New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-08
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

Represented in England by such ihen az
Arnold, Maurice, Kingsley and Stahleyi anb
in this country by the late John Cotton Sn-Itn
and DR.. Washburn, and by Phillips BroOhs' ~
could not fail to arrest the attention VI
thoughtful people. Two reasons nave hlIheICo
stood in the way of its being popular move
mcnt the general belief that 1t Is aIileu .i ~
German ratiOnalism, and the fact that, nOt"ltH-
standing its theoretical sympathy with hullan-
itv, il has so often seemed 70 Do a sysITSn
Offering salvation by scholarship only. 1ne
first objection is losing its force because ea aeI
the new German criticism itself, IN nlouIHe9I
form, is being gradually accepted or toleratg1Ii
by the Church and the second objection wiz
soon have reference only TO the paSt' IePioe
scented by Mr.. Matthew ArnOld's religion Vi
sweetness and light The Broad Churchlsn
of to-day is ceasing to be doctrlnalre system,
and becoming more and more Identified VIII
every kind OF reform The time may even
come when the much-ahused phrase, = religion
of humanity" will represent something inV ore
tangible than the ghOsulike nightmare oil inc
Church of the POstiyists. In regard 10 M IIs
great religious movement of the future, II, THo
London Standard speaks as follows: ne
Evangelical party in the Church OF EngIanu
has pretty nearly run It's course, anu II - m
interesting question whether the same lllIHIs
can be said of Wesleyan Methodlsm' we
may learn from the Wesleyans themselves tnaU
they have had grave mlsgivlngs on TINS pull
almost to the extent OF doubtlng whether Unol.
DAYS as a religious community were Iot
numbered The reason is ObviOus. There mas
hecn new departure. of liberal religious
thought. since the days when it was represented
by MethOdism, and one that mas nOIhln9 Ln
common with the Protestant integrity Oh Jonn t
Wesley; nor is there in Protestant dissent
generally that peculiar element or culture
which j. essential to the religious Liberalism IN
its conflict with the established 0rthodoAy. -
the Catholic principle is to be OyerthrOWn; IL
will not be by MethOdiSm, nor 10y any otneI
form of sectarian Christianity but by tnat
party within the Church OF England Whlch
minimiZes the supernatural in all religions anu,
TO use its own language, makes Christianity
DoSsible to thousands who, but tor It's Deing
thus emasculated, could never have enrolled
themselves under its banner. Mhether !llS
is work 70 be proud OF Is another quesuon.
but it is the Broad Church party ID the
Church OF England by whom the DatIie aTainSO
Catholicism. whether Roman or Anglican
will ultimately he fought, and not 10y the
antiduated Professionalism of either Sectaries or
Evangelcals We make the remark without
any invidlous reflection on these dying powers;
but il is fact almost too OBVIOUS 10 ne
challenged that the religious controversy OF the
day is gradually dividing itself into the TWO
great parties we have mentioned, ana thaG Ihe
leading intcllectS which still adhere 10 Chrla-
tianity are ranging themselves on one or 0ther
cf these two sides. Authority, tradition I'M
apination. theological learning and Iehned
scholarship represent the one. Phllosopmc
speculation, scientific sceptlclSm ana I'M
patience of restraint the otter. Dissent, III
harmony WIFI DCllHcI, dpptd4o " HCI1ii'i W
the two vital principles by when IN every
age of the world the human mind has been IN
ueuced. 1t did so once, but 1t does SO no l0ngel'
Two books have just been published IN Eng
land which will probably create somewhat OF
sensation in religious circles. One Is new
translation, with notes and comments, OF
the Book of EccleslaStes, by Ernest hehai'
NJ Renan believes that the author OF this DOCK
of Scripture was "a rich old jew VINO lived
Dtyr q
and who having Outrun all the enloymen's OF
lite. had settled down In materlallSm, OeleV,
ing that Z" the game of life was entirely played
out on this earth" The other volume IS from
the pen of the author of Ecce Homo ana l.
entitled Natural Religion The object Is the
most praisewOrthy one of recOncll!ng religion
and science, and this Is sought to be attained
bv grouping together all the great dcallsIns-
art science and cuture-and claiming the
combination as the true realization Of the word
@ruligiOn." "Egerythng,' says the author,
" that takes Us beyond and above our selfish
aims is religion ; art Is but another form OF
the struggle against woIldllness. Science Is
a great factor in the same direction. The
good the beautiful, and the true the OLD
triad OF ideas-all belong to the same genus.
Professor Huxley and the apostles OF eyou-
ton are really great lights IN the religious
world. This extension of the cOnnOtatlOn OF
the term rei gion will probably startle some
and scandaize others, but Goethe sald the
same thing fifty years ago. and Plato even
gave Il place in his sketch OF the model re-
public.
The English papers contain numerous letters
of protest, ard satrlcal hymns, IL regard 10
the uay of Thanksgiving Tor the victory III
Egypt appointed by the Church. The follow
ing are two stanZas from one OF these
hymns:
We bless Thee, Lord, who dldst direct
Our bullets on their way
We bless hee who diGst nerve our arms
The Arab hordes TO slay.
And have they hearts, those Arab wivesf
And have they tears to shed
For those who in their cOunttys cause
fave suier'd and have bled
Yes then can gr.eye as nee should grleYe,
And they can mourn as nee:
For every tear Their eyes have wcpt
All praise, . Lord, to Thee!
We shot the rebels as they ran,
OR slew them where they stood.
Our troops a new Red Sea have made
The land is red with blood
And 80 to-day, for all Thy help.
We thank and praise Thee, Lord,
Who saidst that those the sword who take,
Should perish by the sword.
Bless this our brave and glorious work!
our victories still Increase;
For this the war that we have fought,
We praise Thee, Prince Of Peace.
The third Sunday in September is celebrated
in Switzerland under the name OF Dank, Buss una
Bet-Tag, or " Thanksgiving. Penltence ana
PRAYER Davn This annual celebration IS n
very curious and interesting one, ana pr0OaoY
uniGue OF its kind in ChristendOm. The pres
emf wear was sort OF jubilee of the lnstltu-
ton. for it was just fifty years ago that the
! Catholics of Switzerland consented to fix one
common day with their Protestant brethren
for national thanksgiving, national repentance
and national intercession and 1t was agreed
| that this temporary reunion OF all SWISS
! Christians in one cmmOn religious acuo1
| should take place every year. on the third
! Sunday i'm September. So far as concerns the
| Swiss Protestants, the observance is more than
| two centuries old. The Bettag was founded
! in 1850. i'm gratitude for the conclusion of the
terrible Thirty Years War, and as a perpetual
] nnmnrinl Of the delnitlYe senarALL0n OF the