The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-17

seminaries that the frank and fearless
study of the Bible" occurs, Since this
is the fact is it not wholly unauthor
ICED assumption that the study pro
posed in the colleges will not be frank
and fearless?
But is it required in every form of
study Of the Bible to plunge deep into
"the modern Investigations? English
literature, from Chaucer to Lowell, is
studied in our colleges. Is that deemed
the most useful form of this study which
enters, in crank and fearless" man
ner, into all the inquiries that have been
raised over the authorship of piers
Plowman," the plays and sonnets of
Shakespeare, and into "The Battle of the
Books" in general? The notion is very
provincial one that study of the Bible is
superficial and Improbable unless it
concerns itself first and chiefly with
questions of textual and historical criti-
cism. The Bible is great classic, hold
ing no second place among the great
literary monuments of mankind. It's
origins and history are interesting in
quiries; but it has such value independ-
emily of these that no one can be con-
sidered an educated person who is not
familiar with it in the way that Ran
dolph OF Roanoke was, for example.
If we take the meaning of our es-
teemed contemporary. the Advance. and
we think we do, the editor would use
the sad tragedy of the self-destruction
Of the great merchant, Mr.. Edison Keith,
to enforce the value of profound views"
that is orthodox views, "of the human
case, and profound remedies" that is,
orthodox remedies, for it. He remarks,
"Only Gospel that has in it the power
of the resurrection of the body can meet
all the wants OF the CASE" This is kind
ly meant and delicately said. Translated
into the tongue usually spoken in Chi
cago, it would read, if Mr.. Keith had
been sound Presbyterian. as no doubt
| his fathers were, instead Of Universal
ist. he would have been able to resist
successfully the terrible nervous strain
induced by the most harrassing of bo1i-
| ly maladies.
No one can say that our contempor
ary is not right in this opinion; no one
can say that he is right. We lack the
data for judgment on the case as sup
posed, and are quite in the dark on the
case as it is. II no one was ever driven
to desperation save those who had
abandoned the comforting system of
Calvinism; or if orthodox professors en-
joyed an immunity from melancholia
denied to believers in less gloomy gos-
pei; or if it were noticeable that people
who embrace Universalism are no longer
in love with life, the reflections and con-
clusions of our contemporary would not
be, as now they are. gratuitous. Re
ligion is great support and great SOL
ace. Our religion is, of course. the one
that sustains US; if another man has an
other religion, that must be his resource
The common defect is, we fear, that we
do not commit ourselves to our religion
in sunshine and so are not able to COM
mand it's saving help in storm.
In the course of his brilliant and
mastery Survey of Greek Civilization"
Prof. Mahaffy drops many suggestive
remarks that have nothing in particular
to do with his theme. His mind is not
only full of his subject but full of wis
dom which the study of the subject has
impaired. He has learned from the
Greeks what they were and what they
knew; and knowledge even better than
either has come to his discerning mind
in the process-a knowledge of the ma
ture of man and of the ways of God.
Prof. Mahaffy scarcely pretends to be-
ing Judicial. He has theories. and he
announces and defends them with ar 1or;
for he believes that the subject will a.
last be better understood if each inves-
tigator gives his own impressions with
out the reserve imposed by the con-
seriousness that some other student of
the subject has reached different con-
clusion.
CANTON THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL.