The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-11-19

sN4AA4AAAF
My position" he said, "has Tor years
been peculiar and somewhat trying one,
which, instead OF becoming pleasanter as
years rolled on, became less pleasant. Ii
must be remembered that was wholly
alone; / had to fight IN uphill battle with
out the aid or sympathy of any one, SO fur
us lending helping hand in my work was
concerned, At the same time that l had
the friendship OF many earnest, candid
men, l canpot but feel that their friendship
was personal one and had nothing to do
with my teachings, looked around
for young men who would take up my
work when from one cause or anbther |
should have to drop it, and | found none,
| had large congregation Of intelligent
persons, to whom | believe was Of real
value in showing them how u man can do
without some Of the beliefs or traditions
commonly thought essential to y right
minded lifO, but OF common teachers saw
none, unless Mr., Chadwick OF Brooklyn,
may be placed in this category, and |
must say that regard ChadwiCk's hope
less materiRlism Us u negative faith, which
do not envy him, and Tor which l should
not like to be held responsible.
"a second feature OF the last few years
OF my work as pastor OF an independent
church in New York was one less dis
heartening, but harassing and unpleasant.
As Il radical lecturer, found myself sur
rounded by radicals OF the most extraor-
binary character, who imagined that, as q
radical preacher | must also DO radical in
everything else; was expected to give
moral and mental assistance to any one
whose ideas Of right and wrong differed
from those OF other people, and my indie
pendent church became a sort OF magnet
for queer and not altogether pleasant per-
sons. Organized bodies such us the Epis-
cOpal or Presbyterian churches have the
proper machinery for dealing with such
cases; | had no such machinery; much Of
my time was taken up in prohtlGss work Of
an unpleasant description; my health failed
me, and seeing no way out OF the situation
| determined to cut loose from all my ties
here and try what complete rest would do
for me. Besides which, certain aspects OF
my work seemed to me to need more study
than had time to give them.
zone fact began to loom up before my
mental vision in q disquieting way, that
the drift OF free.thought teaching was I'M
Questionably toward Il dread materiaism,
which abhorred us deeply us any evan
gelical clergyman ! know. The meh who
would become leaders in the free.thought
movement do not stop where stop; they
feel no traditions behind them; they have
no special training for the work OF 'restor.
ing in which light ! regard most OF my
work; did not aim TO create any new be.
liefs, or to tear down all the existing ones,
but to restore, to bring TO light and prom.
nenCe the spiritual essence Of those faiths.
Perhaps ! am better tttedthan many others
because have inherited II sense of the
limits OF free thought, beyond which ina.
terialist dogma becomes more offensive
than dogmatiC CalvRnism. But the men
whom saw coming upon the stago rs
the apostles Of tho new dispensation Of
free thought were destroyerss who tore
down with no thought OF building up;
there seemed TO be no limit 10 their
Obstructive mania and no discrimination in
their work. Their notion seemed TO be to
make clean sweep Of every existing creed;
they apparently knew not, md cared not,
whether anything in the shape OF belief
should arise from the ashes OF the worlds
creeds. The situation, therefore, when
stopped preaching two years ago and went
to Europe, was about as follows Evangeli-
cal religion was stronger, the churches
were better filled, there was more Of the
religious spirit abroad than when began
work twenty yGarsago. Such men as came
forward as teachers in the frce.thought
movement were out.nnd-Out matcrialiSts.
Lastly, my own position was unpleasant
and my health was failing. As to the fact
that revealed religion, MS we all call It, is
stronger to-day than it was twenty years
ago, | have no doubt; It Is stronger here
and in Europe, notwithstanding the much
talked.of German materialism, and the re.
ligion Of to-day is all the stronger than that
Of twenty years ago, in that II Is throwing
OIL the acCrCtlOns OF Ignorance and presents
fewer figures incompatible with good sense
and charity.
Looking back over the past twenty
years, no careful student OF such matters
can deny this healthiul process, and |, who
have stood alooffrom all revealed religion
during that time, cannot but acknowledge
TINT itsoppOnents have made no hcadwny
whatever. Consider for moment the
present condition of tho materialist move.
ment, and you will sec that II Is the man
and not any truth behind the man which
keeps Reinforcement alive among the peo.
pic ut present. For instance, when abun.
don my work here no one takes 1t mp;
should Felix Adler die tomorrow, doubt
whether the materlalst movement which
he has started among the Jews would sur.
vive. In London MOnCure COnway's Ice.
lures are listened 10 only by body OF lit
erati, who enjoy mental exercise. In Paris
Pere HyNcinthe's departure from Roman
Catholicism has resulted in nothing; Ind he
not gone so fur and discarded so much he
might have been more successful, but
Judging from one sermon Of his which /
heard when in Paris, lie now denies to the
saCraments any other than poetiCal value,
and declares that one man Is Just as much
OF IL priest as another.
"0Whcn | left New York for Europe !
believed and said that might take up my
work as Il pastor OF IN independent church
when got buck. may as well say now
that | could not do II. could not teach
as did. Whether It Is that advancing
years have increased whatever spirit Of
conservatism | may have inheritGd-my
father was Cergyman-or whether 1t Is
TINT there Is such n thing as revolution as
well as evolution, and that have received
more light, do not know. But It Is Ger.
tain that nm unsettled in my own mind