UNITARIANISM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 399, 7 January 1909, Page 8

UNITARIANISM.

DR. TUDOR JONES'S CHURCH. ' LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE, y ■ INTERESTING SPEECHES. . In spite of the .disagreeable weather which prevailed in the city, yesterday afternoon, the !,ceremony of laying'.'the foundation stone of tlio new church building in; Ingestre Street fdr ..'the, .Unitarian < Society; .Was;'. fairly wellattended.- . Jlr. John- Gaminell, president "of the .'society, .-was chairmariyduring the. p_ro- i codings, which 'coromericed' with, the.singing of' the . psalm "Oh . God. Oiir' Help in . Ages ..'-.-'s'.'-' ■ r '-;y :■ ' y'A. large number of. letters conveying apologies for unavoidable absence, 7 and": good wishes for,the aims and work of the society, were then read by the Rev. Dr. Tudor Jones, Ph.D., minister of the church..:: They in-, eluded the names of Sir Robert Stout, 'K.C.M.G., Chief 1 Justice, the Bishop of-Wel-lington, Rev., T. H. Sprott, Sir Joseph-Ward, the-Very ißev. "Father Hon;': Dr. Findlay, Hon. J. Av Millar, Dr. Gibb, Rev. J. R. Glasson, Rev. W. J. Williams,; and many others,- both in New " Zealand " and 'abroad. • , '' . ; ' 'C:- : How Unltarlanlsm Came. The chairman (Mr. Gammell) then , delivered a short but interesting-address.-- He traversed the history of the Unitarian movement in Wellington, which, he said,: originated in a small ■ meeting held in a room in York'Chambers-'on Octooer 3,- 1904.-:. >The first service was held invthe'Druids' Hall; Taranaki : Street, the' following' month.,- The. movement-owed much,'in'.those daysyof Sob-; .'to : the 'influence exerted' in the/ community by the ■ visit' of the .Rev. Charles-Hargrove, M.A. (England), who-caino out under •the auspices-of the British and Foreign- Unitarian Society. Services, first: in tl\e.' Druids'-; Hall, and latterly in the Masonic Hally-'Bouleott Street, .were yconducted ;by; various members- of• the: society, for something!: like eighteen-: months; The.- arrival of Dr. T,udor Jones, in April, ,1906,' give a. decided; arid progressive stimulus to. the', society, ■ and the-'steadyy increase in membership-had now; them- -in casting' about; for -a, permaiient. home. A;fund was accordingly- in- j .stituted,. and grew steadily. ' Their recent ,sale : of ' work: had-added >£300 to.the :fund,, .and. a fsystematic canvass, by- their. niinistferhad gradu'allv swelled - the- fund. to somethiag , like £2000. • '^Tho, fjreehold of the church ! sitehad: beien paid for,. arid good / progress vyas being, inade with>tM.OQst' of 'the. building- it-, self. •< 1 Why Unitarianlsm Is Here. . ;lt might ,be asked,., since -there were .so many sacred edifices already in the com-' miinity", why- an additional church was necessary. Surely, -it": might Jje said, there, could he 'found, 'among the ■ existing 'churches,* a,' '.creed.'sufficiently- in harmony ■ With'-- th?ir own - religious'' idiosyncrasies?- ■ Wta-t distin'o. tire-.principle did. they- seek to establish, by; tlie.erection of their:church? v-To^sucH;'ques-tions he would reply, that they .were not, there to make war ou any church, nor, steal fiiom any ;faith j its adherents. .They were T?orl<ing, for. an ethical/ albeit religious,: idfeal rrah" altruistic, ideal ;• for mental freedom— freedom of thought, and utterance. • "Well and Truly Laid." ■ ; The ceremony of laying the stone wasith'en' performed by Dr. Tudor. Jones, The stono-bears-the inscription:—Unitarian Free.Church.' . .-. sor the Worship of. God. ,y Anil'the' Service 'of '-Man. .'; -' j'.--y': ...'- This-stpne 'was:laid:-by'-' -: ; William Tudor, Jones;' Ph.D., ■ , '- --"January 6, ,1909. Dr. Tudor Jones, m the course of. a subseqiient , address,.-Tepiarked' that the presence .ofi -tlioSe' who had. '^Hefweather-^-was i ahother':'proof of -thevraihyfofHlii^r.j^bple^--.would-, ha,ve sbeen-'impossiblo.' l The new building was dedicated'-.t-o .tlio,-worship of' God arid, the .service -of-man^ao-man. would' Wa stranger.; notl ouly ■ a-' but : a home - for .the. inspiration of ideals -.for a-higher-,life:ih:;theyprMent; ■ Th'eif- creed was-iy'ln-things* y . ■ In:things doubtful—lnquiry. In all •thing's-r l Charity'. if ■

• « Addresses'were!alsoj'giveri'.by, -Miss- Rich- ' mondv an'd'»-Professbr.''<M'Kenzie, 'of ' Victoria College.' 1 :' i,' ;; '■ ' ■■ ; v • >' ■>•,'■■■ - 1 Address by Professor M'Kenzle. . In the " course, of aii : interesting. a'ddresß, i ;tb'at ; esteemed privilege ~toi •• life stitution. which lookedon ;'no ; religion.: scornfiil'lyi.There' was. rio. pretence ;on V.the'part of 'Unitarians:- • any special or unique coininunicaiions''from ; the Deity !as .to the relation's of, man to 'God;' they simply believed it'.ito. be..-;their.;' bounden "■ dutyto mike a legitimate use of their -rational/and critical faculties in religions.as s in'pther' , things to prove all.,thinga--aridhold fast to that .Trliioa-'thb/'found'to.bejgood;: Tliey, regarded; l ., with . profound; respect,; all : p?st' present, efforts: to solve the problems _^(^mg^their^KTes"'-her6,-::'and-- - 'times in -.'the... hereafter *: .but - reserved ; the" ' right to view,. : in: tho light, of enlightened knowledge, the solutions, offered.; Historical research 1 ' had placed beyond all controversy —except in - hopelessly obscurantist circles— that all religions had originated., and developed on similar/; lines,''.and 'he who' to-day claimed to'be in ! possession, exciusivelyV .of. the- secret or secrets of High' Heaven,, or o4 thoso pertainingto I 'the . salvation; of'man's. soul,- was I .not one-whit above the ■ Ma'orr tohimga ; 'm religious intelligence. (Applause.). -J' "V / Religious Teaching of<Children. - .The 'greatest vsin' that.'a parent 'could bo guilty of to-day (continued, the speaker)' was to. allow his. innocent 'children to have'their little; heads; stuffed ■ with' the-' meaningless 'dog-;, •mas- of;. popular' religionj - the- day;- of the' bogy men in the Church, as in the nursery," was rapidly.'tapering to ;a'close. Personally, he rejoiced 1 to see, by the 'establishing'of the' Unitarian Church, , an-.opportunity afforded -his; children of realising and appreciating the ' value . arid (necessity .. of ethical :itraining and religious teaching without being required to -believe that their destiny depended upon .merp';belief in this,'that, or the other dogma, 6r'\tipon"'cert'ain more 'or less accredited his-; torical facts. The Test of a Man's Religion: Deeds. ' •Unitaqans claimed no monopoly of religion.'; '(they - we're- 'satisfied' that, the .ultimate; 'test'" of a';man's! religion was not what he he-;, lipved,'or.'-.-boljeved' Ee; believed, but'what he : ■did.". :As : ; things .were,.; a. very, good '.' man might 'profess l a very childish and irrational religion.,■; and" a" man. professing a rational and sensible religion, might bo a vety bad. man— each's'.pfofe'ssed religion' hisi.real-re-ligionA really' good'mari; murt/be/mfluencfecl' by .a rational - and common-sense v re-' ligious conviction, nol mattsir.. what was, ostensibly; 'his particular religious denomination.. - . . .'■'. ■" ;■ ; .The future must lie .with the friends of a rational" ethic; the march of culture and education' made'.it "abundantly • clear that,; the .(jJHurch 'of the future,would-bo; called upon to" justify tho ways, of man , to man' and to- , God—not,'.as. in the past;; the ways of'.God . to man. ... ... The Unitarian Outlook. .V ilf 'ITnitarianism were to live,' it would not' be by-,virtuo of;its _ particular;''ism,"-but' by ' virtue ; 'of its .rational.'ethic.'' and, ideals.'': The "religion of theVfiitu'ro, would-'be .something in the-fprm of-a-'geiieral comprofar removed, from Unitariariism— hb ; matter, by what name' it should-become known. ' . ''.Poring, ' the cerembijy .:; a. . collection taken -up realised a -Slim of £68 13s: Gd:;" which included'a cheque from a private donor for, £50. • The proceedings terminated, with ■ tlje' siiiging'of tho-National Antherii, , V V. ; Mr. ,J. Bennie is'architect for the new building, which 'is being, erected by -Messrs, Adams and King at an approximate cost - of £2000. ' :