest volume of "Dreams," and is entitled, if I remember aright, "The Angel of Life," and runs as follows: The Angel of Life approached
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Woman's Relation to Religious Freedom.
a woman sleeping, bearing a gift in each hand, and saying to the woman "Choose." The woman waited long and finally chose- Freedom. The Angel smiled and said "That is well. Hadst thou chosen the other I would have given thee thy choice, but I should have gone away, not to return. Now I shall return, and when thou see'st me again, I shall bear both gifts in one hand.
There is a profound truth in this little fable whether you re- gard the sleeping woman as typical of the entire race of men and women together, typical of both as truth-seekers, or whether you take the figure as standing for woman alone, in her search for a higher and more complete womanhood. It leads us also to think of the comparative merits of love and freedom as factors of growth. I don't know that I would go so far as to say that a broader and truer synthesis is reached in the word Freedom than the word Love, but I certainly feel that the last word is used in often a very injurious and misleading way. I hear much preach- ing of love in the pulpits that offends both my taste and judgment, still, undoubtedly love is the grander, more inclusive word than any other in our human speech, when rightly used. What the allegory means to teach is, I think, that if Love is the word de- fining the spirit that governs all things, Freedom is the word. which defines that method of growth by which we reach the truest conception of love and become its helpful ministers.
Historically, the allegory does not speak the truth. Histori- cally, as a matter of fact in her own personal experience and that of her race, woman has never chosen freedom before love. On the contrary, all her choices have been those of love, those choices represented in the various relations in life which she has been called on to sustain, of society, the family, the church. So that when we try to talk about woman's relation to freedom, or to re- ligious freedom, we seem to have little to say. We should find a great deal to say if we were to speak of woman's relation to relig- ion. Then we could speak of her zeal, her devotion, her piety, the large numbers she has always brought to the support of the church compared with man. But when we remember how often that devotion has been purchased at the cost of real intelligence on her part, how her zeal has generally stood for bigotry and ignorance, then we see the difficulty of saying much in her favor on this special subject. But the past is one thing, the future an- other, and my subject is justified by the hope and the promise held out to woman and to the world through her, in this era of awaken- ing intelligence and responsibility in which we live. To-day, we stand at that point in the development of religious thought, or ra- ther in the development of all thought, when freedom is seen to be a necessary condition of intellectual life. Socially, religiously, do- mestically, woman never enjoyed that degree of liberty that is given her to-day, freedom to use her own mind and heart in
124
The Literary Value of the Liberal Faith.
solving the problems of life, that comes to her not as a woman but as a human being. To be of great worth to the world and to man she must cultivate all her powers unhindered, must make the most and best of herself. She must choose freedom first, before love, or love will be unworthily chosen. As I think of this, and remem- ber how complex are all the relations of life, see how much of pain, misunderstanding and seeming wrong such choice on woman's part means, I sec how the strain and pain of new growth must be felt by man as well as by her, how she has in some respects the easier task, since she has but to choose for herself; while man who has so long held the reins of privilege, influence and authority must make her choice his, choosing freedom for her with freedom for himself. Men have much to learn and suffer here.
In their religious life women have had a voice and influence only on the lower plain of the church's practical work. Woman has contributed too little to the thought the higher spirituality of the church. Men will be her natural leaders here for a long time to come. Not until she has learned to think independently as well as reverently will her relation to the coming creed founded on per- fcct mental liberty, be established.
The Literary Halute of the Liberal Faith.
MR. FORREST CRISSEY.
In the absence of Mr. LeBaron, who was to have responded to "The Fox River Valley" I shall call upon my friend Mr. Crissey to speak to us upon the subject which is suggested to me by a story which I heard Mrs. Sheppard tell the other evening, and with her kind per- mission, I will mangle it. It seems a lady had been at- tending Mr. Gannett's church, and was calling upon her former pastor, a Presbyterian. He asked her where she attended church and she told him. He asked about the the church, if it was a strong one; she said 'no, that it was not,' and ventured the assertion that 'outside of New England there were very few popular Unitarian churches.' He looked over his glasses in a peculiar way and said, "Yes, I believe they are not very popular, but Unitarian- ism is in all of our literature and it is in the air." I call upon Mr. Crissey to respond to the toast, "The Literary
125
The Centennial, Celebratian.
Value of the Liberal Faith."
MR. CRISSEY'S RESPONSE.
It seems to me that nothing short of malice aforethought could have devised the toast "The Literary Value of the Liberal Faith."
If the master of ceremonies had proposed some subject at least partially open to discussion :- say for instance, "Is this Collation Satisfying to Appetite;" "Is there a Unitarian Church in Geneva" or "Has it Rained"-then there might have been some chance for response. But when there is not a book that can hope to outlive its decade in all the real literature of to-day that does not owe its creation to the liberal spirit which we celebrate, how can you con- sider the Literary Value of the Liberal Faith open to discussion? From Hugo and Emerson down to the last paper covered novel in the news agents's pile you can scarcely name one volume that con- tains a touch of genius that has not caught its vital spark from the Faith That Makes Faithful. More than that you cannot point to a line in any of the reputed literature of orthodoxy that stands up above the dead level of its surrounding platitude that does not bear upon its face the proof that its author had lapscd into a mo- ment of natural thinking, of free thought.
The legitimate issue of a mind impregnated with the genuine orthodox spirit is a literary crab, bound to progress backward into the gathering dust of Sunday School library shelves, without hope of resurrection beyond being sent with donations of cast-off cloth- ing to struggling missionaries upon the frontier. In no realm of activity does the human mind approach so near to création as in literature. What kind of a creation can you expect from a mind bound with the chains of the old creeds, dragging the heavy ball of a belief in eternal torment and the orthodox conception of God?
Imagine a mind that believes that thousands of its fellow be- ings are going down to everlasting damnation, indulging the nice discrimination in the quirks and foibles of human nature, the de- lightfully trifling leisure and exquisite artistic finish which we find in W. D. Howells. Only a mind that believes in the ultimate happiness of all and in the final triumph of good as the sure destiny of the universe can have that liberty of thought, that largeness of Faith and that repose of mind which is vital to the creation of true literature.
The Centennial Celebration, REV. JAS. VILA BLAKE.
With prescient sight, more daring than a scer's My soaring spirit leaped ten hundred years.
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The Centennial Celebration.
. You may not have noticed, but it is nevertheless true, that this program falls naturally into three divisions. The first is reminiscent; the second is general; the third is pro- phetic, and now we will hear from Mr. Blake about "The Centennial Celebration. "
MR. BLAKE'S RESPONSE.
BRETHREN AND SISTEREN: You never will know what a fine speech I had prepared. All day, since I learncd what I was to speak about, I have been busy thinking of fine things to say. I have been observing this beautiful scenery; looking at the birds, the trees, the grassy lawn, the sunlight, striving to win from each a bit of expression for this hour. And I got it. But I have received a violent shock. A few moments ago a friend said to me, "Are you going to talk much? The Lord help us, if you are." And I haven't recovered from that shock sufficiently to speak to you. Be- sides, I noticed the poetical couplet with which I am introduced on the program:
"With prescient sight, more daring than a secr's My soaring spirit leaped ten hundred years."
Since I looked at that I have been trying hard to remember whence it came. I have a dim idea that I have met those lines be- fore somewhere. Between the shock I have spoken of and the oc- cupation of my mind observing those lines, what I had to say has gone clean out of my head. "Leaped ten hundred years!" Did you ever know anything so foolish as the poets are,-if you can call that line a poet's ? I think I could write two lines just as good as those are, myself. "Leaped ten hundred years." Why, I find an insurmountable difficulty in being required to leap fifty years, to tell what is in reserve for your Centennial; and after the shock I have spoken of, I shall not try. I will not fail by trying. There is time enough, though the hour is late; but I shall not give you any- thing after that shock. I shall simply tell you a story, which you can apply for yourselves, about an Eastern Dervis who came to a town in his travels, ascended the pulpit, and the people being gath- cred all around, as you are, said, "Oh ye people, do you know what I am going to talk to you about?" And they said "No, we do not
know." "Oh!" said the Dervis, "I will not talk to such a pack of fools." And he got down from the pulpit and went away. The next day he came and cried out, "Oh ye people. do ye know what I am going to talk to you about?" And they all cried out, remem- bering their. disappointment the day before "Yes, we do." "Then," said he, "There is no need of my talking." And again he went away. The next day he came as before. I think he must
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The Centennial Celebratian. 127
have had some such people as these of the poet in his mind, that could look forward and tell something about what was to be. He said, "Oh ye people, do ye know what I am going to talk to you about." And they, better instructed, answered, "Some of us know, and some of us do not know." "Then," said the Dervis "Let those who know tell those who do not know." And he went away-as I do now.
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Congratulatory Setters.
F ROM the large number of congratulatory letters which were received, a few have been selected for publication as being of general interest to those who will read the published proceedings.
FROM EDWARD EVERETT HALE, D. D.
ROXBURY, MASS., JUNE 15, 1892.
MY DEAR MR. HARVEY :-
I am sorry to see that your love-feast has passed. I meant to write a historical letter, because I remember Conant perfectly well. He was one of the most distinguished missionaries I have ever known.
At that time we thought the Rock River country was the kingdom of heaven, and in that very year I offered my services to the Unitarian Association, to go to the West and spend my life as a preacher, if they would advance fifteen dollars for my expenses. The board met and considered the subject, and sent me word that they did not think they should get enough for their money. In this they were undoubtedly right. I did not go, and that is the reason that I am writing you here now, instead of writing to my friend DeNormandie the account of the success of the fifty-year celebration.
When I received your letter, I did not even hope that I could myself come to Geneva, because I am going to England just at this time, but I did think I could send my congratulations.
Truly yours, EDW. . HALE.
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Congratulatory Letters.
FROM MARIE L. LAMB.
546 GARFIELD AVE., CHICAGO, JUNE 2, 1892. MRS. A. O. HOYT; DEAR MADAM :-
Through Miss LeBaron, my daughter and I received invita- tions to be present at the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Unitarian Society of Geneva, Ill.
Be assured that the infirmities of seventy-seven alone compel me to extend to you, with our thanks, sincere regrets for absence on this very interesting occasion.
It was in the summer of 1854 that we, with our pastor, Rev. Rush R. Shippen, picnicked on the island, I think, in Fox River. It was a lovely day and we had a delightful time. I thought it one of the prettiest towns I was ever in.
That day was the commencement of a charming acquaintance with Rev. and Mrs. Conant. We had the pleasure of enter- taining Mr. Conant several times when he exchanged with our pastors.
I several times visited friends in Geneva, whom I had known from childhood in Massachusetts, and the cemetery where the dear elder friend of my young years is laid, the first wife of Mr. Wm. Chauncy Wilder-a Miss Waters. Mr. Conant told me she had the finest, clearest Unitarian mind he had ever met; it was a feast to converse with her.
I would like very much to again meet Mr. and Miss Eddowes. Will you please give my compliments and address to them? And Mrs. Long and her little people; I want to see them so much. Oh, how I wish I could once again enter the dear old church and list- en to the voice of prayer and song.
Hoping that the days may be pleasant and your celebration a success in every particular, and begging you to excuse the garru- lous propensity of an old lady,
I remain very sincerely yours, MARIE L. LAMB.
FROM THOMAS MOULDING.
CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 10, 1892.
MRS. A. HOYT :-
We should be pleased to attend the fiftieth anniversary of the organization of your Church, but at the last moment find that the state of my own and Mrs. Moulding's health impels us to leave the city to-morrow for Colorado. We have very pleasant recollections of the little Church; my father and family found a genial Church home there in June, 1851, he had been a Unitarian for over twenty- five years at that time and found in Mr. Conant a grand good friend and delightful preacher and our whole family learned to
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Congratulatory Letters.
love him dearly. We were no more strangers in a strange land when we or rather they, as I remained in Chicago, reached Geneva. Yours respectfully, THOMAS MOULDING.
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