Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-09-29
THE RELIGIOUS CONGRESS.


The parliament OF religions held its
closing session In Chicago Wednesday
night (September 27), the occasion be-
Ing mostly devoted to farewell addfe,-
tes. II has been, ms far IA known, u
fairly harmonious assembly In the true
spirit Of evangelical alliance, applied
on = broader scale than ever before.
That the deliberations will be produc-
tive Of much good may hardly be de.
MED.
An Incident or two may be men.
toned now,as the delegates wend their
ways TO their respective countries.
One Is the warm reception accorded 10
DR.. Briggs. Ho was recently pro-
nounced u hefetlc by the highest
authorities Of the Pfesby terlan church;
ami yet In this gathering he was re-
ceiyed with cheers by the assembled
thousands. This was n popular yer.
diet In his case, an acquittal by a
tribunal above tho general conference
that branded MIN M hereto. rothe non.
Tcllgionist 1t must have seemed mo-
uco to the churches Of the world that the
odium which used TO follow findings
Of that kind In the middle age Is gone.
Pure morality is after all more import.
ant than so.called orthodoxy.
Another remarkable incident was
the reception OF Mr.. Webb, the Amerl.
can apostle Of Islam. lie was also
warmly received, but In quito another
spirit. In his remarks no explained
that lslam did not inculcAto polyghmy.
"And yet" he sail, "polygamy is no
curse. A mau can DO good, honest
gentleman aud yet DO a polygamist.
But l do not accept him as such II he
DO sensualist." Here the speaker
was interrupted by cries OF emo, nc;
stop him." aad Misses. These prot este
must probably bo understood ~ direct.
ed against the statement that polyga.
mist can be- good, honest gentleman
NOT against the concluding reaerva-
ton; and no doubt Mr.. Webb, n he
made the statement, IL able to prove II.
Hut whether or no, what Ia puz.
sling TO the ordinary reader is to
account for the fact that Christian
men aud women should feel called
upon TO deny him any more than any
one olss the right 70 state his Views ia
this matter. lie was there 10 cNpuunI
his particular d0clrincs, and no would
seem to have had ns much right to DO
30 ns any other delegate had.
Coming down TO the essence OF the
matter II MIR. web0's llaiempn, BE-
false, then the only conclusion to he
drawn Is that no Mohammedan can be
good, honest gentleman. Nor II this
all. Many Of tho her es who In the
books most royorel by all Christians
are held out as patterns OF the highest
standard must DO denounced, and the
descent Of cur Savior Himself must be-
traced through an ancestry consisting
largely Of emo good, honest gentlemen. -
Surely no Christian Is prepared to nc.
oept that conclusion. Woul It not be-
better even for those who profess au
ulIra.moraliIy, to admit that tho
peculiar doctrine has had ils bsnevo.
lent mission to perform at some stages
Of the worlds uivilizlliou2 rh.tin q
few countries II may be- ex.
cusable sim, AMI that consequently,
Mr.. Webb had SONS foundation IN
truth for his statement? 20 accord
fairness to everybody was alwaya a
Christian duty.
II Is with a view to pointing out tn,
departure from this last.named virtue
that these remarks are made. And a,
further evidence that they are lustineu