The independent., 1903-12-10
DEVIL WORSHIP
ne Psssimism Of Jesus-Who are the Op-
timists-A Great Beek-A Sermon
by New. Herbert .. Bigelow

Dy hev. n Or DOrt d 0l8olOW
Cincinnati, o., Dec 6.-"Optimistic
Pessimists." At the Vine. Street Con-
gregational church, today, the pastor,
Herbert S. BigelOw, borrowed title
from new book and chose for text
the parable of the mustard seed.
Mr.. Bigelow said in part:
Optimistic Pessimism," is the title
of one of the chapters of book Of
great merit which has just come from
the press. The title of this book is
sEthics of Democracy" and its author
is Louis F. Post, the editor of the
Chicago Public l have long regarded
Mr. Post as a writer on pOliticO-ecOn-
cmic subjects without a peer among
American journalists. His book is a
treasure.
OPTIMISTIC PESSIMISM.
In this chapter on Optimistic Pes
simists, Mr.. Post objects to the habit
of regarding all fault-finders as pes
simists, and all applause-makers as
Optimists. Much that is called pes
simism is protest against evil. Much
that is called optimism is "devil-wOr-
ship" The function of these happy
go-lucky, lotus-eating' optimlsts, says
the author, seems always to have been
to sing about accomplished progress
while good-naturedly obstructing fur
ther progress.
It is only the men who have great
love for the world and a profound
faith in the power of truth who will
throw themselves into the unequal
contest against the forces of un-
righteousness These men who are
optimistic enough to oppose evil are
often decried as pessimists by those
Spurious and frivolous" optimists
who do nothing but applaud, and, as
the author says, whose applause is al
ways ex post facto.
ANTI MONOPOLY AGITATORS.
The people who dignity their mental
and spiritual Incidence by the name
optimism, and who denounce as pes
simists those who condemn evil, "sel-
dom reflect that it is those they call
grumblers and fault-fnders the people
who rail-, as they would put it, at
community evils-the anti-mOnarchy
Sam Adamses and Patrick Henrys,
the anti-slavery Garrisons and Beech
ers, the anti-monopoly agitators OF
our own time-whO compel the world
to move onward and upward
WAS JESUS A PESSIMIST?
There is no character in history
which furnishes better example than
the Nazarene of this optimistic pes
simism of which Mr.. Post has written.
An arraignment of the respectable,
pious and ruling elements Of society,
an rnnnrdoH N fhn O9d
chapter of Matthew, must have seemed
to the Pharisee class viciOusly PES
simistic. Yet, who of the worlds
teachers has had SO great faith in the
divinity of human nature and the
Omnipotence of love and the suprem-
acy of truth? Was he pessimist? :?
If so. he was an optimistic pessimist.
one of the most hopeful antagonists Of
evil that the world has seen.
The parable of the mustard seed re-
veals to us the philosophy from which
Jesus drew his abounding optimism.
Truth was to him Hike unto grain
of mustard seed, (which, indeed, is
less than all seeds; but when it is
grown, it is greater than the herbs,
and becometh tree, so that the birds
Ol ucdVCH lOhiO anu IOut3S AA sAO
branches thereof"
Jesus spoke this parable to men
who had become imbued with the
truth he taught. But they were hum
BILE men. They were only handful
against the world, and they were al
together without honor in their time.
YES" said Jesus, ut may seem to
you to be forlorn hope. You de-
spair because you compare your fee
bleness with the worlds strength. If
that were the contest. there would be
no hope. You forget the all-import-
ant factor, namely. the vitality Of the
truth.
TRUTH A THING THAT GROWS.
Truth is not burden that must be
upheld by the hands OF men. II Is a
seed that you put In the ground. II Is
a thing that grows. A man might as
well Try 10 manufacture an OAK from
an acorn as to overcome by his own
might the power that Is arrayed
against the truth. But he can SOW
the seed. And II II as vain for men
Co contend against the growing truth
as Il wopld be- for them % try TO put
tha oak hack into the acorn