St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-04
He Describes and Commends
the Passion Play at Ober-
ammepgau.
Pointed Conundrums for A.
B. Stiekney's Lecture for {
This Morning. :
A Lively Row on a Train
Curbed by the Nerve Of a
Conductor. i

text from Matt. xiii, So: ''And He did
not many mighty works there, because
of their unbel:ef."
The old prophets in their poetic Wis
ions Sm0othed from their pictures the
dark and discouraging features of the
work of regenerating this world, be-
cause the lesson which 1T was commit
ted to them TO teach was the lesson of
an infinite hope. When Christ came,
He found Himself perpetuaily hindered,
sometimes tilwarted, and often turned
aside by the lack of proper conditions.
That He did not come into the world
until the "fullneSS of time" for His
coming is proven by the fact that
He was able to find a foot
hold III the world: some faithful hearts
for His disciples. and so was able to
leave behind Him a perpetual heritage
of blessing. But even Christ was not
able to work wonders when and where
cal sneers of His OWN toWnsmen, the
record is: HE did not many mighty
works because of their unbelief.' And
in this fact we may read. it we will, the
lesson of a universal law. the water
lily floating amid its great green leaves
upon the bosom OF little lake, with the
secret of the sun at its yellow heart,
and the secret of the waters in its white
blossoms, testifies in natures way to
the gospel of conditions. The history of
/ life upon this planet reveals unvarying
and unbroken Iaw; for it is only as the
world has become fit for the preserva-
ton, OF at least for the use, OF the varf-.
Gus forms of life that they have come
into being. Man, the highest form OF
/ life, was not hazarded upon the earth
IN IL ho1 hon
was something for him to eat and
place for his shelter. No form of life
has ever needed to begin twice. so if
we look closely, wonderful care and
providence seems to rule i'll the midst of
all the wreck and carnage from which
nature has suffered. Let US also believe
that what is true of the history of the
world is true also of the history of man.
and that no heroiSm OF truth IN human
history has ever failed in peFHIanency.
The text reveals Christ subject to the
law of environment He would have
been impossible, save for His forerun-
nerS. These were not John the Baptist
alone, but Ezekiel, Isaiah and Moses.
They were not Hebrew alone, but also
Socrates. and Plato, and PythagofaS.
III e was impossible also without world
of some goodness into which He might
be born. The death of Christ was the
temporary tumult OF human passion
and nate; but the loyalty of His discf-
pies, the embodiment of His message,
| and
ALI the Gracious Benefits
| of nineteen centuries of Christian his
| tory prove the permanent capacity of
| the race for Christianity. The hate has
vanished, the love remains. A cempar--
| atively few determined conspiratorS put
Him to death; the highest and hottest
| impulses of the nations respond to His
| message; am glad that the world was
good enough for Christ to come and
| good enough so that Etc might live here
until He had accomplished an imper-
| ishable work. [ am also glad that
| wherein He failed it was plainly written
| down, and the reason was plainly
! stated; for this also is part OF His mlrl-
| istry to us, bearing comfort and jnstruc-
| ton. ALI human achievement is subject
to Like conditions, Success in this world
| is not due alone to force, courage
or high action: it is conditioned by
+ the past aud by the present.
| Art, literature and philosophy each
have connected history. Old
| Italian pictures are valuable, not be-
| cause of their intrinsic worth, but be-
cause they are prophets of the days OF
Raphael and Michael Angelo, who also
needed the present environment or
papal court OF oriental magnffIcence.
Literature has been a living stream
| flowing from generation to generation.
| Shakespeare needed besides his own un-
| rivaIed genius the work of the earlier
T dramatists and the opportunity of Lon
don theaters. In philosophy each writer
| is distinctly judged by the use which he
| has made of the material furnished by
| his predecessors. Socrates was possible
because Athens already had a thousand
fools called sophists who crooked him
into an Interrogation point. Originality
| dep ends upon the impress of the mans
| personal intellect and heart upon that
which has gone before. Goethe found
the myth of FauStus, the man who sold
himself to the devil, feady-made to his
hand, and really part OF
The German Consciousness.
It is because of this that the poets
work is the more true, the more splen-
did, and the more original. The prac-
tical side of human history shows equal
| ly the forceful effect of condition upon
| achievement. Given the brea kdown of
the social order and the castles of the
middle ages arise for the protection and
defense of their inhabitants. Develop
stealing into fine art, as in the same
period. and the lockSmith arises, with
euriously wrought combination, num-
berIeSs bolts and bars, and keys them
selves so large that in an emergency
they may be used for weapons. Dis
cover gunpowder, castles crumble and
/ lockSmithS vanish. There are three
Things wish to say growing out Of the
undoubted law that achievement is in
t1ueneed by condition. First, it is a les
SON to the worker; it teaches him to
study his strength, his surround
ings, his opportunities. aud to
seek to preserve his activities with
in the bounds of the possible. 1t
teaches HIM to purify his motives, to
clear his vision, to exalt his ambition,
but not to measure himself by his viSi-
BILE results. EveneC Christ could not do
mighty works in a community Sceptlcal,
sordid, materialistic, faithless. A sec.
ond lesson is one of care i'll cur relations
with each other. In all the relation
ships of life we furnish conditions in
our own personality which affect the
life, the growth, and the achievements
of many others. Every parent more by
what he is, than by what he does foi
the child, affects his boys future. we
shall never know in this world how
MANY mighty miracles have been pre-
vented by the chill of lack of faith in
some friend 1t ought to take the courage
of devil to make us dare 10 chill any
generous enthusiasm. II we have seep
ticism in regard to the practical benefit
of practical u afulness i'll this world, LEI
us keep our sneers for the poisoning OF
our own discouraged hearts alone. My
last lesson is, that the
True Ideal of the Church
is to furnish for every man and woman
supernatural environment foreve
cheered by the glow and glory of faitf
in which all things become possible. L
should furnish cheer for the sad, eour
age to the Respondent, friends to the
lonely, opportunity for those who arr
willing to serve, and toll for the regen
Grafton OF humanity. / like the tropical
warmth of this splendid day. If We
could continue days like this the yea
around we could grow oleanders and
century plants and palm trees. Now i
is the business of the church to furnish
an atmosphere of perpetual pOssibilit,