The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-03
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THE sT0nr or JESUS CmRlsT.
Among the books most widely read this
season nut be cIassed Elizabeth Stuart
Phelps Wards THE Story OF Jesus
Christ" Mr.. Wards book 10 not an ef-
fort N fiction, ~ the title might suggest
1t n not theological discusston OF doc
trtnal points. nor 10 II an attempt TO ret
Mp ths historic ngure OF Christ In the true
setting OF his day in Judea- Il ID an indi-
viduai Interpretation OF the Christ. and
~ such the book y q once strong ana
weak. In the creation Of her ideal at
Jesus Mrs. Ward has drawn upon the
spiritual experiences Of q lifetime. and
has succeeded In fuxng into her material
great enthusiasm There d almost .
note Of yearning In her attempt to make
vivid and real the life Of Bsn who taught
fraternity 20 maE."
The real weaknesses OF the interpreta-
ton have been laid bare In q very sux-
seative critical review. written. Tor the
New York Times By an eminent theo-
logan. The Story OF Jesus Christ" the
writer begins. adds one to the long HIST Of
the many melancholy failures which have
resulted from the attempt 20 do the i'm
possible. The Old legend Of the artists
effort to paint In the face Of Christ. In
which he failed and failed. until at last,
while hs slept. IN angel filed In the empty
place on the canvas. ought to warn
people against this vain undertaking.
Now and then. among the great religious
painters In the golden age Of art. there 10
. suggestion. eksd out by the imagination
OF the eye. which. in faint and far
away degree. approaches what we may
imagine to have been the face OF the God
man. But the illustrations In this book
are SUFFICIENT evidence OF the utter inabil-
ity OF the artists Of our modern schools
and times TO represent the features OF one
who 10 described In holy scripture under
two contradictory expressions, as 'the
One Who u altogether lovely" and the
One who hath no form nor COMBINES
nor beauty"
One - sorry 70 critictse a book. which.
according % the apparent purpose OF the
preface. has been undertaken in a spirit
Of persona. devotion. at any rate. to the
human personality OF our Lord. A labor
Of love the book evidently is-"an absorb
ing and affsctionate study OF the great
life" And the tone OF the preface leads
the reader. at the start. to hope for far
different result from that which has been
obtained.
But Arx. Wards explanation q the
great life Is not our Lords. and her In
depreciation Of the faith which he found
ed II incomprehenMble. because II differs
20 absolutely from his own. When she
states a. an objection that the story Of
the gospel was written and has been.
studied. expounded. commented upon and
preached only by men. and adds ''all the
feminine element in 1t has come to IN
passed through the medium Of masculine
minds" we confess to . recognition In
THU fact Of the wisdom of Gods purpose
In % ordering the Communication of his
revelation to US. On the one hand. We
have ghastiy and blasphemous carica-
ture OF The woman's Bible ~ the re-
suit Of one kind Of feminine element SET
ting itself 20 this task. And on ths other.
on a far higher. because OF the really
reyerent intention. we have In this book
an instance Of the dilution OF all the
strong and severe simplicity OF the gos-
pei story n q current OF tropical exuber-
ance Of language. rank and reeking with
sentimentalism; and. what II worse than
that. with tango like a tropical forest.
In which fac. and fancy. tradition and
imagination. truth and conjecture. are In
ex,ricably confused. Mr.. Story said.
speaking Of modern Biographies, that they
were OF two sorts, the autobiography and
the ought-nct-fo-b biography, and with all
kindness and TO use OF the latter sort.
Long before one has read the first chap
ter the thought comes longingiy OF Jenny
sons noble verse:
Not 10 silence would build
A temple in her naked field:
Not 10 her would raise a shrine:
But to one of finer sense.
Her half sister, Ret!cence.
Not undertaking to review the book from
the Theological. point OF view, II Is TO be
said at he outset that the writer has no
IDEA what Mrs. Wards theological opin
iona are. rr this hook they are con-
scioasly or unconsc.ously concealed tn
the multitude OF words which lend
themselves sometimes to one OF the
innumerahle here.ies tina. have grown
up as 10 the nature ard personality
OF Chris: and sometimes 10 a
recognition % the two natures uncon-
fused ard perfect IN the one person. The
most curious thing In the book IS its per-
petuai Observation-Disclosures It's constant
series Of srreconcilab.e statements: so that
one Ia utterly unable to be sure that the
Christ OF whom this story il told Is or 10
not. IN the authors conception. the son Of
God in the sense I: which the creeds Of
the Catholic church present Him. God
o. God. very God d very Gea" The
Son Of His God" she says more than once.
which means ore does not know what.
Apparently she Is led away with sonie
OF the modern notions Of what Is. be-
ueye. called "the growth OF God con-
,ciousaess In the son OF Mary"
Apparently the voice OF sse Father.
heard At the time Of His baptism, is the
FIRST real impression that He had OF HIS
deity. ard even that. according TO Mrs
Ward. was no; clear. He wanders 'nto