St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-01-23

we may properly GILL d spiritual SClloC-
a sense by which he may in time come
to know things that are unseen, sense
by which he may to degree be enabled
to anticipate what is in store for human
kind after death. Allowing that such a
sense was developing in the mind OF
humanity, we should expect to find hu-
manity believing, against the commonly
established line of appearances, IN I'M
mortality. We should expect to IND
man in his best estate rising to the
noblest and most sacrificing deeds. we
should expect to find certain individuals
rising as prophets, and to the nobleSt
place as spiritual leaders. And as a
matter of fact this is what we do find.
Then we would also expect to find per
sons and even races III whom the sense
was less developed than in others, and
this would account for the skeptlcSm or
the day and of past ages. We would
expect to find the faculty weak
in some because it is undeveleped, but
gradually growing stronger, promising
the day when we shall know the spirit
ual far better than we do now. AS a
matter of fact think very much OF this
theory myself, and confidently look to
the coming time when mankind Will
know far more of the Certainty OF
spiritual things that it does at the pres
ent day.
Here. then, are two sides Of great
fact. Under excitement the mind will
act promptly and with great force, but
its action may be good or bad: and am
not satisfied to leave this matter without
further DEVELOPMENT, for if it means
anything at all it means very much in
the study of the problem.
One of the most important illustra-
fiOpc of this onfiOn Of thn mind think
is found in connection with the Salem
Witchcratt. There you have the excite
ment, you have the mind prying into
the future, exercising under great stress
the Sc nse of which we spoke. And
what did men find? Nearly all had
some kind of visions, and visions must
have cause behind them. Well, to
one it was vision of women riding
through the murky air of night Oh
broomsticks, of cats, immense and
black, with fiery eyes. To another it
was the appearance OF angels. who
urged them on to defense or the truth,
and persecution of the supposed witch.
Some returned to the animal type, some
had vision OF partial truth, and a
few others-like Borroughs, who hung
for mis- conviction-clearly saw the way
of truth and stood as molly for it as II
death.
Practical Applications.
Now turn to the application in hand.
The revival works by excitement.
Those of you think men and women are
less subject to excitement today than
they were fifty years ago have failed to
look the matter up. There was intense
development of emotional power in San
L,o ,oaicn To- of will I'm
here. Hundreds will come into its
sweeping current. All will try to
fathom the future by communion and
prayer. In the condition Of emotional
excitement some will be led by the in
stincts of right and truth, others are
sure to revert to the animal type. All
men who have passed through such eX-
periences know that as matter OF his
tory there is developed in revival sea-
son much that is not only bad, but much
that is surprising and unexpected. A
majority of ministers have a halting
and misgiving of mind before they ell
ter into such movement. The pOpu-
larty Of the revival has become less
and less in recent years, and the conf
dence In it as method waneS instead
of Increasing.
Personally | have no doubt that it is
possible to order religious revival in
such way as to make it blessing.
Whether this will be so carried on is not
for me to say. The power will be UNI
loosed in the city but will it do good ?
What then is the final word OF the
whole matter? | would sum it up in
fashion something like this: Poisous
like aconte, strychnia and beladonna
may be very valuable when properly
used. But a proper use means the
strctest care. The emotional excite
ment attendant Oh religious revival is
as dangerous as aconite and must be
used with the greatest care-the same
kind of watchfulness. And | give this
caution to those who are willing to take
the responsibility of introducing power
into the community that may carry with
it the greatest harm.