The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-10-11

book to be interpreted with so much
diversity, versatility and originality as
it is interpreted; that there is too
much Of it to be clearly interpreted to
any one sinner in a lifetime, if he has
any other duty or object in life; that
our one hundred and seventy-seven
thousand churches, and their thirty
two or three millions of members by
honest work, but one day in the week,
should stack up more hay than they
do; that the thirty-two millions are not
notably conspicuous in lettering tenn
poral conditions whereby they could
check the work of the devil with least
expense.
Besides these opinions, there are
others. Some of US do not believe in
the divine origin of the Bible, or that it,
or any part Of it, is the word of God
We think, with as much ability as we
have, that if it was the word of an
omnipotent Ruler it would be more
readily comprehended, be more
concise, less contradictory, and that
the ordained expounders of it would
be much more unanimous in it's inter-
probation; we also believe that there
would not be such a deal of mummery
in the cOncentered clusters of churches
and cathedrals in a small part of the
world over it, while SO many millions
dead and living have known and know
nothing whatever of it. 1T is caviare
to the general
And there are yet others of us who
do not and cannot comprehend why an
Omnipotent and Almighty Jesus Christ
should conceive no more potent method
of saving sinners throughout the ages
to come than to permit himself to be
| barbarOusly crucified by a heather
king In an age of boosted reason and
enlightened understanding these doc
trines do not appeal to plain, ordinary
commonsense any more than they agree
with the theories of the highest order
of intelligence.
The State of California was recently
invaded by the very flower of the army
of Christianity; thousands of the
youngest and bravest and ablest of its
main body coming from it's best forti-
fed, cultured and trained centers. The
army centralized it's forces in San
Francisco, close upon the flank, if not
in the very midst of satanical hosts.
1t was brought hither by the most APP
proved and efficient means of convey
ance in the world. It's base of supplies,
accoutrements and ammunition was
kept open and uninterrupted, and 1t
was ably supported and reinforced by
it's legions on the Pacific Coast. The
enemy did not flee upon its approach,
and did not even erect forts or barri-
cades or Notifications.
There was no strife. No battle was
fought If there had been the local
press would have put it under its mic
roscopical apparatus and it would have
emerged almost as large as life. Even
details would have been preserved, and
the expenditure of everything except
brains would have been unrestricted in
its conveyance to presses and paper,
the mails and the world.
If any great guns were fired by the
army of Christian Endeavorers the re-
ports did not reverberate, and if there
was any smoke it was not yellow
enough for flaming publication-that is
to say, detection. The Endeavorers
came at an unpropitious time. Two
men were reported to have dug up
painful of gold dust, and the alleged
discovery of two prospectors on Coffee
Creek extinguished every possible
chance for the thousands of evangel-
lists to leave anything especially to me-
morialize their visit to the Pacific
Perhaps the hardness of the pillows
of prosperity has caused people to be-
come less credulous and more sensi-
tive. but no one need inquire exhaust
lively to discover almost any kind of
skeptic or dissenter he may be in quest
of. 1t is unmistakable that orthodoxy
is waning, and that faith in religious
doctrines in the niceties of creeds and
dogmas and the firmness of implicit be-
levers in everything churchy is waxing
unstable and somewhat shaky. 1t is
evident that we have too many kinds of
gospel. or too many differing expoun-
ders of it, No two or three guns train at
the same target, and the scattering fire
of an immense army is impotent be-
cause of it's general inaccuracy and
futility.
Some of us incline to the doctrine of
Thomas Paine and Robert G. Ingersoll,
and believe we have some good sound
commonsense and humanity in our
theology. We believe that if the Bible
and Christianity and all the creeds were
lost to the world religion and right
eousness would still be possible. The
belief that
On some fond breast the parting soul
relies
Some pious drops the closing eye requires.
may be freely admitted, and both could
be supplied with no other religion than
the simple humanity expounded in the
words Of the golden rule, or in two lines
from Coleridge
He prayeth best who loveth best
All things both great and small
There is religion enough in the words
"Do unto others as you would have
others do unto you,'' wherever they
came from; there is doctrine and relig-
ion enough in those few words to revo-
lutionize and satisfy the world and to
populate any respectable sort of hea-
ven with redeemed souls. Let one hun
dred and seventy-seven thousand min
listers preach them, practice them, and
convert thirty-two millions of people
into that faith, and the world is theirs.
Humanity is the foundation for human
religion, not mythology.
CHARLES L. PAIGE
FATAL ACCIDENT.