The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-07-28
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the use OF tner weapons, armed to the teeth In
the steel of moral analysis, trenchant of soph-
istry under whatever guise, and vet, on the
other hand. equally strong to uphold truth and
honor aud justice, even though at the peril of
occasional obloquy. Such should be the
product of this age of advancing civilization.
Just such men should our colleges strive TO
send forth from their portals TO take RESPONSE
BILE posts in all momentous struggles of the
times.
THE PRESENT STATE OF cHRIsTENDoM.
Having shown the demand of the country
upon the colleges for class of accom-
plished scholars, he turns to the pres
ent state of Christendom, where he observes
the growth of indifference in the church on the
one hand and of ritualism on the other, both of
which are unhealthy symptoms in the Chris.
tian. world. After remarking that this tenden-
cy was not confined to America, he Says he
will only treat of the subiece in connection
with the demands of the age upon colleges.
Religion, the bond between mankind and
sovereign Creator beyond the reach Of the
senses, is largely compounded of the two strong
est passions engraftsd in the race the one, love;
the other, fear. These forces irresistibly
prompt the worship of that unknown Cause in
ways more or less regulated by reason. In one
class, emotion predominates. In the other, it
is in measure qualified by reflection. The for
mer depends upon effects produced upon the
imagination through the presentation OF images
to the sense. The latter is equally maintained
by the pressure of arguments forcbly convinc-
ing to the reason. So long as these forces NOV
ed in harmony under the common standard of
the Savior and His revelation, there was no
sufficient jar among the forms of faith serious
| ly to impair the unity of thu church He found
ed. But the temptation Of temporal power
| came in, and it opened a door to discord which
| ultimately rent it in twain. The result we all
know. The Papal and Protestant powers have
| now for centuries maintained toward each 9TH
er an attitude of antagonism. But during this
interval the condition of these opposing forces
/ has been very differently affected. While on
| one side the Roman church has steadily rallied
all its followers upon its central point Of union,
| emotion stimulated by fear, the Protestants,
| planting themselves on the right of private
| Judgment, have seen their unity slowly and
steadily impaired until the multiplicity of cou-
| fiicting doctrines has completely undermined
the strength springing from common bond of
| faith.
Thus it turns out that while the Pope has
lately been formally invested with powers little
| short OF omnipotence over the faith and duty
| of countless millions of the human race, the
Protestant church, which once fought against
him shoulder to shoulder when animated by
one spirit, and which then won its liberty,
| finds itself exposed to q danger never dreamed
of at the start, the danger of disintegration,
| spreading so far and wide as even to arrive at
indifference, if not at the absolute ice of entire
| unbelief. 1t was the master mind OF the elo-
quent Bossuet who powerfully touched this
| chord, dissuadDg doubter wandering in ancer-
| tain paths from leaving the only permanent
standard of faith. And his argument remains
| to this day the most dextsrous and persuasive
OF all resorted to by his school. 1t cannot be
disputed that over millions of the race who
cling to support from higher power against
| the promptings of tender conscience and the
| fear of the torments of the damned the force
of an authority to relieve, sustained by the most
/ effective appeals to the imagination, becomes
positively absolute. rf, n,.
Against this powerful array drawn up to
| catch the common mind, what has been relied
| upon as effective to stay the conscience and
quiet the terrors of myriads of earnest Jet anx-
| ious dissidents? The chief resource has been
calm appeals to naked reason, main tanned by
| partisan arguments. For a while this proved
strong enough to hold many generations in
their places, excellent people as ever lived,
| stern and Jealous upholders of what to them
| appeared as solemn gospel truth. So long as
| the spirit of controversy was kept alive, no
| matter in what direction, against Rome abroad
or backsiders at home, there was little danger
of decay. 1t is peace and harmony that have
bred Indifference and desertion. Indifference
| tolerated the introduction of doubt and uncer-
tainty. Then followed the desertion of churches
| not provided with especial objects of attrac-
tion, either imposing ceremonies or preachers
| plishments or their startling extravaganza. On
| the one hand appeared multitudes crowding to-
ward lame limitations of the splendor of Roman
ritualism, and on the other eager devotees to
| the fantastic sentimentalism of dancing-mas-
tiers in the pnlpit. Then, too, the ice bound
scoffer had the courage to make himself seen,
| and to pretend that he who saw no future at
all was the wisest of the prophets.
FRESH CLASS OF CLERGY NEEDED.
The remedy for these dangerous tendencies,
the speaker thought must be found in our iu-
situations of learning. We must raise up .
fresh class of the clergy thoroughly fitted for
the precise conflict to which they are called
L have reason to believe that the study of the
arts, which made an impressive and Jealous
orator, have by some excellent psople been re-
| garded IS utterly inconsistent with the charac-
ter of grave and pious preacher of the Cos
pei. 1t is the doctrine, only, which is essen
tial. The manner of communication may be as
it pleases God. The consequence Of this sort Of
| reasoning has been the production of many
/ very worthy men as teachers, who never stud
| led at all the modes of attracting the attention
| of their hearers, and who naturally left tho
| experiment to take care of itself. What was
the result? Gradual but silent secession, either
- cherish indifference at home, or else 10 go to
| more stimulating, if not so estimable preach
| ers. In my humble opinion there
never was fairer field of action to animate
| and confirm the shivering confidence of thou.
i sands in the pure doctrines of the Savior, than
| at this moment is presented in these United
States There is great need of q revival, and
OF successors even to such as Whitefeld and
| Wesley TO bring it about. L am an earnest ad-
vocats OF special school Of instruction di-
| rected to this cad alone. l want no extrava-
| gaDce, and still less the graces of the dancing
| master, but rather the lofty consciousness OF
power skllfully devoted to the penetration into
| the innermost recesses of the mind and the con-
| frmation of the reason, and deem well of
| sympathy from which to heal the soreness of
| every faltering heart.
THE TWO CLASSES NEEDED.
| After enforcing the idea at some length that
the real orator is not born, and showing that in
all ages the orators who have stood highest in
the estimation of their own generation, and
stood the test of time, are those who have come
to their full development through careful edu
cation, he proceeds to point out the two classes
that the country most needs-the independent
| journalist and the impressive preacher. There
is yet another and almost equally important
demand upon them, which have scarcely time
or space to explain SO fully as it deserves. 1
| refer directly to the considerable number of
| young men who desire to distinguish them
| selves in the conflicts waged at the bar, In the
| legislative forum, and on what we call the
platform. If there be one quality more indis-
pensable than another to distinction in these
| pursuits, it is that sharp mental discipline
which shall sieze at once upon the strong points
| in any discussion, and concentrate power upon
| these alone, giving no room to mere superhui-
| ties and redundance. The crying evil of the
day, elsewhere no less than here, is the profuse
| outpouring in one indiscriminate mass of every
| thing that may be said on a subject in the re-
motest degree relevant. This practice neces-
| sarily breeds frequent repetition of the same
idea clothed in different words, and multiplica-
| tion of words without any corresponding re-
| source of thought. The effect is continuance
OF argument to an extent so indefinite as to ex-
| haast the stoutest patience. Human life is not
long enough to devote so great portion Of it
to the study of only those portions of it that
| may be carried on with the severest friction,
| This abuse, which has latterly been creeping
| more and more into the high places of Justice
| on both sides of the Atlantic, must il carried
| on hereafter in the scale 1t has been of late
| years, make the proper administration of it
more or less impractcable. Who will ever
travel through the mountains of trash heaped
| up in the columns of Congressional records?
What library will be ample enough to devote to
| so large and so rapidly increasing mass, q
space which will not ultimately crowd out
n