The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-03-31
religion in the Nineteenth Century: Professionalism By E At.

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
The motives which have acted upon re-
igion in the Nineteenth Century, either
BY way of directly enhancing its power OF
Dy restricting Its influence. are these: n
iumanitarianism; C0 The Historical Spirit;
~ ,-Science; "a Nationalism. Although the
course of religious history has varied some.
wnatsin different countries as well as in
ne different churches. yet it is possible to
orm an approximate picture of the re-
fultan- of these forces which will reveal
ne pr2gress of the Kingdom of God in The
e first of these Observation-Disclosures
! nrnc-has powerfully Influenced the Christian
|Statesd by asserting the rights of man, liber-
ri, equality and the spirit of fraternity,
Rnt sense of human brotherhood. The germs
New 1ne humanitarian movement may be
one ofd In the Eighteenth Century, as in the
mos fhng of Lessing and Herder and Rous-
$4,000 d; In religious movements like the great
man. kening in the United States, the revival
five aingland under Wesley and Whitefeld, in
almoSative efforts for the abolition of slavery
Unitepkfns and Clarkson), and prison reform
propoln Howard). But the Nineteenth Gem
It geg has been distinguished above all the
of tier Christian centuries in the results
cefye1ieved by the sentiment of humanity. It
ton, led to the abolition of slavery under
that giish rule, in the United States and in
skipsssia; to many reform movements of
Thfry kind and degree, wherever their cx-
-ed actual or latent tyranny. which rotbei
manity of its inherent privileges.
me humanitarian sentiment is Christian
It's origin, derived primarily from the
nviction Of the incarnation Of God in
lrist. Christ appears in history as the
ader Of humanity in the struggle for
eedom. Slowly but surely. ever since bis
Event. the world of man has been moving
inward to the attainment of the ideal of
umanity revealed in HIN. ..Ye shall
now the truth and the truth shall make
GU free. And If the Son of God shall make
'ou free. We shall be free indeed" The
,rogress toward freedom inspired by him
VINO taught the fatherhood of God and the
brotherhood Of men has been accomplished
n the face Of great hindrances and long
'everses. overcoming obstacles which would
have been insuperable without Christian
\faith. In the Nineteenth Century the move
nent toward human freedom seems almost
to have reached its elimination. Within the
sphere of religion the progress is most
manifest In the spread of Christian mis-
0ions, which stand out in any review of
the century as one OF its most extraordinary
achievements. 1t might be justly designated
as a missionary age.
The Humanitarian
Sentiment in History.
The sentiment of humanity has operates
rs a motive In the study of human history
living to historical inquiry a new interest
aha impetus. No age has been so fruitful
IN the results OF historical research, with
conclusions Of vital Importance for every
department Of life. but chiefly this, that an
Independent place has been indicated for
humanity. as having q life of its own dis
tinct from and above the natural order of
the physical world. The facts of human
life call for Interpretation. and for this the
historian must search. Thus has been born
what is almost a new department of in
quiry-the philosophy Of history Hegel and
many others). Differ as do these attempts
at a philosophy of history, they yet pos
Fess one ruling idea-the conviction of a
development in the life Of humanity when
Viewed as a whole. The idea of develop
, ment controlled the higher intellectual life
J y the first half of the century. 1t was ap-
( pied with important results to the study of
ECCLESIASTICAL history, by S~chleiermacher,
] teander, Gieseler, Baur. Rothe. Bunsen
pd many others, by the Roman Catholic
toehler, in his Symbolic" and by John
enry Newman, in however one-sided and
Perfect manner. The doctrine of develop
at found its classic formula in the lines
Eennyson:
Yet ! doubt not through the ages
One Increasing purpose runs.
And the thoughts OF men are widened
With the process OF the suns.
influence OF the doctrine Of develop