The record-union., 1896-09-20

SlQe the Atlantic or on the other, IL
must be attibuted to the want of re-
llgious training in families" says the
"Churchman" (P. E) THE young peo-
pie OF a family are allowed free choice
as to their religious connections and
the result is a denominationalism with
in the family which is, to say the least,
perplexing. The family pew is sell
dom filled, the family being divided up
among various denominations. The
matter is treated far too lightly by
parents. who consider it of little con-
sequence where their children go to
church on Sunday provided they go
somewhere"
1T is better to live in peace on op
posite sides of the street than in con-
tention, mastery inactivity or
armed neutrality under the same
roof" remarks the Christian Advo-
cate" ON. Ed in an article on Christian
unity. If all denominations were this
day to sign articles of agreement. 1t
would not be a year before the de-
velopment of individualism in disci-
pline, doctrine or ceremony would Gre
ate friction, and friction would de-
From the latter would come recon-
struction Of concurring minds and the
evolution of a centrifugal force. We
live in blessed unity with the evangel-
ical clergy Of the Protestant Episco-
pal Church, but if by some enchant
ment we were translated into that
body, and should be, as in duty bound
checked by the Bishop of the diocese
in a proposition to exchange with some
Methodist or Presbyterian, we should
be compelled to withdraw. The unity
of spirit that we feel with all true
Presbyterians, Congregationalists and
Baptists has been delight for many
years. But if they found themselves
Methodist pastors; if, by that strange
phenomenon Of mind which sometimes
occurs, they retained all their doctrinal
views, but were not aware that they
were no longer Presbyterians, Baptists
or Congregationalists, trouble would
arise instantly"
1T may be true that the survival of
the fittest is the law Of upward devel-
opment in the forms Of life below man
meaning thereby the physically fit
test" says the Interior" Pres) Of
Chicago, in discussing evolution, but
in man, the survival Of the physically
unfit appeared. Moral fitness proved
to be stronger than Physical. Out Of
mOther-lOve has evolved father-love
brOther-love, neighbor-l -love-the fam
lily, the gems, the tribe, the nation.
This Is the factor which is revolution
izing the philosophy of evolution. The
society demands the man who is
philanthropist and a patriot, the man
who is true, honest and unselfish Ma
poleon did not survive-Wilberforcea and
Howard did. The Duke Of Alva did
not survive-Washington walks the
earth. an immortal. The test Of per-
petuity is moral worth. Society hangs
the murderers, seeks to exterminate
them-but Florence Nightingale and
Clara Barton are queens. Christendom
rises to its feet in homage in their pres
ence, In person or In memory"
There is something repelling in a
Unitarian in any recommendation of re-
ligion as a refuge" the Christian Reg
lister" (Unitarian) of Boston says 1T
is as If one were advised to cultivate
honor for safety; 1t implies the supposi-
tion that one is a cheat or a rascal. No
one would think of urging any decent
boy to exert himself to love his mother
on the ground that thus he would es-
tablish himself in the security of her
reciprocal care. Yet, if one happens in
to any religious service of a popular
character, it is almost certain the main
emphasis Of the lesson enforced, gener-
ally the concluding argument, will be
lxl
religion. How large a place this popu-
lar orthodox treatment of religion as
refuge leaves to the liberal churches
and how great the opportunity to pro-
claim the true gospel of Jesuse Christ
still so unknown, presenting religion as
an outburst of love, an overflow of joy
Gus affection, as far above motives of
prudential safety and refuge-seeking
clouds of earth.''
I'VE believe that the church is bound
to benefit greatly by the radical change
in it's type of minister's says "Zions
Herald" (M. Ed Of Boston. THE days
Of the virtue of the long black coat and
the long, sanctimonious face are, hap
PLY, past. Nowadays the minister who
looks like business manor a bicycler
for that matter, in his knickerbockers
and soft cap-and who talks and acts
as if he loved nature and humanity as
well as God is not at a discount Nay,
he is at a premium in the exchange of
soul with soul. He can win sympathy,
trust, allegiance, where the old style
minister would get no nearer to the
people than the pulpit is to the street."
eff the influence Of the movement to-
wards an enlarged Christian philan-
thropy is leading the younger genera
ton Of Christians to suppose that peti-
tions to Congress may be substituted for
prayer to God, tenement-house reform
for the temple to be built within the
heart, college settlement work for per-
sonal righteousness, then there is some
thing amiss in the popular estimate of
the relation of being to doing" says the
Standard" (Bapt) of Boston in dis
cussion on dynamic Christianity. but
We believe that the present tendency to
action rather than contemplation is to
be welcomed for the reason that the
Transforming power Of the Christian
principle in the heart works most free
ly when attention is turned away from
self. There is danger that our pray
er-meetings, whether of the young peo-
pie or Of the church at large, may be-
come too exclusively opportunities for
describing our own feelings or express
| ing our own opinions about Christian
truth, instead Of turning the mind away
from self to Christ. There is never such
engaged in Christian work for others. .