Union, the name of 16 counties in the United States.

I. A N. E. County Of New Jersey

A N. E. County Of New Jersey, bounded N. W. by Passaic river, E. by Staten Island sound and Newark bay, and S. partly by Rahway river, and drained by Elizabeth river and several small streams; area, 101 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 41,859. The surface is nearly level, and the soil generally fertile. It is traversed by the New Jersey, the New Jersey Central, and other railroads. The chief productions in 1870 were 5,339 bushels of wheat, 4,215 of rye, 94,618 of Indian corn, 36,948 of oats, 61,544 of potatoes, and 114,763 lbs. of butter. "There were 1,428 horses, 2,780 milch cows, 899 other cattle, 460 sheep, and 1,116 swine. There were 315 manufacturing establishments, with $3,570,450 capital, and an annual product valued at $5,986,512. The principal manufactories were 34 of carriages and wagons, 1 of cars, 2 of cordage and twine, 1 of cutlery and edge tools, 7 of wagon material, 5 of iron, 3 of machinery, 3 of floor oil cloth, 1 of paving materials, 5 of sash, doors, and blinds, 9 flour mills, 3 bleaching and dyeing establishments, and 1 straw goods bleachery.

Capital, Elizabeth.

II. A Central County Of Pennsylvania

A Central County Of Pennsylvania, bounded E. by the West branch of the Susquehanna river, and drained by Penn's, Buffalo, and White Deer creeks; area, about 250 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 15,565. Spurs of the Alleghany range traverse a large part of the county; the soil along the streams is very rich. Iron ore, bituminous coal, and limestone abound. The chief productions in 1870 were 262,639 bushels of wheat, 297,513 of Indian corn, 318,154 of oats, 75,374 of potatoes, 265,936 lbs. of butter, and 19,542 tons of hay. There were 3,271 horses, 3,565 milch cows, 3,305 other cattle, 2,639 sheep, and 6,128 swine; 2 manufactories of agricultural implements, 1 of boots, 12 of carriages and wagons, 2 of pig iron, 2 of iron castings, 8 tanneries, 1 planing mill, 4 saw mills, and 1 woollen mill. Capital, Lewisburg.

III. A S. County Of North Carolina

A S. County Of North Carolina, bordering W. and S. on South Carolina, drained by Lynches creek and branches of the Catawba and Yadkin rivers; area, about 350 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 12,217, of whom 2,694 were colored. The surface is generally hilly, and the soil in some parts fertile. Granite and slate abound, and excellent stone for hones and whetstones is found. Gold mines of some value have been worked. The chief productions in 1870 were 79,934 bushels of wheat, 203,032 of Indian corn, 72,308 of oats, 16,945 of sweet potatoes, 75,096 lbs. of butter, 8,262 of tobacco, 12,444 of wool, and 1,196 bales of cotton. There were 1,624 horses, 3,501 milch cows, 4,735 other cattle, 8,973 sheep, and 12,163 swine. Capital, Monroe.

IV. A N. County Of South Carolina

A N. County Of South Carolina, bounded E. by Broad river and S. by the Ennoree, and intersected by the Pacolet and Tyger rivers; area, 500 sq. m.; pop. in 1875, 21,965, of whom 12,505 were colored. The surface is hilly, and the soil fertile. Iron ore and granite abound, and gold was formerly mined. It is intersected by the Spartanburg and Union railroad. The chief productions in 1870 were 36,286 bushels of wheat, 314,981 of Indian corn, 18,491 of oats, 30,610 of sweet potatoes, 92,094 lbs. of butter, 6,562 of wool, 5,282 of tobacco, and 8,537 bales of cotton. There were 1,674 horses, 1,839 mules and asses, 3,446 milch cows, 4,935 other cattle, 4,550 sheep, and 12,666 swine; 15 flour mills, and 2 iron works. Capital, Unionville.

V. A N. County Of Georgia

A N. County Of Georgia, bordering on North Carolina, and drained by the head streams of the Hiawassee and Tocoa rivers; area, about 400 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 5,267, of whom 114 were colored. It is traversed by the Blue Ridge. The highlands are well adapted to pasturage. Iron, marble, and granite are found, and there were formerly profitable gold mines. The chief productions in 1870 were 7,681 bushels of wheat, 10,632 of rye, 139,127 of Indian corn, 12,099 of oats, 90,098 of sweet potatoes, 50,155 lbs. of butter, 12,458 of wool, 20,268 of tobacco, and 225 tons of hay. There were 800 horses, 1,622 milch cows, 3,008 other cattle, 6,345 sheep, and 9,723 swine. Capital, Blairsrious atonement. But this rejection is more or less absolute according to the views of individuals, some Unitarians accepting the doctrine of the fall, but denying that its consequences destroy the innate rectitude of human nature; and in respect of the atonement Unitarian belief ranges from a modified conception of the redeeming office of a Saviour to the opinion that his mission was solely that of a teacher and exemplar. Beyond these beliefs Unitarianism does not formulate a special creed, but leaves the largest latitude to individual opinion.

Some Unitarians regard the gospel as designed by the Deity for the redemption of a fallen race; others as a recognition of natural religion, with precepts, truths, laws, motives, and hopes, exalting individual responsibility in character and life. Baptism and the Lord's supper are generally recognized rites, and in some congregations such festivals as Easter and Christmas are commemorated. Unitarians affirm that their belief is simply a return to the primitive Christian doctrine; that the teaching of Christ and his apostles as conveyed in the New Testament strictly conformed to the Hebrew tenet of the absolute unity of God; that for more than a century the early Christians were taught and believed this tenet; that this belief was first impaired by the speculations of the Alexandrian and Platonic schools on the mode of the divine existence and manifestations; and that the Trinitarian dogma obtained acceptance through the cooperating influences of ecclesiastical authority and imperial dictation. It is also asserted, as a matter of history, that an earnest opposition to the doctrine of the Trinity in its initiatory and developed formularies opened the most bitter controversy in the early church; and that through the successive centuries there has been an unbroken line of individual and associated believers, who as Unitarians, however differing in other points of controversy, have stood together in their opposition to Trinitarianism. - Discussions on the deity of Christ were simultaneous with the earliest speculations on the Logos. Toward the close of the 2d century Theodotus and Artemon founded schools in Rome, and nearly contemporary were Beryllus and Praxeas, who taught in the same city, and Noëtus in Smyrna. In the 3d century Sabellius announced his doctrine.

Arianism originated in the 4th century, and was the parent of Socinianism, which was the progenitor of the later Unitarianism. All these teachers held to the belief in the indivisible unity. Their differing views in respect of other doctrines, and the varying shades of opinion adopted by their disciples as to the degree of elevation to be ascribed to Christ as an inspired teacher, an infallible guide, an impeccable being, and a perfect human example, are shown in the articles Arianism, Aritts, Noetians, Sabellius, and Socinus. For a long time before the reformation there was in Italy much dissent from the Trinitarian tenet.

The reformation developed the extent of this dissent, and its adherents were driven from the country. At the same time Ludwig Hetzer, Johann Denk, and Sebastian Frank in Germany, and Claudius in Switzerland, preached monotheism and the simple humanity of Christ. In the 16th century Unitarianism was also widely disseminated in Holland and France. About 1549 Laelius Socinus came from Venice to Zurich. In 1553, for his disbelief in the Trinity and other opinions, Michael Servetus was burned at the stake in Geneva, and after his death the Swiss Anabaptists and those who rejected the Trinity were called Servetists. (See Servetus.) In 1563 Bernardino Ochino published in Zurich his dialogues discussing the doctrine of the Trinity. Contemporary teachers in Geneva were Matteo Gribaldi and Giorgio Blandrata. A few years later Giovanni Valentino Gentilio, a Servetist, was beheaded at Bern. In 1577 Faustus, the nephew of Laelius Socinus, who had inherited the writings of his uncle, proclaimed in Basel that the Trinity was a pagan doctrine.

With many others he took refuge in Poland, and his writings were published in Rakow. Several exiles settled at Pinczow, and were known as Pinczovians. After years of prosperity in Poland, the Lublin church was broken up in 1627, the Rakow school was destroyed in 1638, and later the decree making death the penalty for professing Arianism drove many into the abandonment of their belief; others went to Transylvania, Prussia, Silesia, and the Netherlands; and at the end of the century Unitarians in Europe, as a body, were known only in Transylvania. - In England there are traces of Unitarianism coeval with the reformation. In the time of Edward VI., George Van Paris, for denying the divinity of Christ, was burned at Smithfield, as were Francis Wright at Norwich in 1588, and Bartholomew Legate in Smithfield and Edward Wightman in Lichfield in 1612. John Biddle (1615-'62), by his publications, preaching, and foundation of a sect called Biddellians, earned the title of "the father of English Unitarians." (See Biddle, John.) In 1640 the synods of London and York directed a special canon against Socinianism. In 1652 the Racovian (Rakow) catechism was burned in London. According to Dr. Owen, the denial of the divinity of Christ was in 1655 common throughout England. Before the close of the 17th century Unitarians had places of worship in London. Milton's Arianism was completely established after his death.

Locke indirectly favored Unitarian views. In 1705 there were "troops of Unitarian and Socinian writers." Thomas Firmin disseminated Unitarian doctrines within the establishment. Evelyn revived Arianism in Dublin, and afterward preached it in London; and Hartley's "Observations on Man" gave rise to the school of which Joseph Priestley was the head. The growth of the denomination warranted the foundation in 1825 of the British and foreign Unitarian association, which has regularly held its anniversaries in London, celebrated its semi-centennial in 1875, and is devoted to the dissemination of books and tracts, to limited missionary efforts, to philanthropic labors, and the help of feeble Unitarian societies. - From the first settlement of the New England colonies there were modifications of the Puritanic creed which assumed the phases of moderate Calvinism, Arminianism, and Arianism. In 1785 the congregation of King's chapel, Boston, eliminated Trinitarianism and the direct worship of Christ from the "Book of Common Prayer." In 1805 a Unitarian was made professor of divinity at Cambridge. In 1815 the controversy between Dr. Channing and Dr. Worcester resulted in the separation of the Unitarians from the Congregationalists, and the establishment of a sect.

The ministers of a large number of the Congregational churches of Boston and vicinity and throughout the state with their flocks joined the movement. Harvard college was in their hands, and still remains so. In 1825 the American Unitarian association was organized in Boston, where it celebrated its semi-centennial in 1875. Its general purposes are similar to those of the British and foreign association. It has observed its anniversaries by public meetings, which have afforded opportunities for displaying such denominational zeal and promoting such interests as are consistent with the spirit and objects of the association. Under the name of the " National Conference of Unitarian and other Christian Churches," a considerable number of congregations and religious and benevolent societies are represented by ministers and delegates in biennial gatherings. The organization of the conference is of the most informal character, and its chief purpose is to afford opportunities for discussion, counsel, and advice on practical religious interests. - The "Unitarian Year Book" for 1876 estimates the total number of churches and societies in the United States at 362. In England the Unitarians rank with the first among the minor religious bodies, and their influence is increasing, especially in London and in the manufacturing districts.

The principal churches are in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and Sheffield. Among the ScotchIrish population in the north of Ireland there are more than 40 congregations, the most important being in Belfast; and there is a "North of Ireland Unitarian Society," besides the " Irish Unitarian society." There are also South Wales and Scotch Unitarian associations, but the number of congregations in Scotland is small. In London the Unitarians have an extensive Sunday school association, and the Manchester New college, removed from Manchester in 1857. The "Memorial Hall" was in 1865 erected for a separate Unitarian college in the city of Manchester, and students from the Unitarian denomination are admitted to the Presbyterian college at Carmarthen, Wales. Several of the British colonies offer a new field for Unitarianism, especially Australia, where the most influential churches are at Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. - The total number of Unitarians in English-speaking communities all over the world was estimated in 1876 at 1,000,000, besides great numbers sympathizing with the humanitarian elements of Unitarianism, though nominally belonging to other denominations.

The persecution of the Unitarians in Hungary and Transylvania, which took place mainly after the annexation of the latter country to Austria in 1713, ceased toward the close of the 18th century, owing to the tolerant policy of the emperor Joseph II. The Transylvanian Unitarians are the only members of that persuasion who are governed by an ecclesiastical council and a bishop. They have a great Unitarian college at Klausenburg, besides other institutions. They have over 100 small congregations with nearly 60,000 members, chiefly Szeklers, and their number is steadily increasing. A meeting of Hungarian, American, and English Unitarians, held at Buda-Pesth, June 15, 1873, in connection with the national Transylvanian convention at Klausenburg, favored the employment of a larger number of teachers in the Unitarian institutions of that city, and the establishment of a church in the capital of Hungary.