The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-30

faith which has been evident in this coun-
try during the past decade, many books on
religion have been written, which stated in
more or less cautious and conservative, or
errstic and outspoken form, the convic-
lions of the writers. Some of these books
were plainly the work of men who mad
outgrowa the tenets of ordinary orthodoxy,
yet still wished to keen hold OF its essen
tial truths, and not to take away from be-
lieving souls whatever comfort might be
gained from a literal Interpretation of the
Scriptures, or any other form of thought
Others were as obviously the outgroI tn
of minds suffering from violent reaction
from orthodox belief Others, but not
many, have been cranks and calm mega
tions, egnasticism pure and simple. Still
others have been wild attempts to unite
the Buddhism of the East and the Presby-
terianisrn of the West. Seventy five years
ago no book on religious subjects which
was unorthodox in sentiment was tolerated.
Now the public is willing 10 let every man
say his say. The trouble with most seems
TO be that they do not exactly know what
they think, and SO there is nothing signifi-
cant TO be said.
Ingersoll. in hewing down the walls of
dogma which shut in and stiaed free
thought, did tremendous work for the
last generation, but successor is need
ed. IngeTsoll cut three steps in the
stairway of religious belief; he insisted
on honesty, tolerance, and love Of the
truth. Under his teaching a man must
first be true to himself; then he must
respect the faith of others; finally, he
must be ready to learn. But when all is
said, Ingersoll offered nothing which
quite replaces the old belief In his
recoil from a false spirituality he failed
1Ss-a tf,0 Y-a1o A ms
both an iconoclast and builder. Yet we
need and are coming more and more to
see that we need, a Religion of Democ-
racv.
The work at present under cons!dera-
ton comes "ort of the West. Cal-
fornia firm being the publishers, and 1t
is the third treasure which has come
from that direction in the last two CT
three years. Edwin Markham's poems
and Frank Norris "McTeague' were, in
their different ways. characterized by
feariessness. originality, and certain
accuracy of touch Mr.. Ferguson's work
shares these qualities. 1t gives one the
sensation of space. OF freedom and of
newness. He has avoided one pitfall
that OF tlmidity-without falling into
the other-that of oyer-confdence. No
where does ne assume to teach He
seems rather to be thinking aloud, and
listeners they are of the same mind as
himself Most people who nave been
thinking hard upon the subjects which
he discusses will find that he has said
clearly and forcibly things which they
have been wishing somebody would say
and that he is. moreover, a little ahead
of their most daring specUiations; that
by virtue of his habit of thought he is
really leader. He has not created a
H. s-sr tod
age to hew his way through the jungles
of prejudice and sophistry and blaze
out a path 10 the truth. Since Emerson.
nobody has gone Sc straight to the point,
in manner SO free from personal pretu-
dice and vanity. There are epigrams in
this book, but they come naturally; they
are not the outgrowth of smartness.
The general attitude of the author is
shown in the very first paragraph, in
which he recognizes the peculiar spirit
which makes the religious sentiment OF
our time different from that of any 9TH
er century:
The spirit of the age is saying to its children:
Have faith Make yourself at home This is your
own house The laws were made for you gravi-
tatioE and the chemical sfhnities, not you for
thera. No put you out Of the house.
Stand up; the ceiling is high.
In short. the soul Is just now being re-
many centuries for the four footed animal
TO evolve into man. It has taken many
more for man to evolve a self-respectful
religion. Spiritually he has been On all
fours. He is beginning to walk. He is
outgrowing the brute fear of dying and
coming to see that life, not death, is the
important thing. The author goes on to
say:
This is eternity-nOw-you are sunk as deep in
=, wrapped close in 1t as you ever Will be.
The future Is illusion; it never arrives 1t
fias before you you advance. Always it is TO-
day, and after long while il Is still today, and
after death and 4 thousand years, it is today.
You have great deeds to perform. and you must do
them now
II you should act with simplicity and boldness,
do you think that you would have to stand alone
AMI take the consequence Have you no idea
that God would back you up? That is as if you
thought this world mainly bones and the
soul pale prisoner, looking wistfully through
the ribs Of II. II IS il God were caught in his
own body, and could not move otherwise than ac-
cording to the laws laid down in the books, and
as if all the people that pass in the streets had
wan, scared souls caught in their bodies like ami
mails in a trap. For If God may not do he
likes, how can be other than a prisoner.
come TO you with great ideas ideas big with
revolution-but they are common. You will rec
ognize them as your own Only il is necessary
10 put words TO them Words are the wings Of
And these ideas Of must fy from land to land
and kindle the whole earth.
Civilization grows senile; but the soul is always
young Witness stottly for the soul, and you
shall renew the youth Of the world
In an age sick with doubt of itself,
such words as these are inspiring. The
whole book is full of them; nowhere does
it fall below the measure set in these
opening paragraphs. 1t tempts quotation,
but il really should be read as a whole,
for by partial citation the beautiful bal
ance Of the argument is lost. The au-
thor, though he claims so strongly the
freedom Of the soul, later goes on to prove
his recognition Of all natural law. He is
no Christian Scientist, claiming impossi-
bilities. nor does he encourage anarchy
Somewhere in the middle of the book one
comes upon a page which proves beyond
question the sound, healthy balance of
the writer's mind.
Il tFzfe Is any cosnlical ordinance that you DO
not like thea there is something wrong with
You. II there is amy Necessary thing that you
shrink from-as death, or labor, growth and
long waitine-thea you are not well and sound To
draw back from a fact Is 20 prefer lie.
II You cay sou 10 not like the contact Of the
earta. OF the contact Of the people, and would
v ithdsaw yourself from them, then there is moth
Ing left for you but TO live in world Of phan-
tors and shadows.
Zone seems TO see here long vista of
converts and communities)
A hundred million men, possessed Of the same
illusions agree te reject DEATH and labor |
and love and TO pass their days as il these things
did not exist, altogether alien; they can !
agree Upon arbitrary signs ard regard as /
great ana Heighty the things Of their i'm /
s.snation and the passing fastions-but they are I
diesaiens, and the facts remain to be reckoned /
WIKI at last.
The eosnas Is s5usEi all through, absolutely |
valid; AID it covers the whole ground. There IS /
no room for GEoiier universe. II you DO not |
lilo this one, ne door is opeE into the insne-
IN The Old nebreg story. A1lIn would not dress |