The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-21

oh
1fieo TO stop, the members s.iilibustercd
aiser inc straightforward fashion of
women and forced her to go on. After
snae she ostentatiously placed an open
watch on the table at the outset-and meyer
consulted it, Here is her first line shot
at her friends of the pulpit:
She begs 10 announce moaextlv q, boz
brother ciergymcn that her only difficulty
vas TO induce her congregation to disperse
Wnen the sermon was over: that sbe had
20 buy them of with the tea and caLas cf
the secretary OF state; and that. without
my extfaneous assistance of diversion
passing around the contribution hoy her
congregation sat for an hour and 4 half ~
soiid sermon, and seemed always sur
prised, not to say indignant, that that
was all. NS
When summer approached the Bible
class dispersed for the season, and Gail
Hamilton was formally requested bv the
members TO present them with n conv of
thc manuscript notes of her talks, for
pupiieation. She answered the request by
herself arranging the talks for publica-
ton, and the result is the new book.
In u the author insists upon her right to
put the test of human rationalism to every
Inc and every word in the Bible. "a femi-
nine edition of Robert Elsinere. Won
would think on beginning the perusal of
her argument; but, no you discover vour
mistake, as you proceed, and toward the
close of the work Gail Hamilton takes di-
rect and sharp issue with the gloomy and
consumptive champion of "a purely hui
man Christ" and by u clever funk move
ment-will harsh critics call it luke 90
-assalls his proposition that miracles
never happen" and not only finds ration
alistic ground for accepting the miracles
attendant upon the birth, death and
resurrection of the Saviour, and also for a
flrm 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 arc subjected to
her keen analysis before that! And how
the great theologians catch it, Nothing
very new, perhaps. in her propositions
Most OF them, indeed, are old acquaint-
ances, and she does not pretend that they
are otherwise; but coming from Gail Ham
liton, in her own incisive way, they cannot
iali TO be entertaining, and consideration
OF the character of the audience that
listened to them and clamored for more,
and then appealed for their publication.
must result in something very like a
painful shock To many pious and conserva-
tive souls. The Genesis of the Bible,
she says, is a pictorial representation of
creation, and the only revelation in it all
that is vital is the revelation of God ap-
~ fhn nf, l.
or scientific quality is interesting, but it is
question for scholars and not for us.
1.-THE Lord God, beyond doubt, planted
garden eastward in Eden, Just as
he planted a forest westward in Amer
lea, by the forces of nature, whether
through man with farming tools, or by
the winds of heaven, or the wings of bird
and bee and butterfly, scattering seeds.
Nothing can exceed the marvel of such
planting. We have seen the forest
primeval and have never lost ourselves in
that wood. What is there to bewilder us
among the trees of Eden, the Garden of
God?" Then the author says:
The story of Adam and Eve is a parable.
an allegory, by its own showing. In any
other book than the Bible q story of ami
mails talking would be called a fable, would
be recognized as fable. When we
read in story book, 1.-THE lion said TO the
mouse we perceive at once that it is
fable When we read in the Bible, sThe
serpent said unto the woman" We call it
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
reason, for the Bible itself in other places
speaks of the serpent as not serpent,
but an evil spirit, showing that the Bible
writers considered it allegory TO saw that
| it is fable or allegory is not to say that il
| is false. The very point and pith of fable
is truth. An allegory has no life but in its
truth.
"What is rationalsm ?" she saws, a little
| further on. 1.-THE bugbear of the churches
for one thing. Only a bugbear so far as
the churches are alarmed. Rationalism is
reasoningism. No deeper insult can be
put upon the Bible than to say that it can
not stand reasoning. 1t would be
well 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
rationalism is fatal to evangelical religion
| is to say that evangelical religion can exist
only among idiots,'
The argument is presented at length. In
answer to q Methodist opponent of ration
alism, the writer says:
| If the scholarship of the churches is not
| amenable to reason, it is in the bonds of a
| great imbecility. If the Methodist church
| has no tendency to bring its theology 10
! the bar of reason, it is far more efiete in
| stitution than its vigorous condition would
| indicate. Put down the brakes on reason?
| There is but one way to do it. Burn the
| reasoner! 1t is not the Methodist church
| which is credited with that monopoly 1t
| is too late for the Methodist church TO in
| troduce it. Even Bruno does not stay
burned.
| But. say the literalists, rationalism takes
! away our infallible Bible, and puts reason
! to Judge revelation.
What is an infallible Bible? The multi
plication table is infallible, but is of no use
! to us until We learn ii. Ii we know moth
| ing of numbers and cannot read figures,
| the multiplication table might as well be
| fallible 50 far as we are concerned. We
must put our memory 10 the nultlpllea-
! ton table and our reason 10 applying II be-
fore we get any good out OF 1t.
And what becomes of the infallible Bible?
| IL was not infalIibie II the hands of Brig
/ ham Young. who interpreted its teachings
/ into polvgamy 1t was not infallible IN the
/ hands of Freeman, who murdered his little
/ daughter under its inspiration. 10 Is not
infallihlc 10 amy man further than the
| spirit of the Almighty giveth him under
| standing.
! A theological rcasoner. not named, is
/ quoted Summed up, Gail Hamilton finds
| his propositions TO be:
To truSt consciousness is ut the very