The Portland daily press., 1896-02-13
CURRENT EVENTS CLUB.
Rev. MIR. Prescott's Second Lecture at
Union Hall.

In his second lecture yesterday after
noon before the members of the Current
Events club, and many others who were
drawn by the interest of the subject and
the ability of the speaker, Mr.. Prescott
showed more Of the freedom and real
power he possesses in dealing with the
highest subjects O human thought, than
were perhaps made clear in his first ad
dress. Freedom, not at all in the sense
OF wildness or aiming at startling effects,
but that freedom of the spirit which is
at home in large theses and finds their
atmosphere bracing and tonic; with
the power which always comes to the
honest and earnest nature, that fearless
ly faces truth, no matter in what quar-
ter of the universe it appears. The leo
did Goethe) to notice an aIl-em bracing
unity, looking for resemblances rather
than caring to dwell on petty differ
ences. and is apparently not at all
startled out of his serenity to (fnd AS we
must today science using very differ
ent phraseology from that of religion,
but both. it may be, arriving at per-
oeption Of the same great truths. With
this large sweep of thought. it seemed
unnecessary that the speaker should in
any way apologize, or suggest thht the
religious faith of any might possibly
be disturbed by the boldness of these
speoulations. Science and metaphysics
are SO in the aim today, that all thought
full people have became quite acous-
toned to facing the new light from many
sources.
Mr.. Prescott's subject was Modern
Thought About God.'' No morality,
no system of social life could, he de-
olared, live without having its basis in
some eternal power not ourselves. .
Positiyism tried it and failed. POSSIBLY
the lecturer was not quite just to the
passionate belief of George Eliot, Frede-
rick Harrison and some other noble
minds.) But the thought Of God has
suffered great change through the
teachings of modern science. From the
old anthropomophio conception Of God
thinking OF him as magnified human
being-largely helped by early Christian
art which usually pictured God as an old
man-we have advanced to conception
which may still include personality, but
personality of higher kind than before.
Some idea of God every race of mon has
held-from ..fetiohes-" "bowing down to
wood and stone, to the more cultivated
conception of the Greek, finding deity
in stream and wood and star. Even
the early Jew slowly mounted through
a belief in several gods to Jehovah as
the one above all other gods. But
though each primitive religion Gas we
may remember through the Egyptian
groups) there was reaching after
faith in one sole God, for which perfect
revelation the early inhabitants of this
earth were not ready. Their minds in
deed could not contain perfect reve-
lation. Idealism with know ledge of
all the facts Is the uppermost belief Mr..
Prescott thought, at Harvard and at
Brown. Is this Power personal? Mr.
Spencer thinks not, but is therefore Ito the
lecturers mind) not strictly logical,
nS Ho says IL 10 uuo sfsiAo IuWSr WHICH
swells up in mans consciousness 1t has
been the animating spirit to the Mystics
and to Jesus himself. There is no con-
fiict between this true science and this
true religion. God still, even with the
last word of science, many retain all
that is needful for personality. Love,
divine fatherhood- remain His at
tributes, while to fully comprehend
Him, we must find our fulness of being
in the service of our fellow men.