New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-01
THE PARSON'S STUDY.
WHAT EARNEST MEN ARE THINKING AND
SAYING

SAYING
The papers refer to sermons recorded on phono
graph as novelty. But really, you know, they arr
| not In every age there have been pous ana good
Ous I'm the ministry. all of whose sermons have been
unrolled week by week from mental phonograph
which was carefully stocked at the beginning OF teit
ministerial career. After having once acquired thelr
beliefs and opinions the seminary, there were but
things to do first. to guard against their Delhs
changed or modified by the modern time spirit, and, Sec
)ndly to set the mental machinery going for the SER
monte reproduction Of these opinions. That Is all
learn the lesson and repeat it verbatim ct teratim
No questioning Of received facts; weighing Of evil
ence: no attempts to make the truth attractive to
those who hear 1t no unhoy Difference to reason or
10 the cold concrete facts OF human life; correc-
ton of the sacred mental photograph; no such tam
pcrlng with the truth and for all time ascer-
tanned, at the mature age Of twenty four-not, be II
observed, through any miraculous revelation, but
through the exercise of that very faculty of reason.
which, hcnccforth and forever aferward, is verify and
indeed a snare Of the devil.
But the faith implied in using the reason in order to
discard the forever after Is not the sole pos
session OF the traditional thcooGan. 1t IS, perhaps
manifested more strongly by the Christian sci
enlist said the editor of medical journal TO Of
these enthusiasts the other day II a brick should fall
on the head Of man whose mind was in harmony with
The truth, what would happenl'
Nothing was the reply; the brick would not
hurt him.
But don't we all have to die"
My dear SIR was the rejonder 4" the day Is not
far distant when person will be as much ashamed
TO die he Is ashamed to 90 to Jail now; and it will
not be very long before raise the dead And
then he proceeded to tell Of wonderful experiences
Of Christian scientists. one man, for instance. merely
looked al living germs. through microscope and
by concentrating all his thoughts the existence
# evil brought about the death Of all those germs
jcfre his eyes. OF course the patient who is to be
cured must have faith. When the healer looks at
his broken arm. gill say. and remarks to himself,
This arm Is not broken; there IS no such thing a
broken arm" the man who has been foolish enough
10 believe the evidence Of his also believe
he same way. And the two faiths thus cooperat-
ing VIII wipe ont physical fact so completely that
thcr. will be no trace Of its existence We hear
great deal about the ages Of faith, but this rather dis
counts them.
d hold myself bound by every word between the
lids Of the Bble.7 said my friend. the country
par-on. 10 the other day. This idea that you
discriminate between different parts Of the Bible obey
part, and say that the other parts obsolete
IS false and peTicous.7 "Thcn." said |, You must
offer burnt offerings "Of course not he replied
but hold myself bound by the spiritual necessity OF
the old Testament sacrflcial system And you
your decide what that spiritual meaning
Isl" well, yes" My dear fellow" / replied,
YOU are one Of those dreadful raonalsts. | am
shocked that YOU should try to pcrvert poor, simple
minded city parson with your radical Really
don't know whether ought to be on the street
with You. People might think that l am here
tic, too
Il may not have expressed myself clearly" said
the country parson. but what mean is, that tho
whole Bible +, binding on Us in a general way.' But
ipti I
be Let me read You passage from work just pub
shed: Unless a clergyman worshlps God with
candlosticl Of pure gold six branches coming out Of
the sides Of IT, three branches Of the candleStck of
the one side and three branches of the candesck ont
II the other side: thrc bowls made like unto almonds
with a knop and flower In one branch, and three
bowls made Ike almonds I'm the other branch, with
knop and flower; four bowls made like unto al
mond, with their KNOBS and their flowers, knop
under branches Of the and knop under two
branches Of the same and knOp under two branches
Of the same according - the six branches that pro-
coed ont OF the candeStick. their KNOBS and their
branches Of the same. all Of IT one beaten work of
pure gold there f. considerable part If The Old
Testament which has with him more moral authority
than the Vcdas' All these details are directions for
Divine worship taken ont # the Bible; but ! can't
believe that sou consider these directions T. be as
morally binding on You II, are the Decaosuc ana ne
=, rn0 n ON the Mount. You Use your on To dis
cr.muatc. I'm spite N the fact that YOU pitch INTO poor
me for using my reason in other que,ti n' relating To
the Bible Of cours" my good friend replied that
Ii would be absurd u accept the whole Levucll law
"A, binding on nineteenth century Christians But he
doesn't vet quite that he has used his reason IN
coming Ia that conclusion. when. according & his own
principles the has no rgh 10 Judge the bible
Now please don't run away with the idea that be-
cause thi, cXaltS reason II bows down SlaVlshE
before every conclusion of the reason. Many such
conc sion, may be and false. and not all the
windy attacks the Bible made In the name or
reason are accepted. even by ratonali>tS. For In
,toncr vher, Is =" Robert Elsmcre' today, which
some Of Us not long ago hailed a. an experimenting
book? The train boys trying In vain To sell II 40
; and 10 cents copy. and II ha, almost entirely dis
appeared out of the world ~ thought. because. while
IL VA, brilliant acute and suggestive il failed to state
fairly the modern problem 81 religion. And In many
re- meet, II was quite dOgmatc the theology
which il aS.all'd. Reason Is mighty name To con
iur, with I'm these day~. but when II Is invoked by
iongeY scOl,ts and scientific Cheap Johns, the world
simply passes by in silent contempt.