New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-30
REASON AND REVELATION
LETTER FROM C. p. CRANCH.

| Winter has been, and still is, the Rev Josenh Cool
whose Monday lectures in fremont Temple have
| popularity quite unprecedented, considering IN.
rather abstract nature Of his subjects lie has had
| a wide range of theme from Evolution and Immo,-
tally TO Emerson and Parker, and has made il a
point to undertake the reconciliation Of Religion Ia,
| rather Of evangelical theology with Science Hs
has shown quite remarkable power OF various iIlu.
traton and great skill in making bis similes do tia
work of arguments His arguments are thin, but
clear within his range. That range, however
! seldom reaches the level of the profOnndest and
most accurate thinkers of the age. Ii Mr. Cook
would be cOntented to cODiine himself 10 theology
he might be regarded distinguished light among
certain sects of believers who constitute the bulk Of
his applauding audience. But he aspires to occnpy
much wider ground than that of theology. He pre-
| tends to speak as scientific thinker end in tbs
name of what he calls religious science. lie has an
parentya good deal of learning and il very bold m
his deDuncation of Herbert Spencer Mr. Huxley.
Mr. John Fiske and others Of the Evolution school:
and, without stopping TO state very fairly and efute
| their premises, holds up few modern Germans "a
the advance guard in philosophy.
1t is not very probable that his arguments will
have much weight with purely scientific men: for
he takes the position Of special peader, and from
the outset is pledged to make a strong case in which
he seeks to reconcile nature and reason with par-
icular system of religious belief II is evident all
along in these Monday lectures that his strong theo-
logical convictions determine the style of his ARM
mcnts. His power of language, of forcible state
ment, and of apt picturesque, and often poetic us
tratiOn, combine to make him an effective nopDIor
orator and win him large audiences. He il very
careful to preserve this role, and in the revised re-
ports of his lectures in Tie Daily 4drefi,er looks
relgOusly TO the record Of the RESPONSES made Inv
| his hearers. " Profound sensation" "laugbterp
great applause star the columns in many places
Surely it is pleasant thing to have ones audience
all in such amcable accord with ones discourse.
The purely scientific mind would say slow
smoothly this lecturer skins over the craggiest prob.
lens! How comfortably he settles the old puz-
cling, cver-fcrmenting doubts Of ages! How he
trims into orthodox shape. for the simplest under
standing, the most unmanageabe questions Of time
and eternity! How he cOnirives, like the fisherman
in tho old Arabian tale 70 ontico tho towering Din
into his box, and ciapping the cover down as a boy
shuts down his Punchinello, labels him for market
consumptionp
Yet Mr. Cook is doing good, doubtless If not in
his assumed role Of scientific inquiry, yet in stating
some valuable moral and religions truths, often
eloquently; and in stimulating serious thought
among newspaper readers. II he is thought to mis-
state the Eyolutonists and class them all together
as Materiaists-f he miscOnceiyes Theodore Parker
unfortunately not alive to answer him. he does
state some things well, and by his happy ilustra-
ton puts some old undsputcd truths in fresh light
cannot saynmch for the winnowedncss Of these lee.
lures Ito use one of his wors-heaven save the Ian
guage >, bat time and intellectual culture will sspa-
rate his wheat from his chah-a process that few
lectures on such wcighty problems can afford to DIS
pense with.
had written thus far of the Monday lecturer
who still continues to draw every week an immense
and apparently enthusiastic audience, taking my
estimate Of him from the very full reports of his lee
lures in The .Idraiiser and before | had seen and
heard him. The uttcronces Of popular orators arc
usually said 10 lose immensely by being merely read
in print. "YoH should hear him. cay the speakers
friends, in order to get fair and favorable idea of
the man." Well. il happens that in the Rev. Mr
Cooks case the very is true. For after Sec
ing hun on the platform and hearing him you arc
almost tempted to let him alone entirely. for tho
truth is yOu viii be completely disHt,i0se as tic
French say. b. the style of his rhetorical efforts.
From my acquaintance with the printed reports Of
these lectures had formed idea Of lie speaker AZ
refined, scholarly looking clergyman. with per.
suasive and sympathetic voice, and presence Iht
gave him a certain spell Of authority with the intel
ectua BostOuans who are reported to frequent his
lectures. must, for one, confess 10 OF sui.
den shrinking of values. when, squeezing in and
hanging the outer fringe Of that immense crowd.
| stood and heard him through with wha5 patience
could.
Heis blonde, stoutish gentleman of average hight,
with large forehead. and beard worn only under
his chin, which no shakes necessarily when ex-
cItod He is auent and scholarly. His voice -
strong but not sympathetic, with now aud then an
"a. svla ba a.f tn ..fi--
phasize somethng--like that of ranting actor.
His gestures are frequent but ungacefl, and often
violent. 4 singuary discorlJut
effect is sometimes produced when uttering some
sentence which he wishes TO make particularly for
cible-a sentence which one would wish 10 heae
spoken almost in reverent and Sublued whisper.
Sir. Cook slaps one of his hands violently into the
other accompanied by a stamp of his foot lis
tone at such times is almost that Of an angry.
tainly of very disputatiYo man. One gets the in.
preston of chronic state of rather cXciied aud ag
ureSsive mental action. IL one only saw him ard
heard his intonations, wthont catching his words.
he might think him type of n Southwestern monl-
Der of Congress in the palmy days before the WAY
and by no means graduate of Harvard
But Mr. Cook evidently fascnatas a large class Of
hearers, although in refined and cultivated Boston.
The crowd Of ministerial looking gentlemen Oh tho
platform seems to be listening cutranced The main
audience is in no less rapt attention should call
Dir. Cook and not Mr. Moody the great reyiyaist;
he combines many qualities which adapted to
move certain classes of religious and theological
people. Then the shrewd idea of batting his thso-
logical hook with the alnring promise of satistlc-
ton to the pure reasonthc Utilization of hattery adj
ministered to the intellect OF the audience in pre-
senting to them week after week such immense
questions such learned authorities, such invitations
to enter with him upon the highest problems Oh
philosophy, and to show how nicely they accord