New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-07
THE PARSONS STUDY.
RELIGIOUS NOTE AND COMMENT.


A good man and bad man happened to visit me
| IN my study at the same time the other day, and
hypnotized them. You didn't know the Parson could
hypnotic people, did youl Well, you ought to 90
| TO hear him preach some time, ard you would SEQ
him do 1t. Many completely under bis inhu
ence that TO the casual observer they appear 10 DO
asleep. But we are DEPRESSING. / hypn0ized the
good man and the bad 10 prevent an unpleasant
scene between them; for you we'll understand
their relations are quite strained Under the hypnotic
influence I thought they would be Just quiet and
conventional combining themselves TO The discussion
OF such safe topics the weather the fora and
fauna Of Patagonia. But to my SURPRISE they became
intensely confidential about themselves, laying bare
their inner life in way that made me feel little
uncomfortable. OF course / won't tell their names
but there be harm in relating what they said.
The good man began first "Yes,' he said, Il AIN
a good man, suppose, though between you and me-
am not entirely Of IT, The really important
thing, however, is that everybody thinks that am
good man, To be considered good Is my great object
in life IT is my stock in trade. go Of my way
to do unpleasant things because must sustain my
reputation for goodness HypOcrite, you say1 Really
that is an.npeasant word, and hardly deserved. For
have objection actually 10 being good when It
doesn't involve too much sacrifice. never 90 out Of
my way to do a mean thing and when my interests
are not concerned / always do what is night. have
depraved instincts like this bad here And
when l have TO do something bad, sometimes
happens, try to fix things that good will
or Of It, And don't tell anybody about any bad
thing do. 1t is little transaction that enter In
my private ledger. II would hurt my influence 10
publish 1t. And l want TO be influential and re
spected. II makes me happy to know that every
body regards a good II is the breath Of my
life. II the foolish public insists on thinking TO be
more than am, why that is not my fault. People
ought TO know better. And I really do great deal
NJ r Of MILL Of tha Chu-sb cttl
scribe literally 10 missions relieve the poor, rent
the most expensive pew in our church, and always
stand up for the old faith against these new
tangled heretics OF course l don't mind saying that
am not the highest type Of good man. am not the
genuine article. don't fairly represent good
Christian. But what of IL am what am; and
fancy that the Church and society would find II hard
to get along without me. I am the natural and in
evtable product OF highly organized social system.
/ am a growth OF convention
Here the good reapsed into silence and the bad
man began. II suppose / am a bad man 10 the core'
he said. "I fear not God, neither regard man. Ny
only object is to crafty my desires. l have In
my day broken most Of the Commandments and will
probably keep on doing so TO the end Of the chapter
My reputation for badness Is firmly established. There
Is nobody who would believe any good OF me. Even
when / appear to do a good action, as sometimes hap
pens everybody says that must have had a bad
motive. And yet, between you and me, / have no
other way would prefer to be good every time.
am by nature neither cruel vicious immoral
and though you may not believe it, often take the
greatest pleasure in doing good. / would like the
world to be so constituted that I could always find
pleasure in goodness. But unfortunately, many things
which desire cannot be obtained without being bad,
and so I am bad But one thing say with PRIDE
am not canng hypOcrite like this good man. DOM
pretend to be anything but bad man, and am will
ing TO take the consequences But don't imagine that
I despise really good men. / don't. revere them.
I would one of them. believe that they are
right and I am wrong. And know that In the last
great day they will enter into the peace of God which
passeth all understanding while will wander forever
In eternal darkness. am bad because want 10 enjoy
myself for few years but am not such fool as &c
think that badness Is preferable to goodness"
The Rev Dr. Thomas F. Gailor, the young man whom
the Epscopaans OF Georgia elected the other day az
the bishop Of that diocese must have strange idea OF
the official propneties. Just after his election when
hie on name was before the standing committees and
tho bishops OF the Church for confirmation. he per
itted himself to be interviewed in regard 10 the canoei
Of Phillips Brooks. 1t be said in passing that ne
Is an extreme High Churchman, iieh, in fact that
the average Prayer-Book Cmrchman would regard him
as virtually Roman Catholic. 1t is not strange there
fore that he does not agree with Phillips Brooks But
II ts nassng strange that neither his youthhe is only
thirty fve-nor the fact that he himself was open TO
criticism on the ground Of holding unchurchy views
while knocking at the door OF the Church Tor the
bshopric, prevented him from declaring that ut
bishops would probably refuse to confirm Phillips
Brooks It was exhibition Of freshness that IN
the opinion Of many people raises the question whether
he * ant and meet TO be bishop himself. II Is quito
az inexcusabe as the course Of Bishop Perry, OF Iowa,
in publishing his doubts OF DR.. Brookss orthodoxy In
the newspapers at time when such publication mighs
he supposed to influence certain doubtful standing COM
ittees The course Of nearly all those who have been
frying TO defeat Dr. Brooks is most deporable ana te
time is coming when they will be thoroughly ashamed
NJ themselves Dr. GailOr is placed in an especially
unfortunate position in the interview referred
To he accused DR.. Brooks of conducting services Oh
Good Friday in n Unitarian church. which is not tue
OF course DR.. GaOr thought il was true, but he MAJ
no business to give currency TO the story unless No
knew it TO be true
Tho last number of The Christian Union' was an
outing number" and contained some admirable articles
neraining TO recreation by John Burroughs, Colone
Hiopinson Professor BOyesen Richard Watson Glider
tho Rev. Drs. c. H. Parklnlrst and w. 5. Ransford,
General c. I. Christensen and Others.
@The Christian Intelligencer' has come to the de-
fence of the statement Levitcus XII 8, which declares
that comics chew the cud II Will be remembered that
IN his sermon two weeks ago Dr. Parkhurst gave TINS
passage as an instance Of error in the Bible. because
the coney does not chew the cud "The lntelgeneers
argument is that it is not certain what the amman oaeu
Tho conev was Many naturalists. however, think IL
was the hyrax which keeps its jaws In motion all inc
time and the writer of Leviticus, noticing tlns P
culiarity would naturally suppose il was chewing ~
cud This is a perfectly rational explanation, Du1 y
is not in harmony with the theory that the writers "
the Bible were inspired by God TO say only WHAT .
infallbly true For it implies that they depended On
observation for their knowledge.
Here is characteristic little anecdote about an
eminent and sanity clergyman, now gone to his rest
which find in great religious journal The Clergy.
man in question speaking of the story of the ih
of ADAM and he asked, Who is ii that vOuches Tor
Adam as am historical character7" 81, Paul. ana
who are you, PAUL." :" am Paul an apostle, not OF
men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and Goa w:
Father who raised him from the dead, 'sepals"o