The sun., 1901-04-14

importance 10 when inc New NOrld mas
given birth IL the Universalist, natural
offspring Of democratic humanity revolt
ing against the belief in eternal fire. En-
! thusiasm uniuminated may still hold its
campmeetings and sing Rock OF Ages
! in the grove under the stars.
| The main support Of orthodox Protes-
| tantsm in the United States now IA an of
shoot from the old country. II isl Method
| ism, which. by the perfection Of It's organi-
| zation, combining strong ministerial au-
| thority with democratic participation OF
| all members in the active service OF the
| Church. has go far not only held its own
| but enlarged its borders and increased its
| power; its power. perhaps, rather than its
| spiritual influence. for the time comes when
| the fire Of enthusiasm grows cold and class
meetings lose their fervor. The member
ship is mostly drawn from class little ex-
posed to the disturbing influences OF crti-
cism or science; nor has the education OF the
ministers hitherto been generally such as
to bring them into contact with the argyll
ments of the scepuc.
The character and intensity Of the move
ment in Europe have been greatly infiu-
enced by tho existence OF state Churches
and the degrees OF obnoxious privilege
which the state Churches severally have
possessed. Where the yoke Of the estab-
lishment was heavy. as In France under
the Bourbons. free thought has been lashed
into fury; where. a. In England. the eccle-
siastcal polity has been comparatively
mild, It has taken the gentler form Of evan
gelical dissent. In the United States at tho
faint relics Of state Churches. Churches.
that Is. recognized and protected. though
not endowed. by the state. But there has
been little to irritate soepticism or provoke
It to violence Of any kind. and the transition
has accordingly been tranquil. Specula-
ton. however. has now arrived at point
at which its results in the minds Of the more
inquiring clergy come into collision with
the dogmatlc creeds Of their Churches and
their ordination tests, Especially does
awakened conscience rebel against the
ironclad Calvinism of the Westminster
Confession. Hence attempts. hitherto
baffled, 10 revise the creeds; hence heresy
trials scandalous and ineffective.
Who can undertake 10 say how far religion
now influences the inner life oi the American
people? Outwardly life in the United
States. in the Eastern States at least Is
still religious. Churches are well main
tanned. congregations are full. ofrertories
are liberal. II is still respectable to be a
churCh-goer, AnGcansm. partly from It's
connection with the English hierarchy, IL
fashionable among the wealthy in cities.
We note, however. that in all pulpits there IL
a tendency TO glide from the spiritual into
the social. II not into the material: to edge
away from the pessimistic view Of the
present world with which the Gospels are
instinct; to attend less exclusively TO our
future, and more TO our present state
Social reunions. picnics and sldeshows arc
growing in importance IA parts OF the
Church system. Jonathan Edwards, II he
could now come among his people. would
hardly find himself at home
The Catholic Church had come out 70
America in evil companionshp with Span
ish conquest Together with the Spanish
colonies she decayed. and her history
| during the past century in South America
appears 10 have been that Of miserable
! decline which could add nothing TO religious
thought or history. Mexican liberalism
under the presidency Of Juarez cast of
! allegiance 10 her and a priest dared not
show himself in the dress OF his order on
the street. In French Canada the Catholic
Church has reigned over simple peasantry
her own from the beginning, thoroughly
! submissive to the priesthood, willing 10
| give freely OF its little store for the building
Of churches which tower over tho hamlet
and sufficiently firm In its faith 10 throng
to the fame Of ST. Anne Beauprs for
miracles Of healing She has kept tho
Hdbitdnt ignorant and unprogressive, but
made him. after her rule, moral, insisting
on early marriage, on remarriage, con-
trolling his habits and amusements with
an almost Puritan strtctness. Probably
French Canada has been as good and as
happy as anything the Catholic Church had
to show. Tho priesthood was Of the Gal
lican school. II lived on good terms with
the state. though in French Canada tho
state was a conqueror From fear Of New
England Puritansm II had kept its people
| loyal 10 Great Britain during the Revou-
tionary War. From fear Of French atheism
II kept its people loyal 70 Great Britain
during the war with France. II sang
Tc Dcum for Trafalgar SO things were
till the other day But then came the
Jesuit. He got back, from the subservi-
ency Of tho Canadian politicians, the lands
which he had lost after the conquest and
the suppression of his order. He supplant-
ed the Galcans. captured the hierarchy
and prevailed over the great Sulpician
Monastery in a struggle for the pastorate
Of Montreal Other influences have Of late
been working for change in n direction
neither Gallican nor Jesuit. Railroads have
broken into the rural seclusion which fav-
ored the ascendency Of the priest. Popular
education has made some way. News
papers have increased in number and are
more read. The peasant has been growing
restive under the burden OF tithe and
fab-tque Many Of the Hdbitdnts go into
the Northern States of the Union for work,
and return 20 their own country bringing
with them republican ideas. Americans
who have been stunning continental union
from dread Of French Canadian popcry