The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-14

Wnere. "A resolution was offered calling
UPON all churches In the conference to
+ join in the effort to comply with Rookie:
feller's condition. Rev Mr.. Hanna OBJ
jected. he would stop contributions to
the seminaries altogether. claiming that
they have become ..beds of heresy.' Said
he:
Young men go to the universities with
q true, unwavering faith in the Almighty
BEFORE long, however, they are shaken
py the doubts of their tutors, who turn
on the Bible. the searchlight of science,
ana, while absolutely not rejecting por-
lions OF it as untrue so hedge about GER
tam passages with doubts and scientific
data that their teachings lose weight and
the pupils become atheists at heart, il
they do not show their agnostic1sm out
wardly."
So far as appears from the press re-
port no one agreed with Mr. TIanna. for
the resolution was adopted by an over
whelming majority 1t is altogether too
much to say that faith in tbs Al
mighty" can be shaken by turning on
the ''searchlights of science" Rev. Mr.
Hanna. nc doubt. had something else in
mind, and needed stronger complaint
than his legitimate subject could afford.
BY no reasonable deduction can 1t be
cial7qed that faith in the Almighty is
shaken by the research of science into
the physical wonders of the universe.
Nothing but marvels are discovered and
the more science investigates the more
marvellous appears the hardiwork of
Coo, and the less room there remains for
the shallow theory that the world ..iust
happened" 1t is not the highly educated.
but the ignorant who claim there ia no
God, and from the standpoint of even a
Baptist clergyman the university ought
to be regarded as a safeguard, instead OF
a menace, In this particular.
Therefore. Rev. Mr. Hanna's remarks
viii bear translation. Does he object be-
cause, for instance, there is some doubt
as to the story of Jonah and the whale?
Poes he want to snuff out the semi
naries of his church, as he would a can
Gle, because there is a disinclination to
accept the literal meaning of some narts
OF the Bibfe9 He declares that our uni
Versit1es and theological serrsnarfes ere
fuil of heretics, that some have been
weeded out, and that there is much mora
OF the good work." yet to be performed
ne would contribute no more money to
the support Of the seminaries until evarx
hereucaf"' tutor is suppressed. and &c
hoefaI education and liberal thoueb4
seems to be responsible for the slight
divergent from the common base Of
ralth in the Almighty and belief in His
works, these would necessarily bava -
De suppressed along with the ,.heretics.
70 satisfy Rev Mr. Hanna.
Does not the gentleman see any signid-
canoe In the fact that advanced educa-
ton Is constantly Offering challenge
10 MIN and otherszof like mind with hin,
10 take issue over certain theories IF
creation, which are In themselves inoma-
terial as alfecting the great primary
u otn Oh the almighty's existence and
loentlty as the Creator? And is he nm
mindful of the significance of the fact
mat he does not offer to accent tba
challenges to bring his own educa+io,
10 pear IN combating the conclusions to
winch he takes exception, but merely de-
mands the summary suppression of tba
other side? The logic, of his nosition j.
that liberal education is a menace r. tho
enIlstan faith and that there is no de-
gree of education among those who re-
Ject the teaching of science adequate TO
cope with the product of advanced learn
ing. 1t is Well that the contemporaries
OF Rev. Mr.. Hanna showed SO plainly
that they disagreed with him. thus ex
pressing confidence in their power and
abliity to defend their own faith against
any degree OF doubt. That is the only
safe position to take and course to pur-
sue. Intolerance which begets persecu-
ton and heresy trials never convinced
anybody whose mind needed convincing
and If the victims of such intolerance
make converts by argument, they can
only be met successfully by counter ar
gument. Doubt and inclination to in
vestigate by the light of modern science
are the inevitable fruit of liberal educa-
ton and liberal thought. and the ultra
orthodox, instead of attempting to get
around the results of the tendency,
should make constant effort to plow
through them with logic. Work. hard
work, made the opposition, and the same
thing is demanded to overcome it. Moth
ing desirable comes easy in this world.
and it is too easy to wiring the neck of
thereto" figuratively speaking, to
expect substantial results from the opec-