Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-05-26
FOR SUNDA Y READING.
All Sorts OF Opinions.

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AN INTERESTING SERMON AT
CHICAGO.
Hartford Courant.l
Are the women also becoming dub!-
Gus and agnostical in their attitude
toward the Bible and the supernatural
religion based upon It? In his sermon
in the Chicago Audi torium Sunday
afternoon Bishop John H. Vincent
Methodist and Chautauquan ex-
pressed an opinion, or perhaps we
should say uttered warning, to that
effect. Women doubt as much as men
do" the Chicago papers report him as
saying. Let me tell you that one OF I
the greatest perils OF our time is the
underlying religious doubt that saps
religious life. 1t Is spreading from the
men to the women. 1t causes the
mother to be silent in her home on the
great teachings Of religion, and her
family Is left without its consultations
and its encouragement.
Here is novel, unexpected and pref
ty serious state OF things-a!MaSs as
Stunning that the good bishop knows
what he is talking about, has made
sure OF his facts, and has not INDUCED
in rhetorical exaggeration. We wonder
whether it's So
Some of the old-style Methodist theo-
logians have been regarding Bishop
Vincent himself with eyes of suspicion,
as lukewarm in his orthodoxy II not
at heart disciple of the higher criti-
cism. In this very sermon at Chicago
there is a passage that may set their
heads to shaking again. The bishop
Twas speaking Of the part Of the Bible
containing the histories of the Hebrew
kings We quote from the newspaper
1 report
Others say that it is human COM
position developed as all human litera-
4 ture is developed--a blending of fact.
/ of Imagination, of current popular no.
stions and traditions, with local color
ing and with adaptation to the age and
to the people OF the age and to be In
Esterpreted by later ages in the light of
these conditions, and that running thru
lit all is the divine truth used by the.
4 holy spirit to convey spiritual concep-.
4 tions and energy to all human souls
A everywhere and in all ages. Those
A who hold this theory insist that the
VALUE Of the moon is not in3gits form
A or constituent parts or intrinsic beauty,
A but in the fact that the sun uses it to
sIsrefects his glory upon the earth.
4 But another passage in the sermon
4 seems to make it quite plain that Dr.
4 Vincent. whatever arrangements he
5|may come TO with modern scholarship.
lis as convinced supernaturalist as
4 John Wesley was, tho probably he
i smiles with the rest of the modern
A world at John Wesleys credulities in
4 the matter of ghosts and witches. We
5quote again
why should men linger in hesitation
land challenge the records of miracu-
4 lous phenomena. Do they know all
g the reaches and resources of nature and
all the power and purposes of God?
Suppose a prophet had foretold 15f
( years ago the wonders of the telephone
and the trolley. wireless telegraphy
a liouid air, the photograph and the iro1
! that fioatsiover the sea. suppose he had
! said that in A. D. 1900 Niagara Falls
:. would light a city and run machiner,
:, Twenty-Five miles away-who would
lhave believeda And what of tn
: prophet who foretels the new feature
8 81 civilization in 1899? Greater wonder
would all these appear than any tina
: are recorded in the books of the kings
! DOLLIVER AT METHODIST CON
: FERENCE.
Congressman j. p. sDolliver, of Iowa
+ addressed a Methodist audience Thurs
day night at the Auditorium. Hi
speech was an eloquent tribute TO tn
: wisdom and courage that have led tn
I, nation to its present place and wa
"a cheered at every opportunity. He ex
planned that he was one OF the convert
: who had come, from anattitude of op
:. position to the war with Spain. to be
!, lieye that the United States had bee
!, touched By the hand of God TO go on
!, ron a mission larger than ever had bee
= dreamed Of blythe statesmen who lai
: the foundations of the government.
: some of us are saying that unles
: I.this or that is done American institu
= tions will be subverted," he said. L q
|not belong 10 that class. ! believe tina
: that this country will live To afford civ
!. liberty to races yet uncivilized.
y There never has been an hour
!, the Christian era when the spirit Z
:. Christ filed the hearts of more me
7 than 1t does today.
V. "Men say that the United States ha
Y, drifted away from its moorings.
= mot believe amy nation ever has reache
!, the moral Level that the United State
:. reached in 1895. We have got more OF
of the experience than we put in 1t,
the first place. we have got out Of
all AT least, we are almost out of 1t, e.
m cept for a few remnants of insubord
:, / nation in the archipelago and the sul
a. urbs of Boston. Instead of objecting Y
- ought to be down on our knees thanl
10 ing God that we are out of 1t With
4 little bloodshed and expenditure
10 treasure as has been given.
- There never has been time when
80 dollar stood for as little by itself al
y when a man stood for as much by hin
]. self as today. stand here to denoun
y. the system of filing the channel
~ public opinion with the influence
he money
= Prom our experience we have gain
~, greater moral credit, better polite
ID atmosphere. and new national respons
nd bi.Ities.'
"a Congressman Dol!iver referred
- Professor Heron. not by name. but
as the professor of applied Christianity
No and spoke with some sarcasm Of I
~ theories. According to his ideas OF
,st perfect l:fe,"said Mr.. Dolliver, the Q
'st IL persons living such life would
,la the deadbeats ard the Indians on
20 raseryat iunS