The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-04-20

Ilttl6 buUugub, tuo sCdHI tliuo, ulo5t noH
and women, of even the better classes,
give to any heart-searching question is a
bitter irony on both our religion and our
civilization. We are getting on and
getting through. mostly; and the heavy
end of the load of human improvement,
social betterment, moral redemption, re-
ligious enlightenment, we leave to be
carried by forlorn but sturdy remnant
of the elect
One of the functions of the church
which, il not misused, is not sufficiently
used, is to seek. The Son of Man came
to save, but as preliminary to that, to
seek. 1t is not enough that an altar be
reared. Men must be solicited to wor-
ship at it. To open the church doors,
put preacher in the pulpit, ring the
bell and expect people to come is not to
be wise in our generation. We must go
out into the highways and byways, and
at least invite them to come in. Nor
should the seeking be left wholly to the
minister. He should seek. But it is, as
we have said, the function Of the church
to seek. If its membership should ha-
bitually use their opportunities to seek,
the churches would overflow; and a
better thing would happenthe interest
and enthusiasm of the seekers would
overflow also.
We have been late in taking up DR..
Dodge's book. "The Purpose of God,"
and are able now to devote only an oc-
casional unmortgaged moment to it..
We find it strong and luminous. 1t is a
mature book. We have not come upon
any rash or random statements. Study
and reading are manifested here; but
still more long and fruitful thinking. 1t
is religious book. Some readers may
find their faith transferred to new foun-
dations; no reader will have his faith
undermined. 1t is suggestive book.
While zone increasing purpose" runs
through it's chapters there are touches
of philosophical reflection on its pages
that stand out apart from the general
course of reasoning and make the vol
ume attractive. 1t is book of large
and winsome spirit. Any Christian of
any creed may read it with edifcation
and without irritation.
-"The average man is the product of
his time and of all that went before.
But great men in all nations have been
the producers of their own times, and
still more Of the times which followed.
Descent. education, opportunity. account
for so much of the lives of great men as
they share with their contemporaries;
but the cause of each ones greatness
beyond the thousands who share his
circumstances, remains unsolved by any
study OF human antecedents. And when
the long stretch of history is surveyed.
it is so obviously the great men who have
led the march, that if we attribute to
God any efficient direction of mans des-
tiny, we must recognize great men as
his channels of access."-Dr. j. Smith
Dodge, IN "1he Purpose of God"
Says a writer in the Saturday Re
view, if it should be proposed to erect a
memorial to Geo. w. Curtis in England,
the proposition would be met with the
inquiry. who is Curtis anyhow" That
inquiry would be less fatal to the fame
of the author than to the intelligence of
the people. What percentage of the
population of England would know more
about Swift, or Wordsworth, or Shelley,
or even of Browning or Ruskin, than
about Curtis? Even educated English
men are often amusingly provincial.
Golden once put English knowledge of
America to comical test by challeng-
ing anyone in an Oxford audience to
come forward and put his finger within
one thousand miles of the city of Vicks-
burg. on a map of the United States,
and the challenge was not accepted.
What do we think of individual
communion cups? We think they are a
fad; and Of fads this generation has had
more than enough. Weremain unmoved
by the pathetic plea Of danger to health
and life from the communion cup. 1t is
another instance of tithing mint and an
iss and neglecting the weightier matters
of the law Nor are we borne clean
away in admiration of the reported
success" of several experiments with
individual cups, when everything hav-
ing been carefully arranged beforehand,
including trays with 300 goblets, the
whole ceremony took just twenty five
minutes" We are not surprised to hear
that "there was large and deeply in
terested audience in attendance" nor to
learn from an interview with the pastor
that he was" delighted with the improve
ment." The spectacle of crowd drawn
to see the three hundred goblets touches
the religious sense in tender place.
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