The Seattle Republican. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1???-1915, 1902-01-31

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RELIGION
The indications at present gives evil
dence of the early passing of evangel-
ism and that a few more years more
will see it fall completely into disuse
The world never expects to see anoth-
er Moody and it is more than likely
that church goers and religionists in
general do not regret the fact, not
that they have anything against Moo
dy or that he did not do well in his
work, but the conditions have changed
since that time and humanity no lon
ger cares to be rushed into accepting
religious creeds under the exciting
banner of evangelism. There will con-
tinue to be sporadic as well as spas
modic attempts at evangelism here
and there and sometimes those lead
ing the fight will be crowned with
some slight success, but national evan
gelism is almost thing of the past,
and, as said above, no more Sankey's
and Moodys will ever startle the world
with their evangelical powers.
The attack recently made upon the
Bible by Prof. Pearson, who was at
the time a professor at the North
western University, located at Evans
ton, near Chicago, is the sensation Of
the hour among all classes of religion
lists. Prof Pearson's attack was like
a clap of thunder from a clear sky
as no one supposed for a minute that
he entertained either any anti-biblical
ideas or anti-creed ones, owing to the
fact that he was a prominent as well as
conspicuous member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. Periodically. how
ever, such men come to the surface.
Probably it is the hand of Providence
that brings them to the surface, if for
no other reason than to keep the true
believers closer to the cause of Christ
and to the sacred teachings of the BIZ
bic. There seems to be no more truth
in the attack made by Prof. Pearson
than those attacks made by Ingersoll
and the other atheists, who have
struggled to break down the influence
of the Bible in the past, and the pro-
fessor's words are but a re-hash of
those in whose footsteps he is endeav-
oring to tread, who have long since
retired from the firing line of Bible
fighting. Bob Ingersoll and other athe-
lists made fortunes out of their at
tacks on the Bible by selling their
books and lecturing to the gullible
and it is surmised that this late disci-
pie has something similar in his mind.
When Manila fell and became Amer
ica's possession there were 100 Cath
clio friars upon the various islands of
the Philippine group. Of that num-
Der 1900 have already emigrated from
the islands, the most of them going
to South America and the other 500
contemplate leaving as soon as it is
nnnxyonino+ For f1n11o 4n do would
thus appear that the Catholic religion
will lose a large following in the Phil
ippine Islands for no other reason
than because the islands have become
Americanized. 1t is claimed by those
who seem to know whereof they speak
that the 1900 friars, who have emf
grated to South American countries,
are now busily engaged in organizing
new orders among the South Ameri-
cans and in Brazil already there is
eminent danger of a clash between
the church and state, owing to the
disturbances that the new friars have
kicked up since they have settled
therein. The most of the republics
of South America are more or less un-
der the influence Of the Catholic re-
ligion and the superstitious natives
seem quite susceptible of being taken
advantage Of by the educated friars,
who organize orders among them with
perhaps no other object in view than
to relieve the natives of whatever
spare cash they may have in their
possession. Denouncing the civil mar
riage contract has been one of the
things that they have fought in the
new territory and this has brought
about considerable trouble between
the authorities and the church folk
A few weeks ago the splendid church
edif1ce known as Trinity Church of
this city was burned to the ground and
left the worshipers, among whom are
many of the leading citizens of Seattle,
without a place to hold their Sunday
services. 1t was hard financial blow
to the organization as it had but re-
Gently completely paid off their church
debt and was enjoying the peace that
follows such success, but their church