The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-21
ent Time Indicates a Crisis.

eral Dlstrust of Religion mt the Pres
ent Time Indicates a Crisis.
DR.. T. II. Munger last night Delivered
a significant address to the Mems cluo
in United church, which bore upon sle
questions that are uppefmost III liio
minds OF the people, The sup1ect was
probable Changes in the twentieth
Century," but the Address was SUP
stantially a criticism of the present POI
icy Of the civilized powers in supduiils
barbarous nations, of the corruption
now threatening democracy through the
gleed of gain, and the present decline
in religion and churcs going,
DR.. Munger is inclined rather to take
an optimistic view on these questions,
while recognizing their dangers VI
the inroads which civilization Is now
making he said:
wherever there is anything TO pc
bought or sold, there will the railway OF
the steamship so, whether the nations
OF tribes consent or not. WIN thls pc
right? II will be done. Is it Well? 1t
is well that barbarous nation, as well
as a boy, should go to school. Ana
there art truant laws out for both. IT
is the fate of the world to be civilized.
AS this ruthless process goes on the
tribes or nations lowest down Will suffer
most, or gain most. If they have enough
vitality, and If they respond to the CIV
ilization thus thrust upon them, they
may rise and share it. If not, they Will
go under Africa Is already the held
for this process. A part of the coast OF
Africa is called a grave yard-not OF
white men, but of the native victims OF
| drunkenness.
This IS a question of a survival of
the weak before the strong. 1t is law
almost entirely beyond the control OF
man. 1t is mans business to save the
weak, but nothing can be saved t1lat
| cannot be made strong. Chrlstlanlty
stands for the salvation of the sinful,
and the poor and the weak, but 1t saves
only as it brings in strength.
Cruel as the law seems the net gain
| to the world will be great--a civilized
world made up of civilized nations un-
| der the international laws, or possibly
a world parliament, no longer dragging
along a brute legacy of barbarism and
| savagely."
| In showing that the trend OF the
! worlds social progress is towards de-
mocracy, DR.. Munger reverted to the
| present abuse in New York to which
this form Of government Is susceptible.
'There are some moments" he said,
when one almost wishes there were in
New York an absolute ruler who would
crush Tammany, and deport It's mem
lt-+a 49, sir tr-ho
might live alone and together under
their own rule. Yet who would serious
ly advocate it? The task Of the CEN
fury will be to check the evils incident
al to democracy Our great cities are
not self governed, nor are they In any
sense free, but are governed by robbers
an dthose who sell the souls of men and
women for price.
1.-The chief dangers of perversion clus-
ter about money. 1t Is not pleasant
sight to see, in these first days of the
century, two senators seated In the ma
tlonal senate, already attainted by the
courts-one by the very body to which
he has been returned, and the other by
the courts of his own state. Democra-
cy could not bear the strain of such
things If 1t were not that it has them
in its own hands, and, therefore, can
end them when it will, and that will be
when the evil is great enough to arouse
the people. New York city has drunk
its cup of lies and shame until 1t can
no longer endure 1t. And now 1t is
casting it aside, nor will 1t ever return
to it."
In this connection of the evil that |
breeds in large cities, DR., Munger said: |
Civilization sinks to barbarism when !
tie population reaches a certain densi- |
ty, Twenty people living in two rooms
are barbarians-not the barbarians of |
the desert or forests. but barbarians
who breed disease and crime and scat
fer infection through the city.
But the century which created the
evil has provided the remedy Without
doubt, it lies somewhere about rapid
transit The two demands of great
city are that the people shall be near
together in order to do business, and
territory on which they can properly
live. Rapid transit untes these two
necessities, What a paradise New Ha-
ven will be when its people can live in
Woodbridge, and buy and sell and toll,
anu near IlluSlC anu no whatever else IS
needed in New Haven by some quicker
method than the present trolley.
Prophecy in this direction need not be
restrained"
Speaking of the immense prosperity
of this country, DR. Munger predicted
that luxury will become almost newt
able and that it Is almost sure to bring
forth corruption. '"There is no more
important lesson bequeathed by the
century to the twentieth
i: that the ignorant are fast becoming
rich, and that all are swept along with
a speed that admits of no other thought
or life than that of business. How the
boys and girls will turn out is LETT to
chance, and only heredity stands be-
tween them and destruction"
In regard to the apparent present de-
clining aspect of religion and the
churches. DR.. Munger thinks that we
are at crisis. He said:
Some say religion is declining, and
point to less of church. going, less seri-
BUSINESS and less of almost everything
that once was held to be religion. 9th
ers say that the Bible is no longer held
to be authoritative, and Others that
faith. belief and what to believe are
no longer defined: that a general dis
trust of religion as a distinct thing Is
dying out under the cold eye of science.
The question arises-if the century be-