The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-01-21
EDITORIAL BRIEFS.
BY REV. I. M. ATWOOD, D. D.
Canton, N. Y.

out bias, as Charles Lamb SAID ne llKed 10
be about a book he was to review, 80 he
reviewed the book first and read it after
ward. Much of the criticism-we sus-
pect most of it-of churches and preach
ing and religion, in which our esteemed
contemporaries of the secular press in
dulge, is produced under similar favora-
BILE circumstances. The acute gentlemen
who write these pungent articles are ex-
ercised with the problems Of church and
religion only when column. more or
less, is to be filed in their papers.
The church, every branch Of it, is ad-
ministered by persons ignorant in many
things, perverse in some things, and
worldly in some things. Tit were ideally
perfect in its plan it would still exhibit
the defects inseparable from any humanity
administered institution. The church,
every branch of it, is therefore, amenable
to criticism and improbable by criticism.
Nor is it essential that the criticism
should come from those who best under
stand the church and most thoroughly
appreciate it's great value to manki1d.
Friendly criticism is pleasanter to take,
but it may not be so profitable. There Is
delightful frankness in the animadver-
sions of one whose tongue Is not restain-
ed by sentiment
But the error of most of those who
point out 80 keenly the shortcomings OF
the churches, consists in not seeing that
the derelictions complained of are due to
influences originating outside the church
and which cannot be prevented from ap-
pearing inside. Fashion does not origi.
nate in the church; neither does wealth,
nor caste, nor pride, nor inhumanity.
Society is always full OF these, and
churches surrounded by them cannot re-
main unaffected. To rail at the church
for not being pure from evils that are
supreme in busin ess, politics and society,
and that pour in tide up to its very
doors, is not display of discrimination
that any censor need be proud OF.
We observe that the Tribune has
been following Mr.. Lowell up with a
series of little digs ever since he presided
at the Tariff Reform meeting. We re-
spectfully suggest that the Tribune is
not at it's best in this business. Some
time ago it tried to write Geo. William
Curtis down. It is certain that Mr.. Cur
tbs lost no friends on account of what the
Tribune said of him: it is just as certain
that the Tribune did. James Russell
Lowell is one of the small number OF
Americans who reflect honor on the
American name all over the world; and
one of the smaller number who will con-
tinue to do so when the greater part OF
his contemporaries, including the editor
of the Tribune, are forgotten. To sneer
at him as a man "who has ceased to be
an American" or to allude to him as
purveyor for the English market is not
good politics, nor especially brilliant
journalism.
-Ex. Gov. Long made prominent in his
remarks on information al copyright diff
ficulty which is the explanation of the
failure of many good schemes; it is the
conflict of interests. In society as COM
plex as ours, and in country where oc-
cupations and industries are SO diversi-
fed, it is simply out of the question to
relieve the burden of one class without
either adding to the burden Of some
other class or exciting their apprehen-
sion that you will do so. On the naked
question of the justice and propriety OF
given measure, there is not 30 much dis
pute. But when you learn that your
neighbors, or your constituents, or par
ticular class of laborers or manufacturers
think it will iniure them, you hesitate.
In this way, as Gov. Long points out,
thousands of measures, abstractly good,
encounter obstacles and fail of getting
the votes of majority in Congress.
This raises the question, whether it
we're not better to guide legislation more
by general principles and universal laws
than by compromise between conflicting
interests. It is probable that in most
cases the harm apprehended by one class
from justice done to another, would not
ensue. Usually, laws based on broad
principles of equity or OF public policy,
or conformed to established economical
principles, are found to be beneficent in
their operation. A chief reason why there
are 30 many conflicting interests" is be-
cause there has been so much special
legislation intended to benefit class or
q locality at the expense Of the general
public.
According to John Westwood Oliver,
the decentralization Office" has been
identified; it is the weather bureau. The
popular condensed indication, "hills
clear, rain near" the weather bureau,
with the aid OF meteorology and Web
ster's unabridged, contrives to expand
into eight times the number of words
thus: "Ihe presence of a wedge-shaped
area of high pressure, accompanied by
great atmospheric visibility, and likely
to be followed by the advance of a
disturbance with rain and southerly
Winds" Science as we'll as art is some
times long.
The Rev. NJ ]. Savage makes new
demand on faith. He asks us to believe
that God is something as much above
personality and consciousness as these