Henry Ware Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of the Unitarian Church at a time of much religious and literary activity in New England. An active proponent of Unitarianism and the model of the ideal parish minister, he was a mentor for young men who were entering the ministry, including Ralph Waldo Emerson. As the first professor of pulpit eloquence and pastoral care at the Harvard Divinity School from 1830 to 1840 and then Parkman Professor until 1842, Ware influenced and guided the next generation of Unitarian ministers. A man of considerable energy despite his chronic ill health, he wrote extensively in a variety of genres, including sermons and devotional pieces, fiction, poetry, and hymns, and he took a leading role in several social reform organizations, all the while maintaining the strength of character that won many people to him and his cause, the religious life. David Robinson remarked...