, 1877-11-16


battle field. hut soothing melodies,
which -.re n.i.'.ur.' gost 10 home
cl.tur- aua .HNHr.n-, anil make, OH"
...rurr U.ma, sofa ...rui the ir.l.
-, integrity .,, h.uah'c. N.y,
the rs~s i- rather worse than this.
We lave ,tl.c doubt that thi, SEMI.
mental religion, ss we may call It, m
many cases dcrrives a man utterly
as to his ovn moral condition, and
hides from him the true character Of
tho road be- is travelling, aud fur
uishes his conscience with n false
bottom. The revelations of the last
few wears as to its value as guide
in the conduct Of life have certainly
been plain and dsplorable.
The evil in some degree suggests
the remedy, though we do not mean
to say that we know any complete
remedy. Chur ch.membership ought
to involve discipline of some kind in
order to furnish moral aid. 1t ought,
that is to say, to impose some res
traint on peoples inclinations, the
operation Of which will be visible,
and enforced by some external sane
tion. If, in short Christians are to
be regarded as more trustworthy and
as living on higher moral plane than
the rest of.the world, they must fur
nish stronger evidences Of their sim
ceritv than are now exacted from
them, and evidences which, instead
of being the indulgence of personal
taste, will consist of plain and open
self denial. The church, in. short
must be an organization held to-
gether hy some stronger ties than
enjoyment Of weekly music and ora
tory in pretty building, and aims
giving which entails no sacrifice and
is often only ticker Of social vanity.
There is in monasticism suggestion
of the way in which it must retain
its power over mems lives, and be
enabled to furnish them with cert
Gcate of character. Its members
will have to have a good deal of the
ascetic about them, but without any
withdrawal from the world. How to
obtain this without sacrificing the
claims of art, and denying the legit-
imacv of hone acquired material
power, and, in fact, restricting indi-
yidual freedom to a degree which
the habits and social theories of the
day would make very odious, is the
problem to be solved, and, there is
no doubt, very tough one. Gen.
eral inculcation of "plain living"
will not solve it, as long as "plain
living" is not defined, and the self
made man" who has made great
fortune and spends it avishly is held
up to the admiration of every school
boy. The church has been making
of late years a gallant effort to pro-
vide accommodation for the success
full, and enable them to be good
Christians without sacrificing any of
the good things of this life, and, in
fact, without surrendering anything
they enjoy, or favorng the outside
public with any recognizable proof
of their sincerity. We do Tot say
that this is reprehensible, but it is
easy to see that it has the seeds of a
great crop of scandal in it. Dona-
tons in an age of great munificence,
and horror of far-of or unattractiye
sins, like the slaveholding to South
erners and the intemperance of the
miserable poor, are not, and ought
not to be, accepted as signs of in
ward grace, and Of readiness to scale
" the toppling crags of duty"
The conversion of the working.
classes, too, it is safe to say, will
never be accomplished by any eccle.
organization which sells
cushioned pows at auction, or rents
them at high rates, aud builds mil
lion.dollar churches FOR the accom-.
modaiiou OF one Thousand v0ship
pers. The passion Of equality has
taken too strong bold of the work.
iugman to make 1t possible 30 catch
him With cheap chapels and Assis-
taut pastors" He vill n0t seek o..
walton forma paupsris," and thinks
the best talent in the ministerial
market not q whit too good f1r hiE
lie nos unnatursllv doubls ths ~
ceuty oi Chusl.sus who Are nut wll-
ing o. kuorl hss.3es badly dsesssi .
p-nons in ptysr ou The one Day ia
the ur-k staa prayer BE- puhlic lu
g.. r. Nt tH. .H..H ..afnr.f Hn.Is.h .H