The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-08-14
InsLusxcs OF xxvIxosnxxr.


Ass oosSoee Dooooaooo tAo B9eoe - 1an
- HE ousSeunAiags.
AZ D. Marks church yesterday morning
the rector. Rev. d. c. Garrett preached on
the subject Of Religious Enviroumsut
taking Tor his text Psalm xlii:i: Like -
the hart dssireth the water brooks, %
lonsssh ny soui after Thee, o God" The
sermon wes given entirely without notes.
The following 10 an abstract:
The word environmsnt 10 one Of the
keynooeo Of modern science, and hes come
into octive play IN The last lev yeaes 20 ex-
PLATA The development a species II i de-
Etvod trom the Saxon .sbir'' a. wiz"
meaning 20 turn. and its present meaning
70 thaA which suYroueds A scientihe
term Y denotes the external conditions Of
orGaaie life.
calfy The influence Of environment In the
ewo great ways Il exsrts IN influences.
Flint. ~ q modi6es m organism. Second.
- n sustains 40 organism. Both plant and
animal life depend in these two directions
on environment Man himself u not in.
dspsndsns q his surroundings. but 10 AZ
fectsd b. the kind OF country he lives in
and the climate.
Aside from the physical environment
there are other external conditions that
hsvs IN important bearing on raan in the
various phases Of his nature. Inteilsct-
uaiiy. man depends upon snviro nment.
Such are The schools and colleges OF the
land. Social life. too. 10 . part Of this en-
vironmsnt. lmaGine youth placed In
utter solitude. What dwarfng OF all
mental powersi Many persons with strong
natural powers are ssultifisd By being shut
on from association with the world Of
thought There 10 such . thing - intel
lectuai death by the cutting OF Of corrs-
spondsnos With master minds.
Then there 10 . moral environment for
man. THIS 10 expressed in the preference
tor good nsighborhood and proper COM
panious for our children. We are part,cu-
lar, too. about the kind Of books the young
reed. What an influence on the after life
have the early surroundingsi Much Inn
morality 10 due to . wrong environment.
Ascending the scale Of mans beine. we
find that the same principle holds good In
relation TO mans spiritual nature. There
10 need Of environment TO clothe aud sus-
tain the rstigious feslinG. II n strange
that b many this sort Of an environment
10 ignored or denied. Many who realize
tito way. and sven intellectually and
morally. whom u comes to mans spiritual
nature entirely forget the principle. They
cay rslsgion 10 wholly : matter Of the
heart: there 10 no need Of church
or public worship. Services and
sacramsnts ere cumbersome machinery.
The preacher then pointed out the incon-
sistsncy Of such position. showing the
strong foundation on which public wor-
ship rests - the environment Of reiigi-
ous faith. Religion - welt ~ everything
elss must have it, outward form 10 direct
and sustain the inner life.
Ages ago one Who seemed 10 recognise
the beautiful analogy between nature and
spirit sang. As the hart desirsth the
water brooks. % lonasth my soul after
Thee, q God" Just ~ the mart, wearied
from the chase, seeks the cooling springs
its natural snvironment--so the soul Of
man, tired from tho weeks strife and toll,
fnds in the sanctuary Of God the needed
refreshmsnt and repose.
The preacher closed with . plea for the
public worship Of the church. calling
on people 70 70 10 church even II
they don't feel like worship. They
ought 20 20 that they may feel. In these
times Of peril and anxiety men need the
church Of Christ more than ever. Close all
the churches in the country. take away from
the world the environment Of higher life
than that OF the body and how soon
anarchy would stalk abroad. tearing down
the works that have been made possible
by the conserving influence Of Christianity.
Religion 10 not matter for the individual
alone: IL concerns the whole of humanity.
and the public worship. the common
prayer demands the presence and interest
Of every individual Who loves the brother
hood Of man ard would honor the father
hood of God.