The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-07
THE COMING MANS RELIGION.


~ W IA COHSlSE III ASeibS a. 0oou <AhctAcaHs
and There Will Be Plenty of Hels.
James Parton's Lecture Before the Nineteenth Cen
tury Club.
The coming man will have q theory of the
universe, but his religion will not. He will
regard the subject as secular Above all, he
will insist that no theory of the universe and
no other conviction of the mind can have in
it any moral quality whatever-can be hon
orable or odious right or wrong. The proper
religion for an American citizen is the
United States of America-this sublime ex-
pertinent of freedom and equality--the best
hope of the human race. Let us stand by it
and live for it, To be good American
that will be the coming mans religion-aye;
though he may never have the privilege of
treading these shores; to be good democrat,
loving the fraternal equality Of men; to be
good aristocrat, lord OF ourselves alone,
servant to all others; TO con-
sumo little bestow much and waste
nothing; to be such an American citizen that
if every other were to be the same all would
be we'll in America.
While life is life, the virtuous portion of
our race will desire and need to act in con-
cert. Man is a small, limited creature, ex-
cept in his capacity to suffer. In that every
baby is giant, every man a colossus Hence
the need OF a religion to warn against the
multitudnous causes of woe, failure and
misery. The future religion will have as
y
vice has its peculiar hell; every defect OF
character possible perdition. Do 1 believe
in hell2 We are all in he'll now. Are we
not every hour, expiating the sins OF our an
cestors? And do not most of us go on com
uniting sins which our descendants will have
to expiate in agony and shame? You incon-
tinent, sensual huSbands-you fathers steep
ed in tobacco and alcohol and given to anger
the child you dote upon will suffer he'll for
your offenses when you are dust. This is
the true hell-the only one that will ever
again have power either to brighten or deter
intelligent persons.
The sole object of the true and final reli-
gion will be TO improve the quality of hui
man life in this world. The late lamented
and iamentable death of Bayard Taylor, just
as he was beginning to liye-so bright n
spirit. so kind and generous q gentleman
recalled to my recollection the long and
dreadful catalogue of tragedies of which the
editorial rooms of New York have been the
scene during the last thirty years. How
many men of power and promise have per-
ished before they had reached their prime
1t was because they did not know how to
live.
On a visit to the Theological Seminary
near Cincinnati, then presided over by DR..
Lyman Beecher, ! once had occasion to note
the course of study. The hundred young
men there, who were to pass their lives in
strength in learning the language, geography,
history, literature and politics of an insig-
nifcant province in Asia named Palestine;
when they ought to have been studying Ger
man. ventilation, drainage and matters by
which they could live in the valley of the
Ohio The coming man will change all that
Liberals must organize. If join my neigh
bors going to church on Sunday morning,
| come home in q swear. The drama will
probably remain the form of the Sunday ex-
ercise-as it has been for fifteen centuries in
the Roman Catholic church. The mass is
drama or OPERA according to the mode of its
presentation. Suitable dramas, nobly
played on Sunday morning by the
members OF the coming church. will
exalt, instruct, inspire and cheer the
whole people. 1t you wish to put
any religion down there is but one way to do
pertinent of Professor Adler is one of in
terest and promise 1t may go far toward
assisting this country to the one thing it
lacks, and for the want of which it knows
neither peace nor joy nor health-a religion
which no young LincolDS or Buffers can
laugh at which shall possess power to charm,
to console to terrify and to regenerate.
AT present Professor Adler's movement
contains two menacing defects. 1t depends
wholly on an individual. and it imposes a
weekly task upon that individual which is
beyond mortal strength. But take it just as
we see it to-day; it proves that u congregation
can be drawn and firmly held, cheered,
stirred to good works, filled with generous
emotion, radically benefited. without the
least aid from authority, from obsolete con-
ceptions of final cause, or from the promise
OF life after death.