The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-28
The Religion of Democracy.

The author Of this work, the Rev. Charles
Ferguson, an ordained minister of the
Protestant Episcopal Church, does not dis
tinctly define what the religion of Democ-
racy is. but he makes it quite clear that.
from his point Of view, it is something
higher. broader, deeper and fuller of all
the humanities than the so-called orthodox
religions of the present The book is one
OF earnest, deep and advanced thought.
Although it leaves the reader with an inn
preston that the author is grasping after
something which he does not quite attain,
yet 1t leaves also the impression of high
aspiration, IL not inspiration. 1t is a twen-
tieth century book, discarding the past and
old-world achievements and looking to the
future and the achievements, the philoso-
ply and the religion of the new world.
Such sentences as these show the authors
almost savage independence: 1.-THE nearest
approach to old-tfme skepticism is made by
the straight sect of orthodox theologians'
THE multitudinous Protestant and Sec
tartan churches are things of incredible
common-a genius for compromise and self
contradiction" 1.-The church as II stands
to-day, is not merely a cumberer of the
p-eventer of goodness" 1.-THE faith of the
Protestant churches verges to infidelity
and the people turn doubling from their
affairs to cheer In the streets the name of
Jesus The same spirit of independence
and protest marks his treatment of social
and political problems. Yet all the time
there Is shown profound faith in true
religion, in humanity and in the future of
the race. THE grand event OF the CEN
tury dawn" says the author. shall be the
discovery of America. MISUNDERSTANDING
In the oid-worid spell, under fog banks of
tradition and habitat last shall lift up its
sunlit Sierras out of the mist and stand
revealed to Europe and to itself This
land. America. shall be the land of the
incarnation. On this ground the ideal is
to come to terms with what is COM
mon and matter OF fact. Here, on a grand
scale, for the first time. labor shall be
accepted without shame and death with
out fear. This shall be the country of
material things, the land of the universal
sacrament We perceive that God does
sitions, or just to save souls; therefore
we shall have no art for the sake of
art will not be governed by preach
irg, and we will do everything for utility
CT mmerce and manufacture, the land of
money and credit, of the painters of
pictures, the writers of books. and the
carvcrs of statues for utility and the
sweetening of the earth. We reject Uto-
pas and abstract propositions We will
have no thinkers that do not dig, and no
dIggers that do not think.
AS a specimen of epigrammatic style
somewhat after Emerson, take the follow
ing: THE spirit of the age is saying 10 its
children: Have faith. Make yourself at
laws were made for you, gravitation and
the chemical affinties, not you for them.
No can put you out of the house
Stand up; the ceiling is high 1t is not so
had 10 be matcrialist. If you keep TO the
facts you will not get away from God The
moral laws are not separate from matter
They are wrought into the fiber OF the ma
terial world. You cannot dig anywhere
without striking them"
| 1t may be objected that this is vague,
but the effect OF the book as a whole Is
| that of a moral tonic with an abiding con-
viction that the future success, even the
existence, OF the church depends upon It's
adopting the true religion OF Democracy
THE new church.. says the author. ''wili
come out OF the old church when the seed
| Is ready for the furrow-when a little pod
| Gee sect stands ready In its heart to die %
| Notwithstanding rather horid style and
s<me vagueness Of conclusions. the book u