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Preface

THE New York State Conference of Religion is an outgrowth of the National Congress of Religion, which itself was the child of the Parliament of Religions held in connection with the World's Fair, in Chicago, in the year 1893.

The Parliament of Religions was the first gathering of its kind in the history of the world an assemblage of representatives of the various religions on earth, meeting together for a free and frank statement of their thought; with the view of promoting, not only kindlier tolerance, but a juster understanding by each of the others' faiths, a mutual recognition of the common truths embodied in all their religions, and the awakening, thus, of the spirit of brotherliness among the children of the All-Father. The remarkable impression of that Parliament on those who attended it has been only equalled by the quiet influence which has followed it in the direction of such universality in religion.

The National Congress of Religion aims, in a quiet way, to carry on this work in our own land, by gathering together representatives of all religions found upon our shores, in annual sessions, in different parts of the country. Several such sessions have been held, with marked influences for good.

The New York State Conference of Religion, in full sympathy with this work, purposes to promote the harmonious co-operation of all religious men for the furtherance of those religious, moral, and social ends which are vital alike to Church and Commonwealth.

In preparing for this Conference, the Executive Committee appointed, in the spring of 1900, a Sub-Committee to consider the Possibilities of Common Worship. That Committee reported in May, urging the importance of the element of worship in such a conference, and suggesting certain scripture readings, and a few hymns, with the use of the prayer "Our Father" following upon silent prayer.

The consideration of this report by the Executive Committee determined the SubCommittee to enlarge greatly the scope of its original plan; to prepare more extensive scripture readings, both from the Old and

the New Testaments and from the Ethnic Scriptures; to make a selection of collects, or short prayers, such as could be used unhesitatingly in such an assemblage; and to follow these with a goodly number of hymns suitable for such an occasion.

This little book is the outgrowth of that work of the Committee on the Possibilities of Common Worship.

It is published with the hope, not only that it may be found useful in the sessions of the Conference, but also that other State Conferences and similar gatherings may make use of it; that independent religious societies may perhaps find it helpful in the development of their worship; and that it may prove helpful spiritually to many individuals in their own private use.

It is believed that such a Book of Common Worship may prove in itself an object-lesson in the Possibilities of Common Worship.

The selections from the Jewish and Christian Scriptures have been made either from the King James or the Revised Version, as has seemed best in each case; the responsive readings from the Old Testament being taken from selections used in the Synagogue worship.

The readings from the Ethnic Scriptures have been taken from the edition of the Sacred Books of the East, issued under the general editorship of Prof. Max Müller; with the exception, of course, that selections from the works not contained therein have been taken from such standard editions as Jowett's Plato and Long's Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus. A few selections have been made from Conway's Sacred Anthology and Schermerhorn's Sacred Scriptures of the World.

The prayers have been selected from Jewish offices and from various early Christian liturgies, from the offices of the Eastern Church and of the Roman Church, from the Book of Common Prayer, and from various private books of devotion of modern times as well as of earlier periods. No further liberties have been taken with any of these prayers than was necessary for the purpose of this manual. For obvious reasons, the formula in latter times closing many Christian collects has been omitted. In this we return to the earlier usage. All omissions are duly indicated. prayers written in the singular number, as by Thomas à Kempis and St. Augustine, and in one instance in the Jewish Liturgy, we have used the plural number.

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