Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1876-01-26

In an article under the above title
DR.. Holland writes in .Scrfbuer for
February:
1t is most interesting aud instruct
ing, we repeat to observe how all the
patent methods that have been adopt
ed 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. \
dream, and a few futile or disastrous
experiments, are all that ever comes
Of them. Societies; communities, or
ganizations, melt away and are lost,
and all that remains Of them is their
history Yet the men who origina-
ted them tancied that they were Of hui,
man nature or human society The
most intelligent Of those. who abjures
Christianity have seen all this, and
have been wise enough not t. under
take to put anything in its place.
They content themselves with their
negations, and leave the race to tioun-
der along as it will.
We suppose it is matter Of won
der to such men rs these that Mr..
Moody and Mr.. SaGkey can obtain
such following as they do. They
undoubtedly attribute it to superstition
and Ignorance, but these reformarS are
simply eminent radicals after taa
Christian pattern, who deal with the
motives and means furnished them bv
the one great radical reformer Of tn,
word-Jesus Christ himself Tn.
them, politics are nothing, denomiGa
tons are nothing, organizations ar
nothing, or entirely subordinate. Ia
dividual reform is everything. After
this, organizations will take care Of
themselves. No GOOD society can
possibly be made ont of bad materials,
and when the materials are made good
the society takes good iorm natural
". as Il pure salt makes its perfect
crystal without superintendent. They
are proving, day BY day, what all
Christian retormers have been proving
Iar eighteen centuries. viz, that Chris
tian reform, as it relates to individual
life and character, possesses the only
sound philosophical basis that can BE-
found among reforms, Christian. re-
form, with all its motives and methods
is found to be Just as vital to-day as it
ever was. It is the same yesterday,
today and forever, There are 4 great
many dogmas Of tie church whose
truth, or whose Importance, even if
true, it would be difficult to prove
but the great truths, that humanity is
degraded, and can only be elevated
and purified by the elevation and pur
ification of Its individual constituents.
are evident to the simplest mind
Men know that they are bad, and
ought to BE- better aud motlve,-
or a series of motives to retormation
addressed directly to this conscious
ness,-is not long in achieving results.
The radicalism of Christianity holds
the secret of revivals, of the stability
of the church, of the growth and i'm
provement OF Christian communities.
All things that are true are divine
There can be no one thing that is
more diyinely true than any other
thing that is true. Christianity is di
vine. if for no other reason than that
it holds and monopolizes the only rad
ical and philosophical basis of reform
The criticisms OF all those who ignore
these facts are necessarily shallow and
unworthy of consideratlon-just al
shallow and just as worthless, as th4
doomatism inside the church whici
attributes the power o. Christianity I'd
those things which are not sources O
power at all. Christianity must liv
and triumph as system of reform, bo
cause it goes to the roots OF things
and, because, by 50 doing. it prove
itself to be divinely and eternally true
One hundred years ago ever
man cut his coat according to hi
cloth-every man was estimated a
his real value-shoddy was not know
nobody had struck ''ile"-and tru
merit and honest worth were the onl
grounds for promotion.
New York city contains about 4j
churches. That'll do.