New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-05-24

what does it avail TO the bercft OF the friend whs
smddeh misfortune to know that the lost q
the iarest and oyeest Of earth or that his misfortune
TSS ' SsTialdR yf''af' death not aSaisd
bsca%se s Il moro joyous than and the appliances
for careful and o re- ss ssr aTs and Smuggling
life that the world needs the light and strength OF In
strong. The successful need to learn lessons Of SELF
forgetfuness and selfsacrfce Science needs 70 be re
minded that its knowledge Is limited by inspiration and
culture that art and letters are tho odosnmens and nos
Again. the proposed substitutes insufficient to IN
sure the victory over the world OF these, the first
cation I'm tho family the school, the university by society
amuscmonts science, erature art the d:y elopment d
economy, the science OF government me recohstruo
ton OF tho political and social fabric, and the aninsrs
principles the elevation OF the tastes by letters amuse
et6ics anu and ros IDEAS which shall rise above tn;
purity, the uDselhshness, and the SPIRITUALITY OF Chrst
inluence-eyery imaginary appliance which we nave
named-must instruct or inspire II ~ train; and ihspT
attracts by examP awes by &gino WINS Sy m
Themselves Inspired and controlled and thus inspiring
and controlling science and culture can accomplish
and the school falls 70 do s best work What
this fills the most thoughtful men OF the country
who are not alarmiss with serious not distinctly eI
pressed ds1uietude 1t is the ineciency OF public SEN
tment in country filled with ne%spgSs anu SCHOOLS soon
and letters And what is this defect OF sentiment bu
brief phrase for the want Of courage or the want OF
We OF ourselves we are m9ysd by asa' ana
courage to enforce their conviction
There are those who, like Matthew Arnold, dream that
the science OF s e perecon viii awaken tbs personal
which will be st enSpn tS the oSsiG and ses
Scriptures ia enough They would substitute Nls study
Christian virtue trust In the living Christ They
blame religious teachers that they give prominence a TO
f.;t IN ReIeemer instead of dwelling
on the excellence of pure heart and setting forth ne
unselds love and sympathy OF th ov CG- bGin, sr
ideal picture OF an ideal Christian vita no Christ to help
and @ A A nS COD O and S %o and
the contemplation Of love to man or To God could make
oI 9yS % y" ss 'O Sseye sce even Of
the pures ethics the loyeest ideals Is as lnpotnt AZ
the victory over world however eloquently It is
pounded or brilliantly it may be adorned The failure o.
manifested clearly and yariousiy and knowingly to man.
II personal form the highest and Indispensable agency
for help and victory and II God is person. and II God
personal God Is alone adequate to mans need
We have that what the culture ana science OF TO-
day are longing manhood What means the almost
universal and abect faith OF 80 many scientists ana PM
osophers in mighty fbat mann TO 10
overcome the world must believe IN person-'i not IN
S s S9n 81 tba sse What means The frantic cry from
SO many OF prophets Of literature for some hero VINO
Which The dovotees OF hero for their
worship, except that man Is more aware at the prrsnt
moment than before that what each individual
needs and what society needs is to be controlled by
person who is worthy Of confidence and honor fah IN
the God accepts such person. mat Ee sNOid
command mans respect he must master tho mystery Of
s 9dqg ana mat sG Res should not s
mistake his goodness, God addresses me human eHe9
tons through the human nature To which he soops II
Is an old story but it is always new to the man
Who makes noats new by Ihp e lines
in What seemed to us empty declanatons lres9ne ser,
mons or formal Du: When n d ai h Gss
whether be for the first time or the tlolsandth tme
Is as though the glad tidngs OF great JOY were eaded
and heard for the first in the plains of Bethlehem,
the shout that greeted tho ascending son OF God had
sinful souls shall long for the assurance they
iS ep in the he eonie with tsmpaQs or suffering fon
shall crave sympathy or strong and yohg me apS
shall confront DEATH or bend broken hearted over tns
eossy OF this faith to man are driven by OF
inexorble logic to deny or doubt these fundamental
pei ON the most slender eyicnce under the gse Of
natural history pretendous panthesm has done
the same under the imagined necessities of phys
critical ratonasm teaches the same in the form Of
historic incrcdulity. These tendencies are NOT alarming
to Christianity alone They threaten all that sacred or
permanent in human as truly as all that we hope or
fear in our eternal life the dignity Of charaeter e sa-
credness Of TRUTH the stanlossness OF honor ne at
OF affection. and the generosity OF selidna must
the suggestions of last discovered fossil if conscience
is TO be denied at the last word OF physiology or meta.
III
the bidding of the last brilan; critic not only must our
human virtues CO. by the application OF an lnexonDe
homes the security OF our property the sacrcdness d
Libraries and museums aud even The sustencAce aud
honor of science itself. IL would be not unjust
impossible retIibuton some OF these extemporzed
theories eagerly caught up and pIopodnded by seien.
lists and lerattcs be applied to the destruction Of
the along whose shelves are written Ia lines OF
development There is no God" aud from whose piles
of fossils aud there leaps forth the irresistible
demonstration, " The soul Is function VI the BRAN.
| which sleeps in DEATH
has been shaken We viii believe that II has reached us
lowest points OF doubt denial The evidence that thus
faith grounded in historical and eternal fact with
the advance OF culture and science, becomes more and
moro convincing We insist that culture and science, the
more they perfected enable men 10 appreciate tho
transcendcnt attractions OF the supernatural and historic
Christ The more culture is refined the more sensitive
does it become the indeserbable e1ans Of His sayings
more wonderful does tie SON of Sian appear Nothing
more significant of this progressive advance in the best
thought OF the ages than the loud and mute homage of
the cultivated men Of later to this unmatched char
acter To the culture and science OF the olden times
Christ was an ofcnse and a deceit the besi phlloso-
In extolling The charm OF His words aud the beauty Of
| His life, or with stealthy tread, dropping oycuus'
Nothing is more significant and t. wise forecast mora
hopeful the fact that the ideal Christ more ana
allure and the sagaci0us integrity OF profcuu'st-
The aesthetic and scientific interest excted by hrist s
Justified by as il ;ends itself 70 Justify ia in Historical
sned b9 faith IN reality II Christ is the brightness Of
the Fathers soy and the express SS oi Sy hi:
ritcbless charms Of charactv, ana Tue hs n
Of his personality; that the hstor wv" IN ~ hs ner
carnatiOn should shten aesthetic dens.S ia is fs
and his history Culture and science cannot po s
tile that conviction witch harmonizcs with BOTH
propOunded the question, " What think !eOf IhrlstI
as during tho last 3oyeaIs. Never has it been answered
entirely. Men not only more sensitive than ever
they are more alive D his actual power. The real
difficulties OF faith a. not increased by modern cub
ure and science That ese are difficulties or trials 10
"