The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-08-04

tinct from the other, English, German and |
and thirdly, the establish |
ment of a quarterly magazine to. De pup
lished in Ohio. This church emhrac
within its membership almost all of our
Norwegian and Swedish colo nists, 9 large
share Of the German populatl ton OIL thel
West: and the English of German DIES cent,
1t is only lust to say that they are, s ss =
rule. a simple hammered, honest, enlight7
ened class of our community, whose relg-
ion mallisssts itself by fearing God ana
respecting themselves and Their telloW-
men.
a WRITER in the August Atldttic ex-
presses the opinion. that the preaching OF
the time in this country is as good as the
people are willing to hear. Neither IN
the church nor out of it is there any con-
siderable demand for better preaching.
Where there is most intellg or Gull
ture the chief desire in regard to preacns
ing is that it shall be entertaining, and
thus suited to attract many hearers WIZ .tlo
viii help to pay the expenses OF the
church. Under the voluntary system,
as it is called, which prevails here, y
would be very difficult to give the people
any kind of preaching which they 90 NOT
want. The persons who need to be taught,
guided and instructed thus nix the stan I.I
ard and determine almost Wnony sne
character of the teaching when, tney are
to receive. This is an incfde ntal effect OF tne
fInnirion. of the masses, of our universal
snfFraoe arrangement of society. 1naYery
few at the churches or congregations IN
this country can there be any continuous
or habitual religious teaching whlch the
ueople do not approve. Inc stanuaeto, OF
ideal as to preaching is usually mgner
among ministers than anong t sns.. ~,
ers. and many clergymen MAINTAIN con con.
slant struggle against the Injurious ten
denotes of the popular taste, and try 70
create in the minds of their hearers an
ANNETTE for the higher and more spiritual
qualities in religious teaching: But the
preaching of the country, IKE nearly
everything else in our national me, rs
likely to become more and more complete
IL representative of the culture, taste,
morality and entire character of the peo-
ple who compose the churches. If this is
the tendency, the character of the preach
ing will not thereby be elevated or inn
proved.
TuE Philadelphia Ledger concludes
humorous account of Spiritualist camp
meeting near that city, with a serious
Question as to whether there is anything
in spiritualism or spiritism, which is the
latest reading of the phrase, that merits
attention apart from any other religious
sect? Weeded of all the vulgar nonsense,
which sticks to its skirts like SO many
burrs, the faith of the pure and intelligent
Spiritualist amounts to something as
counterpoise to the other "materialism"
that is worked outin scientific treatises and
thought of the narrow gauge. ALL the
other religions of Christendom have this
power and this projecting faith in the un-
seen future, but it depends. in all or nearly
/ all. on the importance of a particular creed
and form. 1t was once said of Swedenborg,
that his doctrines were asort OF overall,
that could be thrown on or over any
creed. They did not interfere with what
was worn beneath, and they afforded an
additional protection and comfort to those
who thought they needed them. So it ap-
pears to be with the Spiritualists word of
| immortality. There seems to be nothing
in it to clash with any previous creed, and,
at the same time, there Is no other creed
required than that of an individual immor-
tality. 1t has alwaysseemed that religion
lists threw away great opportunity in not
taking the position that the spiritual side
of man, his hopes and fears, his beliefs
and his comforting solace in trouble, are
as much a matter of scientific fact as the
forces and phases OF the outer world.
Clouds and storm, sunshine and lightning,
i nah ana uhN6gGu61I 6LSdNS VI
ing effects and phases. Yet, because they
vary under pressure and with differing
latitudes and climates in their sweep, in
their benefit or disaster, they are none the
less subject to law and to demonstration.
So all the emotional phases in the in
ner experience of man and woman may
be molecular" in one sense, guided, al
tered, perverted or thwarted by education,
constitution, neglect; yet none the less do
they make their mark and leave their
good or evil lasting imprint on character
and consciousness. There is no need to
dispute a single "molecule" to the scien-
fist, as it would be folly to disbelieve in a
tornado or in the gentlest rain storm, but
what is intangible, yet real, in the spirit
ual aspirations of man cannot be gagged
nor accounted for by the molecule alone.
So FAR, then, as spiritualism takes ac-
count of Thoughts beyond the reaches of
our souls;" so far as it breaches Jenny
son, and an older and higher authority,
that the pure and the true alone "can
hold communion with the dead" its in
fluence and its success can be accounted
for. If it in part satisfies the longing for
some bridge-some clue to the great mys-
teries of living and dying, it can only do
this by discarding all trade and tricks. 1t
cannot bring the dead back in any sense,
but if it cuItivates and teaches higher
life on earth, it serves its purpose and full
fills its part as an ally to all creeds that
bO1 chic ToOoSih1n