The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-03-13
SATURDAY, MARCH 13.
EDITORIAL.


Mr.. Moody in Mr.. Moody is soon to
onlcaSo' visit Chicago, and be-
yin his revival work in the Auditorium,
which has been secured for the entire
month of April. Great preparations are
already made for his advent, to conduct
a series OF meetings on the plan followed
in New York and Boston. Our city will
give the renowned revivalist warm wei
come, and we make no doubt that his
services will be on the whole helpful and
will create a new interest in all depart.
ments of church work. While this may
be said in truth and sincerity. there yet
remains room for the criticism on these
revival services, made by Professor j.
Henry Thayer, of Cambridge. In his re-
marks at the recent Andover Alumni
meeting in Boston, he is reported to have
said in reference to the work of the
evangelsts in that city, that he had been
interested and benefited thereby but"
said Prof. Thayer, II ask myself as | see
evangelstic movements heralded about,
how is it with churches? What do they
exist for? Think of the Apostle Paul
waiting for a Moody to come! If Mr..
Moody has inside knowledge of the
churches here, the sooner they are ex-
posed the better. But there are differ
emit ways. Aud is not this evangelistic
work an encroachnent on the work of
II, of in
country is a reflection on the power of
the churches, in my judgment. know
the worth of such men. But every man
of us can be endowed with power from
on high" II the churches were more
active in Christian work and more in
earnest in the work of saving mankind
here, there would be less need of the
services of the evangelist. This is the
point of Prof. Thayer's criticism.
800
MRS. MARTHA L.
Unitarians and Lowe. the widow of
the Supernatural Rev. Charles Lowe, a
former Secretary of the American Uni
tartan Association. writes an article in
The Unitarian for March. on 1.-THE Sup
ernatural," in which she says: mot long
ago our attention was directed to an ar.
ticle which appeared in a French Lib
eral Protestant paper at Paris, in which
the writer averred that there was great
change going on in their branch of the
French church.
I'm 1866 he says that there was hard
Iva person to be found who acknowl-
edged any belief in the so-called super
natural. But the tide had turned:
Young men were studying into these
questions with more fairness and deep
or interest. 1t looked as though in the
course of few years there could be
change of base throughout the whole
branch of the church"
Mrs, loves article is in the nature of
an amiable protest against the dogma.
tism of Unitarians in regard to this mat
ter of the Supernatural. She remarks:
"This wave of absolute rejection of the
Supernatural has, in the meantime,
reached the Professionals OF this county;
and among some ministers it amounts
to sort of dogmatism that will not al
low that Unitarian who believes in the
Supernatural could be anything but
simpleton, or at least an old fashioned
conservative, knowing nothing of the
critical study of the Bible" 1t is against
this dogmatism, always offensive. and
even absurd, when the scholarship of the
world is considered. that Mrs. Lowe pro-
tests. On the general question of the
Supernatural. this gifted lady has some
remarks which are worthy of careful
consideration by those whose dogma
tism she criticises.
THERE are. however,
The Supernatural W onders. sublime
in the Gospels. events. connected
with the ministry of Jesus, which cannot
be easily set aside. II we literally re-
fuse to believe anything that does not
suit itself exactly to our physical senses,
we become doctrinaires ia our Chris
tianity, and rob the Gospels of their
greatest scenes and the personality of
Jesus OF it's august power. Everything.
says the nationalist, must be- brought
under the domain OF SCIENCE cold rea-
son, but not the higher reason Of Cole
ridge as distinct from the understand
ing.
"This attitude of a growing portion of
our denomination keeps US from cordial
union with the liberal orthodox. and
weakens our hold upon young and emo
tional natures. What is our belief in
God but a supernatural act? We can.
not see him, nor touch him, nor hear him,
and yet he is firm in the consciousness
OF the religious mind. Can we afford to
strike out OF the Gospels the variations