The sun., 1881-12-04
life, IL IL not enough for him. A religion OF
the head does not satisfy; criticism and de-
NAL have grown tiresome to him.

/ Va
the head does not satisfy; criticism and de-
NAL have grown tiresome to him.
At least. that is the inference we draw
! from his published remarks. He now sees
! that "unbridlrd free thought leads only to
n dreary negation. called materialisnl,
which he says he abhors AS deeply as any
evangelical clergyman / know" There
has been a growing suspicion In me-" he
adds, "that there might be something be-
hind or below what we call revealed religion.
which the scientific thinkers OF our time are
| trying vaguely to distinguish as an influ-
encc, that cannot be accounted for ut present.
but which. nevertheless, exists"
From having doubted revealed religion,
Mr.. FEoTH1NGHAM now begins to doubt
rationalism in turn. And the transforms
tion Is not unusual. There may be enthusi-
astic faith in youth, skeptcism in middle
age, and complete subordination to ecclcsi-
astical authority in later life. Take the case
of the late OREsTEs A. BRowNsoN, for In
stance q man OF great earnestness and
much intellectual force. He began as a
Unversalst, went into Unitaranism, be-
came a Socialist, and died in the Roman
Catholic communion. Mr.. FRoTHINGHAM
and then drifted into the denial of all super
naturalsm, may ultimately find the same
refuge. 1t would certainly not be at all sur
prising 1t he did. He seems to be in u path
which sometimes leads in that direction.
The evangelical ministers, however. are
hopeful that his conscience aud conviction
will force him into their camp, and it is for
that reason that, as we have said, they
are Sc solicitous about his present interest
ing spiritual condition. Perhaps their hopes
will be realized; perhaps he will follow Mr..
BRowNsoN; or perhaps he will do neither the
one nor the other. All we know now is that
Mr.. FRoTHINGHAM seems dissatisfied with
his old religious ideas, and is beginning to
distrust his head as a religious guide.
The Rev. ROBERT CoLLYER, Unitarian
minister, preached last Sunday on Mr..
FRoThINGHAMS religious change or trans
formation. He himself processes faith
which is very indefinite. the one. indeed,
whose logical pursuit carried the other into
rationalism; and therefore what he said
cannot afford help to Mr.. FRoTHINGIIAM.
However, he made one point which is inter-
esting and suggestive, and gave q clue to
his real sentiments. "The fact is" said
w
an old man, and is not n well man-not 50
well, perhaps, as he thinks he is. He is
driven back to the warm nest again. because
he is not so Young as he was. and not so
we'll as he was"
This means that weakened by age and i'll
health, Mr.. FRoTHINaHAM seeks admittance
into the Church as into q hospital or home
for the superannuated. lie is no longer
strong warrior. but feeble and decrept in
valid At least, that IS the inference we must
draw from Mr. CoLLYERs words. Yet Mr..
FRoTHISGuAM is only hfty-nine, an age not
greater than that Of many OF the most active
intellects and closest reasoners OF our own
and other times. He is not an old man by
any means; and as TO his health, what
reasons are there for supposing that 1t has
had any influence in modifying his opinions
and changing his convictions
No; we need not look for merely physical
causes to explain the transformation in the
former nationalist. He is coming out where
many other men OF like temperament and
intellectual makeup have come out after
wanderings similar to his.