The record-union., 1894-03-31

Samson and Moses, and the dogma that
the world was made in six days; and by
ana Dy the Nieene Creed or the West
minister catechism might follow"
The world" says the Christian out
TOOK, is full OF men who are atrophied
on every side except that through which
they are gaining their daily bread-men
VINO have sacrificed to immediate success
about everything that makes life worth
nVlng. The immediate practical value
OF culture Is that ii adjusts the man not
only to his business but 10 his life 1t
restores the balance so likely to be lost
In the fierce competition and the perpet-
ual strife 1t takes d man out of his
shop. his office, and his library into the
world of universal life. Culture can
never be the real, practical, downright
enrichment OF life which il ought to be
until men have ceased to think OF it as a
luxury. In one sense it is just as widely
open TO the poor as to the rich. One pair
OF eyes, one pair OF legs, one open mind,
one honest heart, a few hours OF leisure a
bit of country, and a7dozen of books sup
ply The clements OF deep, genuine culture
Tor any one VINO knows how TO use them.
Ii IS not question of privilege, it is a
question OF making the most of what YOU
have. IL Is true that some men have far
greater opportunities than others. but
OooOhhAdA Od1t0A6-tildG Is, In6 ClD6Q1DG OF
the soul by contact with the best that has
been thought ana done to the worlds
qulte'aS open to the man of limited op-
portunltles as to the man Of great oppor-
tunlt1es. The test Is the desire for it and
the Intelligence to take it,"
''The confessions of recent times are a
different thing from the ancient creeds OF
the church," explains the LiUillG Church
". E.J OF Chicago. They are not, ana
they make no claim TO be- simply the
expression to precise words OF what has
been all along EN- bedded in the un-
changeable constitution of the church.
On the contrary, they are professedly
statements OF what this or that company
OF men have agreed to believe. They APP
pear III the forefront OF Il constitution
which society expressly adopts as of its
own workmanship, aud by which it or
ganlzeS itself. Both constitution and the
confession which forms a part of it are
the work of mems hands. In such pro-
cess the idea of the church as a divine
organism Is necessarily rejected. 1t may
be spiritual influence, or an unseen
body OF elect persons, but it is not a Visi-
bic, organic institution in The world
Such societies may undertake to forward
the cause OF truth, to aid in developing
the secret elect body, but they are not
that body themselves, either singly or
all together. They are human institu-
tions from first to last, and their confess
sions have only the authority which
springs from the agreement of men.
Thus it will be seen that to accept the
creeds IN their catholic sense is to accept
far more than is explicitly contained in
them, and above all it is TO accept the au-
thorlty OF a church whose constitution
was not OF mans invention"
Because of our respect for number
Of intelligent and godly men, we deeply
regret" says the New York Christian
-AdUOcdte (Meth.) that it is impossible
for US to discern the wisdom of attempt
ing to amend the Constitution of The
I Dnjted States so that the clause, de-
voutedly acknowledging the supreme au-
thorlty and just government OF Almighty
God III all the affairs of men and nations.
etc., shall be placed after the words,
We, the people of the United States
On the contrary, if it had any prospect
of prevailing, we should feel called upon
to oppose 1t. Our national coins bear the
motto, In God We Trust thirty State
Constitutions recognize God; the DecIa-
ration OF Independence did the same; and
the Supreme Court in 1892 decided that
in broad and general sense this is
Christian nation. To introduce the name
of Jesus Christ our Lord into the Con-
stitutiOn Of the country would be a step
towards the union of Church and State |
which, SO long as we wish liberty of con-
we can never advocate. We do |
not agree with those who would strike |
off from the coins In God We Trust I
nor would we maintain the possibility /
OF thoroughly secularizing our Govern
ment in its forms and phrases, But with
the recoguitions already mentioned the
use Of the Holy Bible in courts of JUS