The record-union., 1894-08-04

for the erection and preservation of a
monument. Indeed. any bequest for the
Improvement or maintenance Of a ceni-
etery, or even the provision a man might
make for his own funeral, would become
nugatory under such a Judgment as this,
since in none of these cases is there any
living BENEFICIARY"
st may seem out of place." says the
New York Observer tPres.), ito classify
such men as Driver, Rheim, Cheyne and
others with Oltaire, L. Paine, and other
blasphemers and iniidels, but the teach
ings of the Christian scholars mentioned
are to-day doing more TO undermine the
faith OF the less learned, the little ones, as
we may call them, than the works OF
Paine and VoItaire, for the latter have
about had their day. The results OF inh-
del and critic being of the same nature, 1t
is not unjust TO mention them together.
while recognizing the very great differ
ence between the Intentions with which
the critic and the intidel must be eredi-
ted. But in the presence of hfeless
form OF a friend, crude and careless
surgery can hardly escape being called
butchery, though the avocatlons OF sur
geon and butcher are so different. Re-
ligious doubts have been sown broadcast
by the teachings of the critics, and Chris
tian taith is sorely shaken i'll many in
stances. Paine or Voltaire could hardly
do worse"
biblical study taking critical direc-
tions appears to be chiefly analytical in
method" observes the Standard (Bapt.
of Chicago. Would results more satis-
factory and more safe be gained if what
may be termed the synthetic method
were oftener in use than it seems to be-?
The analyst breaks the Scripture up into
parts. The Bible is taken to pieces, so to
speak; not only book separated from
book, but the individual books, chapters
even, and verses made into fragments,
as botanist might analyze a flower.
Then the book is LETT with us, much as il
the botanist were, with an air Of triumph,
TO put into his pupils hands the beauti-
ful product of nature with unity gone,
and colors decaying, each delicate part
divorced from that which gave it life, and
were to name this as the flower we are
to admire. 1t would seem to be time that
more account should be made OF that
which gives to the Bible unity, and
which may be found in the end to eX-
plain what seems perplexing in its parts
by the meaning Of the whole. Or ii
critical questions should still remain, as
no doubt they would, these would at least
no longer be all-important; or, as in the
case of the analyzed flower of the botan-
ist, the scientific expedients OF human
ingenuity divert attention from the per-
feet work of God Himself"
SIT would be strange" observes the
Christian Register (Unit) of Boston, ''if
Christianity, like Judaism or Hellenism,
did not have great series Of mythologi-
cal pictures. A large part of Christian
mythology is painted with the brush, and
may be found in the galleries, monaster-
les and churches of Europe. Much of it
was pictured with the pen, and may be
found in books. manuscripts and old tra-
ditions. The Roman Catholic Church
has vast stock OF this mythical material
vested in paintings, stories and legends
of the saints, and in the more material
istic and prosaic form OF the bones
and relics of saints. Now, this body of
mythology is essentially poetic-some of
it good poetry and some OF it bad-and it
does no harm SO long as it is conceived
simply as poetry. The harm comes
when it is labeled as fact and recast into
dogma. There is no harm, but. great
deal of pleasure for child in the stories
OF the Arabian Nights, the Grimm tales,
or those of Hans Christian Anderson: but
to teach them as hard and positive facts
would be to take the poetry out of the
story and out Of the child-would make
the child incredulous and the story
ridiculous.o
Concerning the proposed taxation of
churches the CQngregGti0ndList of Boston
says: 1--WE do not believe that the State
can by law establish or maintain equally
among citizens the disposition to be kind
to their neighbors, or can thus promote
the general prosperity. While we be-
lieve that the State should relieve want
and suffering, promote education, cult
ure and religion, we believe it should