The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-06-28
OUTLOOK AND GROWTH OF
CHRISTIANITY.

In an article in one of the current
magazines, DR.. Washington GLADDEN.
In discussing 1.-THE Outlook For Chris
tianity, calls attention to the fact
that whereas the population of the
world increased 81 per cent from 1856
to 1885, the .nomial Christians increas-
ed more than 100 per cent. A century
ago little less than two-thirds of the
people of the world were under the
government and control of non Chris
tain nations while now ffty-fve per
cent OF the worlds population is under
Christian rule. In discussing the
| outlook today as compared with that
| of century ago. DR.. GLADDEN. thinks
the world is the gamer. While among
the professionals the tendency has been
during the century, to split up into
various denominations, on matters of
minor Importance, the disposition now
is to work more generally together,
and as incentives along this line he
notes the growth and work of the Y.
M. G. A. and young peoples organic
atinos which have tendency to bring
the denominations more closely to-
gether.
In the Catholic church he regards
that no man has occupied the chair at
the vatican ''of purer purpose, broader
wisdom or larger charity" than the
present pontiff, Leo VIII. And the
freedom of that church from the state
in Germany, England and America
has been greatly to its benefit, and he
notes that it has been making great
progress its people receiving educa-
tion and the standards of intelligence
and of character of its clergy are
steadily rising and it is EXERT ng
conservative and salutary force upon
| the national life, and he commends the
work of such Roman Catholics as Hen
| rick, Williams, Gibbons, Ireland, Elder
and Keane in this contry.
At some length DR.. GLADDEN. then
discussed the situation from a Chris
tian standpoint as it presents itself to
| the world today. Theories that once
stood have been entirely swept away
and the entire aspect of religion has
changed. The new conception of the
Bible, he says. has undoubtedly given
shock to many devout minds but he
thinks there is every reason to hope
that under the new theories of its orr
gin as revealed by science and other
research, it is likely to prove better
witness for God than ever before. On
the side of life and practice he thinks
there have been both gains and losses.
In some elements of religious life
we are poorer than our fathers were.
There is not so much reverence now
as there once was but there is less of
lavish fear. There is less intense de-
votional feeling ;but there are also fewer
cases of hopeless. religious melancholy.
The fact that we make less of the
loss, but the gloom and restraint of
that old observance was something we
could be slow TO recall. And yet he
says there was a vast amount of ire
ligion abroad in those days. In it's
working force Christianity is better
prepared to confront the world than
ever before. A century ago the minis
ter worked alone. Today he has aids
at every turn that are doing fully as
effective work as his. Then its great
est weapon was fear and an infallible
book. Now it goes forth armed with
love and common sense, and in this it
presents stronger and more attractive
force to mankind than ever before.