The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-25
The Trend of Thought
 Along Paths Literary
By Aron Nosirrah.


 A Short Trip Through Some of the Mag Court there Was a remarkable satire
 The Praise of Hypocrisy. in the Octo- Der number of the same magazine there fTmes fsnmes a,cta,nt comment upon the above men eeTaph occurs therein. Has the (ortho- doD church become a new political ma chine. In league. as the author of The iraase ir or Hypocrisy expresses. 1t. with immortality. Must the service of the ma chine, rather than the service of God, be the standard by which the minister is to De tried? Already it is not the minister's 8 power to present high ideals and to urge motives that determine his ecclesiastical position among his brethren, but his skill In raising money from his parish and in making good report at conference, or fresoytery, or Association. The corres- pondei 1t. Methodist clergyman, demands reformation. and says that 1t must be a matter of intellectual honesty. His proposed reform, as the Open Court re- marks, would mean an abandonment of a great cause by its best and most compe- tent ministers, leaving the ship of the church to the mercy of. the winds and in the hands of hypocrites. This is candid expression. since the clergyman's per- sonal plan is his intention of leaving the church and starting the work of a min 1T, Knight. in the October issue of the Open Court, has the following paragraph. which occurs in replying article upon the "de- manded reformation" In these days. es- pecially. 1t seems to be needed, that re- hgton should be characterized by sheer ity. This quality is more important than church or creed, or ritual, more import ant than scientific accuracy or the latest theories of the higher critics. It ought to hn because their sincerity was above suspi- cion and that Sturgeon and Moody were able tc preach antiquared notions in the- ology and yet to attract Aot only the common people but the learned who hnd long sine" given up orthodoxy. After the , call to abandon insincer'ties the artificial manners of walk and dress and tone of voice. assumed dignities. affectations of sanctity and religions caste, especially sectarian and churchly ego'ism. he fur ther asserts that the church will be re- church would there be where grace and truth should both abide: ''Its friend need never again fear the impending de- structior of religion on account of the de- sertion of the better classes of men. To- ward such a church there would be no more heresy than there Is now toward the beauty of the sunset or the truth of the law of gravity. Nor would such a church fail to have authority with men. Mani fest righteousness and holiness and other powers of God will always command re- spect-usually to excess.
 The Language Most Expressive.-In ''The Lamp for September. there was an interview with James Lane Allen in which he was asked this question: Which do you consider the more polished medium of expression at the service of the liter ary worker French or Euglish?" Mir. AL len gives the choice to the French lam gllage in conseouencA of what he signi- hes 'Its absolute exactitude." He re- marks: "A Frenchman can exnress his thought in such a way that for all time fhere need he no misa ppr >henvion of ha mearing." Mfr. Allen was asked If he was .hinking of Bells-iettres to which he repIied: "No. I am thinking of philo=- ophy and science. Logomachy the war over words. the unending quarrel over tha meaning of authors. which is Roing on constantly in th's country. in England. aral in Germany is unknown i1 France. so far as I am aware? A French writer does not noea another French writer to inter nret him. nor does he offer an oonortun- ity to third writer to contraS Si"t the in- terpretation of the zee nd one. His posi- +Jon may be a mistaken one, but hls meaning is unnistakable
 Success Not Riches-In Evervhodys Magazine for November. Mir. Bellamy snesks of Senator Hoar as an old fash toned patrician. successful. independent of wealth His library holds 10000 vol ures of the rarest collections. This is his principal asset, so, MT. Bellamy tells us. MT. Hoar Is represented as laying a choice book of literature with him while In his seat in the Senate-"yet aware of all that passes and alert to enter the debate with