Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-02-28
MANS FELLOW
4 Mind That Can Not Love Both God
and Man Had Better Let
Fall Its God.
This Somewhat Startling Declaration
Was Made by Prof Swing.

Prof. Swing holds that when man is in
different to his fellow-man he can not make
amends by praying to the deity He said
that in the course of his sermon at Central
Music Hall, recently, and in connection
with the thought added IF there be a
mind which cannot love God and man both,
it would better in its awful dilemma let
fall its god and espouse the more ardently
the welfare of human life; the deity does
not need our alteration as greatly as hu-
manity needs our love-" The professor
was preaching on the love of God as John
understood it. Those who had in youth
committed to memory the shorter catechism
could remember that sometimes they were
glad when asked the question. "What is
God?" for the reply contained a large
amount of verbal eloquence. The great
words flowed along like a deep river: God
Is a spirit infinite. eternal. and unchange-
able, In His being wisdom, power. hoIi-
ness, justice, goodness and truth" Little
prospect was there that such philOsophi
cal definition would ever be surpassed by
the little sentence of st. John: God is
love- But often the oriental languages
have excelled the colder English tongue in
the power to define person. doctrine, or
" iudllIy. IHC SlO"IhS Olieiit Cdu seILt
! upon some cardinal quality and render it
so brilliant that ali other qualities disap-
pear in the surrounding night 1t is well
indeed for us that God is infinite and
eternal, but those great words do not seem
so Ineligible as the thought that he is a
mighty friendship.
There was an intense fire Of love in the
heart of st. John himself, and by it he was
perhaps unc0nsciously led to ponder chiefly
upon the fact and the arena of the benev-
olence of God. 1t is probable that no writer
| or Christian ever lived in whose heart there
| burned a warmer wish for the happiness
of all
1t is difficult to define the term love.
And yet if God is love and if humanity
resembles its author it is high time for us
all to come up to that word which contains
the image and description of an ideal
| human race.
I'm the novel and in human life love
| plays a kind of drama of beauty and hap
! plneSs, but in all the world apart from this
romance the same sentiment acts as a uni
Versal redeemer and savior 1t is delight
| ful bondage of the heart which in one
| mind gives us our music. in another our
poetry, in another our science, in another
| our country. Civilization is the result OF
!
| One Ut the most amazing propositions
ever drafted and offered to the congress of
our republic is that one in which it is pro-
| posed that our nation proceeded to apply
$500, 100000 or S400, 100000 to the CON
| structiOn of ships of war. The idea at
once takes US back to the times of the pi-
rates. julius Caesar was compelled to take
| active measures against robbers, but as the
| seas are no longer infested by pirates, that
| bill must look to a mission OF dishOnOr
| for the United States. Perhaps the hun
| dreds of millions are needed to fit the
union for performing toward Cuba and
| Mexico the office of thief. Some dis
| honor lies concealed, for nothing but a
mOnstrOuS error or crime could think of
| turning such an enormous heap of gold
| away from the education and homes of tho
| people to invost it ia the tnolg Of foreign
| war. If our government has S40O 900, 600
| of the peoples money and can think Of
no better use of that gold than to put it
into iron ships and iron guns it would bet
| ter cease thinking altogether and permit
/ the people to think for it for Il time. The
| old despotisms may need ships, guns and
| armies to support their thrones. but it is a
sad day for our republic if our common
| people have become unworthy OF the ma
| tons bcnevOlence and must see their
| wealth poured into two oceans. Humanity
is lOve-the love of man for man. We
need few millions for war-ships. but
| hundreds of millions for the physical and
| mental betterment of the people For
| centuries Europe has exhausted her wealth
| upon the anger of soldiers Europe is
war; America is peace. Her wealth must
! flow not toward the battlefield. but toward
| the mind, the heart, and the home.
| Civilization is the study of welfare. This
principle underlies nearly all ethics. The
young men cannot drink intoxicating
| drinks to become a drunkard. not because
he ruins his health and name and fortune.
| but because the existence of his father and
mother or his wife or child. takes away
| from him the right to drain that cup.
| And if he had no father or mother or wife
or friends his relation to society takes
away his personal obligations to confer
only benefits upon society. His passion
! for drink must die before that greater
! dominating power of social welfare. BY
| parallel reasoning no literary man, how
| ever gifted. possesses any right to issue a
| low drama or Il low, sensual novel. be-
cause as member of society he is bound
! to make all desires sink into oblivion
! compared with the noble effort to make
the social world a happier home for his
| race.
A story is now passing over the land
| that a private soldier of this nation was
recently condemned to prison for year
| because he would not perform some mem
| ial order as the servant of some official
| And what is more marvellous. the imperi-
GUS official was the military Judge in the
case In Russia this independent private
would have been sent to Siberia for FIVE or
ten years, but IN our land all men in what
ever station are liable to be overtaken by
the wave of mercy and divine right. Mill
tary vanity cannot drive its proud chariot
over the necks of the men down in the
ranks 4 common soldier must obey Il
military order to the last letter, but an
order to cut wood for his captain or carry
the baggage of several officers does not
fall under the head of military obliga-
tions.
| \ distinguished Frenchman thought
that there Is q religion in humanity. a
worship of humanity. which made a deity
unnecessary. Upon our altars we might
write the word man. And, indeed. so
there might be a reverence for the race.
In some atheists this sentiment has been
a substitute for piety. A love of nature
and of art. of music. of color, might re-
suit in a religion without a good. but
it would be poverty-striken compared y .th
a religion composed of both God and hui
maity. The heart gladly exchanges the
desert of Africa for Italian scenes: man
grows happier where orange tree
and lily bloom, where grass and viOets
make the rich carpeting. where the air is
perfume. when the sun sets in solemn mag
nifcence. and where the nightingale fills
the long twilight with its vespers. Thu:
the religion with God and man both
In Its contents rises in grandeur far above
a reverence of mankind alone But the
error of Auguste Compile reveals grand
truth. that religion Is Largely composed Of
love of the human race. The religion ot
Jesus Christ includes that Of Augustt
Compte, for Christ said; What We have done
, for the humbiest human beign We have
done for me. la the sublime teaching ot
Jesus the cup of water must be offered Il
/, the one who thirsts; God does not thirst;
,, it Is human life that needs the neyer-en
i ding intersesslon.
God and his children are so inseparabl,
that the hymns which worship him pro
claim also the greatness and beauty o
mankind. The beautiful temple of Goo
is to be joined to the happy home of man
There Is one sunshine for the steps o
! the cathedral and the door-siil of the cot
! cage.