all consequences. We affirm in a word the naturalness of ethics and here again, we have the basis of a large and true human followship.

We do not have to ask, therefore, when we come here this morning, as we look into each others faces, and our hearts respond to each other, we do not have to ask "how do you stand, my friend, on this question of religion, or how do you stand on this question of politics, or how do you stand on this question of education, or how do you stand on this question of the relation of labor to capital?" We do not have to ask such questions as these before we can decide to affiliate one with another. The essential foundation of fellowship is here, when we feel as we all do feel, that we come here with the conscientious determination to seek the truth; to discover the way to a better life, and when we have found that way to walk in it. That is the thought and that is the feeling which furnishes all the bond of union essential to those of us who have gathered together to take mutual counsel during the sessions of this Yearly Meeting. So it seems to me that we may congratulate ourselves upon realizing to some extent that fellowship of the spirit of which so much has been said and sung; and if during these days some of us shall say some things to which others cannot assent, that will make it all the better, because we do not believe in the necessity of everybody thinking like everybody else; we do not believe in the necessity of sameness of intellectual thought and conviction, but we do believe in the necessity of unity of moral impulse and spiritual aspiration.

It is my privilege, friends, this morning, to bring to those who live in this vicinity the warm greeting of those who have come from abroad, and to those who have come from abroad the greeting of those who are here. We are about to enter upon the consideration of great topics which have been assigned for the different meetings; topics which touch the daily life, not only of this locality, but of this nation, and not only of this nation, but of the world. May we conduct all our discussions in such a spirit of broad, catholic, human fellowship

as shall make us all better for our coming together, and bring us all to safe and wise conclusions.

On motion of J. W. Cox, it was voted that a committee of 3 be appointed to audit the Treasurer's account and to nominate officers for the meeting.

The Chair appointed the following Committee: J. William Cox, Mary M. Phillips, Samuel Pennock.

On motion of Henry S. Kent, the speakers not specially invited to address the meeting were limited to a period not exceeding ten minutes.

On motion of Fred M. Pennock, the time for the morning sessions was fixed at from 10 to 12, and afternoon sessions from 2 to 4 o'clock.

On motion of F. M. PENNOCK, it was agreed that in order to print the proceedings of the meeting, a fund should be raised by subscription. It had been ascertained that the cost of a copy of the proceedings would be twenty-five cents, and on motion of WILLIAM PYLE the nominating committee were directed to appoint a committee of three to take the matter in charge and secure subscriptions from those individuals desiring copies. The nominating committee named Fred M. PENNOCK, SARA CHAMBERS and LAURA E. JOHNSON as the members of this committee. J. W. Cox, Chairman of the committee to nominate officers and audit the Treasurer's account, made a partial report. The Committee united in bringing forward for Clerks for the ensuing year FREDERIC A.HINCKLEY and MARY M. BAILY. The report was accepted.

On motion of MR. LLOYD, a Business Committee was appointed by nominations from the floor. It was understood that the committee should consist of six members with power to add to their number. The following persons were nominated and unanimously chosen: HENRY S. KENT, Chairman, FLORENCE F. BURLEIGH, CHRISTOPHER C. HUSSEY, MARY F. EASTMAN, JOHN P. FORBES, ELIZABETH C. HINCKLEY.

It was also understood that both the clerks of the meeting should be members ex-officio of this committee.

SAMUEL PENNOCK made a motion to change the titles of the officers heretofore known as Clerks to Chairman and Secretary.

After some discussion participated in by Messrs. Kent, Pyle, Lloyd, Fred. PeNNOCK, GALVIN and SAMUEL PENNOCK a rising vote was taken and the motion was lost. MRS. E. MENDENHALL then sang a selection entitled "Dreams," and the meeting adjourned until 2 P. M.

FIFTH-DAY AFTERNOON.

The session opened at 2 o'clock with singing "How sweet the Hunter's Horn," by MRS. and MISS MENDENHALL. The Presiding Clerk announced that the Business Committee had been obliged to change the programme as published, and had arranged for MR. FORBES to address the meeting this afternoon on the subject of "Religion;" MISS EASTMAN to-morrow on "The Indian, His Rights and His Wrongs," and that the Labor question would be considered on Sixth-day afternoon. Further announcements to be made hereafter. MR. HINCKLEY then introduced REV. JOHN P. FORBES of Arlington, Mass., who said:

Mr. Chairman and Friends; I cannot refrain from expressing my pleasure in being with you to-day; in meeting with you in this place hallowed by so many sacred associations; in which even now the voices of GARRISON and PARKER seem to speak, and in this beautiful country that is filled with so many historical associations rich and profitable. It is with great pleasure that I join with you in seeking the truth, nothing more and nothing less.

The subject to which I now invite your attention is "The New Faith." It is termed "The New Faith" and implies that there has recently been and is now an old faith. Of course faith as expressed now means loyalty to the religious side of man's nature; that part of man by which he is prompted to feel after the Infinite; something in himself which is as old as man and will continue to the end. But the expression of man's feeling toward the Infinite in form and belief has been in theology defined as faith; to this let us turn our attention. As this

is only the external form in which the religious nature is enshrined it must, in the nature of things, be changeable. The form and the symbol and the essence of theology of a century ago may not answer the demand made to-day, hence the expressions new faith and old faith are full of significance and interest. We must seek to know, friends, what is the meaning of this new faith which to be of value must be adapted to the needs of mind and conscience in average daily experience. To make an intelligent beginning in our attempt to understand the new faith let us try to answer first the question,-what is the old faith? The old faith, I take it, is historical Christianity; the effort to make supernaturalism, that is, the supernatural bible and a supernatural Jesus, the method by which men's religious natures shall be guided; the effort to control man's nature by teaching that the laws of that nature if followed will certainly lead to death because that nature is corrupt and that it must be changed by the interposition of a supernatural agent before it can be, in any sense, good. The old faith tells us, basing its assertion on the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Scriptures, a book of fables, that the universe is about six thousand years old; that man was born into it perfect and has been descending all the while since. The old faith puts the government of the universe into the hands of a God essentially human in all his attributes; he loves, he hates, he rewards, he punishes. It attributes to this God-element the character and vices of administration that would cover any human ruler with shame and would turn our firesides into disgraceful centres of disorder. Men are now rebelling against this faith, furnishing as it does very sufficient cause for rebellion on the part of thinking men and women.

The old faith rejected, men seek a new faith and what is the new faith?

The new faith is sometimes called radicalism, sometimes infidelity, so metimes progressive liberalism; but it is really the effort to make reason the method, and righteousness the end of religious life, teaching man if he seeks to know and obey

the laws of his own nature, he will, by experience, grow into the proportions of beauty and harmony and strength, and that so long as he grows forward he will grow upward. Science has ascertained and verified beyond question that the world is thousands upon thousands of years old; that man is not in a state of probation; that he began a germ amid rude, barbarous surroundings, and in his present condition shows that he is is yet the subject of unlimited capacity and power.

The new faith reverently accepts this word "science." "God" says the new faith "is more than God." "God is: greater than any human concept can make him; God is the infinite." This word we use simply expresses our ideas, but it never for a moment exhausts the infinite reality. But we find that the Infinite Power governs by law, and not by caprice, and that His children may trust in the unchanging, unchangeable love in and through all things. To my mind the new faith is full of inspiration, attraction and hope, tor in it all that is sweet in purity, all that is endearing in affection, all that makes for happiness finds a place and apportionment.

Having pointed out the distinctive difference between the old and new faith let me now, as briefly as possible, state the position of the faith in relation to the three great religious problems; problems that have agitated the theological world since the history of opinion began; for, unless this faith can, by its methods and doctrines, satisfactorily deal with certain problems, it can be of no advantage. The three problems I shall consider from the standpoint of liberalism are:

I. The power of the infinite in the universe.

II. The development of humanity.

III. The future life.

First, then, let us consider the infinite power in the universe. The idea that the universe, the globe on which we live, is the result of long and painful evolution, change and adaptation, the idea of the new faith ;-the idea that all animal life began at the bottom, and has been rising higher and higher