The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-17
MEN WILL DIFFER.

In religious opinions as well as in poll
ties the present may be called an age Of
Observation-Disclosures The idea of holding
the common mind down to line fixed by
some other mind and saying thus far
shalt thou go, or to this altitude only
mayest thou soar in search Of truth, is
not to be tolerated on the eve of the
twentieth century. Expansion seems to
be the legal heritage Of the mind in all
matters where truth is to be discovered
by investigation. True, the legality of
this right has been questioned in past
generations. and we might say in all
ages. The conservative principle of the
race dominates a large percentage of the
whole, and this principle, like the centrip
etal forces Of nature, is the preservative
factor that insures the stability of the
individual as we'll as the national char
acter. If the opposite faculty Of radi-
calism, or the desire for change, should
overcome the conservative principle, all
stability in the way of progress would
Immediately collapse, and, like an engine
without the governing balls, would run
headlong to it's own destruction. Disas-
ter, wreck and ruin would ensue where
success was promised and expected. 1t
would seem that nature has properly ar
ranged the human family on these lines
by endowing only the few with the facul-
ty or the desire for investigating the met
aphysical phenomena by which we are
surrounded. The great majority of the
race seem to be satisfied to accept their
environment in faith. and settle down
with the comfortable reflection that
whatever is, is right" Were this con-
sentative principle the rule without ex-
ception, the result would be quite as dis
astrous as in the other case, so fas as
progress is concerned In the former
case ruin and destruction, in the latter
stagnation and decay would be realized.
AS above remarked, the great 1nvesti-
gators and inventors are only a very
small percentage Of the masses. The
Galileos and Newtons. the Shakespeares
and GOethes, the Knoxes and the
Chalmers, the Wesleys and the Whit
fields. the Parkers and the Talmages,
only appear about once in the centuries
If so often, The leading stars in the arts
and sciences, in literature, music and
mathematics, are the exceptions. and
rare exceptions at that But the world is
f1,11 Of yicte ~I1o
that delight us with their brilliancy Ask
the editors of the daily and weekly press
how many imitators of Shakespeare,
Byron, Longfellow, Burns, Holmes and
Howells are weekly claiming a propitious
ear for their poor thoughts, however
trivial all that they have to say and how
ever annoying the jingle of their rhyme
Such copyists are very plentiful among
the parsons of the present day. We do
not charge that all of the expounders of
Bible truth are liable to whatever CEN
sure may be implied in the following.
1t will be admitted by large fraction
of those who attend our churches that
the study of those who occupy the pull
pits is more on the lines of controversy
or what they wish us to understand as
higher criticism than what has for gem
erations past been understood as simply
preaching the Gospel. That men will
differ in opinion in religious matters
Is conceded on all hands. and while the
very large proportion of the masses are
agreed on the fundamental principles of