The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-02-03
CHURCHES AS EDUCATORS

| ~ NADi SOON NNhh IENNEsSEE CHAPLIN.
Special Correspondence of the Republican,.
RICHMOND, SURREY, ENGLAND, .
January 90, 1898. :
1t was beautifully said by Lord Ba
con in one of his essays: 1.-The first
creature of God in the works of the
days was the light of the sense; the
last was the light of reason; and
his sabbathwork ever since is the IL
Elimination of his spirit
Certainly it is heaven upon earth to
have mans mind move in charity,
rest in providence, and turn upon the
poles of truth"
The churches have done much to
inculcate the precepts of charity, even
when they have themselves violated
its spirit. They have also been tfx
authorized teacbe ers Of belief in
Providence and of the wisdom of sub
mitting cheerfully to its decrease.
But as regards 1.-The poles of truth, -"
so much cannot be said. Yet this is
the illumination to which the great
philosopher refers: the full enlight-
enment of the whole man. Systems of
theology may be true or false, but no
one can be sure which are right and
which are wrong, or whether there
are any that are absolutely the one
or the other, because all these rest
upon the uncertain basis of meta
physics. Except in a few essentials
even morality differs from age
to age. But truth is everlasting and
illuminated by the eternal Spirit. To
turn upon the poles of truth" would
be the attainment of the highest in
telligence.
1t is the reproach of the churches
and their creeds that they are too
narrow, that they have instituted
too broad line of demarcation be-
tween what is religious and what sec
ular, revolving upon the poles of the
ology and morality instead of those
of truth. The consequences of this
policy has been fatal to themselves,
causing innumeral divisions, variant
beliefs, and a restricted influence. In
their eyes one kind of truth only is
divine, one species of knowledge only
is to be sought after, or at least must
precede all other, and this the least
amenable to demonstration or proof.
But we humbly think that all truth
is divine, that all intelligence is a
spiritual illumination, and that the
diversions between secular and
sacred knowledge, and the supposed
superiority of the latter are purely
artificial and misleading. Indeed, it is
questionable if priority should be Civ
en- to either, whether secular know
ledge should not stand first. A man,
without being fool, may not be al BILE
to believe in the Trinity. but he
would be distintly foolish who should
deny that the earth goes around the
sun. And the value of every sort of
knowledge must be judged by it's use
fulness. The great writer already
quoted remarked: LAS it is a eau
tion given in religion, that faith be
shown by works, the same is excel
lently transferred likewise to philoso-
ply: that it be judged by its fruits,
and the sterile be counted vain: and
the more soif, in place of fruits of the
grape and olive, it produces but
thistles and thorns of disputations
and strife.n
We have been led to these refiec-
tions by consideration of the great op-
portunities of disseminating useful
knowledge and of promoting truth
and morality which are possessed by
our religious teachers, and which un-
fortunately are Systematically neg
lected. The thousand of stately piles
that have been erected in this country
at immense cost by the liberality of
pious benefactOrs are, as a rule, closed
to the public, except on Sundays.
Any day in the week we may pass
hundred Protestant churches and
find them empty, with locked doors.
The devout cannot even, of in Roman
Catholic edifices, walk in to pass a
few minutes in private devotion.
On the other hand, on every even
ing in the week hundreds of thous-
ands of young people of both sexes,
after their work is over do not know
where to go or what to do with them
selves. Their homes, perhaps, offer
no inducements for them to pass their
leisure time there. So they get out |
into the streets, the lanes, and parks,
and are subject to great temptations.
If the churches are closed to recrea-
ton, there are other places which
specially provide it. The theatres,
music halls, and low dancing and con
cert rooms, have always an ample
bill of fare, too often coarse and SEN
sual, and the flashy glitter of their
is calculated to capti-