Boros György (szerk.): Értesítő a Nemzetközi Unitárius Conferencziáról (Kolozsvár, 1897)

A Nemzetközi Unitárius Konferenczián tartott beszédek és felolvasások - Beszédek és felolvasások

Th condition and prospeets of Unitarianism in England.

The air amongst us Unitarians of the British Isles has recently been full of discussions of our condition and prospects. The question with regard to them has accordingly occupied us all. Our congregations remain about stationary in number, 353 being their present total. Old ones die, new ones take their places. Population shifts, and churches follow population. It is a repetition of the story of the old boroughs like Gatton and old Sarum. Once there were flourishing places and sent their representations to Parliament in consequence. They fell into decay and were defranchised; but the British constitution did not suffer when Manchester and Birmingham and Leeds took their places. There have been chapels closed in the country that needed closing. There are some that need closing now, like one I know, where a neighbouring minister preaches 16 summer Sundays, taking his congregation with him in a waggonette in order ti secure the endowment. There are town chapels that have been closed, as people have moved to the suburbs. Historic churches have thus disappeared, like Dr. Priestley’s at Birmingham, and Mr. Lindsey’s at Essex Str. London; Mr. Thom’s and Charles Beard’s at Liverpool is going to follow; but in all these cases new chapels are built further out.

A more serious matter is the loss of those whom we call Presbyterian aristocrats. These men have had splendid record, descendants of those who in the day of