New-York tribune., 1900-11-04
THE CLERGY AND SOCIAL Reform.


OF late years it has been taken for granted
by almost every that the tendency on the
part of the clergy to work along sociological
lines ought TO be encouraged. The conception
of Christianity as a social solvent for all the
ills of the present day world. rather than a
paid up policy for misty sort of happiness in
the world to come. is an attractive one. 1t
runs along with the current of modern life,
which cares little for the past or the future,
but is intensely interested in getting much
as possible out of the present. Moreover, there
are many passages in the Bible that give some
encouragement to the idea that Christianity was
to be a sort of religious socialism which by its
divine power would dsintegrate and destroy
the old social system which had been so pain
fully wrought into shape out of the chaos Of
barbarism. Certain il is that the primitive
Christians while obedent to the authority of
the Roman Empire. looked with horror upon
its social ideals and usages. And though the
system of communism which the Apostles first
tried did not long live, it doubtless represented
an ideal to be realized in the mind of the primi-
tive Church.
1t was inevitable that the clergy should be
largely drawn into the present sociological
movement which has swept over the whole
field of modern life and has more or less colOred
its history, philosophy and science. But un-
fortunately, sociology, though often sneeringly
called the dismal science" is not really a
science at ALL Its foundation is undoubtedly
the automatic truth that men in their relations
with one another should so act as TO bring about
the greatest good to the greatest number, and
thus realize the Golden Rule. But when
leave that axiom and ask how it shall be real
lied, taking the world rs ii is, almost
entirely in the cloudy region of theory. with
in ho Of tobI IiSb Sbn6 IN
guide us. This is much the case that the
great students of sociology not only do not agree
with one another but often advocate ideas that
are visionary, impossible absurd. And
when these experts themselves so little able
10 help to n true solution of the problem, it is
not strange to find, as we do that the clergy
often make a sad mess of their sociological
schemes. Indeed, the clergy. in spite of their
learning, zeal and honesty of purpose are espe-
caly liable to blunder i'll this matter. For the
emotional side of their nature has been largely,
in some cases abnormally cultivated, and with
SO much wrong and misery in the present social
system staring them in the face they are power
fully tempted to advocate the most plausible
scheme of sociological reform without stopping
to ask whether it would not really do vastly
more harm than good. As Il matter of fact,
clergymen have taken up the most impossible
schemes of social reform. and have advocated
them in the sacred name of religion, the result
being that not only religion thereby dis
credited but the social betterments so urgently
needed were indefinitely postponed.
In the present ipchoate state of opinion on the
subject it is neither expedient nor wise for the
clergy to champion any particular theory of
sociology involving, as all such theories do the
very character and existence of our present
social and political systems. Made to order, as
most of them arc, to reform some special abuse,
they are full of cruditeS and contradictions;
and. what is worst of all, nearly every one of
them ignores the one factor that ought to be
first of all considered namely, human nature.
In theory they can all be made to work per
fectly but when taken into the real world of
average men with very mixed motives, and
largely dominated by selfish considerations,
they break down and give the cynicS a chance
TO dismiss the whole subject as a dream of
visiOnaries The thing 20 hope for and indeed
expect is an almost impercCptible Improvement
of the present social system. And in contrbut
ing to that improvement the clergy may do
much by teaching the primary duties of obli-
CATION right. justice and righteousness. posted
On the principle of universal brotherhood. An
evolution of the present system is what should
be striven for, and not revolution on the lines
of some crude, half baked dOctrinaire scheme
of sociology which has never been tested by
experience and runs counter to the facts OF
human nature.