The record-union., 1892-07-02
In RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re-
ligiOus Newspapers
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed In the Sectarian Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.

Ministers and Laymen.
The Lining Church (P. E.) of Chicago
has this to say on the hymn-book ques-
ton: 1t may not be generally KNOWN
says foreign church paper, that the
American Church has no common
hymnal.' This is not quite true. We
nave hymnal which is authorized by the
General Convention and is in general use.
But 1t Is not altogether satisfactory, and
as its use is not enforced by rubric or
canon, some parishes are using the much
better collection Of Hymns Ancient and
Modern The revision of the bymnaI is
the great subject with which the next
General Convention has to deal, and un-
less the committee is wise above all pre-
cedent, there will be interminabIe dis
cusslon and disagreement We cannot
see why there should be serious objection
TO the adoption or allowance of the hym-
nal which has won such extraordinary
In the mother church. Eng
llsh churchmen have been free to sing
what hymns they pleased, and this free
dom OF use has resulted in q degree of
uniformity which should suggest to us
liberal policy. 1t is possible that. taking
hymns Ancient and Modern as basis,
a better hymnal can be compiled. In
these remarks we have no intention to
dlsparage the valuable services of the
committee to whom the revision of the
hymnal has been intrusted."
The New York CEurchman (P. E.).
commenting upon the form of insanity
which DR.. II. S. Williams calls .Iparan
Ola" says: 1.-The great mischief of alien
lsts' specialism and literature is that it
tends directly to revOlutiOniZe education
ana the administration of the criminal
law. Thus bright child, for whom seri-
Gus study, properly superintended, is
precisely the balance required, and the
best cure for morbid sensitiveness and
great egotism,' is to be repressed, lest the
mlnd be developed at the expense of the
body But, even physically, what treat
ment could be better adapted to produce
the 'delusIon of persecution,' which Dr.
Williams regards as the most marked
and lnvarlable symptoms of paranoia?
But the worst effect of modern medical,
or alienist, theories OF insanity is a most
shocking and dangerous relaxation Of the
criminal law. Thus the man who shot at
DR.. John Hall is set down, not as an in
tendlng murderer, but paranoiac. The
young savage who recently committed a
brutal and unprovoked murder in New
Jersey was defended on the plea of insan-
lty, plea which, greatly to their credit,
both Judge and jury promptly set aside.
Even II mistake should be made, and a
man should be hanged for a murder
which he undoubtedly committed when
but not certainly-he was of
mind, the danger to society is
comparatively slight Physical explana-
tiOnS of crime are subverSive of religion
and exclude morals, but they also destroy
our physical security and defeat their own
ends"
There can be no alliance between the
Church of Christ and the saloon" saws
the New York Christian I1teEij1ence1
(Refl. "Dr. Rainsford's proposition that
the church shall establish decent saloons,
because the saloon is here and in every
city and Will remain, is impracticable
The church, as Church OF Christ, can
not make the sale of light wines, beer
and perhaps other liquors, a part of its
institutions. What some
people may do no one can tell; but it is
not possible to induce the church to enter
the saloon business. One great need in
this and contiguous States is that men
should cease to be partsans on local
affairs and vote together to limit the sa-
looms and reduce the political Importance
of an agency that is everywhere an
habitual violator of the law and school
Of vice. The saloons are maintained by
and by the adherence of
native citizens to partisan divisions"
On the same subject the New York Ec-
unei2oer (Bapt.) exclaims: I'VE have
stated DR.. Ralnsford's idea in our own
words, but with every wish to do him
justice, and believe that this fairly repre-
Sents his scheme. What have Christian
people to say regarding it? Their first
sensation was, doubtless, one of amazed
surprise that any minister should seri-
0usly propose that the church should en-
in fIna -a1n Of
be sure, when ministers drank liquor
freely and without reproach, and when
1eacons distilled rum and sold it without
losing standing in church or society.
That day is, happily, long past, and right
minded Christians are few who would
not shudder at prospect of its return.
Men have done almost everything bad
but the day will never come
again when man can deal out LIQUID
damnation to his fellows for the glory of
God. The gospel according to st. Boni-
face comes too late to meet with any
chance of acceptance among Christian
men,"
1.-THE proposition of DR.. Rainsford of
New York that the best way to decrease
will be to divert drinkers
from the use of hard liquors to lighter
beers and wines, and that the church it
self might well encourage and support
saloons. has brought forth the criticism
that might be expected" observes the
Christian Register (Unit.) of Boston.
DR.. Rainsford's experiment be
wise or not, there is no doubt that he Of
ters 1t in the interest of temperance, and
not of debauchery. This should secure
for MS plan at least respectful considera-
ton. We know not why men who are
temperate IN the use of drinks should be
in the use of language. For
ourselves, however, we believe firmly
that total abstinence is the best safeguard
against the abuse of alcoholic liquors, and
that the wisest education for children or
their parents is that which enables them
to get on without spirituous liquors in
any form.
"There is great deal of dissatisfaction
IN the Methodist Episcopal Church" ;" ac-
cording to the New York Ipdepeadent,
with the action of the General Confer
ence in sending down to the annual con-
Lerences the proposition concerning the
admission of women. The proposition.
rs formulated by DR.. Hamilton and
adopted by the General Conference as its
last act, asks the annual conferences to
vote on the question whether the words
lay delegates in the second restrictive
rule shall be qualified by inserting
phrase declaring that they must be male.
The resolution provides that if three
fouEths of the members of the annual
conferences shall not decide thus to
change the restrictive rule, it shall be
construed to favor the admission of
women. Several of the Methodist papers
deprecate this form of submission as a
trick. The Cb1iStiGn A d.
Uocdte calls upon the church to repudiate
it. ZiOwS Herald and the NoTtheY1,
AdOocdte, which are in favor of
the admission of women, very much re-
gret that the proposition was submitted
in such form. We have already ex-
pressed our own opinion. We think that
it was unwise and improper. The Gen