The Delta independent., 1889-01-22
NOT so BAD AS PAINTED
Bishop Newman Says the World Is
Daily Growing Better.

That thoughtful, observing and elo-
quent man, John P. Newman, Bishop
OF the Methodist Episcopal Church, was
in town this week. His familiar figure
retains all of its striking individuality,
and his expressive countenance shows
little sign of the years of labor in be-
half of the Church with which he is
identified. Bishop Newman believes
that the world is growing better.
Owing to his position, his travels, his as
sociation with able men and his habits
OF close observation, his Judgment
should have weight. When asked by a
Mail and Express reporter if Christian
ity is advancing, the condition of the
Church prosperous and the outlook for
the future hopeful, he said:
christianity is developing now as
never before q twofold force-it is both
defensive and aggressive. The Church
has passed through the crusade of
Ingersollism, and is to-day stronger
for the fight There has been no such
absolute failure to injure faith, especial
ly that Of the public men Of our coun-
try, as this latest phrase OF infidelism.
There was time when our public men
seemed to halt under the power of
invective, searching Interrogation and
ribald blasphemy. The pause gave
them an opportunity to think, and the
timely thought was infidelity takes all
and gives nothing
at is significant fact that, in the
late campaign, intidel orators would
not be tolerated by the people. The
most potent fact, which commanded
large attention, was Gen. Harrison's
faith in Christ, and the next President
of the United States will be a fervent
Christian.
THE DANGER OF SOME BOOKS.
1.-The church is passing through
another ordeal, more insidious and,
therefore, more dangerous, than
Ingersollism. 1t is the covert attacked
upon the divine mission of Jesus and
the beneficient miracles that he
wrought in the well-known novel,
Robert Elsmere.' Fascinating in style,
picturesque in character, it is coward
ly in its method OF attack. 1t is not a
Unitarian book. Unitarians are too
honorable to strike in disguise. The
book is essentially infdel. 1t is the
presentation of an apparently young
and noble mind-by no means an in
dividual thinker-overwhelme with
doubts by superior intellect. The
gist OF the whole book is this-a wit
ness to be judged by the preconception
OF his age. There was preconception
that a Messiah would come-therefore
he came. There was preconception
that he would work miracles-therefore
miracles were wrought. This is the
line of attack. Hume called in question
the test OF Bible witnesses because this
test was contrary to common ex-
perience. The authoress of this book
questions the reliability OF this testi-
mony because influenced by q super
stitious conception of previous age.
1t is new assault upon Christ and his
miracles, but the argument is fallacious
1t has been the preconception of all
ages that man would be free in all the
grandeur of his individuality. To-day
he is thus free. The preconception
and the realization are sublime cor
relation. Is liberty false because it
was preconceivedp Is the divinity Of
Jesus fallacy because Of its precon-
ceptionp Or His miracles fancies be-
cause the dream of prophet or the
vision Of the seerP How different the
issue OF the struggle of the eloquent
F. w. Robertson, whose sermons are
household words. Turn to Principal
Tulloch's work on Religion of the
Nineteenth Century wherein he por-
trays in vivid language the oscillations
of Robertson to the utmost doubt and
the return of the pendulum of his faith
forever after to swing in harmony with
reason and revelation. All persons
who read Robert Elsmere' should read
the life of Robertson"
RELIGION AND CRIME.
'.1s the progress of religion decreas-
ing the amount of crime in the worldp"
ates crime. We have multiplied Of
fences by the multiplicity of our legis-
lation. Because Of this the number of
criminals may be greater now than it
was fifty years ago; but compare socie-
ty now and then as to what may be call
ed the great moralities of life, and the
statistics of all nations show that there
Is less vice and more virtue in the
world to-day than ever before. But
you cannot gauge the progress of
Christianity by arithmetic. Many are
In prison who should be out, many are
out who should be in. There are other
and better criteria to go by. The BEN
efcence Of science. the reign of kind
ness, the respect for public morality,
the honor and honesty Of our public
men, the power OF the church for good
all point to an advance In humanity
toward better future. One man is a
pessimist, another on optimist. The
former lives in his memory, the latter
lives in his imagination. would live