The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-02

tivity. And ritualism, too, has done its
work and done it well. It's picturesque and
dramatic methods captured the senses and
secured the religious reverence and ODE
dience of those rudimentary classes who
have not much else to appeal to. What else
could so successfully have held in check
the vast masses of ignorance and savagery
with which Rome has had to deal for SO
many centuries? What other force can still
control the dense masses of ignorance in
our great cities so effectually as the Roman
Church? And we must not forget that
wherever is found Catholic Church you
are sure to find school, or hospital or
nunnery near by. And so with the most
aititudinous Episcopal church. None other
has better record for good works and
genuine piety than the High Church of
England. Neither must the services of free
thought and liberal Christianity be ignored
Doubt is the salt and the waves which keep
the ocean of religion from stagnating. Faith
so easily runs into credulity that we must
have some counter irritant in the way of
criticism else the world would soon lapse
into superstition. The church of to-day
owes a great debt of gratitude, although it
makes a wry face at him, to Colonel In
gersoll He has with his wonderful sarcasm
made many of the old WORKOUT dogmas
with which the church was handicapped
look silly. For what is higher criticism, aft
or all, but Colonel Ingersoll within the
church with a white necktie and surplice
teaching Sweet reasonableness?"
The reader of Christmas Eve" will at
once notice that / have omitted the mono
logues between the journeys, for example,
that of our poet after leaving the dissent
ing chapel, and also that after leaving
Rome, in which he discusses the mysteries
and metaphysics of our faith, and espe-
cially the one in which he insists that al
most any kind of worship is better than in
difference. These omissions have been made
purposely so as to emphasize Browning S
studies into the relative merits of ortho-
doxy, ritualism and rationaIism. One would
think that our poet should have extended
this liberalty which SO easily comprehends
the three great phases of Christian thought
above alluded to to the great outside re-
ligions. The Christian world has within the
last few years ceased to speak of these re-
ligions as false Why should God favor
less than one-tnrd of His children with the
only true religion and leave the remaining
two-thirds in the darkness of sin and ig-
norance? Does He know any difference be-
bWSSi a. uSfOul anu ueNOuI
Brahmin or between a spiritual Christian
and a spiritual Mohammedan? Clearly,
both these ''other religions" are imperfect
revelations of His spirit and truth adapted
to the races, climates, civilizations and
Wants of different countries. If we look
upon their religion with contempt or pity,
Mohamedan and Brahmin easily return the
look in kind and with liberal additions.
And, after all, do not different races of
they make their governments, sciences and
l1terature-some better. some worse-all be-
ing developments, modified by their various
environments, more or less perfect, of the
worship that is within us? This worship is
Gods witness of himself, and is in no sense
man-made.
A third of a century ago the great Tenny
son, then apparently optimistic agnostiC
Il. e., a cheerful know nothing), exclaimed
on New Years day:
"Oh, years, that meet in tears,
Have We aught that is worth the knowing ?
Science enough and exploring,
Wanderers coming and going,
Matter enough for deploring
But aught that is worth the knowing
Not so this JAM /, 1898. Thanks to Just
such men as Robert Browning, Christianity
was never more alert, never better able to
distinguish between the essential and the
Observation-Disclosures less terrified with quiet
ly letting go what it can no longer main
tam; never more charitable to differences
OF opinion and towards other RELIGIONS .
ana never more clear sighted than it is I'M
der our Savior and not under St Paul that
to be Won D. p RATDyUTN
Logansport, Jan. ].