New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-26
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

DAYS receive freouent reminders that at rest
they are rather an unnecessary class "a mn.
They are told that they represent the WahinE
and dying power OF priestciait' thaI thcy ar
fine maid special pleaders of n bad case IN nos
tile court and before an Indifferent jury ',i"'
they are neither men nor women nut cross "
tween the twO-with most OF the wees Gl.,no
! former and all the petty faults OF the IAttet,
ana that at hest they are only mild enthusiasts
who sigh for mythical past or dream or an III
| nossihe future Notwithstanding all THESE
serious indictments brought against them by
the unbeliever or the wording the clergy, as
n whole maintain their place IN the aiiectloh5
and .egard Of the people. They take the Ieau
in orr cities and towns and villages whenever
any movement is organized Tor lettering the
condition of mankind. No other profession I'D
the community speaks TO such laIgS cOusIllu-
| ency in favor of morality and goodness. Ana
barring certain painful exceptions, no 0thet
body of men in the community is equal TO them
in di,nteTestedness and genuine goodness.
The snrer of the nfidel will never obscure or
change this fact. And yet while admitting all
this, it is plainly apparent that the influence OF
the clergy is not only not what 1t USED 10 De'
but not nearly as great az 1t ought to be. Inc
country parson of England two hundred years
ago, or the Puritan parson OF New England
one hundred years ago, cxei clsed much more
power. and welded a lar wider influence than
the modern parson OF to-day Why TINS de-
CLEMSON in power and influence FIRST OF al,
il NAV be ansN cred that the more general dlDu-
sion of knowledge has lifted all the people mp
nearer to the pedestal on which the clergyman
formerly stood alone. People who SIT III the
| news now frequently know more about the
special subject on which the clergyman Is
speaking than he does himself. lhe topics
which were formerly discussed only In the pun
pit are now treated exclusively by learned
specialists in fresh books and magazines, or
even in the teeming pages OF the daily news
paper The sacred domain OF theology Is now
boldly invaded 10y seekers after trIth in every
2 Loo frr hoy a rs u
back the curtains that used to hide the holy OF
holes from the common gaze and 1t must De
confessed that they frequently find but little to
reward their eager lnqulstlYeness. Inc trtnu
of modern thought is toward an absolute intel
lectual and moral republlcansm and while
this is perfectly IN keeping with the Christian
dogma of brotherhood, 1t cuts away all the sup
ports from the medieval Christian ldea OF
priesthood SO that the modern minister must
derive his influence not from the tactltlOus
/ support of the Church, but from his innate
supeTiOrity and nobility as n man among men,
Another reason fol the lessenng OF the nhu-
ence of the clergy Is that their intense con-
servatism has made them appear, ID some re-
spects, as fossils in world instinct with ne
and change. In many ways modern thought
has left them far behind. They tenaclOusy
/ cling to the old dismantled forts, and make
show of defending them, when no enemy IL
near They often mistake their theory OF
! truth for the truth itself and they frequently
confuse the traditional Interpretation OF a fact
for the fact. The consequence OF all this Is
that they are considered impractical by men
who live in the real world OF to-day. The mes
sage thev deliver may ne true and important;
but it is often unged with glory OF the past,
or saturated with impossible hopes Tor the
future Theological distractions are put III
place of the facts Of human life aud expert
ence and the Book OF Daniel and the ApOca-
lypse are exalted above the Beatltudes or the
Sermon on the Mount. 1t is not strange that
restless, practical age like this should cease to
follow exclusively men who have III some
things ceased to sympathize with Its struggles
and triumphs And the clergy viii only re-
cover their lost ground when they supplement
their blameless lives with wider sympathy
for the thoughts and aspirations OF men ana
women as they are.
RELIGION AND NATURE.-Ibe Boston Herald
of last sunday has the following to say about
the relations between science and religion :
| More and more We are hndlng out the lact
that nature does not need to be supplemented
by what has been called the supernatural.
Nature is fathomless, infinite mystery. into
which the greatest minds could penetrate for
ever without the possibility of touching bottom
or reaching those flaming walls OF which her
old DOet and minstrel sung SO elOquently and
sublimely i'm the sad days OF the decline of his
country. Every new revelation 81 scientific
truth such as for instance, the eternal persist
ence of force and the lndestruCtlblllty OF
matter, is simply new glimpse OF the dread
Z
been that the great revelatOrs and dlscOyeGeTS
OF scientific truth have been in n state of fear
and trembling when AT length, IN some eXcep-
tiOna hour OF almost supra mortal Insight,
they have had the reality or actual truth OF
rhings dawn upon them. For the highest
science is eligion. 1t establishes the unity of
nature or behOds universal nature moved by
universal mind. For in nature moral law il
coextensive with physical Law. the law of duty
with the law of gravltatOn. In a recent work
nm Nut told THAT
neus fell on his knees when he saw the gOTse
in blossom. Goethe, gazing from the Broken.
said, Lord, what is man that thou art mindful
Of him ;. Kant felt tue same awe in looking
II the starry heaven as ID considering the moral
principle; Wordsworth Is inspired rather
among mountains than among human beings
in solitude Byron felt the rapture which purl-
fed from self"
How TO REACH CHILDREN.--At a recent Sun
dav school Congress, held at It. Louis, the Rev.
j. j. Merrill spoke some hOmely but whole
some words about the best way TO reach the
hearts of the young folks. He believed that
no one could hope to win boys and gItls who
did not retain his manhood. They cannot he
hattered by syllabub. None but Il class Of dead
beats Of the free soup order would fail to resent
being called sweet boys s Seet Yong men, as
the speaker heard worker address "A company
Of youths. 1t was almost more than genuine
bows and girls could endure to he called dear
Young people. There was something about u
healthy young boy or girl which caused -l- I'm 10
be attracted by strength and lntrepiGIty. They
would rather be driven than c0aIed, but pre-
ferred above either method 10 be strongly led.
nice Young man with Il sweet lisp, hair parted
In the middle and u WaIcd muStdChe Aas more
in place in a dancing school than in a pulpit,
with the boys and girls Hooking him through.
fussy old man who could drink only one kind
of tea, and never was 80 happy rs when he was
tOasting his embroidered slippers over the
Il al Fls