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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, October 8, 1867

A TEST OF UNIVERSALISM.—“A Christian gentleman, one Col. Richardson, was in a boat along with two Universalists, on the river, some distance above the Falls of Niagara. The Universalists began to rally the Col. on his belief of future punishment, and expressed their astonishment that a man of his powers of mind should be so far misled as to believe the horrid dogma. The Colonel defended his opinions, and the result was a controversy, which was carried on so long and earnestly that when they, after some time, looked round, they found that the boat was hurrying, with great rapidity, toward the Falls! The Universalists at once dropped the oars, and began to cry to God to have mercy on them. Richardson laid hold of the oars, exerted all his strength, and, by God’s mercy, pulled ashore. When they had landed, he addressed his companions: ‘Gentlemen, it is not long since you were railing at me for believing in future punishment. Your opinion is that when a man dies the first thing of which he is conscious is being in Heaven; now, I want to know why you were so terribly frightened when you thought that in five minutes more you would be over the Falls and up in glory?’ The Universalists were silent for some time; at length, one of them, scratching his head, said: ‘I’ll tell you what, Col. Richardson, Universalism does very well in smooth water, but it will never do to go over the Falls of Niagara!’”