The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-12-21

the talks" for publication and the result
is the new book
In 1t the author insists upon her right to
put the test of human rationalism to every
line and every word in the Bible. ga
feminine edition of Robert Elsmere,'n
you would think on beginning the perusal
OF her argument; but no. you discover
your mistake as you proceed, and toward
the close of the work Gail Hamilton takes
direct and sharp issue with the gloomy and
consumptive champion of "a purely human
Christ" and by a clever flank movement
will harsh critics call it a ''fiuke !"-assails
his proposition that miracles never hap
pen," and not only finds railroads.&c.
grounds for accepting the miracles atten-
dant upon the birth, death and resurrec-
ton of the Savior, and also for a firm faith
In His divinity, but has some very caustic
things to say about her old comrades in
rationalism who still march on without
pausing to rest on the pleasant camping
ground which she has at last discovered.
But how Genesis and miracles, and the
law and the prophets, and the inspired
word'' and the apostles are subjected to her
keen analysis before that. Ana how the
great theologians catch it! Nothing very
new, perhaps, In her propositions. Most OF
them. indeed, are old acquaintance, and
she does not pretend that they are other
wise; but coming from Gail Hamilton, in
her own lncisive way, they cannot fail to
be entertaining, and consideration of the
character OF the audience that listened to
them and clamored for more, and then ap-
pealed for their publication, must result in
something very like painful shock tc
many plous and conservative souls. The
Genesis of the Bible, she says, is a picto
rial representation of creation, and the
only revelation in it ali that is vital is the
revelation of God appearing on the face OF
It, Its historical or scientific quality is
interesting, but 1t is a question for scholars
and not for u.s. 1.-THE Lord God, beyond
doubt, planted garden eastward in Eden
just as he planted forest westward in
America, by the forces of nature, whether
through man with farming tools or by the
winds OF heaven, or the wings of bird anC
bee and butterfly, scattering seeds
Nothing can exceed the marvel of planting
We have seen the forest primeval and have
never lost ourselves in that wood. Wha
is there to bewilder US among the trees OF
Eden, the Garden of Code" Then the au-
thor says:
The story of Adam and Eve, is parable al
allegory, by it's own showing In any othel
book than the Bible, story OF animals talking
would be called fable, would be recognized a:
fable. * When we read in a story
book, The lion said TO the mouse We perceive
al once that ii is 4 fable. When we read in the
Bible. The serpent said unto the woman we
call 1t history. There is no reason why We
should. There is no more reason to suppose
that snakes talk in the Bible than that they
talk IN other literature. There is even less rea
son, for the Bible itself in other places speaks
OF the serpent not serpent, but an evi
spirit, showing that the Bible writer's considered
1t allegory. 20 say that it is false or allegory
is not 10 say thatit is false. The very point and
pith Of fable is truth. An allegory has no life
but IN its truth.
"What is rationalism.' she says little
further on. 1.-The bugbear Of the churche:
for one thing. Only q bugbear so far as the
churches are alarmed. Rationalism is req
SOaNigism. No deeper insult can be pu
upon the Bible than to say that it can no
stand reasoning. 1t would be wei
TO learn who has authority to put on the
brakes. The attempt would be more likely
to throw off the brakeman than to slow the
train. To say that ratioualism i.
fatal to evangelical religion is to say tha
evangelical religion can exist only amonl
idiots.''
The argument is presented at length. Ii
answer to a Methodist opponent of rational
ism the writer says:
OIf the scholarship OF the churches is no
amenable to reason, IL is in the bonds of a grea
lmbecilty. If the Methodist church has M
tendency to bring its theology to the bar of rea
son, IL Is q far more effete Institution than it.
vigorous condition would indicate. Put dowI
the brakes on reason: There is but one way tC
do ii. Burn the reasoner! It is not the Meth
odist church which is credited with that mo
nopoly. It is too late for the Methodist Churcl
10 introduce it. Even Bruno does not stay
burned
But, say the literalsts, rationalism take.
away our infailible Bible, and puts reason K
! judge revelation.
What is an infallible Bible? The multiplied
ton table is tnfallible, but is of no use to u:
until we learn it. If we know nothing of mum
bers and can not read figures, the multiplied
ton table might as well be fallible, so far a
We are concerned. We must put our snemor!
| 10 the multiplication table and our reason L
applying it before we get any good out of it,
A theological reasoner, not named. i
quoted. Summed up, Gail Hamilton find
his propositions to be:
To trust consciousness is at the very founda
ton of right thinking and right living.
| To trust Christian Consciousness, even our ow
fortified by that of other men, is to compass
| error and downfall.
The lance is in full play now. Here is tn
way in which its fair manipulation i
using it:
And this writer is a doctor OF divinity, an Al
dover graduate, college graduate, a Ne
| Englander born and bred under Plymouth Rocl
| What do you suppose he thinks he means
What does man do with his mind while he
range on the same page: What does he thin
we are doing with our minds when we are rea,
ing themr such irrationalism in a teacher i
unpardonable You and I-women-who Al
busy with the thousand nameleSS, unnoted bu
imperative duties of life
ave poor women, feeble -natured, large
heart, in wisdom small.
Who the worlds incessant battle cannot III
derStdnd at all, -
we are not expected to be logical or even
understand logic. We may, in our small wa,
jump sylloglSm dash up against a fallacy, an
not forfeit our right 10 SelfreSpect. But for
man, college graduate, voter, Il legislator.
| theological professor and teacher with Il
! Westminster catechiSm at his tongues end
put upon the same page, fronting each othe
glazing at each other two contradictory stat
ments that can only devour each other-is for
man to invite woman into the pulpit.
"When Protestant conservatism" ad,
Gail Hamilton, ''is arguing against til
pope, it is as strong nationalist as au
, philosopher could ask" and she clinche
her statement with long quotation trol
an Evangelical newspaper. Then 81
charges that this same Protestant rationa
Ism. when graphing with doctrinal ration
alism, turns its back on its own reasonin,
Here is her argument continued:
Assume for moment that the Christian co
seriousness does not give US assurance concer
, ing the Divine authority and inspiration of Il
l Scriptures; what does? The Church? T
minister: The council? The assemblies? Tt
; bishops! Your Christian consciousness mu
give you assurance concerning them! IT
creed tells you what Paul means but VIII
tells you that you may trust the creed? t
church bids you trust the catechism but yo
: own Christian consciousness must answer I
! the church. You take just as much respon
J bility by sitting in Judgment on the Thirty nj
, Articles which interpret the Bible as you do
/ sitting in judgment on the Biele. You take
| much responsibility in accepting the apostle
7 You perform the most momentous act of priva
! judgment.
The literalists, Gail Hamilton claim
5 play into the hands of the ''blatant al
J boastful agnostic who never went to ankl
deep in Scriptural or other investigate
hut who makes more noise shouting o.,