The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-06-17
BROWNS BACCALAUREATE
Revived Interest In Religion Was Its
Theme.
Many Listeners Beside Seniors and
Undergraduates


collegians under the direction of James p.
! Coombs as chorister.
The audience room OF the large church
was completely filled. The text was from
! Psalms, xvii 13:
II had tainted unless had believed TO see
| the goodness of the Lord in the land of the
| living"
These words set forth one Of those radical
| insights, which render the Bible SO wonder
/ ful. The ancient poet has found out that
! men live resolutely and well only they
have vision of "a moral government over and
around them. We cannot permanently and
triumphantly hold up against the woes uf
probation, except we believe the world
somehow TO constitute divine order. The
inspired man, therefore, says: "Wait on the
Lord, and SO DO strong, and let thine heart
take courage; yos, wait thou on the Lord
That Is the way to meet the ills of life and 10
is the only way in which one can successfully
meet them.
In respect TO this precept, as in thousand
other cases. foolish people have scoffod at what
the Old BOOK says, only TO find out at last
that they were wrong and IL right-driven,
however, unwillingly, to acknowledge the
matchless wisdom stored up in this time
honored spiritual treasure house. Much new
homage OF this sort is getting itself voiced in
our day.
Quite the most significant of temporary
facts Is the wide re-awakeniug, among intel
lectual leaders, Of regard for religion. A now
age Of faith awaits civilized countries. The
pendulum which had swung 40 far out toward
the extreme of unbelief, and seemed some
how to be arrested thore and destined never
TO return, Is travelling back upon its track
and bids fair soon TO reach the other extreme.
Iho thinkers who have SO long and SO stead
fastly maintained the reality of religion
against true or apparent results Of science
that were alleged to have rendered 1t super
stitious at last see their faith corroboratod by
profound reasonings which no serious mind
can ignore. 1t is certain that the next years
will form period Of new and more positive
conviction touching the great facts on which
mems spiritual life depends.
A century ago 1t was fashionable 20 speak
Of religion with ridicule. Not distinguishing
between true and false or between less per-
feet and more perfect approhensions OF re-
ligion, without separating between religion
and caricatures OF IL, men Of some intelligence
made light Of whatever went by the name of
religion, as a grand illusion, Invalid and con-
temptible, whether in the earlier or In the
later periods of human development. Such
was the unbelief of Thomas Paine and Of most
inhdels before the doctrine Of evolution be-
came the rage.
The rise of the evolutionary theory brought
a change. 1t was no longer the fashion to do
nounce religion as falsehood pure and simple.
The vogue was now to consider belief in
supernatural realities, as indeed making a
stage in mans progress upward, suitable to
influence the race when our ancestors were
little removed from their brute origin, though
not antiquated and outgrown. Matter, force
and law. they declared to be the sole funda-
menal realities of tho universe, scientific pro-
cess the only revelation.
Now, so far as regards thinkers who have
any following, all this is changed. The most
reputable scientific authorities concur in
pronouncing IL an eternal phenomenon per-
manent part Of human nature. never to be
outgrown; manly and reasonable, moreover;
no more TO be accounted as means for chill.
dren and the feeble minded, but worthy to
impress and to direct the strongest charac-
ters. Canon Gore has lately edited volume
containing Romane's Thoughts on Religion"
He has come to admit that the scientific method
is not the only process by which truth con-
cerning religion is ELECTED. Subtle influences
other than intellectual, he confesses, had
helped him out of negations into strong and
quiet faith in God.
No man can overestimate the significance OF |
this revolution In what may be called authori- |
tative opinion concerning religion. To live |
worthily TO obey high ideals, is impossible |
for him who does not view the world religi- |
ously. The assumptions of naturalism abso- |
lutely contradict not only our spontaneous |
moral beliefs and promptings, but also moral |
that are OF vital moment to society |
IL progress instead Of retrogression is to mark
its future.
Naturalism can give no reason why any L
sentiment, impulse or conviction. which in
any manner is Of advantage to the race,
should be preferred TO any other impulse or
as more worthy Of consideration or
obedience. BY the theory Of unpurposed or
evolution conscience-itsolf, in its
finest form, the sweetest, loftiest. most un.
selfish virtue-can have no other meaning
than that the family, tribe or nation is bio.
logically more valuable than the individual.
As moral conduct finds in tho theory Of
evolution no justification by look.
ing back 10 the genesis Of our experiences,
SO, upon tho same hypothesis, II finds none in
looking forward. Life and love, hato and
death, everything, speakable and unspeakable,
which now engages human thought, az well
ls all the realms of undiscovered and un.
thought being will be Cancelled in blank an.
True, the moral results Of thinking like |
this have not yet fully revealed themselves in
any community. But this schism between
and conduct cannot continue for.
ever The human mind is at bottom rational
sooner or later, his beliefs take
effect in his behavior.
The weakening effect which decadent faith
exerts upon mems conduct, though as yet
only inchoatc, has after all, gone far already.
Enough such facts could be cited 10 show
that the level OF human morality undergocs,
AT present, decided tendency 20 sink
IL would, perhaps, be- impossible to connect
this tendency in its entirety with slackenine
Of religious beliefs. Poverty Is an independ.
ent source Of many such evils. Yet IL cannot
be denied that a vast share Of the moral tur.
pitude growing around US has sprung from
Of faith
What now, are the chief spiritual truths