hundred members and a Young People's Guild of forty, both of which are fully alive, the Sunday-school, with a large pastor's class and interesting concerts and systematic work, is on the way to growth and usefulness. A parish library has been started, and a new organization is to be made of the school. The Sunday evening familiar talks are popular, and a course of lectures by well-known speakers is to be given. The beautiful stone church, with its appointments and facilities, is a great help in carrying on the work of the club. The Ministers' Union of the town, originating in the Unitarian vestry at a supper where the other clergymen were sharing the hospitalities, is one of the best things ever started in any town. Indeed, it now includes half a dozen surrounding towns, and numbers fifteen or twenty members of all denominations.

Norton, Mass.-The Young People's Guild observed its second anniversary October 26. About two hundred and fifty people gathered at the Unitarian church to listen to the exercises. The secretary's statement showed that the present membership of the guild is fifty-nine. The guild held fortyfive Sunday evening services during the year, the largest attendance being 125 and the average attendance 51. At these meetings original papers, on vital and practical topics, have been read by members of the guild, an occasional lecture has been given, and there has been held a memorial service, a patriotic service, Easter and Thanksgiving services, a harvest concert, and several praise services. Rev. B. R. Bulkeley, president of the National Guild Alliance, and Rev. William H. Fish, Jr., of Dedham, were present at our anniversary and addressed the guild and its friends. There were present delegates from Dedham, Newton, Providence, R. I., and Taunton; also members of the Christian Endeavor at the Centre and the Epworth League at Chartley. The organ prelude by Mr. Abbot Smith, the words of welcome by Mr. Nicholson, and the violin solo by Mr. George Smith were highly acceptable to the audience. The guild and its invited guests then repaired to the vestry, where a collation had been provided which was enjoyed by all. If some such programme could be carried out in different parts of the country once a year as "a regular thing" in our Unitarian methods, it would greatly facilitate the diffusion of guild facts, raise the tide of enthusiasm in guild work, and create many new and invaluable friendships, besides letting the world know, not only that our liberal flag is waving at the mast-head, but also that our young people are determined to do their part to keep it there.

C. F. N.

Oxford, Eng.-The buildings for the accommodation of the Manchester New College (Unitarian) are in process of erection. The ceremony of laying the corner-stone, five or

six weeks ago, drew together a large and representative company of English Unitarians and their friends. There were addresses by Principal Drummond and others. The cost of the edifices and grounds will be about £50,000, of which sum about £44,000 have been secured. Those who have seen drawings of the new buildings say they will rank among the most beautiful in Oxford.

Pomona, Cal.-Rev. Leslie W. Sprague and his wife, Rev. Lila Frost Sprague, were installed as ministers of the First Unitarian Church November 1. Rev. Eli Fay, D.D., of San Bernardino preached the sermon, Rev. J. S. Thomson of Los Angeles gave the charge to the people, and Rev. Thomas Van Ness extended the right hand of fellowship. We have no church edifice here; and the exercises were held in the opera house, which was filled.

Rev. Mr. Sprague preached his first sermon to his Pomona congregation November 8, taking for his topic, "Why should there be a Unitarian Church?" A good congregation greeted him, and all were well pleased. Immediately after the close of the service steps were taken to organize a Sundayschool.

San Bernardino, Cal.-On Sunday, November 8, Rev. Lila Frost Sprague, joint pastor with her husband of the First Unitarian Church of Pomona, preached here to the regular congregation in Dr. Fay's church. She took the theme, "The Problem of Evil."

San Francisco, Cal.-The Channing Auxiliary is full of life and activity. It prints monthly leaflets entitled "Scattered Leaves," which it circulates in this city, and through the Post-office Mission all up and down the coast. It is preparing a very beautiful calendar for the new year, which is to contain copies of pen and ink sketches by local artists. At the last meeting of the Auxiliary a member gave a very full and interesting report of the recent Pacific Conference at Los Angeles. Hon. Horace Davis gave a very instructive and delightful lecture before the Auxiliary, November 16, on "Sights and Incidents in Japan."

-On November 8 Rev. Dr. Stebbins began a series of Sunday evening lectures in his church on "Popularity"; "Agnosticism"; "Religion as modified by American Society"; "Nonsense"; "Darwin and Darwinism": "The Press, or Newspapers and Journalism."

Seattle, Wash.-The Post-Intelligencer of November 9 contains an excellent sermon by Rev. William G. Eliot on "The Duties of Life."

Shelbyville, Ill.-A social gathering of very extraordinary interest was held at the Unitarian church on the evening of November 14. A debt and mortgage to the amount of some twelve or thirteen hundred dollars have long rested upon the home of Rev.

J. L. Douthit. As the debt was becoming too heavy to be borne much longer, and as the limited income of Mr. Douthit left no margin for its liquidation, Mrs. J. G. Cochran of Shelbyville, Mrs. Gougar, the well-known temperance worker, and other friends have been for some months at work trying to raise the money to pay it. The efforts put forth culminated in what was called a "Silver Dollar Social" of the date just named. The evening was very rainy; yet a large number assembled. Those present brought their gifts, and letters were read from many persons at a distance who sent their gifts and assurances of sympathy and warmest regard. To the delight of all, the offerings were found to be sufficient to cancel the mortgage. So the home is saved, and a good man and woman are relieved of a great and almost crushing load. There were speeches, congratulations, and refreshments; and seldom have a company of people been so happy. Mr. and Mrs. Douthit were almost overwhelmed with the wholly unexpected kindness of their friends.

St. Joseph, Mo.-Rev. Enoch Powell, the Missouri Valley missionary of the American Unitarian Association, is lending a hand to the Unitarian society here, and trying to help it to get on its feet again. St. Joseph is a large and important city, and there are some earnest souls in the little Unitarian church. Some day we shall have a strong society here. Courage, and try again!

St. Louis, Mo.-We have received the following notes from the Church of the Messiah:

I. The Eliot Society held its first meeting for the season 1891-92 on the 27th of October. There was an unusual attendance, attracted by the report of the Woman's Alliance by Mrs. McKittrick, who interested all in her account of the work. The Meadville call was prominently mentioned: the women propose responding in a creditable fashion. The members of the society, which is a branch of the alliance, were gratified to hear that we have one of the largest branches in the country, probably the only one having a director in its own right. There is no other branch in the State; but our membership of over one hundred entitles us to a State director. Other features of the meeting were the reports from the Standing Committee, and a paper on "The Domestic Service Question" by Mrs. Stone.

II. The Literary Committee will soon issue the programme for the literary class, to be called "Moral Lessons from Shakspere."

III. The chorus choir rendered the Mass of Saint Cecilia in the presence of a large congregation on the afternoon of the 15th.

IV. The Sunday-schools of the church are following studies in Unitarianism, prepared by Mr. Snyder and studied under his direction by the teachers of both schools at

the weekly meeting of Sunday-school teachers. The course is awakening much interest among the scholars, and doing much to make clear the fundamental distinction between liberal and orthodox faith.

V. The four small windows remaining in the church proper will soon be filled with memorials of deceased members of the congregation.

VI. The Unitarian Club opened the season October 19. Mr. Snyder's paper on "The Semitic Influence on Modern Thought" provoked a most interesting discussion, and gave his friends one of those ever-welcome opportunities of hearing him on a secular topic.

JOTTINGS.

C. L. M.

"Send out the sunlight that speaks in a smile:

Often it shortens the long, weary mile! Often the burdens seem light for a while. "Send out the sunlight, the sunlight of cheer,

Shine on earth's sadness till ills disappear: Souls are in waiting this message to hear."

"All the way from Calvary down

The carven pavement shows

Their graves who won the martyr's crown,
And safe in God repose,-

The saints of many a warring creed,
Who now in heaven have learned
That all paths to the Father lead
Where self the feet have spurned."

A WORD ABOUT HERESY.

Dr. George C. Lorimer has a word to say concerning the new heresies. The air is full of questionings, and heterodoxy is rampant; but "there is no real need for the morbid anxiety that now prevails in certain quarters," for we should "remember that the heresies of the hour are not of the damnable sort which, as Peter declared, deny the Lord who bought us. Neither are they mixed with such immoralities as Paul condemns in his letter to the Galatians." The "heretics" who have attracted recent attention are men of blameless life and earnest seekers after truth, who do not question the truth of Scripture, but, by denying the old traditional method by which it was supposed that the truth had been revealed, seek to lead us "to recognize a more rational criticism than was possible to our fathers." Neither are their heresies "defections from Christian doctrine, but only from the creeds which assume authoritatively to define such doctrines." Its adherents simply question the authority of men who lived centuries ago to cast all religious belief into a set of rigid forms from which no future age can escape. Neither do they depart in the least from the high ideals of Christian life; but they do protest against a narrow interpretation of that life.