St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-17
A Sermon on the Religious
Problems Of an In fidels
Daughter.
Rev. Vail DiScOuPSeS on the
Second Of Edna Lyall's
Books.
A Girl Drawn to Religion by
the One Great Power
Of Love.
The Gentle Influence Of the
Spirit That Comes Like
the Winds.

"The Religious Problems of an Inf
del's Daughter" was Rev. w. S. Wallis
theme for morning subject, yesterday,
the sermon being the second of the series
on Edna LyalPs books. The text was:"lt
l speak with the tongues of men and Of
angels and have not love | am become
as a sounding brass or tinklfng Gym
ball."
In the story of 1--WE Two" the au-
thor undertakes to show that men are
won to the best type of Christian relig-
ion. not by threats, which as often
harden as convince, moi by arguments,
which so armor man that he becomes at
tached to his defense with sort OF resent
full pride, but by the power of love, (the
love that suffereth long and is kind,
that hopeth all things, endureth all
things,) and this love acts upon that
nature OF man most susceptible to good
results.
The story is entirely too long to sum-
Marie, but its chief feature may be in
Dictated by saying that this girl, just
merging into womanhood, was the
daughter of most uncompromising and
outspoken iniidel; that while her father
was man OF purity, honorable record,
nobility of action, he was under the ban
both of religious and social prejudice;
that the girl, through one or many IN
f1uenceS, was converted to the Christian
religion, and from that time on, obliged
| to fight the double battle of defending
her religion and of defending the char
acter of her father against unjust at
tacks.
Her First Problem
was to explain the fact that Christians
| who believe in God of love can be in
| tolerant to men of good character, though
such be skeptics. Personal purity, hon
| Orable living and nobility of Thought
| have an intrinsic value. But church
! people as rule are not tolerant outside
their own party lines. And second
! look explains this. Your member says:
There is 10 God but God and the
founder of my church is his prophet.
We are the people. We have all there
whenever we tolerate yon, we must,
by the necessity of the case, toll
crate an error" And just Oh the
| same principle the agnostic brotherhood
SAYS: "TheseChristianS profess to know
| a great deal. They do not know any
thing (about future life). We do not
know anything about future llfe);
| therefore we are on a common level
| Consequently l think it is only to be ex'
| pected that men Of strong convictions,
| especially if they believe that knoWlT
| edge will not come to our AID, Will be
| intolerant; and if they believe that all
knowledge has come 10 some leader, and
that his leadership is final revelation
of truth, they will have the same ten
dency to intolerance.
The next fact that burnt itself into
her conviction was that the test of all
claim to distinction in religion must
have a basis i'll character. 1t is not
enough to pray fervently (aS report says
the Pilgrims did on board the May
floWerl and then go forth Gas report says
these Pilgrims did to steal the corn the
Indians had stored away for winter III
the sand. When it comes to passing
Judgment OH a man his plety (Wnlcf
NAV be instructive and strong is little
worth and badly placed unie he bears
also character of moral value.
At Il is point this girl finds IN the
course of her experience that one OF The
strangest and most aggravdtng OF the
mans bad sentiments is prejudice.
ills Bar TO Progress,
for it will not come and see. 1t claim
to know all about that which it neve
investigated. 1t SneerS at things tina
are lust as foreign to its knowledge a
the system of government in New Eng
!, land would be to Central Africa. ASl
the average orthodox Christian VIVA
the sentiment of Unitarian stands for
and he will tell you that UNITARIAN
disbeIieves in Christ. Ask him what
Uniyersalist teaches. and he will tel
YOU that a Universalist teaches tina
thieves, saints and pickpocketS are al
to be jammed through the golden CAT
) | and enter the same heaven together
"a lady heard my friend Conger, an
! after he was gone said Conger preached
that God would save-purify-all mel
r but added: 1--WE hope for bette
, things.nl Prejudice kept all the lead
| ing medical men from accepting Hal
vey's theory of the circulation OF tn
, blood. 1t mobbed Elias Howe, an
= tried to destroy that most useful article
the sewing machiDe. 1t is most annoy
| ing. 1t retards the march OF progress
3 Ii brands reformerS, and it does man
2 unjust things.
4 Then her experience brought her
feel doubts about her great doubt.
! came across her, like flash of lightnin
2 across the vision of a man lost in med
t tation, the thought and question: Wha
e if Christianity is true and we are wrong
BAPTIZED III the suffering that is the lC
t of most people, and finding a frlen
| among Christian people of the beS
: type, the question was encouraged, an
: became like the refrain OF one OF thOs
!, charming melodies that we hear; ii
E presence haunted her day and night,
sung to her, it touched her imagination
e it kept continually
Asking Her Attention. sG
: And finally this doubt of her doul
e took the more full and perfect foru
!. .,rnicrh o nd I'm ri q