work by five other ladies who read and distribute judiciously the literature of the denomination.

Chicago, Ill.-At the last regular meeting of the Women's Alliance reports were given of the work done by the Herford Kindergarten and Unity Industrial School, and an essay on "Unitarianism: Its Strength and Weakness" was read by Mrs. Utter. -An interesting service in honor of Washington was held at the Third Church on February 22.

The service closed with the singing of a fine patriotic hymn, composed by Mr. Blake.

-Unitarianism and Education in Chicago sustain a sad loss in the sudden death from pneumonia, on March 15, of Mrs. Bastin, wife of Prof. E. S. Bastin. She was a teacher, and held a high rank among the teachers of the city. She was a woman of very superior literary, scientific, and social attainments. Formerly a Baptist, for some years she had been a Unitarian, and an attendant at either the Church of the MesIsiah or All Souls' Church. Everywhere she was held in excepionally high esteem. -Also on March 22 a great loss came to the Church of the Messiah in the death of Mr. Jerome Beecher, who during nearly or quite the whole history of the church had been one of its stanchest friends and supporters. He will be deeply missed in many

ways.

Covington, Ky.-A lecture on "The Meanings of Music" was recently given by Prof. Van Cleve at Greer's Hall under the auspices of the Unitarian society. The lecture was very interesting in itself, and was made still more so by the selections from great composers rendered by Prof. Van Cleve by way of illustration. Rev. L. A. Harvey has been preaching recently upon The Bible as Literature; God, our Father; Man not Fallen, but Incomplete; Christ, our Brother.

Des Moines, Ia.-During Miss Hultin's absence, while attending the Women's Congress at Washington, her pulpit was supplied by Rabbi Mueller of Des Moines, Rev. S. W. Sample of Minneapolis, and Rev. J. H. Palmer of Cedar Rapids.

Our

Detroit, Mich.- The Church of Father publishes a very bright and attractive monthly paper, called The Church Advocate. The society seems to be thoroughly alive through all departments of its work.

Dubuque, Ia.- Rev. Amos Crum, the pastor of the Universalist church, has been holding services in the Opera House recently, which have gathered immense audiences. On the evening of March 8, over four hundred people were unable to gain admission.

Fitchburg, Mass.-Rev. W. H. Pierson has resigned the charge of the First Parish, and accepted a call to the First Congre

gational (Unitarian) Church, Somerville, where he will be installed the 1st of April. The parish, in voting to accept his resignation, expressed "its deep grief and regret at the dissolution of relations which during nearly ten years of service have been of uninterrupted harmony and of constant and increasing pleasure and profit to the society."

Grand Rapids, Mich.-The Universalist church has sold its old building and lot, and is now busy upon plans for a new and much larger building in a better location. The society is prospering under the guidance of Dr. Fluhrer. Grand Rapids is large enough to support two strong liberal churches.

Indianapolis, Ind.-The new Year Book of Plymouth Church comes to hand, showing a religious society all alive. The church building is open every day in the year for some kind of activity having in view the elevating of the life of the people in some way. Let any one who would see what a broad, undogmatic, forward-looking, practical Christian church may be and do to make itself a blessing to thousands in a great city, send ten cents to the minister, Rev. Oscar McCulloch, for a copy of this Year Book.

Iowa. The Women's State Missionary Society of the Universalist Church last October tried the experiment of placing in the field as their agent Mrs. S. L. Crum of Dubuque, and the result has far exceeded their most sanguine expectations. In six months she has been instrumental in the founding of a new society at Charles City, has organized three Young People's Unions, and has aided in settling ministers at Charles City, Osage, and Mt. Pleasant, while the spirit awakened all through the State by her inspiring zeal promises still larger successes.

Kalamazoo, Mich.- Rev. Caroline J. Bartlett has resigned the pastorate of the Unitarian church here for the purpose of making an extended visit to Europe. Her assistant, Rev. Marion Murdock, will take her place.

Kansas City, Mo.-The dailies of Kansas City print in full many of the sermons of Rev. J. E. Roberts. One of the most vigorous that has fallen under our notice is a discourse on “Modern Materialism," contrasting old and new views of religion and God.

Keokuk, Ia.-Rev. W. A. Pratt, the predecessor of Rev. J. H. Palmer at Cedar Rapids, and more recently of Middleport, N. Y., has been called to the pastorate of the Unitarian society, and has entered actively upon his work. Mr. Pratt's reputation as a constructive and indefatigable minister is of the best, and his engagement is a prophecy of an era of renewed prosperity for our church at this important point.

Limekiln, Wash.-The people of Limekiln in sympathy with Unitarianism have just organized a society. It is small at present, but they have hopes of building up a good society in the near future.

Meadville, Pa.-Rev. J. H. Crooker of Madison, Wis., will give a short course of lectures this spring at the Theological School, upon "The Problems of Social Science in Relation to Church Work."

Middleboro, Mass.-The First Unitarian Society held its second annual meeting March 3. The present membership of the society is eighty-seven, forty-three members having been added during the past year. The Building Committee reported that the new church would be ready for dedication in May. The Sunday-school has had a steady growth both in interest and members during the year.

Midland, Mich.- Rev. L. R. Daniels leaves Midland April 1, after five years of earnest and excellent work. He accepts a call to Big Rapids.

Moline, Ill.-Since February 15th, fortytwo new members have been added to the church in Moline. The church debt has been provided for, and additions and improvements have been made to the church property.

New York City.-Rev. Theodore C. Williams has just finished a course of Tuesday afternoon lectures, called New Testament Studies and Problems on the Life of Christ, delivered in the Unitarian Parish House.

-Thirty-three thousand dollars has already been secured for a monument to Peter Cooper. Mr. St. Gaudens is at work on the clay model, which will be ready for inspection in a few weeks.

Oakland, Cal.-The Unitarian society occupied its new church home (the Sundayschool room and parlors) for the first time on Easter Sunday.

-On the evening of March 20 Edward Everett Hale gave an address and readings from his own writings at the First Congregational Church.

-The Oakland Times prints a stirring sermon by Rev. C. W. Wendte, preached on the eve of the city election, on the need for all good men to unite for the overthrow of the saloon power.

Philadelphia, Pa.-The February meeting of the Sunday School Union was held at the Germantown church. Miss Minerva Parker read a paper on "Organization in Sundayschool Work." Most of the discussion following the reading of the paper was upon the place of the Bible in our Sunday-schools.

Plymouth, Mich.-The liberal people here have organized themselves under the name of "The Association for Religious In

quiry and Improvement," with a view to bringing Unitarian, Universalist, and other liberal speakers here to speak on Sunday in the fine new Town Hall. Thus far Rev. Lee S. McCollester of Detroit and Rev. J. T. Sunderland of Ann Arbor have spoken.

Salt Lake City, Utah.-Rev. David Utter is meeting with marked success in his efforts to build up a permanent Unitarian movement here. His congregations are very large, reaching as high as five hundred, and contain a large number of the most influential people of the city. A church organization has been formed. Mr. Utter will prob

ably accept the call, which is very urgently extended him, to become the permanent pastor.

San Francisco, Cal.-An attempt is being made to establish another liberal church in San Francisco. Rev. W. R. Alger preached for a month in Mission Opera Hall, and was followed by Rev. Thomas Van Ness. Mr. Van Ness has preached upon The Obligations of Brotherhood, Who is my neighbor? and The Present Industrial Changes: What they require of

us.

Seattle, Wash.-Rev. Roderick Stebbins has decided not to accept the call of the Unitarian church, and has returned home, going by way of San Francisco to visit his father, Rev. Horatio Stebbins.

-On the evening of March 3 the first meeting and social of the Parish Union was held. An address was made by the vice-president, Mr. Joseph Shippen, presenting the character and objects of the association. Addresses were also made by two ministers from abroad, Mrs. Eliza Tupper Wilkes of Sioux Falls, So. Dak., and Mrs. M. C. Aitken, of Whatcom, Wash. The Union now numbers forty-one members.

Spokane Falls, Wash.- Rev. J. H. Long has resigned the pastorate of the Unitarian church here, and is now at Camden, N.J., from which place he goes in a few months to London. A farewell reception was tendered him by the Unitarian church at Spokane, where the regrets of the congregation at his departure were formally expressed. Rev. A. G. Wilson, once pastor of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Spokane, and recently pastor of one of the Universalist churches of Minneapolis, will supply the pulpit until July 1.

St. Louis, Mo.- The sewing-school at the Mission House is giving systematic and graded instruction in sewing to over fortyfive girls. The Mission Home for homeless or indigent children has thirty-nine inmates. The Mission Sunday-school has a membership of about three hundred. -The Sunday-school committee has just completed a new catalogue of the library, showing four hundred and forty-eight volumes. The collection has been carefully

A NOTE FROM MR. CHADWICK.

Dear Mr. Editor,-In the February Unitarian you speak of "the stupidity and wrong of keeping such medieval dogmas as those of virgin births and physical resurrections in the creeds and standards of Christian churches in the nineteenth century." Will you, not in a private letter, but in the next number of the Unitarian, tell me and your readers generally why you call these dogmas "mediæval"? The Middle Ages have quite enough to answer for without any unwarrantable addition to their load. Are not these "dogmas" New Testament dogmas? Is anything in the New Testament plainer than its teaching of the virgin birth of Jesus and his physical resurrection? You cannot discredit these "dogmas" too absolutely for my taste; but I would have you do it fairly, because they are without proof or rationality, and not as "mediæval," since they were in strict obedience to the letter of the New Testament.

Yours respectfully,

JOHN W. CHADWICK.

Brooklyn, Feb. 17, 1891.

ANSWER.

We called the doctrines of physical resurrections and virgin births mediæval, in the passage referred to, perhaps because that was the adjective that first came to mind. Any one of a dozen others, such as unhistoric, unscientific, unproved, unreasonable, incredible, outgrown, etc., would suit us as well. The particular propriety of using the adjective "mediæval" we suppose lies in the fact that these dogmas were accepted without question in medieval times, and fitted well the unreasoning credulity of those times, whereas in our scientific and reasoning age they seem mere survivals from a less intelligent past. That these dogmas are taught in the New Testament we have no question, but they are by no means its most conspicuous teaching. They cannot be said to characterize the New Testament spirit to anything like the extent that they do the spirit of the heathenism of the Middle Ages. That Christianity in any of its forms should continue to hold them, in an enlightened age like ours, seems to us lamentable: this is why we do all in our power to help men to see how essentially medieval and out of harmony with the spirit and intelligence of the modern world, as well as with the essential teachings of Christ, they are. [ED. Unitarian.]

than I can possibly acknowledge by autograph letters. As I believe nearly all, if not all, the readers of Our Best Words are now readers of the Unitarian, you will please permit me to acknowledge all those kind letters in this way. While keenly conscious

of imperfection when I tried to speak my Best Words, yet I am happy in the reflection of only pure intentions; and, of course, I am very thankful for the many hearty expressions of sympathy and appreciation for what I tried to say and do. But I think your monthly is the best Unitarian periodical for all classes in the world to-day. Long may it live and prosper, and become more of a paper for all people, both old and young! If it could be a weekly, all the better.

Yours, for the Christianity of Jesus,
J. L. DOUTHIT.

Shelbyville, Ill., February 17.

ROBERT C. PITMAN.

By the death of Judge Pitman the cause of temperance in Massachusetts loses one of its most earnest and radical advocates. Rev. F. B. Hornbrooke says in the Christian Register, referring to his temperance principles :

At the beginning of his life, when he began to think, he was one of that noble band who testified against one of the greatest evils that this nation has ever seen; and it was given to him to see of the travail of his soul and to be made to feel sure that, wherever principle comes in conflict with expediency, principle at last must win the day. So, through his later years, in spite of separation from friends, in spite of obloquy, in spite of derision, in spite of the sacrifice of cherished honors, he stood firmly in defence of the cause of temperance in this State. Others might yield, others might equivocate, others might falter for the day; but he was simply true to what he believed, and so he has the honor which belongs to a man who is true to the principles that God has made clear to him.

GEN. SHERMAN AND CATHOLI

CISM.

In the death of Gen. Sherman the country loses the most brilliant of its generals and a great and noble man. Since the Roman Catholic Church has made so much effort to give the impression that he belonged to that communion, it is well that his brother, Hon. John Sherman, published in the Baltimore Sun of February 14, the day of the general's death, a letter stating the facts as

to the religious belief of the latter and the relation he bore to the Catholic Church. The letter in full reads as follows:

FEB. 13, 1891.

It is

Gentlemen,-A paragraph in your paper this morning gives a very erroneous view of an incident in Gen. Sherman's sick-chamber, which wounds the sensitive feelings of his children, now in deep distress, and which under the circumstances I deem it proper to correct. Your reporter intimates that advantage was taken of my temporary absence to introduce a Catholic priest into Gen. Sherman's chamber to administer the rite of extreme unction to the sick man, in the nature of a claim that he was a Catholic. well known that his family have been reared by their mother, a devoted Catholic, in her faith, and now cling to it. It is equally well known that Gen. Sherman and myself, as well as all my mother's children, are, by inheritance, education, and conviction, Christians, but not Catholics, and this has been openly avowed on all proper occasions by Gen. Sherman; but he is too good a Christian and too humane a man to deny to his children the consolation of their religion. He was insensible at the time and apparently at the verge of death; but, if he had been well and in the full exercise of his faculties, he would not have denied to them the consolation of the prayers and religious observances for their father of any class or denomination of Christian priests or preachers. Certainly, if I had been present, I would at the request of the family have assented to and reverently shared in an appeal to the Almighty for the life here and hereafter of my brother, whether called a prayer or extreme unction, and whether uttered by a priest or a preacher or any other good man who believed what he spoke and had an honest faith in his creed. I hear that your reporter uttered a threat to obtain information, which I cannot believe you would for a moment tolerate. We all need charity for our frailties, but I can feel none for any one who would wound those already in distress. Very truly yours,

JOHN SHERMAN.

JOTTINGS.

Thousands of hearts have been saddened by the news that Miss Anna Dickinson is suffering from mental disease, and has been sent to an insane asylum in Pennsylvania for treatment. Her case seems to be a serious one, although the superintendent of the institution looks for possible recovery in a few months. Says the Boston Commonwealth, "It is now known that poverty and enforced retirement from public and social life have been active causes in unsettling her once brilliant mind." Her many friends will be glad to know that an effort is being made to

The

raise a fund of $20,000 for her benefit. treasurer of the fund, to whom contributions may be sent, is Gen. C. T. Christensen, 177 Montague Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.

In the Christian Union of March 12, Dr. Lyman Abbott has a sermon on "The Man Christ," containing the following passage, which is about as good Unitarianism as any of us would ask for: "Two children come to their father to settle a dispute. 'Father, they say, 'we have been discussing about this coal in the fire; and I say that the light of that coal comes from the coal that was in the bosom of the earth, and my brother says that the light of that coal comes from the Which of us is right?' And the father says: My dear children, you are both right. The coal comes from the bosom of the earth, but all light and all heat come from the sun that first gave it birth.' I sometimes think, when we have gotten through our theological debates here on earth, between Unitarians and Trinitarians, and go up to the great Father, and one says, 'Was he the Son and the other says, 'It cannot be he must of man and all of his glory human glory?'

sun.

have been the Son of God!' the Father will answer us, You are both right; for there is no glory of humanity that is not a glory of divinity, and there is no glory of divinity that does not find its expression in that which is glorious in man.'"

Lowell makes Christ say to Sir Launfal:— "Not that we give, but that we share, For the gift without the giver is bare; Who bestows himself with his gift feeds three,

Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me."

Ruskin, in speaking of his childhood, says: "I never had heard my father's or mother's voice once raised in any question with each other, nor seen an angry or even slightly hurt or offended glance in the eyes of either. I had never heard a servant scolded, nor even suddenly, passionately, or in any severe manner, blamed. I had never seen a moment's trouble or disorder in any household matter, nor anything whatever either done in a hurry or undone in due time. . . . Nothing was ever promised me that was not given, nothing ever threatened me that was not inflicted, and nothing ever told me that was not true." What a testimony is this for one to be able to give concerning his parents!

For Duty saith: Life is too real a thing
To waste in worthless ways.

moan,

For soul and body, bread. bring

Them but a stone.

For bread men

'Twere shame to

-James Phinney Baxter.

"God is a circle whose circumference is everywhere, and whose centre is nowhere to be found."