New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-11
RELIGION and LIFE.

Now that Pr feSsor Briggs has been formally
condemned. and the smoke OF the battle mas hld
fine 70 clear away, the combatan's in the case
,re trying to find out where they stand; and
arc little surprised, and perhaps also little
di.,nnointcd. to learn that they stand pretty
much where they did before. Nohing. indeed,
has bccn settled except that DR.. Briggs has
boon for the time being suspended from the
ministry of the Presbyterian Church. Inc
mon in the Church who accept his views or
svmpathizc with his general attitude are not
coinc to leave the Church: and it is certain
that no serious attempt will be made To drive
them ont. The contest between conservatism
and liberalism will 90 on i'll the Church Just
~ before. The trial Of the Professor ana the
long discussion that led up 10 1t doubtless ma X
an epoch i'm the history of American Pr, shy
terianism. But they will not constitute such
a crisis as many have been predicting. just aS
before. the opposing schools of thought will
contend for tho mastery. Just a before, they
will occasionally call each ether unplca'aat
names, and just as before, they Will continue
70 remain members Of the Church which. III
different ways. they both love: for though they
sometimes cannot get along with each other
hey could not for any length OF time get
along without each other In every human
organization there must be Il conservative AMI
4 progressive tendency. The two tcndonri'S
belong to the very life of an organization. In
deed they inhcrc in human nature itself. II
TWO honest sincere and wcll-mcaning Chris
fans holding the same general views. Wer"
hy some fortune cast on desert island. they
would probably split into two schools Of thought
before a month. and organize two churches
within year. - impossible Is IT to produce
an absolute uniformity of thinking or behev-
ing while human nature remains what II Is.
Of course the narrow partiSan'. and there
are such in both camps. cannot sec this. They
believe that their cx plrtc view of the n'i'S-
rionS at issue is the only possible view that can
be taken And they hold that those who dis
agree with them are not merely mistaken. bnt
are. to "A certain extent wicked and Immoral.
since they consciously deny what Is dlyindy
true. \ hcre>y trial like that OF Professor
Briggs ALWAYS projects a number Of these we'll
meaning parti,an> right on the centre Of tho
Stage. But they should not be taken too >eri-
ou>ly: they are merely incident, of the mo-
mcnt. and will lose their heroic proportions in
the great perspective OF H!>i'IH. .N'l'"'i ]"
civilization nor religion does humanity advance
on stra ght line, our thinking i threaded on
a spiral. whose convolutionS are almost in
finite i'm number. Progress by such method
i slow. and often impcrccptibe in single
generation But while the multitude OF good.
honest souls are painfully winding their way
around thi, endless circle that leads to the
deal IT perfect knowledge, few clearer
thoughicI mon here and there may leave the
beaten track. and by a short cat reach posi-
lion in advance Of the rest. such men become
leaders in every sphere Of Thought and activity.
Yet they NUT be content 70 endure tho penalty
which such advanced leadership entails. Dur
INC their life they viii wear crown OF ihorns.
only after they are dead. when the world has
clucht ND with them may they hope t. have
that recognition which they deserve. Always
m thi, world. whether in religion, politics or
science. il is the dies cndantS Of those who
stone the prophets that erect monuments IN
their honor The man who suffers FOR truths
sake. or for what he conccvcs 10 he truth,
must be willing to commute present comfort
for future homage.