Telegram-herald., 1890-05-27
SUNDAY NIGHTS LECTURE



1aere Nere sef1e xerx n.easant fes-
tuIes zt9at he garherag 81 Powers /
Opera House -4si Sunday evening
thai - pleasant to Z UnlArlan. The /.
facl tDst Tie ball sas crowded L. Is ut- +
u-osl capacity shows tAat our people are /
not uJlsr ly nd hefeut 10 rel g.ous mat (
ters, ever 4 mulutudes u them never. /
or seldom attend our churchs. I sm
.oln T. believe cor citizens are 80 CON-
p.etsly engalfed ia worldlness as -
care nothing tog the interests Of the-r
spiritual natures for when a man
reaches that coad u on he lson the h.gh
roa4 o. naro1r.sn and spiritual death.
kfen curiosity ss better tnSu tOtal
spalAy No d9ubt the novelty of tAe
theme he gOn Without God drew
many mere curiosity hunter % hear
What could ~ said GA such subject of
THIS, hat repeat anything Is preferable
10 staguatlou and death, 80 / VAS
pleased 20 see - uaAF ot our people,
and apparently our very best people,
had lie enough 10 be present The
most OF them / am sure derived some
profit ana pleasure from tne Grafton
II Was pleasant also 10 Unitarian 70
see that apparently religious lntoler-
ancC and dogmatisu- the most hateful
and desp.cable ot ali humaL weaknesses,
were OF the wane. The TIME has heen
when a man like Or. Watts would have
been dragged from tie platform ant
burned al the stake hy either q Oaihoilc
or Protestant representative of he
Christian rel gion, b.lt last Sunday evpu-
lng he was not only uumolested, but
was actually cheered by some Oi the
most cultured people OF oar city.
Thanks 10 the growth Of religious free
dom, the dearest and most precious OF
/ human privileges
Ii was pleasant also 10 q Unitarian TO
hear man who, according To old-ume
fears and prejudice, might also be cx-
pcctci 10 have clOyen hOOts, horns and
| fOrkcd ta.l, utterng tue lOtuest, hoh-
est prcccpts OF religion apparently from
| out the depths OF las soul. seldom i
/ ever have our people listened 10 mob
J ler portrayal Ol the beauties o. ughcOus-
I ress and the sacredness of the religious
aspirations. Seldom indeed Is 80 much
] profound and original trIll gwen out
! hy any man in one discourse; and 10
| was inspiring and comforting 70 see
/ that vast congregation SIT almost spell
/ bound under us mage influence. Be
fore attempting TO give those who did
not hear il some idea q tie maguh-
cent Grafton ! want 10 mention some Ot
| the unpleasant features Of tile address
-"thc flies IN the alabaster vase OF
ointment" that did much 10 antldOte
the fine effect of his elOquencc. HC
pleaded for "mOre love among men. "
and yet it was painfully manifest that
he himself was full of hate especial
" toward orthodox Christians, and that
his stock Of charity WAS very limited
indeed. There was 10 me painful
lack of Catholocity, or even common
fairness toward his opponents. Moth
ing To my mind IS 50 contemplate As
illlberal liberalism, or SO disgusting r,
assumed pre-emincnt honesty and VII
tue among men who do so little, but
attempt to debauch the reputation OF
others. AS yet intidelty has bat q
slender stock of perfected results IL
moral character or practical pAllan'
throphy 70 boast over.
Few temples, halls OF learning asy-
l'lums, or charitable institutions have
been built and sustained by their gen
crosity. They have no monopoly oil
brain power or sanity men OF
women. OF course, opponents OF the
the Christian Church have much K
, anger them and cause them TO hate II
!. I for in all ages it has assumed that no
only were It's opposers IN danger o
| eternal damnatlOn, but were mora
outlaws as well. Mr.. Watts, were b,
, wise would sec that IN order 10 max
l.. 80
{ % men, he must snow in himself
= SO much OF Sweetness ana light" tina
spirit cOntrasted with that OF his aCcus
5 crs and traducers should put his enc
D mes to shame. In tins respect his ora
ton IS 4 wretched failure. lie neyc
. can WIN valuable converts To Gecuiarlsr
f by TRADES against the moral character
and intellectual cahprc of those VIII
differ from hIm. Secularism, IN Orde
TO supplant Christianity, must bc abl
10 snow that, vlewd IN every aspects, Il
/ infinitely superior TO It's great and YeI
,. cradle opponent. 1t has mighty tas
4 before Il!
T Now, what IS seculaTism? 1t clam
to be a new moral and spiritual pmlO
ophy evolved by modern thought,
philosophy which ignores all ideas Z
J. claimed bv other Teligi giOnsts, issue fTC'
& Inn. It ilnds Its law IN human ~, au
II feels that lis duty Is limited u u
e service of humanity. 1t cares II,
whether there be a God, for
, there be one, he Is utterly u
l. comprehensive to the human m.n
and so can neither be wOrshped {
feared. 80 man should devote al b
energies TO serving ms fellow man.
"To DO coon"
IS is the sum Of the Secularists religion
q and that without hope Of reward.
Is He claims 20 be free from all supe
il stitCtOn, 10 be in al respects tree
p fearless man. lie claims 10 deal ait
l. gether with facts, and thus has sclc'
tfc religion. lie IS TO IDLE dreame
bat deals entirely with realities. An
So with tins proud consciousness Of 81
, peror motives and attanmeDts t lo0l
down with sc0rn upon 81 the GO.
religious and GOd-Dhi'Osophles Of T.
rast and beckous It's devOtces and a
would-he q sCIIles to "come up higher.
Now Of course tins IS a mlserab.
moor summary Of an address lasting 3
E / tour and q half and filed with loft
eloquenco. wit and scathIng sarcasm
hl1t e NAV give some idea Ot The u8.
&. line of thought presented.
n The question naturally aTlsCs, is tie
ANYTHING new about th's. or anythlu
~ s,1uerlativelv excellent thst as re-
.-rah'e. progressive men We sbou.
b. o,cb ard All iO-n the ranks OF the ser
= fsr.sts7 Nv reply would be. see nou
- 80 new. 0r anything in advance
~ 49, ~r~-fa lrr hoo4a r.r.-..r-e~H ,