Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-02-16
The Philosophy OF Reform.

In an article under the above title DR..
Holland writes in Scribner for February
1t is most interesting and instructive, we
repeat to observe how all the patent
methods that have been adopted outside OF,
or in opposition to, Christianity, for the
reformation of society, have, one after
another, gone to the wall, or gone to the
dogs. A dream, and few futile or dis.
astrous experiments, are all that ever
comes OF them. Societies, communities,
organizations, melt away and are lost, and
all that remains Of them is their history.
Yet the men who originated them fanced
that they were radicals, while they never
touched the roots either of human nature
or human society The most intelligent
of those who abjure Christianity have
seen all this, and have been wise enough
not to undertake to put anything in its
place. They content themselves with their
negations, and leave the race to founder
along as it will
We suppose it is matter of wonder to
such men as these that MIR. Moody and
Mr.. Sankeycan obtain such following 40
they do. They undoubtedly attribute it to
superstition and ignorance, but these re.
formers are simply eminent radicals after
the Christian pattern, who deal with the
motives and means furnished them by the
one great radical retormer of the world
Jesus Christ himself. They are at work
at the basis CT things. To them politics
are nothing, denominations are nothing,
organizations are nothing, or entirely sub
ordinate. Individual reform is everything.
After this organizations will take care Of
themselves. No good society can possibly
lie made out of bad materials, and when
the materials are made good, the society
takes II good form naturally, as pure
salt makes its perfect crystal with
out superintendent They are proving,
day by day, what all Christian reformers
have been proving for eighteen centuries,
viz. that Christian reform, as it relates to
Individual life and character, possesses
the only sound philosophical basis that
can be found among reforms. Christian
reform, with all its motives and methods
is round to be just as vital to-day as it
ever was. 1t is the same yesterday. to-day
anu forever. There arc a great many
dogmas OF the church whose truth, or
whose importance, even il true, II would
be difficult 10 prove; but the great truths,
that humanity is degraded, and can only
be elevated and purified by the elevation
and publication OF its individual con.
stituents, are evident to the simplest mind.
Men know that they are baG, and ought to
be better; and motive-or series Of
motives to reformation, addressed directly
10 this consciousness Is not long in
achieving results. The radicalism of
Christianity holds the secret ofrevivals, of
the stability of the church, Of the growth
and improvement OF Christian communi-
ties. All things that are true are divine.
There can be no one thing that Is more
divinely true than any other thing that is
true. Christianity is divine, il for mo
other reason than that it holds and mo.
nopolizes the only radical and philosophi.
cal basis of reform. The criticisms of all
those who ignore these facts are necessari-
ly shallow and unworthy Of consideration
just as shallow and just as worthless as
the dogmatism inside the church which
attributes the power of Christianity to
those things which are not sources Of
power at all. Christianity must live and
triumph as system of reform, because it
goes to the roots Of things, and, because,
by so doing, it proves itself to be dlvinely
and eternally true.