Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-24

81 |9pfNx/ are told that the Crusa-
ders, willing, even eager,
to sacrifice wealth and ease and life itseli
for an idea, march down to us through ''the
corridors of time" only, in the stately verse
or romantic story of centuries wholly un.
sympathetic with and drearily remote from
our cotton and corn and roast-beef and
greenback age.
Certain thinkers never tire of character.
izing this as the epoch of facts; meaning by
facts material things, investigations and
results. Few speak of it as religious era.
"Nowadays," says Bulwer, ''the staple
business of earth's majority is where, when
and how to dine"
We seem to be chiefly occupied in tanning
and harnessing the elements as draught
horses to pull our load. By sort of common
consent, we are told, there is an ignoring OF
that future career of the soul toward which
this palpitating existence of to-day Is lead
ing US, as pathway across the lawn leads
up to family mansion.
Notwithstanding these confident protes-
tations, there has never been time since
time began when religion had as firm a hold as
1t now has upon the mOlding influences of the
world The church was never before so strong
numerically, financially, inhuentially. The
divine head of the church is more thought of
and talked about than ever before. Thele are
three great tests of the hold which any subject
takes upon the community, VIZ: Politics, lit
erature and chit-chat of the sidewalk and ire
side. Apply these tests:
Take politics. Questions of religion enter at
this moment more lai gely into the counsels of
statesmanship than any other issues. China,
India, Japan. Turkey, are 50 many arenas of
triumphant Christian propagandism. Within
M LenN Nrryarn 90. wrrsk1
many in the interest of ultra-montaneism. To-
day, IN Berlin, Bismarck is largely occupied
with religious questions as these relate TO the
new German Empire. so in Italy. The meet
ings OF her Cabinet are frequent and earnest
over issues between the Quirinal and the Vati-
can-0etween King and Pope. What is it that
keeps ireland anchored beside England in
chronic fnsurrection? Religious differences.
Here in America the question of the Bible in
public schools Is an angry and urgent question.
Religion, in one or another form, is conyulsing
governments, upheaving dynasties and sending
its earthquake rumble "from Indus to the
poie."
Take literature. The daily press has become
a teacher of theology. Our journals cannot
give the news without talking about religion.
Every Monday morning the sermons of the
previous Sunday are reported. And all the rest
OF the week their columns TEEN with reports
from Mexico, Persia, Madagascar, the east coast
of Africa lwhere notO of amazing religious
changes. Who ever expected to see the day
when the daily press should supersede Union
and Andover Seminaries as schools of theology?
All the magazines, toO are discussing the
same class of topics Hardly a book comes
from the press which does not join more or less
loudly in the current debate. The most popu-
lar and widely read novels of the day ('sBen
Hur," "Robert Elsmere," John Ward
Preacher deal exclusively with religion. AS
for science. one would think its sole mission
was on the one hand to assail, on the other to
defend the Bible.
Take our familiar freside discussions. Since
we are all hearing and reading constantly
about these religious questions, we are all
Obliged to talk about and consider them. We
ask one another how far Darwins theories
affect the origin of man, and whether the book
of Genesis can be maintained against the
teachings of geology, and what influence this
that and the other religious move will have
upon the complicated chess board of the world.
Now, all this is hopeful and inspiring. Be-
cause 1t Is with communities as with individ-
uals; period of intellectual investigation, of
deep and prolonged thoughtfulness always
precedes and ushers in the period of feeling
and of action under the impulse of feeling.
Christianity has gained this much at least, that
1t is now attracting the attention and challeng-
ing the thought of the world.