New-York tribune., 1890-06-29
IN THE CHURCH PORCH.
NOTES AND OPINIONS.

10 40 anything at all enectVe you must march with
the age You may object to this for various reasons
TO you good and sufficient. But you must keep on ths
move all the same, While OF us are quite
rcconciled this necessity, and are willing TO take
ii for granted that our movement is in the line of
progress there certain ultra conservatives in every
calling who move most unwillingly They see much
to admire in the past and messurably in the present:
but the future Is 10 them p0rtentlous fact to avoid
which far possible they would fain stand STILL
See the clerical conservative he blnlIs the great
noisy strdent numbering stupid world around him,
with its lofty and gnoble ideals inexricably mingled,
with its paroxysms of tears and laughter with its
humbug and its heroism, with its captrap and its
pathos, with It's unnumbercd human tragedies and
comedies. with its sccthIng fermens of growth and
moral progress and with its wof lapses back to its
original barbarism. him he tries to comprehend
1t all, and ends By regarding II all saturnalia Of
evil and sin. Forthwith therefore. the good man
adjusts his ecclesiastical armor rusty IL may be with
the r;me Of the centuries, and thus accoutrcd In
medieval garb rushes full tilt against the fashions
and follies and fads Of the day, much the Knight
Of tie Ruefu Countenancc rushed against the wind
mills And as We behold him unhorsed, while the great
insensate world revOves usual, how easy II Is
for us to laugh at his childish simplicity, and point
some jest at the vagaries OF the third How little
pity or sympathy have for the man who doesn't
keep up with the procession, who fails to learn
catchwors who refuses to take any interest in the
the present moment, and in which az playing
our brief part!
Perhaps one Of the saddest and most patheua
sight, Is 10 see the bright, joyous, novng, brilans
dandy Of twenty four or thecabouts transformed into
the sprtlcsS, tacurn and shabby family of middle
life We all know OF such transformations serious
they are uncxplanal,c. In Pendcnnls' Thackerly
has painted for us with master hand some Of these
cvolutions downward in the clerical profession, whe0
the brilliant Oxoaian for whom everybody predicted
mtre somehow other missed the rlnning, and
a secdy hopeless reclrse in a country par
sonage whose very appearance suggests life tragedy.
| know number OF such cases. There was Goodfel'
lCw Of Harvard In all his class, and brilliant feows
they were. too, there none brilliant a. he.
His conversation sparled with jest and epgram. ana
his good naurcd bonlom.c won him host OF friends.
lie good dresser and set the hon for his class.
When he finally graduated with high hOnors, and
announced his intention OF entering the ministry, We
all said that he would in a few years become one Of
the most famous preachers in the country. visited
him not long lie is the pastor Of parish in
large factory town. with shabby gence congregation
which worshps in shabby gcnteellockng church.
He is married and has six children who quarrel and
play in the mud and dust lie rarely smiles. and
there hi, face a look Of constant preoccupa'ion
His clothes don't fit him. aud decidedly shabby.
lie longer has future, all his energies being con-
sumd in the petty and carking Of the present.
Indeed the best part Of the man is gone. dead |
| might say and there remains a galvanized automaon.
which wcarily goes through the motions Of his calling.
OH youth, youth how often do you deceive US with the
promise Of a future that never comes!
Referring to the Protestant clergy, The Catholic Re-
view says The have closed their churches, but they
have carried the bgOtry thereof with them and they
are engaged in those annual conventions which are tho
chief illustration Of the vitality Of FrOtestantsm. With
ont these conventions it would be doubtful whether the
Protestant sects would remain organized don't
quote his sneer TO indorse it The contrary IL is
good example Of What religious journalism should not
be- But the reference to the fact that Protestants
have frcquent conventions while Catholics have very
few Is worthy Of notice. Probably you have never
thought Of this very striking fact in our current re-
! licous life because have way of not noticing
what is right under our eyes How often DO you hear
of Catholic conventions similar 10 the recently Eeh
| Christian Endeavor Conventon' l may say almost
never Popular meetings for the interchange Of eX'
| perience and ideas contrary 10 the genius Oh
| Catholicism while on the other hand they are pa'
of the vc.~ life Of Protestantsm. am not going 10
fall into e. ways OF the religious editor ana abuse
either Catholics ProtesantS because OF thelr dlt
! ference In thi, matter Maybe the Catholic Church
would be stronger Il its members got together IN ms
way ofcncr: and maybe the Protestant Churches wond
be stronger If they curbed their desire to get together
80 often simply in order TO talk. Doubtless there j an
.,tl and a GOOD in both tendencies: but they are so
| c,tbolicsm gains its victories By its wonderful or
,niation which works without the slightest noise Or
clamor Protcsantism gains It's victories by aga'oh'
discussion and Intellectual warfare lou see IT, many
/ bu,t skyrockcts whizzng through the air, ana you
b.,r .he thundcros roar of it, arguments a. II tries
o a,nce some stubborn adversary OF the ruth ot
-, nnsitinn Tnerc j. "a great deal Of wind about II,
ay i.i enecS and G viy"ins ricnly frcchied with the
homcht, Spccuations revelations and dreams Gi @ tne
eternal present Professionalism rlgtN oohs'ue'eu' h"'
st. a
Dr. WAGE. an eminent English theooSian, at q
recent of English clergy men, made the iol
| invinr declarations 10 would be a very serious
Thing 10 give the sanction of the Church ot Enslthu
opinion that there ,, IS sr', M dSr] Warks a. "Spe'
Why should lie very serious thing for tae EnS,n
~ nrobaSIy not a biblical scholar Of note in tho
world who does not regard the passage IN lues.ph.
as either doubtful spurious am quite sure thae
| Dr. Wace himself wolt be unwilling 70 ,av tnlt I ~ -
| authentic. And yet he i entirely WHINE 20 uaSo
the 'n." :" mart Of the in,pirei record II is this
unwilnGness recognize unpala'ane iacts ma, MAJ
GENT men from the Church Theoloslans are una m 'ie
to understand that You can't annlhlhte tt't nE
urc what Is true in religion Whom Biblical scholars
discover that spurious passage ha, orep, lh,9 W. %
Church to drop that passage at once no matter now
Important II may be as pr"ot,eN'; 10 on orop p,bs
Other hand to retain il will weaken Christianity
talk v about o the T % VIII I' ad@t ne duS
Imt isn't II equally a duty to believe some plain.
cvcrv day uninspircl. naked truth. which Smith.
prnv-n or ZONES has discovered think so Truth
is truth: and you can't make il more binding on our
conScicnccs by putting before II the woru "Hsprco'
For I'm "A sense all truth is inspired
| A thorouchgong hide bound cleric. the kind VINO
| always looks AZ the world through the glasses ot
ecclesiastical prejudice viii. think easily taAe tis
nremium for strong language. Good and honest man
s he undoubtedly is there are certain questions IN re-
rard 10 which lie is unable to speak trrthfilly or
s"brrlv | am reminded II this feet by b OF recene
English Church news. Canon Body well known ana
it,Iiv esteemed clcrgym Of somewhat ritualistic
views has lust been appointed Canon Missioner Of
rurhom Whcrcnpon. at public meeting, a prom
innnt ercymon made the following amazing assertion
" would rather be guilty of all the immoralitieS %
,hs Innhon strccts AZ night for month than be a