St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-14
MORALITY IS FIRST.
Religion Is Of Prime Import
ance, but it Is Not Every
thing. &
DR.. Vail Takes Up the Discus
sion Commenced by Arch IS
bishop Ireland. !,
50
He Would Choose Character
and Then Take Chances on
the Rest. (
Ii
Morality Is Not a Hindrance.
to the Religious Prob
lem.

"The Public School Crisis" was the
topic of an able and interesting sermon
delivered in Westmoreland hall yester-
day morning by Rev. W. S. Vail. of the
Universaiist church. DR.. Vail took as
mis- text portion of the sixth verse of
the tWenty-second chapter of Proverbs,
strain up child in the way he
should CO." The sermon was sug-
gested by the discussion aroused by the
address of Archbishop Ireland at the
late educational convention. The SER
mon follows:
This text is only quoted in part be-
cause we may have some question about
the conclusion, while there can be none
whatever about our duty in the matter.
The sermon is part of general plan
l have for touching on some of the
problems that have been thrust before
the public by the late educational con-
vention, a gathering of the largest i'm
portance in many practical ways. AS
we watched the sentiment gagged by
the attendance. there was the deepest
interest in what the president called
the moral evening, and on that evening
the most profound interest centered in
the paper of Miss Willard on the
White Cross League and its work in the
school.
I.-MOraIity Deeried.
Will you now 60 with me to the eX-
perience of the world, and try with me
to get the real condition of the senti-
ments men hold in regard to morality
hot
it is SO yariouSiy estimated by the
professors of religion? And when we
take the range of thought herein ex-
amined, remember that it is a condi-
ton not confined to one age. not to be
located in one flock, but living i'm our
age as well as the ages that preceded
the advent of Christ. How then shall
we approach this problem? How shall
we get the view that we need to enable
us to see clearly the way to the cOnclu-
sion of the subject? II we turn to the
real conditions to find men fixing their
eyes on religion as sacrifice of Christ
to relieve them from doom
imposed by SIN; if in this
look they believe themselves
unable to find relief in their own
strength, and through their own gifts
and powers; and if they accept the
theory of the death of Christ on the
cross as sacrifice that is to hold them
as they are sweeping down this swift
river OF danger to an unknown sea of
destruction, and in their JOY for deliv-
erance are impeiled to sing songs of
gratitude, the emotions developed, the
sense of relief, the impulse of Joy we'll
ing UP in devotional sentiment, will, as
a necessary result, tend to throw a
doubt on the value of morality as COM
pared with this experience. To a
man in this condition of mind, who has
had experience similar to what / have
mentioned, morality seems to have no,
very vital connection with the question
of religion at all. ~
Then very earnest men, who place all
the stress of the subject on preparation,
for the other world, and. hold such,
views of that world as men are wont to
hold, are very jealous Of any idea that
Will check men from accepting the
theories they advance as necessary to
salvation, and they claim that radical
difference exists between the two ideas,
and that morality makes barrier by
leaving men satisfied with something
that is unable to satisfy their immortal
souls. And If their premises are true
they cannot be too strenuous in urging
bilio CidiA. t1CIC tliCil 10 Ill tllC
experience of men where morality is
looked upon as positive hindrance and
of no value whatever in the solution of
the religious problem.
II.--Morality Magnified.
But when we turn to another fact
that appears plainly in any examina-
ton of this subject, we find the pendu-
lum makes a full swing to the other
side, and then men take a new point of
view. Here, too, the view is bounded
by conditions that prevent a full, free
outlook. As young man reads the
stories of sacrifice that men have en-
dured for cause, the long, steady bat
tie of William the Silent for freedom of
man in large sense of the word, the
cross of discoverer who sees popular
opinion turned against him as a Har-
yey or Calico, he cannot help an adj
miratlou for the moral heroism that
scorned starvation, scorned the glbes
of alleged scholarship, scorned the
biting ,sarcasms, of well-honsed and
well-fed people, and in the
out to fight its battle and
trust the results TO God. AS man
pictures the hero, however humble, CIV
ing life for cause.-the minute man on
Lexington green. the Englshman in the
desert ''zeraba'' with Gen. Gordon, the
German watching by the Rhine, the
Light Brigade galioping down between
the two ridges TO meet certain death
and leave their bones to bleach in the
sunshine of Balaklava; and reading
these, if he is boy of spirit, he will
surely feel the thrill of admiration, and
seeing so many NATIONS prosperous be-
cause theirrOotS were wateredlby the best
blood of their young men, will feel that
the virtue of patriotism may be worth
more than the hymn of praise. AS you
read the life of Daniel Peggoty, writ
ten down by Charles Dickens, and see
that brave, plain old sailor going out
into the world as one going out on a.
stormy ocean to seek the child that sin.
has stained and wrong has led away TO
the mountains of sorrow; and as he fol-;
lows this kind but rough sailor through
all the crooked pathways, and sees his
joy when one night poor waif, blown
on the storm winds of trouble, does
come wandering home to see the light
i'll the window, and crawl in to find sups
port on the strong arm of love, you have
reached point where you are perfectlye
Indifferent to the mans profession off
belief; his heart is right, his sacrifice
supreme, and you are not in a humor-to
be told that heis away below the mans
who talks himself hoarse about thef
sacrifice of Jesus YET fails to crystalline.
his sentiments in action. Then we ailC
know the man somewhere in our experis
ence who has been friend in needs
who has never made any PROFESSIONS
but whose life is written all over with
humane deeds, who is at every turn do
ing good with all his ability, and WHO'S
an honor to his community. That man
holds, and must hold, our respect. And
fully agree that if there is divorce be-
tween the two. and religion is one
thing and morality another, and l am
called to give advice to young man
just entering the race of life would
say without the slightest hesitation:
"Choose character and take the chances
on the next world by living in strict ac-
cordance with God's moral laws in
this"
III.-Religion and Mo-ality Recon-
cfsed.
One thing must be kept constantly in
mind We are fronted by men who