The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-05-27
MASONIC TEMPLE.

SOCIAL NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. BY lev. O. u.
FRoTHINoHAM.
Mr. o. b rockingham preached In Masonic Hall
on .social Illusions" BY social illusions said
Mr. rockingham. mean the illusions that beset
men with regard the conditions Of success In life
those dreams which mon ever following in their
waking moments. There IL an old say,ng that life
is iun Of illusions; has been said that life is
all Illusion and for most part u illusion
born Of hope and fear which In reality make up the
most part OF our iives. or at all events Of feel
ting. knowledge dispes Illusion, but knowl-
edge comes slowly ana with much to,ling,
ana there are Of whose knowledge stead
fast that Is aole to dispel Illusion altogether The
traveller through the desert with nothing but the
caravan about HIM, the sky above his hsad and the
burning sands beneath his ieet, sees ahead what ne
takes 70 lake. but ne journeys nnds nothing
but sand and looking back what like lake
behind. Tho illusion Is his safety. Had he known
that what seemed to be lake before nothing but
sand he would not have fastened on, and did ho
that he had Lett nothing but sand behind he
would be tempted TO turn back. And It is with
hie Between memories Of the past anf hopes OF tue
tween hope ana lear Vii existence il raix about mia
beng The best possible world. IL may DC so II
tany Is the actual best. but the possibility may
yond our roach.
Lot now look ut some q tneso social Illusions,
are tho iuture respecting inc kinguom Of Heaven,
The divine Jerusalem thai - somehow or other 20
dreams OF h.ppinoss. Who does anything more
tnan wishf There IL In the old Hebrew story OF
propne. 10 ask what 10 DO. .Briug me-" SAID The
prophet, "a handful OF mustard seed from house
wS 10 wss w 70
and found plenty OF mustard seed, tut
where there was no deah. Where IL your mustard
seels On, there " enough Of =, bat there Is q.
ways tho dead BABY Yes, and there always will
be- Learn tnat yours y tho UNIVERSE.
ana daisies grow upon it, grave and tears III It's
mothers eyes. solomon said in much wisdom Is
much grief, and he right AS our knowledge
expands our acquanla- CO with sorrow and suffering
widens. Tho sa.0s head 10 luli OF kno wlydye-
u tue wants aud miscrles and injustice Of
mAnKind--but his heart Is iuli OF sympathy with
their suffering rhsro 10 no condition Of perfect hap
piness Wherever the sun strikes Inc dow drop there
~ the rainbow Whore does Joy come iromY Tho
rain has II not and tho wave has Il rot nor docs
belong 70 any condition Of life. Go 70 the poor man
times happier than tue rich one. THIS Illusion Ct
huppiness e over teasing ~ on rs tho wlsp
There Is the illusion OF wealth. People imagine II
they hal money tney could have everything. Yet
richer ia Inc next town Or somewhere else Ills not
money that want, but always more money. Wealth
brings opportunity. ous leaves men ana women Just
NUT oe earncd by something else. Money opens Ito
door. but something else must give Us the strength
20 through.
COMMUNISM AND SOCIALISM.
The newspapers are ius to-day o. prophecies OF the
drehdfui calamities tnut are 70 cons upon US thus
summer. Tue working mon 10 arm, Con-
munlsm aud socialism threaten 10 overiurn society.
Now II We consult our rcasou We can 500 now ubsurd
I'LL VI this IL Communism IL Tue harmless thng
III existence. II Is born Of rolgi0n aud Is
TO ound new destiny for mankiDd. II proceeas
upon the principle OF common brotherhood, that
sll entitled 70 snare III he blessings OF iie THO
New Testament - full OF Communism. Early CGrls-
everything IN common. Tho monk,sn es.ab-
lishmeuts oil the Church OF Rome were Com.
munistic, too. AZ far AZ II goes Communism purely
conservative. II dream VI an ieal existence.
Socialism 10 another thing. IL OF relg-
Frcncn Revolution and 70 founded gu the idea that
ull men nave equal rights 10 eartn, AIR and the pro-
ducllons VI eartn. A. aims 10 have properly divided
Hud mouopolivs broken down. Aud
rines have been propagated by many different writer's
there havo growL up many difcrent schools Of SOCIAL
lam, some OF which are very violent and Others very
peaceful; some oil them aiming 10 tear up society,
olhcrs oily to Improve the Condition Of men. Tue
vcst kinu ! socialism already lett France. In
u convention OF workingnien. held IN that country
this spring, tho IDEAS ana principles advocated were
sucn is would have ueen uiscaracd BY sociasts rna
violent form has retired Germany, where Tho
government ~ despotic There 10 nothing oil II 70
speak OF IN England because there the abest tn
NIL positions VI LIE are studying the problem OF So
cety DOING their best The questions put
BY workingnen. And wnat chance Is there Tor Il IN
America, wnero everything IL democratic, where
every ono has htuoy Those among wno have
mounting 10 caro- Tor and notLiug 10 hope tor arc
lew that society has nothing 10 ioar from them. II
there - one thinH surprises mo u u tue patience OF
tho pooriher willingness to accept even KIND
ana geute thoughts dis r.
rection among them, but aispos.ton oKly 10 work
themselves, US Tar Ms may De- INTO Practical knowi-
edge VI the situation.
FIFTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH
JESUS AS A PoET-sERMoN By REV. DIR. Ait
MIrAGs.
Tho Rev. DR.. Armi,agc preached Ia continuation Of
the subJccl upon which ne DISCOURSE the Sunday
prcviously-nameiy, "Jesus Us Poet" lie took his
IRON Matthew. W. IS those orloi words ..Con.
slider tho lilos Of the held" Tho poetic element in
Jesus saii tho reverend gentleman. calls tor the
sheraton OF some points which, humanity speaking
enter INTO the moulding oil HIS thought and express.
We fall into grave errors mucn IN losing
sight oil HIS proper humanity AS wien wo forget His
proper divinity. Is clear enough that us a man Ike
ourselves He was thoroughly influenced by
all His surroundings, physical, mental ana moral
The Greek poetic classics are nsd figures IRON
cultured lite, which moved among the marble Vi
elaborate sculpture aud architecture. But no sucn
exquisite human workmanship enters into the com.
positions OF Jesus. HIS field OF thought beautifully
suggested by tho text 'Considcr the hos OF tho
neid;n enter aud contemplate tho realm OF nature.
All HIS utterances carry back TO tho an1 tho day
tho scenes In which Ito nved, embracing their sec.
ondary manners and customs, together with the
religious sentiments, principles and practices
OF the Jewish people. and tho shades
Of His owL motives, doings and existence.
He thrown into the closest ASSOCIATION with all
the forms Of NATURE anu phenomena. OF history and
homo lie, ~ Paiestine. All His words bear evidence
that these affected His mind. as similar things do
other minds. As the great poets sling OF nature, us
rivers aud Eountsils, las wales and hiiis,
ana SKIES did He; thereby identifying each sen.
tsncs which toll from HIS lips with the spir, OF all
ages. One OF the sweetest Biblical studies which any
mind could pursue would 10 10 trace the
u HIS mind In their historic order and TO point
HIS poetic utterxnres oi them In a correspon ing
imagery, AS they asserted their authority, alter
another, In HIS gentIe ana dyliic nature. Yet
may not attempt TINS except small SCALE Tor the
purpose OF bringing out this thought without vague.
Mesa
coos TENDER CARR FOR NATURE
Take, for example, tne words vi thu text, sConsder
the os OF the Held lie dropped these words In
HIS sermon GU the Mount. ana by them paints per.
feet picture .! Gods tcnder Tor nature ut one
stroke "rhey toll not, mother do thcy spiD, and yet
say unto you that even Solomon IN all his glory
not arrayed xc one Of these " Inc sentence Is poem
OF grace purity trust aud beauty IN ITSELF In you
have Nazascth and Capcrnauin blended White their
enamel lied meadows mutually glide under your eye,
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