The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-01-04

ciples OF Protero- Romanes that Deutero-
Romanes was suffering from brain dis
ease when he wrote those notes. This
whispered plea for the sanity of his
atheism and the insanity of his relig-
ion, no intimate of Prof. Romanes has
ventured to make public. But it has
been widely disseminated, nevertheless.
Now young scientist who is also
missionary, gives the probable genesis
of Prof. Romanes newer and truer
thoughts on the subject of religion. 1t
began in an inquiry by Prof. Romanes
as to how the scientist missionary, the
Rev. j. 7. Gulick, could retain his
Christian belief in the midst of his
scientific researches. The January
Bibliotheca Sacrd will publish the re-
ply to DR.. Romanes' inquiry and show
the lines on which his mind was led
back from what he called "the over
bearing shock of rationalism."
Prof. A. A. Bevan, Fellow Of Trinity
College, Cambridge, Semitic scholar
Of reputation, is after Prof. A. Fl. Sayce
with stick of considerable acuteness.
He challenges the statements OF the
great archaologist and traverses such
Of his positions as controvert the many
tenets of the higher critics. He shows
that a specialist in Egyptology is not
necessarily infallible. In this he turns
the tables neatly on Prof. Sayce who
showed that specialist in historical
criticism is not infallible. "Let the
good work go on" we are inclined to ex-
claim. These learned specialists, who
also have a relish for controversy, dis
play each the holes in the others skim
mer, and let the laity into the secret
that they do not get all the cream from
either Of them.
Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in
her old age, and one suspects in her
dotage, undertakes revision of the
Bible in the interest Of woman. She
proposes either to exscind or by COM
ment to render harmless, those passages
containing any reflections on the
equality of the sex. 1t is large under
taking. No woman of the education
requisite for the task would think OF
attempting 30 quixotic literary enter
prise. Such Bible, SO travestied by
ignorance and prejudice, would have
about the same value as an edition Of
Shakespeare edited and annotated by
Ignatius Donnelly. But this is the
smaller part of the absurdity Mrs.
Stanton would perpetrate. She expects
her rescension of the Bible to be the
great noUum organum of the cause OF
woman suffrage. We can assure the
dear old lady that it will be the monu-
mental proof of woman's incapacity and
the standard reproach Of the cause.
Those woman suffragists who believe in
Devil will surely think he put Mrs.
Stanton up to this climax Of woman's
misfortunes as he did Mrs. Adam to
the beginning Of her sorrows.
The procession Of events moves
rapidly and not evenly. As we write,
the situation is that the President and
the Congress have together gone astray
in the rash and unnecessary path that
leads to war. There is, fortunately, a
third estate. There is the Nation,
which is identical with the President
and the Congress only when they are
one with it. In the emergency it be-
comes the duty of the people make it's
sober second thought potential. The
President has. in contrast to his whole
record as magistrate, uttered the rash
and audacious word from which it is
we'll nigh impossible to recede. The
Congress has with unrefecting haste
and amazing unanimity committed it
self to the same impolicy. The people
are now the resource. Let every man
of influence who can command the
popular ear speak out, and let it be
known that the better and sounder
judgment of the American people is,
that there is no warrant for war nor
excuse for threats. Dignity decency,
humanity. Christianity are all against
this sudden and direful madness.
The mistake of President Cleveland
was in inserting that threat in his
special message. If he had propos-
ell the commission to ascertain the
boundary between Venezuela and
British Guiana and left himself
free to say. or the Congress at lib
erty to say what should be done in
the sequel, he would hold a strong and
safe position. 1t was an uncalled for
menace and premature, to go on and
tell what he would do il the commits
sion should find Great Britain to be
naughty. That was an undiplomatic as
we'll as an unnecessary threat. or all
the surprises of recent politics this un-
fortunate passage in the Venezuela
message is the greatest. No President
ever changed so quickly the confidence
of people in him into distrust. nor so
suddenly lost great company of
admirers.
CANTON THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL.
NOTES FROM MY READING.