The record-union., 1893-09-09
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re-
ligiOus Newspapers

Expressed in the sectarian Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.
Ofth recent Shelley celebration at OK
ford the Ljrtng Church (P e. of Chicago
observes: 'It would hardly be expected,
even at this liberal epoch, that a professed
atheist would be tolerated at a theological
school, or the memory of one who disre-
garded the sanctitv of the marriage tie
would be specially celebrated there The
English universities of former days were
the theological schools of England. " hat
Is not bigOtry in such schools now was
not bigotry in the Oxford or Cambridge
OF the first half of this century. Since the
English Government has in great de-
gree transformed those venerable seats
Of learning in accordance with the mod
ern spirit, we suppose there is no incOn-
sistency in the celebration there OF the
genius OF great writer simply as such.
But such a celebration involves no retlec-
ton upon the policy of a former period.
1t Is fallacy to regard the spectacle as
Old oxford in the attitude OF penitence
making atOnement for her early errors.
1t is another Oxford, not the old, which
| is concerned in this transaction. The
moral continuity has not been pre-
served"
The New York outlook, explaining why
1t prints portrait of Professor john Tyn-
dali on its first page, says: Professor
IyndalI sees both sides OF the shield.
| The mere physicist sees only the exter-
nal world, and makes it the subject Of his
investigation. The mere metaphysicist
sees only the world OF consciousness, and
interrogates that world only. Professor
Huxley IS specimen OF the 1irst-though
even he rests morality on consciousness.
We know righteousness, and that's the
end OF it. James Martineau is q specimen
Of the second; If he has contributed any
thing to our knowledge of the material
world, or gathered anything considerable
from that knowledge, enlarged as it is in
our time, we fail to recall the fact Pro-
fessOr Tynuan has interrogated both
worlds. lie Is professionally physicist;
but he believes in imagination, emotion,
conscience. In a word, he is a man OF
faith; he looks also on the invisible and
the eternal. That famous Belfast address
eternal in the visible and the transient.
lie who thinks he sees promise and po-
tenCy Of life in all matter is looking for
life. The most fundamental question in
philosophy is between death and life.
Materiallsm is death; no God in nature;
no soul in man. Professor Tyndall is an
apostle OF life; life So universal that 1t be-
longs to matter and resides III it: no death
anywhere He may be wrong, but he is
not materialist. His philosophy is the
antipodes of naterialism. IL lays the
foundation for an Ineligible doctrine Of
divine lmmanence and divine Omnipres-
ence. II every modern theolOgian could
receive, by a sudden inspiration, Profes-
sOr TyndalPs Openness Of mind to all dis
closures Of truth, his earnestness of pur-
pose in quest of truth, and his caudor of
statement in teaching truth, there would
| be an end to heresy trials; and the church
universal would enjoy an illumination
like that which used TO make st. Peters
dome on Easter night blaze Of glory"
The Christian Register (Unit.) of Boston
says. 1T is a very peculiar illustration of
the change which has come over the
world of thought which is furnished by
the spectacle of Mivart, the Catholic, de-
| Tending the ethics of evolution against
Huxley, the agnOstic. 1t is in part ac-
counted for by the fact that AiVart, ac-
cepting the doctrine of evolution, finds it
necessary to make his system OF thought
and theology consistent and coherent
throughout. 1t does not seem to us that
Huley's point OF views is rightly taken
by those who think he has been making
| concessions as to the failure of evolution
to explain the moral nature OF man. 10
us he seems to carry his agnOsticism
farther than ever, and to lead the way to
universal Scepticism. He evidently be-
| lieves that the advocates OF the scientific
view have carried into their speculations
the conclusions concerning ethics which
| they wanted to draw out again. He de-
clares his Independence Of such pro-
1 cesses. 1t will be a mistake to look to
him as a teacher in the fields which lie
outside of his special apttudes. No man
/ who takes such q pesSlmlstic view OF
what is commonly known as the Divine
/ Providence can possibly have any happy
| outlook toward the law Of righteousness.
/ If the supreme reality Of the universe
/ does not reveal itself Rs goodness and
4 wisdom, it is folly to look for any law OF
/ goodness in the course OF human evolu-
/ ton or elsewhere. Huxley is weighted
1 down by his doubts, and Mivart is floated
! by his dependence on the authority Of the
! church"
I Speaking Of the loss of confidence in
theological teachers manifested in Ger
many, the Chicago AdUuHcs (Coug.) re-
marks: "But the question may be asked
/ whether there is not tendency towards
q similar condition Of religious affairs in
/ our country. In two denominations at
/ least there has been distinct loss Of con-
! tidence in leading theological seminaries.
/ SUCl an aTr3IpulngOt q n1oVar- Som