Unitarianism in America: A History of its Origin and DevelopmentCooke, George Willis
History
Unitarianism in America: A History of its Origin and Development
Cooke, George Willis
Unitarianism -- United States
On November 30, 1865, a meeting similar to that at Somerville was held by
the Franklin Evangelical Association[22] at Springfield, and with similar
results. Other meetings were held at Lowell, Dedham, Quincy, Salem,
Taunton, Worcester, and Boston. The attendance at all these meetings was
large, they developed an enthusiastic interest, and pledges were promptly
made looking to larger contributions to the Unitarian Association.
At the Syracuse meeting of the National Conference, in 1866, Dr. Bellows
reported for the council in favor of local organizations, auxiliary to the
national body. "No great national convention of any kind succeeds," it was
declared, "which is not the concurrence of many local conventions, each of
which has duties of detail and special spheres of influence upon whose
co-operation the final and grand success of the whole depends." A series of
resolutions, calling for the formation of local conferences, "to meet at
fixed periods, at convenient points, for the organization of missionary
work," was presented by Dr. E.E. Hale. In order to carry into effect the
intent of these resolutions, Charles Lowe devised a plan of organization,
which declared that the object of the local conference "shall be to promote
the religious life and mutual sympathy of the churches which unite in it,
and to enable them to co-operate in missionary work, and in raising funds
for various Christian purposes." The work of organizing such local
missionary bodies was taken up at once, and proceeded rapidly. The first
one was organized at Sheboygan, Wis., October 24, 1866; and nearly all the
churches were brought within the limits of such conferences during the next
two years.[23]
In the local conferences, as in the National Conference, two purposes
contended for expression that were not compatible with each other as
practical incentives to action. The one looked to the uniting of all
liberal individuals and denominations in a general organization, and the
other aimed at the promotion of distinctly Unitarian interests. In the
National Conference the denominational purpose controlled in shaping its
permanent policy; but the other intent found expression in the addition of
"Other Christian Churches" to the name, though in only the most limited way
did such churches connect themselves with the Conference.[24] The local
conferences made like provision for those not wishing to call themselves
distinctly Unitarian. Such desire for co-operation, however, was in a large
degree ineffective because of the fact that the primary aim in the calling
into existence of such conferences was an increase in the funds of the
Unitarian Association.
[Sidenote: Fellowship and Fraternity.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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