Ethical Addresses and Ethical Record (1912) Nineteenth Series

 

William H. Lewis

The Nineteenth Series of Ethical Addresses and Ethical Record (published in 1912) includes information about Ethical Societies outside of the US, the Summer School of Ethics, the American Ethical Union Convention, and a conference at Glenmore.  Some of the addresses are reprints; other articles are reports and proposals for various new programs for the AEU.  The whole volume shows continued work to refine the definition of Ethical Culture and expand its capacity in regard to both personal development and expansion of the Movement.  

Two new programs were discussed at the Glenmore Conference and then approved at the AEU Convention.  James H. Leuba discussed "Symbolism and Ceremonial Expression in the Sunday Morning Meetings of the Ethical Society" (pp. 4-10) at the Glenmore Conference and then at the AEU Convention, held at the New York Society on November 20, 1911.  In response, the AEU delegates appointed a committee to "inquire into the desirability and feasibility of taking steps towards the enrichment of our meetings, a committee that should collect material already used and make it accessible to our inspection." W. H. Lighty similarly proposed "A Correspondence Bureau for the American Ethical Union" (pp. 11-23), which was also adopted by the Convention along with an appropriation of $2,000.  The Correspondence Bureau (lending library and point of sale for publications) was to be sited in Madison, Wisconsin, and managed by Professor Lighty and his wife.

Gustav Spiller, Secretary of the International Ethical Union, provided several reports for this volume.  The Union of English Societies (which included multiple independent Ethical Societies throughout the country) and the German Ethical Society (which included several local affiliated discussion groups throughout the country) each provided statements of their Principles.  

A substantial portion of the volume provides practical resources for Society programs.  A naming ceremony is presented with no author, but an introductory note says that it is based on ceremony originated by Stanton Coit and modified by Charles Zueblin (pp.146-148).  The curriculum for the St. Louis Children's Sunday Assembly includes several "charts" created for exhibits at the Religious Education Association and for a Child Welfare conference.  Again, no author is identified, but Percival Chubb, St. Louis Leader, also served as Superintendent of the program.  Of note is the emphasis given to making the Sunday "School" an "Assembly" to distinguish it from the weekday schools.  Interestingly, Alfred W. Martin's presentation on the "Non-Sectarian Sunday School" given at the Summer School of Ethics, raises the issue of how to promote the continuous participation in an Ethical Society from childhood on to adulthood.  His suggestions may be apt for present day consideration (p. 56):

1. By introducing into the constitution of the Sunday school under the article "objects" a clause to the effect that one of the purposes of the pupils shall be to fit themselves for worthy membership in the adult society, thus giving the scholar from the start, the conviction that the Sunday school is in this sense the means to an end.

2. By occasional Sunday exercises in the adults' auditorium for and by the school.

3. By the organization as a connecting link of a class of the young men and young women graduates to study the principles and ideals of the organization they have fitted themselves to join.

4. By providing for pupils of this class a share in the responsibilities of the adults' society, for nothing is so conducive to the fixing of interest in a cause as practical participation in its activities.

Two addresses in this volume stood out for me.  One is C. Delisle Burns' address on the "Misuse of the Bible." It's on my "to read" list.  The other is Henry Neumann's address "The Spirit of Persecution and Prejudice" (pp. 149-165).  William H. Lewis was appointed by President Taft in 1911 to be an Assistant US Attorney General.  There was opposition from Southern Senators, but Taft refused to withdraw his nomination, and Lewis was approved.  He was, soon after, also nominated for admission to the American Bar Association.  Once his "race" was discovered, a massive effort to remove him ensued.  Henry Neumann took this issue as the opportunity to discuss how prejudice and persecution affect both the victim and the perpetrator.  While his reasoning may be dated, his conclusion is spot on.

Ethical Addresses and Ethical Record - Series 15

Volume 15 of Ethical Addresses and Ethical Record (1908) is a rich resource, not only for the material published in it, but for the large number of pages devoted to listing other publications of the Ethical Culture Movement.  Oddly enough, I seem to have stumbled across two different scans of this volume.  One, downloaded more than a year ago and safely on my hard drive is a bit of a mess with several blurred pages; it was scanned at the New York Public Library.  The second, resides online in the Internet Library and seems to have only clear and error-free scans; it was scanned at the University of Toronto Robarts Library.  What is missing in the second are all the pages, presumably from the covers of the separate issues, which list available publications.  Despite the frustration of the blurred pages, I am finding the promotional pages for more pamphlets, books, and journals a useful extra resource for identifying the literature of Ethical Culture.  What luck to have found both copies!

Walter L. Sheldon, founder and Leader of the Ethical Culture Society of St. Louis, died on June 5, 1907.  Memorial services were held at several Societies and locations.  Memorial Addresses included in this volume of EA&ER were provided by Felix Adler, M. Anesaki (from the Tokyo Ethical Society), Fanny M. Bacon, W. A. Brandenburger, George R. Dodson, John Lovejoy Elliott, Robert Moore, Samuel Sale, William M. Salter, William Taussig, and S. Burns Weston.  At Sheldon's request, the St. Louis memorial service did not include eulogies and speeches; instead, previous memorial services conducted by Sheldon for others provided appropriate passages in Sheldon's own words.  Those passages and selections from his favorite readings are included in this volume.  

Altogether, Sheldon's memorial presents a thorny set of bibliographic problems--whether to list every single tribute and address as a separate item (serving also as an index to contributors) or whether to group the speeches together as printed in EA&ER.  The list of Contents suggests the former, but the order and manner of printing suggests the latter.  I have opted for the latter, attempting to be true to the events of the time, but recognize that future research seeking the works of specific authors may not be served by this approach.  

The inclusion of selected addresses from the 1907 AEU Assembly provides a window into the continued focus on defining the religious nature of Ethical Culture:

"The Character of the Ethical Movement," Edwin R. A. Seligman (NYSEC and AEU President);

"The Need of a Religion of Morality," William M. Salter;

"The Inspiration of the Ethical Movement," Nathaniel Schmidt;

"The Value of Ethical Organization," Charles Zueblin.

William M. Salter contributed a number of lectures, including his last at the Ethical Society of Chicago (December 22, 1907).  "The Good Fight--With a Closing Word" (pp. 115-134) is filled with martial imagery which likened his service to the Chicago Society as fighting the good fight.  Salter vowed that he had few regrets and left his audience with a final call for courage in continuing the fight in his absence.  Salter continued his own career for the next few years as a special lecturer in philosophy at the University of Chicago. 

Charles Zueblin's "Religion and the Church" is one of a series of six lectures that he gave at the Philadelphia Ethical Society.  While only one was published in this volume of  EA&ER, all six were collected and published as The Religion of a Democrat (New York:  B. W. Heubsch, 1908).  Additional contributions are provided from Anna Garlin Spencer, David Saville Muzzey, and Henry Moskowitz.  The volume is rounded out with a collection of songs (lyrics only) and responsive readings.

Given the earlier kerfuffle with the two scans, I have paid closer attention to the title pages (and library stamps) of this volume.  I missed the shift in publisher between the Eleventh and Twelfth Series!  S. Burns Weston served as the publisher for the first eleven volumes of the series.  With the twelfth volume, the name of the publisher is changed to "Ethical Addresses," albeit with the same location in Philadelphia as before.  I will correct the Bibliography ASAP and do apologize for the error.