Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-02-23
NOT so BAD AS PAINTED.
Bishop Newman Says the World is
Daily Growing Better.

That thoughtful, observing and eio-
qucnt 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
Nail and Express reporter if Christian
ity is advancing, the condition of tho
Church prosperous and the outlook for
the future hopeful, he said:
christianity is developing now as
never before a twofold force lit is both
defensive and aggressive. The Church
has passed through the crusade of
Ingersollism, and is to-day stronger
Tor the fight. There has been no such
absolute failure toinjure 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
Inyective. searching Interrogation and
glbald blasphemy. The pause gave
them an opportunity to think, and the
Eiraely thought was, infidelity takes all
and gives nothing
alt is significant fact that, in the
Zate campaign, in6del orators would
moi be tolerated by the people. The
most potent fact, which commanded
barge attention. was Gen. Harrison's
Faith in Christ, and the next President
al 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
Engersollism- 1t is the covert attacked
upon the divine mission of Jesus and
She benehcient miracles that he
wrought in the well-known novel,
Robert Elsmere.' Fascinating in style,
picturesque in character, it is coward
~ in its method of attack. 1t is not a
Unitarian book. Unitarians are too
honorable to strike in disguise. The
Gook is essentially infidel. 1t is the
presentation of an apparently young
and noble mind-by no means an in
F1ividual ker-overwhelmed with
doubts by superior intellect. The
gisf of the whole book is this-a wit
Dsss to be judged by the preconception
Of his age. There was a preconception
Shat Messiah would come-therefore
Ae came There was a preconception
Shat he would work miracles therefore
miracles were wrought. This is the
line of attack. Hume called in question
she test of Bible witnesses because this
test was contrary to common ex-
perience. The authoress of this book
questions the reliability of this testi-
zn0ny because influenced by super
s4itious conception of previous age.
IS is a 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 a sublime cor
relation. Is liberty false because it
was preconceived? Is the divinity of
Jesus a fallacy because of its precon-
ception? Or His miracles fancies be-
cause the dream Of a prophet or the
vision of the seer? How different the
issue of the struggle of the eloquent
r 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
che return of the pendulum of his faith
forever after to swing in harmony with
reason and revelation. ALI persons
who read Robert Elsmere' should read
the life of Robertson
RELIGION AND CRIME.
sis the progress of religion decreas-
ing the amount of crime in the worldP''
t'You should remember that law Gre
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
sficence of science, the reign Of kind
ness, the respect for public morality,
zhe honor and honesty of our public
men, the power Of the church for good
ALI point to an advance in humanity