Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-18
WEDNESDAY,. FEBRUARY IS. 1891
AN INTERESTING DIsCUSSION-OUIDA
AND IGNATIUS.

In the February number of the North
American Review Ouida writes paper
on the topic, "Has Christianity Failed 2"
She is eloquent, often witty and as or
thodox people will hold, often
highly illogical. The animus Of
her assault on Christianity is that
it is a mere formula, that
it is underlaid by hypocrisy, and that it
has crushed love, substituting for the
natural ecstacies of the relations
of the sexes gloomy ascot
icism that assumes that love is
crime. The versatile novelist conven-
iently passes to the discredit Of Chris
tianity itself all the excesses which have
been committed by so-called Christian
governments. In the Imagination of
Ouida, Christianity has about toutlivedits
day, and is sure to go down before the ad
vance OF science and humanitarianism
If bright sallies, frequently happy an
titheses and rhetorical pyrotechnics
could pass for argument, Ouida would
have everything her own way. The
picture she paints of the lack of Chris
tian charity beats Hoods, and she is as
merciless in depicting the conventional
life as is Eugene Sue in drawing the
photograph of an impossible Jesuit.
Tyrian and Trojan are alike to
her, and she heaps metaphorical
Goals on the head of Catholic
and Protestant alike. She is as ferocious
towards the cardinal in palace and scar
let at Rome as she is to the Anglican
bishop in shovel hat in Gothic halls in
England. She cannot deny that there
has been force in Christianity, but she
ascribes it to the socialistic element in
that religion, and looks forward to the day
when socialism will replace this effete
organism.
In the same issue of the Review, Fa-
ther Ignatius, Jesuit monk, replies to
Ouida. The discussion can scarcely be
called controversial passage at arms,
because Ouida's article had been sub
mitted to Ignatius, while there is no ev-
idence that the lady had any knowledge
that her views were to be dissected in
the same issue of the publication in
which they were given currency. The
reverend gentleman gives many evil
dences OF the skill which his orLer is
supposed to possess in polemics. In re-
ply to Ouida's objections that Christian
ity has not made angels of mankind, he
points out The fact that Christ himself
found the same difficulties with worldly
people that the Christian churches ex-
perience now. The great mass OF the
world now as nineteen hundred years
ago were of the earth, earthly. He
claims that Christianity is in no
whit responsible for the wars, bloodshed
and misery that affiict the world, and
instances the many tender and charit-
able souls who are consecrating their
lives to the amelioration of the wretch
edness of their fellow beings, with no
other incentive than the love of Christ
and belief in his doctrines of fraternity
and love, in support of his position.
Father lgnatius picks up the gauntlet
thrown down by Ouida on the relations
Of the sexes, and holds that Christian
ity, while rejecting lust, has consecrated
love, and has placed woman on far
higher plane than had been accorded to
her by any other religion or in any era
of mankind. The learned Jesuit handles
his postulates with consummate skill,
and the two papers together form ex-
ceediDgly interesting reading.
1t is only short time since we were
treated to disquisitions without number
on "Is Marriage Failure?" The dis
cussion "Has Christianity Failed"is in
a sense supplementary to this. The
tendency OF late to debate such topics at
length is sign of the intellectual rest
lessness of the times. Ouida's essay
shows how the agnostic spirit is growing
in all quarters, while the sturdy contro-
versial stand of Father Ignatius shows
that the army of faith has its leaders
strong in belief and skillful OF fence.
IT is suggested by San Francisco
paper that monument should be erect