The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-09-05
EUGENE r. sHIPPEN WRITES.
NANTUCKET, Mass, Aug. 80. 1898.

NANTUCKET, Mass, Aug. 50, 1893.
Ny bear Colonel Mardock.
| have a bo1e TO pick with you. Re
mem bering the old saw, when angry
count ten before you speak, l have let
plenty of time go by before speaking. But
its no use; must have it out with You.
Now don't for a moment think that l have
"a personal Injury to redress. Far from It.
You have always been good friend 10
me, charitable in your estimate, erring
only in being too ready TO praise. No. it's
only g theological bone I propose TO pick
with you.
You may remember writing an article
in tho EAGLE May 30, headed, Farewell
and Goodbye: in which along with q very
kind personal tribute, for which was
grateful. you passed a severe criticism
upon I uitarsn. / have not forgotten my
surprise and regret in reading what
you had written, for despite your
evident sincerity YOU did my cause
great injustice. 1ou cannot OBJECT
| am sure. to my commenting upon your
article, not in polemical spirit, not even IN
the hope of converting you (for am per-
suaded your orthodoxy is as true blue As
your Republicanism), but simply win
the desire To correct the erroneous I'M
preston of Cnitarlanism which your re-
| justice to church which is one OF Wich-
ita's permanent institutions, pledged TO
her highest interests and supported by
reputable CITIZENSHIP simple justice, say,
| to the Unitarian society, you must let me
reach the public through your columns.
| In the first place, you charge US With
religion purely intellectual. Ii that were
the case Cuitarianism wOnld be merely q
philosophy, not Il religion. But the
! hymns we slug and the aspirations We
| give voice 10 in prayer sufficiently attest
that we are not altogether lacking IN the
/ spirit Of worship. True, we have EN-
| phasized reason in religion, for surely no
| one wants an irrational religion. True,
| We have deemed no tradition nor book nor
| institution TOO sacred for critical examina-
| ton, for only thus are truth aud error
| to be separated. True, We have
| sat at the feet of science, bat
surely nature is good teacher. and Gods
| testimony in rock and living organism Is
nor to be impeached. But far from
! having purely mental religion. we have
on the contrary condemned the substitu-
| ton of creed fer conduct, dogma for lie
| and theology for religion. Our ample
basis for church mem bership is the golden
! rule. an. we agree with Paul that the most
! essential thug in life is love. IL 1t Is
| question of having reasonable, common
! sense religion We plead guilty to the
| charge If, however, by "a mental religion
YOU mean that We fiud the essence OF re-
| ligIon in some intellectual formula or doc
trine we Geuy the accusation and turn
upon the accuser, You, my dear colonel.
are guilty OF having "a mental religion
which will never save the mass OF man
kind when YOU say that the one essential
in religion is the doctrine that Jesus was
the Christ Discussion of that doctrine Is
net now in order Many Unitarians as a
matter of fact hold 1t, but, | repeat, no
doctrine, however true, can usurp the place
of that love without which we were not
men; without which religion would be a
shau.
Oae more point and I am done. You in-
innate that the object OF our worship Is Il
great. dry, vast, impersonal God, found
alike in n weed, in a hippopotamus and IN
man. Excuse me. bnt were sou really Ia
earnest when you wrote tnaR DO you
/ suppose that Thomas jefferson and Daniel
| Webster, Motley and Bancroft. Emerson
and Lowell, BRYANT and LCng.eilow won III
, have avowed UuitariauIsm as they did
had it been the crude nature worship you
ascribe 10 Us? But aside from our honor
ed Unitarian representatives, no Thought
III! person could possibly see God alike IN
u weed, hippopotanus and IN man.
| Nature, it is true. Is our holy book. divine
in its authorship, but the noolest chapter
In that book deals with man. tod Is man
ifest in all things but not alike in all things.
manifest IN man but not alike Ia all men
There are degrees OF manifestation as there
are degrees OF light; and personally L hold
! in common with all orthodox CGristlans
that the ciearsst manifestation ani best
witness OF God Is found III Jesus
Il is hardly necessa9y TO add, now
ever, that / believe Jesus was s
man whose parents were Joseph and Mary
a man different from the rest OF Us IN de
gree not in kind. or. if you viii as 2eniui
differs from mediocrity- AS To the per
| sonslity of God which you assume W.
o deny. II man is personal God cannot b.
y less ti,an personal. He may be super
personal" to use Emerson's expression
. put he cannot be lmpeFsonsi. IBIS /
n not ouly nationally and logically true 10
| spiritual experience OF every reIgIon
l man aud woman testifes to the persona
d fathsrhood OF God. Your demand for "Ou
who loves aud 10 whom we can cry 'Abb
) Father" meets with our warmest sympa
q thy. Il is our demand also. and becaus
ir is reasonable and natural we are rs
sured that our need has its satisfaction
9 that they who seek shall find, and tina
! God Is.
e MOI my dear sir, you have unintention
i ally done Us u wrong. Unfarlanlsm Z
not engaged ia destroying faith; II Il no
devoted 70 the task OF lowering men
!, ideals. 1t stands for truth. righteousness
y and love; and since the christiaait
a Of Christ = an embodiment OF truth
}, righteousness and love, il stands fe
: christianity Enougn said. Though th
=, occasion for this rejonder Is long past
there IS an immediate need that iAe pre-
,, yailiug preJudIcs against Us 10 WIGHT
j should lie removed. Our church - sbou
e 10 open agsia. and without any desir- [
il abuse your columns, we very NATURALLY
a want The public "a know that we are ID
. friends and not the enemies OF true n
ligicn. | have learned however that Set
: ting an editor right is tlckIlsh business
l. i the especial prer0gassye OF your pre-
fess lou, II not The SIX. TO have TIE Ia
ysoFt. BGI | can rest assured that y0j
| Will use your power magusninioasiy.