New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-07-05


inhexibIy furnishing our sins Wisdom ~ well "a
pety was evinced by David when, being required 10
moose TO receive his punishment at the hand either
of God or of man. he said " Let me fall now INTO
the hand of the Lord, for very great are Ills
mercies: but let me not fall into the hand OF man.
So that wondrous legend of Jonah waited do"h
for our instruction and comfort from we know NOT
how gray an antiquity, wherein the prophet sits
mourning for his gourd that had withered as also
for his fasifed prophecy that the great city should
expiate its sins by utter destruction, until God so
forciblv demonstrates with him: Thou wouldst
have spared the gourd, which came up in night
and persisted in night and shall not spare great
Nineveh wherein are more than six-scOre thousand
persons who know not their right hand from their
left and also much cattle i-how could we give up
such precious glimpses of what may call the relent
ing or tender phase of the Divine nature-that which
differences it from the towering glacier and the ada
mantine rock and shows that our kindlieT human
impulses are but shadows of emotions far nobler
purer, higher, which were from the beginning and
shall endure when Time shall be more
This, then, Is my thought To the moral education
and development of our race, vivid conception Of
Gods active presence and conscious, intelligent in
terest in human affairs is Indispensable 1t was
such conception which made the Hebrews a pecu-
liar peOple-nay in spite of their conspicuous faults
a great people Their invincbe vitality, their dis
tnctve, uncOnquerable hOmOgeneity, against which
so many tyrant prosecutors have hurled themselves
in vain would have been melted away in the course
of any two of the last twenty-five centuries had
theirs been Pantheistc conception of God. Their
survival as people though long Invested of a coun-
try, and even of a chief is a striking proof of the
conservative force that nheres in the idea of God
! to whom those who will may draw practically, con-
sciously nearer than are those who know Him not
| though these, too, are subjects of His care.
The bloodless speculation which vaunts itself
Philosophy and Enlightenment has rarehed the ether
wherein it works until " the undevOut astronomer
alone can tell what it believes or aims to teach with
regard to our theme. But, whatever else may he af
! frmed or denied thereof. it can hardly be doubted
that the general drift of this speculation is toward
weakened sense of moral responsibility. 1t inspires
no such horror of sin dread of Divinely decreed
/ and administered retributiOn as do the canons OF
ancient Faith Choosing rather TO suffer affection
with the children of God than to enjoy the pleas
ures of sin for a season." becomes absurd
! sef-sacrifce in the contemplation of a philosophy
which precludes all retribution which is not the
necessary consequence of violating benefcent laws
| in whose regard punishment is but another phase
| of gravitatOn. In such philosophy, sclf-denial
| finds no alimcnt, conscience spur, and the love
and practice of virtue no safeguard in that fearful
| looking for of Judgment which puTsues and over
| takes the transgressOr.
I'm the education of the intellect. mankind have
made great strides since the birth of this century.
| Whether we regard the number taught or the
| knowledge impaired, the progress made has been
| marvellous Science and Literature alike rejoice III
augmented treasures which they prOlier with open
hand to ALL But there is corresponding progress
in our average moral culture: nay, the number of
III Of tho1l IA
the ethics of Dick Turpin Jonathan Wild would
seem 10 be rapidly increasing. That one is master
of mary sciences and many tongues affords no trust
worthy assurance that he may not at any moment
stand forth an Aaron Burr in lack of principle and
Rulloff in revolving, hdeous crime.
Hence the higher education of Our day-most
wisely in purpose if not always in methods-esSays
to base its institutes and processes on Religion and
10 ground the character it seeks to form on the rm
foundations of Christian Faith and Love. 1t realizes
that the youth is but half educated at best whose
intellect is developed and instructed While his
moral sense remains dormant his conscience asleep
if not perverted. They emnently right who
hold the soul by far the better part of Mans mma-
terial nature whose health and training far more
essential than the due unfolding and nurture of his
mind In highly educated beasts, the world already
abounds while it has never yet been amply blessed
with devoted reyerent, sanity loving men. To
develop rare intellectual abilities is far less difficult
and less useful than to persuade their poSsessor to
consecrae those powers ntently to the highest good
! Of his fellow men.
This then, | apprehend, is the proper work OF the
College: 70 appreciate and measure, and undis-
tustfuly accept and commend, the gigantic strides
which PHYSICAL Science is making IN our day, yet he
not swept away by them; TO lend IN attentive and
mureudiced ear to the bold speculatons of our OAR
wins and HuXlcys wherein they seem almost to lay
confident finger on the very heart of the great mys
terry of life without fear that they will ever eyct
God from His universe restrict Him to some OBJ
scure corner theeOf to welcome all that Is true and
| benetcent in the impctuOus currents of modern
thought but not eXagGerate their breadth and depth
nor accept their direction authoritative and final;
! TO prefer genial and gracious hospitality to what
! ever is nobly new yet hold fast and from time to
time assert the grand old truths which are grounded
i'm the nature Of Man and his relations to the uni
verse in the firm assurance that no discoveries in
science no advances in human knowledge, can ever
| invadate or ever belittle theGOlden Rule, and no
conclusion of philosophy ever equal in Importance
that simple affirmation of the untaught Judean pea
SAINT who long ago perceived and proclaimed that
! Con Is LOVE.
RAILROAD NOTES.
A line for a narrow gauge railroad is now
surveying by the Erie Railway Company from Canaan