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

or the original manuscripts were lost be-
fore our literature began. 1t remains then,
she Insists, for our own reason to SIT IN
Judgment and tell US where error ends and
truth begins. The conclusions OF great and
good theologians cannot be accepted un
questioned, for they contradict each other.
Nevertheless, their unwearying work helps
US to form conclusions of our own. Even
the scripture writers did not hesitate to
abolish each others authority.
But Gail Hamilton finds much of inspira-
ton and truth in the Scriptures, holding
only that she must DE permitted to find 1t
in her own way. She does not find rational,
critical study of the Bible painful or en-
barrassing, and can classify what she feels
to be It's myth without pang. AS already
said, she takes direct issue with the Els
mere theories, and finds the way clear to
accept what are commonly recognized as
the great fundamental truths of Chris
tlanity. She recognizes the oneness of
Christ with humanity, and that man is
created in Gods own image; but she will
not reduce God or Christ to the level of
man. OF miracles she says: "All miracles
which lie along the lines of the world
movement have much in favor of their his
torical nature. All miracles which lie out
side OF that movement have no such prob
ability, and by so much have presumption
on the side of their allegorical or mythical
Interpretation" She sees that the world
has yet to learn many natural laws of which
1t IS still In ignorance, and that evolution
has no limits. To her the mystery of
Chrlst's incarnation, as she explains at
length, is no greater than the mystery Of
every incarnation, both being absolutely
inscrutable. 1t is lack of breadth and
culture in science, she holds, which says
that the order of yesterday, the order OF
to day, is the universal order. Still fur
Their she says:
Foolish, false, trivial rumors of miracles nc
more invalidated miracle than false and foolish
men forbid the dignity Of humanity. Docu
mentS have their WORTH but the existence Of
man upon the earth is not a matter of docu
ments, and the existence of the earth prior tc
the advent OF man upon it is not a matter Of
| documents. Yet at some time between the two
came a miracle. Whether it came suddenly il
full measure. or subtly without palpable meas
ure, matters not. There was a moment wher
human reason did not people the earth. There
was another moment when human rerson wa;
astlr. AT the moment between, when human
reason came. there was miracle. Sometime
was here that was not here before. A new
wave OF the absolute force, never refuent, over
spread the earth.
Such another wave from the eternal energy
which is also-science teaches it eternal love
swept over the world so powerfully in Christ
that it stands once for all in the long history o.
man as the Advent. A wave never spent, fol
when the humanity of Christ ceased in visible
form, as must be If God were to assume human
| 1ty, a Holy Spirit remained, vital power-re
mains to-day ,diffuSed, prevailing: independent o
church or state or school or creed, though using
all for the behoof of men; the largest insweeI
from the spiritual world this world has eve
known; slowly evolving out of the beastlines!
OF humanity, in eternal order, its eternal life.
One of the chapters in the book is dedi
Gated to Mrs. Alice Stanwood Blaine Cop
plnger, who, although of the Catholic com
munion, had heard the chapter read while
cit was yet in the undress of first compost
tion,' and became so deeply interested il
the theme as to avow her purpose of at
tending the next meeting of the Bible class
Before the next meeting she had passed
from earth forever. The dedication is ;
gentle but glowing tribute to the Christian
character Of the young wife and mother
Another chapter is dedicated to the lat
Walker Blaine. More than that one par
of it is entirely his own work-the onl,
chapted in the book not from first t.
last of Gail Hamilton's composition
1t was written before the Bible elias.
was organized as the result of of a religi
Gus discussion at the Sunday luncheon
table, and in it the young man, although
not by any profession a churchman fur
nishes his reasons for favoring Episcopacy
holding that the formal service is of ia
more value than the sermon. He, too, wa
interested in the proposed Bible class, bu
before 1t was organized the first break il
the Blaine family was caused by his I'm
| timely death. Gail Hamilton presente
the manuscript of the essay to the class
The remainder of that chapter consists O
, her own argument in favor of Congrega
tionalism, which had first been prepared a
| the result of tnat same luncheon table dis
cussion. w. II. CURTIS, JR