Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-04-30

About My Fathers Business, by
Austin Miles. The Mershon Company
New York. Price, s1.50.
The author of this book describes
the church as the Fathers business,
in which there are employed, in one
capacity or another many kinds and
conditions of men to carry on the
work The purpose of the volume is
to point out what the writer con-
ceives to be the shortcomings of the
modern church; that he may do this
with greater clearness and Vivldness,
he puts his book in the form OF a mar
rative, which deals largely with the
passionate of one. Rev. Hamilton Jay
Lovett, ID. d., LII. D., Phi. d., in the
leading church of tourishing
city community. Prominently as
ISOLATED with this gentleman in
his church work is Mr. VIII
| muir, chairman of the official
| board. superintendent of the Sunday
| school, and n man whose opinion car
ries great weight in the councils of
the church. Mr.. Lovett is portrayed
! in this narrative as crown prince OF
hypocrisy. a scheming time server. set
| ting his sails to catch each passing
| breeze: eloquent in prayer ana pleas
ing pulpit speaker but privately dab
| bling in stocks. drinking his wines and
devoting his thought and energies very
largely to other than spiritual matters.
! Mr. Wiltmur is selfish. Spulless and
cold bloOded aristocrat who finds his
| greatest pleasure in the prominence
| e., md fa II,
running the social side of the church
| life. Mr.. Miles makes these two char
| acters. returning from church meet
| ing, during a bowling blizzard, meet an
! impccuniouS young man who has been
| thrown out Of work by strike in an
| adjoining town. ana who, in need Of
| both food ana lodging. cmplores as
| siStance. He gets very fr sly re-
| ccption. and is asked why h does not
go to the police station, but is finally
| given Il five cent piece by the generous
! Mr. Wiltmur. These are the two types
of men whom Mr.. Miles puts forward
as repre- sentinS the pulpit and the peWs
! of the modern church. OF course he
| must have the other extreme, ana he
! gives ii to us. in what is evidently his
| conception. albeit a mragre one. cf
what constitutes a genuine Christian,
| in the person Of a character named
! BushWick, 4 large part Of whose con-
| Vcrsati.n. as he appears in the move
! ment of the narrative. is made up of
| quotations from the Holy Scriptures
and whose one perennial topic Of con-
versation seems to be the sustaining
! power of religion. and the efficacy OF
| prayer These typ.s evidently consti-
| tuta Mr. Miles conccption Of the
| church ~ i whole. ana indicate very
| clearly bis mental raIibre ana range m
vision u for as the volume III oues-
| fan IL concerned the characters above
mentioned constitute his premises. Ar
ouino~ from them h.. naturally reaches
! faIIocinus commissions. He takes pains
| Tn stats i'm his preface thar thcs. types
are drawn from life This may be rue
nerhans as far rs the Rev. Loyett and
| Deacon Wiltmur are concerned, hut W..
! 40 not believe that a man lust like
| Bushwick exists today IN tor OF the
| earth. unless. possibly. slme onp III
| those good little Sunday school book
bows. Who used t. make Us ~ very
tired rs We read about them in our
Youthful days. lived to grow IN. our
| recollection is however. that all OF
| Them died Young.
II must not be assumed how
ever that HushWick is wholly a
! dream. He is rather n com
nosjte photograph. In So far as
| his faith manifcsts itself in good works
| in the rescue mission ana elsewhere,
he is altogether genuine, ana may
be taken rs 4 fair type Of many good
men. both in ana out Of the church,
who devote n greater or less amount of
time to works of mercy. In so far.
however. as he is Il religious mono
maniac. he is in no sense a type to be
| found generally at large in our modern
| life. for society has kindly and proper
" provided for his care in its sanitari-
ums ana insane hospitals
There is. it is true. a certain clc-
ment Of truth running through this
volume ana strange AZ il NAV seem.
this author who invnkcs with 81 much
foryor the solemnity and acpticism OF
the old Puritan DAYS. is not without a
certain element of humor running
tbrough his work He snizes
with aviditv upon the prone
ness of the modern church to
| RIM largely 10 side shows in a diversity
| o,1 h,