Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-11-26

The Nanxnan Tells what He Think.
About the Pope-.Beaevosent D~~-
potism'' and Democracy-BisuEree
With ToIstoi-s Views on Marriage
Reported by Creeiman.
Hall Game has written the following
interesting letter. which friend of his
recently sent TO the New York World.
on socialism. religion and marriage
apropos of James Creelman's new
book. ION the Great Highway
GREEEA CASTLE. Isle of Man, Nov. ?
1 have read with a great deal OF pleasure Jsmes
Creeimzn's stirring book. On the Great High
way" Two at least Of the subjects he deals with
OF great interest The first is the pope
and his views social questions The picture
Mr. Creemau presents OF his visit to the VATICAN
is admirably faithful to the atmosphere Of the
great house know il. and the version be
gives of the pope's views is not only true to the
spirit OF the holy fathers published encyclicals
but ne has caught with quite extraordinary fdeI-
ity the tone and manner that peculiar TO
the Vatican utterances and especially Characters
tic of the speeches Of its great head.
| confess that with all my reverence for Pope
Leo AIIl- Christian statesman fail to realize
the definite message conveyed in the words Mr.
Creelman has given As in the encycIicais 50
here. the church by its honored mouthpiece tells
the world that it must cultivate religion be obe-
dient TO its bishops and bow the knee the au-
thority of the pope. Such in effect is the word
OF life which the church gives a sick world
through the mouth of its sovereign pontih and it
leaves undisturbed the great inequalities of rich
and poor, which the manifest of the
worlds unrest. Perhaps IL is much TO expect
the holy father to be definite. His obIiga-
tions too many; the claims upon him are too
pressing Perhaps. If one may say without Of
Tense, his own position is too perilous-
For my own poor part, having OF these re-
| 4 has TO
the only solution | of the grievous social and
economic problems that weigh the world at
present lies in the direction of the triumph Of
democracy; but this means the downfall of all
forms of arrogated authority, when they
come in the guse of benevolent despotism hav-
ing its only logical seat the temporal throne
Of the sovereign pontiff.
The second Of the subjects which most in
terest in Mr.. Creelman's suggestive book is
Tolstoi and his views Of marriage and the social
order. There cannot be sympathetic and
often enthusiastic reader Of Tolstoi than myself
but nowhere have seen the essential sophism on
which his great mind is built plainly re-
vealed than in these chapters OF conversation.
Tostoi sas gone further since Mr.. Creelman talk
ed with him. and in one of the admirable little
books published by The Free Age Press (s'Thc
Relation OF the Sexes'') says plainly that in
his view marriage is Christian inst3:a-
tion, that it is "a sin demanding redemption
and that people should marry in the way
they die. ''only when il is impossible TO do other
wise MS al ali events Is no uncertain note.
and ii we NAV take IL in relation Mr. CreeI
mans conversation il is strangely wanting in the
quality OF logic Mr. Creslnsn presents Tolstoi
saying that he physical impulses in marriage,
like the appetite of hunger the expression OF
law of nature and therefore neither good
bad.
Again Nr. Creelmsn describes Tolstoi as saying.
contrary TO an essential tenet of Christianity, that
human nature at its root is good. Now. if human
nature is good and the impulses in marriage
is in
demanding redemption?''
Tolstoi's views the social order as revealed
in MIR. Creeimsn's book would appear me
be equally wanting in the quality of logic. He
approves OF Bondareh's theory. which requires
that every man shall work with his hands pro-
cure the necessary food for his subsistence,
meaning by that that he should till the earth and
grow grain TO make his own bread. At the
time he admits that the Developments of modern
civilization. with railways. bridges. ships. teIe-
graphs. the press. universities and all other
chnery of social life which has been built up
throughout the ages Fastening the day when
humanity will be great family and the
Christian law of love and brotherhood will PIE
vail
Here. surely. Is absolute contradiction. II
every had spent some portion of his time in
tiliing the earth for his maintenance, the
present order Of civilized life could not possibly
have come to pass. and if carry the world
back TO a condition in which each tills the
soil Or his maintenance reduce il to a
condition in which the Christian law OF universal
brotherhood could not have pass
Ny conclusion (which advance with all humil-
ity against the authority OF Toistoi great nane)
is that the laws OF nature. whether in the reIa-
tions OF the the relations Of the classes
working the will Of God. II they are not
doing SO. am compelled TO conclude that for
5000 years the Almighty has been allowing the
world go in the wrong direction under the in
fuence of laws which humanity has been powerless
to control. Before ! think that | shall CON
clude that there is no God in the world al
and put Christianity aside . painful and cruel
delusion. | find the sadness OF the world the +
mystery OF its great burden of sorrow as perplex
ing il appears to most men. but should
abandon faith altogether If did not feel that on
the whole and in the long and taking the
universal view the world is ruled in righteous
HALL CANE