The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-10-25
THE FORCES OF PROGRESS
THE REV. MT. FENNELL IN OP-
TIlIIST.

Tells the Congregation at First Baptist
Church Many Reasons why They Should
be Hopeful-Unexpected Causes of Good
"A Friendly Word for Bicycle Riding
The Infidel a Helpful Factor Sometimes.
AT the First Baptist church yesterday
morning Rev. w. G. Fennell of Meriden
preached in the place of the pastor,
Rev. Addison Moore.
Basing his remarks on the passage
found in Isaiah COLO, ''And the sons of
strangers shall build up thy walls" the
preacher proceeded to show that many
things of the present age which pessi-
mists are constantly troubled over may
be, when viewed in philosophical
manner in their deepest and truest sig
nificance, forces which are contribut-
ing to the Characterization of the world
Among other things, he said that
there We're many people who were very
PSooAiiiiStlS cto W tic plOoI GbS VI SLl 10
tianity and civilization, and seemed to
think that the tendency was toward
retrogression.
Urging a more optimistic view of af-
fairs, he said that it would not do to
judge of the forces Of Christianity and
civilization by the number of mission
aries or by the number of church mem
hare o1n
which are at work building up the
kingdom of Christ, but influences oft
times unseen or uncourted, as in the
text the sons of strangers were helping
to accomplish the same results.
People who are outside of the church
| are influenced more or less by Chris
, tan ideas, and, in proportion as they
are thus Influenced, are helping to adj
vance Christian civilization.
For long time missionaries had been
| hoping that in some way the great en-
| pire of China might be opened to Chris
tan influences, but China, self-satistied,
had chung to her old ways and institu-
| tons and had grown more and more
| hostile to Christian civilization. The
| opportunity which Christian missiona-
ries had so long prayed for at last
| came in the war between China and
| Japan, in which the latter nation till
then thought insignificant and weak,
| so utterly overcame the power Of China
! that the statesmen of that country had
! been compelled to stop and think and
at last to see that there was something
Ain the Christian civilization which ia
| pan had embraced and which made her
so powerful Thus China has become
more friendly toward Christian ideas.
The barbarian hordes of the north
| brought war and devastation to the
Christian people of the south, but the
influences they took back with them to
their northern homes brought Christi
anity to England and the north coun-
| tries. Russia, by her system of rail-
roads, is contributing largely toward
the spread of civilization.
The bicycle had been condemned by
some as keeping young people from the
church, but, on the other hand, it has
| a tendency to keep young men away
| from saloons, as drunken man cannot
| ride wheel The saloon keepers were
complaining of a decrease of their bust
ness, as were also the tobacconists.
| What seemed also negative forces
were also sometimes assisting in tbs
work of Christianity The infidel, the
speaker thought, was sometimes more
of a help than a hurt to Christianity
by being an example which people were
DESTROYS of avoiding.
Many ministers feared Robert Inger-
soil and preached sermons against hin
! b,,4 aff n,, ba ~ boI
hand, when Colonel IngersolPs picture
were hung in saloons people saw with
er his teachings were leading, and II
| this indirect manner Colonel Ingersol
had been a force for good.
The preacher saw in the forces o
rationalism, and the hostility towards
| all belief in the supernatural of thu
present day, forces which would ulti
mately leave Christianity and belief II
the Bible stronger than ever before.