The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-17

broad enough to write a book that will
truly and fully show the real place of
the Christ in the 'cosmic processes, -
VIII do the most lasting and valuable
services to mankind. 1t would be evil
dent after he finished that the Christ
ana the cross are at the root of all cos
mic processes and that without them
there could have been no 'eosmic pro
cess. All this, however, is overlooked
by the book. Like all other superficial
natufallsts the author finds no place
IN nature for the greatest force of ma
ture. Nevertheless Mr.. Fiske has struck
some rich veins that may some time
lead him and his readers to ''the true
lght that lighteth every man that
cometh into the world He says sit
an be shown that one of the strongest
implications of the doctrine of evolu-
tien is the everlasting reality of relig-
ion'
Here he has expressed in one SEN
tence thought which if pursued ill
lead to many and great blessings.
Again he has caught the spirit of crea-
ton and eXclaims, "All parts are in
volved in one another. The ethical pro-
cess is not only part and parcel of the
cosmic process, but it is it's glory. its
crown and contamination"
This is fine. Mr.. Fiske catches the
spirit of true vaticinator when he
writes like that. His next sentence lis
good rhetoric, but again the main truth
is sadly missing, Toward the Spirit
ual perfection of humanity the stu
pendous momentum of the eosmic pro-
cess has all along been tending. That
spiritual perfection is the true goal of
evolution, the divine end that was in
volved in the beginning
This would have been a splendid
statement If Mr.. Fiske had graced it
With the divine occupant moving ma
jesttcally and benignly through his
great living temple, giving its processes
the divine trend the author sees IT has
But the way he puts it here and else
where makes the reader feel that the
trend of nature toward the ethical pro-
cess is the source of ethical life. He
makes one feel Qf he happens to know
no better) that the ethical purpose
working through the eosmic process is
the redemption of humanity merely for
ethical ends. Such sentiment is NOT
above the old Greek idea. Would he
carry us back to the unknown God"
of Greece. The unfortunate part of the
book is that it appears so much infft
uated with the theories of evolution
that it fails to give any prominence 70
that great being who works by eyolu-
ton as his Instrumentation. The cos
mic processes working to produce he
ethical process, appear as everything
IN the Almighty appears, not to be
thought of in his own creation.
Mr.. Fiske, however, says another ex-
cellent thing; "All the analogies of eyo-
luton, so far as we have yet been abl2
tc deeipher them, are overwhelming
against the supposition that the ob
jective term of the human soul is nom
existent" because such a thing MS the
universal longing and expectancy for
immortality, if not to be gratiiied. is
without precedent in the whole history
OF creation"
This shows the sagacity of the seer
is altogether admirable This. too. is
excellent: "Of all the implications of
the doctrine of evolution with regard to
man, / believe the very deepest and
strongest to be that which asserts the
everlasting reality of religion"
Thus we see the book is superior in
spots, and the evident reason why it is
not superior in general, is because the
author, like all of his kind, has failed
to be big enough in his mental grasp to
carry the ''cosmic processes" with an
infinite lover and omniscient intelli-
genoe operating ever through them for
the production of not only ethical pro-
cess' pul rEuempllVe processes that
are now stretching out beseechingly to
save the lost.
AS l close the book, l feel Il ia both
success and failure, but with the
hope that it has made some suggestions
that may help some Hercules to build
the bridge that will span the gulf be-
tween Darwinian evolution and Chris
tian evolution. In other words, demon
strate that natural evolution and Chris
tian evolution are one. Then the crv
will be not Through nature to God. =
put through GOO to nature. This is the
book the world waits for, and | think
the child Is born who will ,vritn a