The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-12-03
1.-THE RECAST OF FAITH
An ADDRESS BY PROF.. BASCOM or
WILLIAMS COLLEGE,.

Afternoon-A Powerful anu "as'efAS
Setting Forth of the subject-Large
Audience Interested and Instructed.
Prof. John Bascom of Williams col
lege, who for thirteen years was pres
ident of the University of Wisconsin,
lectured in Marquand chapel yesterday
Afternoon at 8 o'clock on the subject of
'The Recast Of Faith"
The speaker is the author Of a num-
Der of able works relating to philoso-
ply, sociology and political economy.
His lecture was highly interesting and
given the closest attention by the
large audience present. AT the outset
Prof. Bascom stated that there had
been many changes in recent years in
the grounds of religious belief and doc
trines, but that there is nothing to be
deprecated in this shifting of ground.
The Christian church has been charac-
terized by it from the beginning. Our
period differs from former ones not in
the fact itself, but in the form of fact.
The historic resumption remains now
as never before that unbelief now as
hitherto is a condition Of deeper and
wiser belief
AS compared with other movements
we see in the present one that men are
less amenable the guidance of few
leaders, that the modification Of opin-
ions extend to a greater variety of
persons, and that there is in them a
strong drift of sentiment only partial
I 49, 4 u nj t1
The believing mind finds itself nee
essary to take on new adjustments of
faith, first as to the forms of the ends
which God teaches us, and second as to
the nature and extent Of his love. We
should find no difficulty in freely ac-
cepting constant secondary changes in
all comprehensive and profound forms
of belief. These changes arise necessa-
rily from the very depths and subtlety
of the truths themselves from the pro-
gress Of the events by which they are
disclosed to us and from the expand
ing power of mind by which we appro-
rate them.
OF evolution he said: Evolution puts
the entire problem of mans spiritual
development on a new basis. Spiritual
SloW Ill ID llOl oOlllCIlil1l5 SUNS VA elboNS
the world, much less in spite of the
world. 1t is something going on in and
with the world as it's latest Tuition.
Hence religion must be reconciled with
the world and the world with religion.
Continuing, he spoke as follows:
Against the first opinion of men
which made the physical world, not
transiently and supericially; not pro-
foundly an obstruction in the path Of
a divine providence these accommodating
and deepening thoughts and expert
ences of men have slowly turned not Of
set purpose, but by an inevitable gray
itation of reason. They have recon-
structed their conception Of the relation
of God to the physical world. They
have substituted for exterior constraint
interior control. God is inmanent in
the universe. It's activities are the i'm
mediate expression of his power. The
omnipresence of God is direct render
ing of our, sensuous experience. We
find Him everywhere.
But no sooner is this great step taken
thanit subjects faith to new difficulties.
Farther readjustments are made neces-
sary. The human mind is inevita bly,
extreme in its movements. 1t has not
sufficient power to grasp a new concep-
ton and it's corrections in one and the
same act. Hence immanence comes
easily to mean the identification of God
with the world. The world is the alb
sorbent. Matter overpowers mind. Suf-
fusing things with thoughts, thoughts
become things. Personality, the print
tive body of the entire idea, that by
which it became explanatory to us OF
world full Of intellectual terms slow
ly disappears, and we have the name
remaining, but not that mind of truth
and heart of love of which the soul has
been in search from the beginning
Waking up to our mistake and infinite
loss, we strive once more to reconstruct
our faith on the side of personality
We have, however, accumulated such a
weight of argument in the name of sci
ence, of philosophy and of history
against what we have known as the
supernatural and have identified with
religion, that the effort to check the
movement is like sweeping back the in
coming tide. The task assigned us is
to reconcile a real immanence of Goo
in nature with an equally real person
atty. Neither is to swallow UP the
other; neither to be the shadow Of the
other. We have much to aid us in this
effort. In the knowledge nearest tt
ourselves we have similar problem
The mind pervades the body. 1t is ON
nipresent in it. 1t has no definite cen
ter in it; no recognizable points of at
tachment to it. The mind is thus con,
ditioned by physical relations and il
turn conditions them in an inscrutablt
way. We can deny neither part of the
proposition. The body gives terms t.
the mind; we must concede it. Thu
mind is not measured by these physca
data; that also we must grant. On NJ
other terms can we carry on our dis
cussion If our judgments are the pro
ducts simply of physical causes the1
they disappear as judgments and re
appear as effects. They leave the en-
tire realm of truth empty. We hav
facts but not truths; events but no
convictions. Convictions can contend
with each other; events simply replact
each other. No event can put down o.
deny another event. They all belong t.
the same absolute hierarchy.
But it is not given to reason in thi
way to unseat itself. Our own person
atty stands for our hold on truth; il
the one condition alike of all affirmation
and all denial IF MIR naoation VOC III