The Tucson citizen., 1902-01-18
Religion in the West.

Mr.. Moody Is reported to have said |
that he found it more difficult to
arouse the people OF Tucson to state
of religious excitement than those of
any city he visited. The Rev. Merton |
Smith in a recent exhortation asked
Where are your shouting Methodists?
Is the altitude too high? Is it too far
West?"
These remarks coincide with the
opinion of the great majority OF East
ern preachers who come to labor in the
western vineyard. They carry the i'm
preston that religion does not -four
ish in this atmosphere. There is a ~.s-
position on the part of the good people
of this section to resent the implied
insinuation. They feel that the West
has a deep true religious sentiment,
even If the old fashioned revival meet
ing does not flourish and wax strong
in her midst
Religious sects are an interesting
study We find many degrees OF emo
tionalsm between the quiet Quaker,
placidly awaiting the moving of the
spirit and the hysterical individual
who gets so gloriously saved at every
revival and makes such tremendous
noise about it. Religious enthusiasm Is
always good but what commonly
passes as such is mere froth. Theology
and the simple gospel OF Jesus are
such very different things.
Bunyons famous book ambodiet til
theology of his age and held ia rigor-
Gus grasp on mems lives for several
generations. Its hold is loosened. Mil
ton wrote his great poem to try to
Justify Gods ways tu man: but this
generation asks for God whose ways
needs no Justification The revCrent
lo"e of Whittier for \ heavenly father.
the simple faith of Tepnyson In God
he did not pretend to understand are
becoming more popular every day.
Those who comprehend something of
the immensity Of universe where the
/ Milky Way with its millions OF shin
/ ing points is mere yard stick instinc-
lively enlarge their conception OF
God.
Every man who consciertiously de-
votes his life to the preaching Of tha
gospel as he understands should be 'e
spected and reverenced. But, no man
has the right to question the rehglous
experience of another because 1t Is not
expressed in the same way as his own
Some one has pictured the human race
as looking through tiny peepholes at
the universe, each one sure that what
he himself sees is the whole thing.
] Il do not see it. says with a very
large capital and an infection which
says And you don't either. We are
all prone to this frailty. Ebert Hub
bard, with all his boasted wisdom,
takes his fling at the conceit of other
men with a sublime unConsciousness of
his own.
We have no objection 10 Eastern
preachers believing in themselves and
their form OF religion. but We ask tina.
they accord us the same right. Each
human being Is an individual entity.
At least. it is If 1t counts for nj Y
thing Every thoughtful person thtnEs
his own thoughts and arrives at his
own conclusions. The revival meeting
may reach class OF people who can
be reached in no other way and II Is
always a blessed work to nurture the
feeble impulses toward right living
and the first faltering attempts 10 es-
cape from the bondage of depraving
habits The evangelist has his r}is-
sion and his reward hut ii follows
naturally that the means he e'~n'ovs
in his work do not appeal to all classes.
There is love which expresses itself
in vehement protestatlons. AMI tt"te
| is a love which permeating the hfn H.
rects its every action and has =" need
! of speech There are people who feel
that religious experiences, lie between
the soul and God and are far too
sacred TO recount to curiOus throng.
Yet their religious sentiment is quite
! as genuine as that of the best revival
list The West numbers among ts in
hahitants people WHO are good. bad
and indifferent. The only difference
between the westerners as class
and the people OF older communities
Is ~ Trey are freeT frGn 'o!:NntI II
and the restraint of hereditary tcE-
denotes The vast eXpances of the
West. the majesty of her mountain
the magnificent stretches Of plain and
! sly the pure i.'r air har iltlu'a'"
her people They may have grown
impatient of the letter or religion
but its spirit thTobs within rncm.
Th"ir hearts a"r in ,ho right p'a"c
FAITH INGL EHAttT.