The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-08-28

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document, as no logical connection be.
tween the sayings is apparent. Prof.
Thayer. of Harvard. we notice, says ito
conclude that the Logia which, accord
ing to Papias, Matthew composed in
Hebrew, consisted merely of a similar
string of disconnected aphorisms-like
this leaf.-would be hasty inference"
The light which compilation of later
date than the canonical Gospel is able
to shed on their origin cannot be vivid
one would think. Prof. Thayer regards
these sayings as distinctly Of second.
ary character" which comedies with
Harnack's view.
Rich men who give literally of their
riches to their denomination are a great
source of denominations strength. Mr..
Rockefeller has this year lifted the
Baptist Missionary Society out of the
depths by pledging s25O.o00 on condi-
tion that the remainder of the required
S450,00O should be raised by the church
es. Under the stimulus of that pledge
of course the money was raised. Quite
different was the proposal of one of our
rich men to give $1,000 for Universalist
missions provided the denomination
should raise half million! There are
and there have been many rich Univer-
salists. A few of them have been gen.
erous to their faith and its enterprises.
But the most discouraging fact con-
nected with our history is the uniformity
with which our rich men provide that
their money shall never help their
church. We have no institution and
no enterprise which would not be amply
furnished with the means of the largest
usefulness if the Universalists who we're
supposed to be interested in their de.
nomination and who lett great fortunes,
had done what was reasonably expected
of them.
How paralyzing it is to doubt, how
helpful it is to believe, is beautifully il
lustrated by universal childhood. The
child naturally trusts, and grows in
heart as we'll as in intellect by the things
which it does not know and cannot
know but assuredly believes. The great
unknown is peopled by its spontaneous
mind with innumerable and glowing
realities. So long as this impulse of
nature is avaied OF TO conduct the pro-
cess OF the child's development its life is
luxuriant and sweet. But let doubt
take the place of faith; let the child
learn to suspect and distrust; let its
eager leaps into mystery be restrained
by continual suggestions that this is
mot so" and its soul shrivels, its face
becomes prematurely old. devil of mis-
trust turks in its eyes, and the fair
freedom of its life is destroyed at the
root. The ideal, the spiritual, the an
gelic is nourished in us by trust.
Mrs. Eddy, "our mother" as the
homage of her disciples now designates
her, said in her remarks at the Fourth
of July assembly in her honor, truth is
potent. error is impotent." This ap-
pears to be cardinal tenet Of Christian
Science. 1t was repeated in various
forms in the course of Mrs. Eddy's ad-
dress. If her meaning is, that truth is
naturally superior to error and is des
tined at last to triumph. she is certainly
right. The truth and the truth alone.
has intrinsic permanency. But if she
means. as she appears to mean, that
error is always impotent, the history Of
the world is fatty against her. At this
very moment, as Mrs. Eddy must con-
cede since the vast majority of man
kind are not believers in Christian Sci
ence, error is far more influential than
Truth. Error yet holds the field in gov
ernment, in social science, in morals, in
religion. We may wish it was other.
wise; we may believe it shall sometime
be otherwise; but we must not blink
the present fact.
The departure ever and anon OF
some quiet man. known by his friends to
have been a person of extraordinary
gifts or of exceptional knowledge. but
almost unknown to the world. impresses
the fact that human nature is rich and
that our age is one of high intellectual
development. The other day DR.. j.
Hammond Turnbull.of Hartford, passed
away. Outside of Connecticut he was
hardly known. Yet he was man of
rare powers and of such uncommon at
tainments as lifted him into niche by
himself. In certain historical and lin
guistic specialties "he was the foremost
living authority" DIR. Turnbull's case
does not stand alone. Almost weekly
we have the record of some patient
scholar, or thinker, or experimenter
who was willing to be unknown but who
was not willing to be without knowl.
edge.
CANTON THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL.
Rejoice! Be glad! Be cheerful! of
merry countenance. of a smiling face.
Be of gobd courage-never sombre. sad,
L