The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-07

middle OF the fifteenth century, doubt arose in
the upper, rich and moro educated classes of
European society as to the truth Of that under
standing Of life which was expressed by Church
Christianity. When. after the Crusades and the
maximum development Of Papal power and its
abuses. people Of the rich classes became ac-
Q~uainted with the wisdom Of the classics and
saw on the ono hand the reasonable lucidity OF
the teaching Of the ancient sages. and. on tho
other hand, the incompatibility of the prevail
ing Church doctrines with tho teachings of
Christ they ceased to continue to believe the
former. II. in e1ternals. they still kept
to the form Of Church teaching. they held
to 1t only BY inertia. and for the sake Of in
1uencine the masses. who continued to believe
blindly In Church doctrines. and whom
the upper classes. for their own advan-
tage. considered it necessary to support in
those beliefs- In respect to religion. the upper
circles OF the period Of the Renaissance. those
circles IN whose hands lay the power and
wealth. and. therefore. the leisure, to produce
and encourage art. found themselves in the
same position In which the educated Romans
were before Christianity arose; that is to say.
they no longer believed in the religion OF the
masses. but had no beliefs they could put in
place ofthe WORKOUT Church doctrine which. for
them. had lost its reason. There was this diff
ference. however: that. whereas for the Romans
who lost faith in their Emperor-gods and
household gods it was impossible to extract
anything further from all the complex
mythology they had borrowed from con-
quered nations. and it was. consequently.
needful to find q completely new con-
ception OF life. the people Of the later
middle ages. when they doubted the truth
OF the Church teaching. had no need to
seek an altogether fresh one. The Christian
teaching which they profcssed to accept in
the perverted form OF Church doctrine had
mapped out the path OF human progress so far
ahead that they had but to rid themselves Of
the perversions which hid the teaching an
rounced by Christ and to adopt its real mean
ing. This. We are reminded. was partially done,
not only In the determinations Of Wycllf. Huss,
Luther. and Calvin. but by the whole current Of
non-Church Christianity represented in earlier
times by the Paulicians. the Bogomili. and.
atterward. by the Waldenses and other So
called heretics. But this could be and was done
chiefly by poor people. who did not rule. A
few Of the rich and strong. like Francis Of
Assist and others. accepted the Christian teach
ing In its full significance. even though It I'M
dermined their privileged positions. Most peo-
pie OF the upper classes. however. could not or
would not act thus. because the essence OF that
Christian view Of life which stood ready to
be adopted whom once they discarded the
Church faith. wRs a teaching Of the brotherhood
and. therefore. the equality, Of man. This neg
atived the privileges on which they lived, in
which they had grown up and boen educated,
and which they wero accustomed to. Not in
the depths Of their hearts believing in tho
Church teachings. which had no longer any
true meaning for them. and not being strong
enough to accept true Christianity. men OF the
rich governing classes. Popes. Kings, Dukes.
and all the great ones OF the earth, were left