The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1895-04-20
Believe In God, and isope for Life
Beyond the Grave and Nothing
10 The Editors of The Echo:

The sun of darkness ano suPeloI
ton is dropping in the western 1or-
zon and the sun OF the goth century
has already sent the light from its
rays, az an advance agent, 70 an
nonnce 10 the world that wiih'sits
coming reason will prevail over ira
ditional faith.
III YOU would discern the present
situation and future OF religious
thought, you will find the most accu-
rate method in the study Of the faith
of representative thinkers when no
superior minds of our age, photc-
graph all the hopesand fears, doubts
and convictions OF the couptle
souls inhabitating our globe and Ytu
will hear the chords TO which IN lr
human hearts yibrste. Religion nd
poetry both live BY that light y a.
never existed, yet their 'nspirat.. as
are born OF that truth, that nobility
and ali that 10 beautiful and visible
only TO the inner eye, hut IN az ITS
pretty pictures of the imaginatie q It
fails TO echo conventional piefy or
speculative dog,natism, but the poet
gives q more candid view OF honest
faith than the traditional formu az
which creeds and professed theolo-
pians give us. The one great thing
which we can point TO Is s'the qaee-
tioning spirit Of our eye, putting all
through to the test, searching the
heiehta and depths, trying TO get at
real facts-the ultimate result.
We should always have an eager
interest In modern science and keep
apace with its results be fearless IN
following them whenever II 70 PLAIN,
and that truth should follow and We
will readily recognize that God in
his fatherly love Is showing Himself
to his children in some fresh way,
and therefore we ehould not regret
the sold pIaythinGs," but grapple
with the greatest doubts, which we
must bear IN mind, are the honest
and truthful outrouripgs Of the brain
and soul. the masterpieces OF Gods
creation and believe that you COM
NIT no wrong by craving to hnc
someone who will unriddle to you
"the mysteries and the inspirations,
known and sent to few and that
the masses must believe them" Just
so long az those fairy tales are trans
mltted, just that long there will ex-
ist the war of doubt with faith or
which every truth-acknowiedged-
spirit OF the 18th century knows
more or less and with which every
soul is extending proportionately, in
these enlightened times as did those
of the darker days to lesser degree
First, aud as fast az possinies
crush hypocrisy It is the Gin that
neither God nor man can well Tor
give, and writing this recalls to me
how Tennyson in his "Sea Drearns
brands the false friend:
With all his conscience and one eye as
kew,
SO false he partly took h,mself for true;
Whose pious talk, when most his heart
was dry,
Made wet the crafty crowsfoOt round his
eye."
And IL should be equally abhorent
TO US. the ISLANDERS upon the fair
r name Of God, by those who PREACH
not his love and fatherhood but HIS
vengeance and the terrors of hell,
and who also say that, Christ spoke
of hell without hope and without
end. How much longer will those
men and women who profess to be
the standard bearers of truth and
honesty, ignore the dictates OF their
8 hearts and through fear Of pecuniary
I losses or the unpopula-ity Of siich q
course, continue 10 counter ance and
transmit that horrible sIander against
Christ, their human brother and
friend and with greater force and
a determination, aided by God-giving
charity, and respect for the beliefs
of those who differ from them they
Y should try, by loving arguments, 10
d wipe out the errcra Of stheistic
minds. ~
Irepeat, letus always be tolerant,
e let us treat wiih great tenderness
! those whom we see living and actin ,
under the clonas OF darkness, saper,
= siition or unbeiief and pity those
who rebel against us, bearing always
10 mind that the honest doubt has
d more true God-service in ii than the
II best theological formula Creeds,
!, after all are the robes under which
z" tradition hides its naked1ess and ars
e imperfect fragments of the. eterna
e truths. Let science, in her ambi
N tious fight, soar as high and as IA
n as she will, but If reason be divorced
; from love and faith, you re-estabiist
u inquisition, hatred and revenge
X thunb.scrsws and the rack aud til,
mute petition of.,he widow and wall
, ing of the orphan will be waited b,
the Winds and those tortured souls
= in their living and dying sgoniet
J. will lose all hope that there ia on,
= common point to Shich the whel,
,r creation moves but if we model on,
! ideas and beliefs to suit the enlight
= ment of our closing century we vii
e. know that God lives and loves ID
ii en- every place. and we will checl
n all atbeistIc tendencies, the natara
a drift of those who seek refuge ans
resting place for their impeffec