The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-27
what christianity poes.

Recently, in an interview published in
the New York Herald, Mr. Paul Bourget,
the celebrated French author, who is at
present on a visit to this country, made
some statements respecting the Christian
religion that are attracting attention.
Among other things he said:
look upon the Christian religion very
much as NJ. Pasteur looks upon the liquid
he injects into patients bitten by mad
dogs. He does not know how to cure hy-
drophia any more than know how to
cure the evil which is in the world. But
he has learned, by experience, that these
injections furnish a certain immunity
against the terrible disease which would
follow without them. Therefore he be-
lieves in njections-although he does not
understand their action.
In the same way have come to recog-
nize that those men and women who fol-
low the teachings of the church are in a
great measure protected from the moral
disasters which, as | have shown in my
novels, and as Feuillet, Tolstoi and so
many others have shown in theirs, almost
invariably follow when men and women
allow themselves to be guided and
swayed by their senses, passions and
weaknesses. For many years l, like most
young men in modern cities, was content
to drift along in agnosticism, but 1 was
brought to my senses at last by the grow
ing realization that there is in this life
such a thing as responsibility for the in
fuence we have upon others.
! saw that the life of a man who simply
said: 81 don't know, and not knowing,
do the thing that pleases me-" was not
only empty in itself and full of disap-
pOintment and suffering, but was a posi-
tive influence for evil upon the lives of
others. Since then my belief has grown
trmer each year in the necessity of the
Christian system for practical happiness
in this world.
In the foregoing NJ. Bourget simply
deals with the effect that the Christian
religion has upon the life of an individual
and upon society. He does not discuss it
as the means of saving souls. But be
cause he does not discuss it in that rela
ton it must not be inferred that he does
not regard it as the one thing needful to
secure happiness in the life hereafter.
He is satisfied that it is productive of
practical happiness in this world, Elk
perience has taught him that, and ex
perience has taught the same thing to a
very large proportion of the people of the
world. The feeling of responsibility with
which the Christian religion inspires in
dividuals and organized society makesmen
and women better and lifts society to q
higher and purer plane of action. The
man who accepts Christianity strives to
restrain that in his nature which is bad,
and which if given free rein would lead to
unhappmess, misery and death, and seeks
to push to the front and cultivate the
| nobler qualities of which he is possessed.
! And experience teaches him that his hap
piness in this life increases in proportion
| as his evil nature is subdued and his bet
! ter nature is developed
a man who lives for himself alone, and
does not recognize any responsibility fol
! the moral condition of his fellow man
fails to enjoy the happiness in this life
that is within his reach. In helping 9th
ers, which he can do through church or
carnations and in other ways, he moi
only recognizes new possibilities in hi.
own nature for happiness, but he opens
the way to others to practical happiness
The man who is Indifferent to the Chris
tian religion or is an unbeliever it fail,
to get out of this life that which is
| best in it.