The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-01
Common Sense in
RELIGION

Christian will thank this great metaphysi-
clan for his comforting words on behalf
of this our greatest religious privilege And
DIR. James also has kind word to say on
behalf of ritualism and Of decorated, costly
and dramatic worship. There are tempera-
ments to which pomp and splendor-
"cowled priests and chanting choirs"-are
indispensable helps to a real communion
with the most high God. They are by no
means to be condemned as man millinery
,, or religious operettas.
This is by far the best OF all the chapters
in this most fascinating book. Mysticism
is only another name for worship and COM
munion with God. Mysticism and the mys-
tic are blood-curdling words, but when
looked squarely in the face mean nothing
more than our common and well-known ex-
periences of the divine life in the human
soul. Why should we be so afraid of Gods
spirit in and participating with our life?
He does enter whenever We worship Him
either by hymn or prayer or other appoint
ed means Of grace. The debt we owe to DR..
James in this beautiful volume for his
frank testimony as TO the reality and valid
ty of both the religious sentiment and Its
manifestation and practice in our worship
is very great indeed. Never by any other
author has its validity and reasonableness
been placed upon so common-sense and sat-
isfactory a basis. OF course, there are
great variations of mystic and mysticism,
from that of plain and simple souls like
| Enoch Arden, as described by Tennyson, to
such fanatics and dreamers as ST. Theresa,
| Ignatius Loyola, Nine Guyon, George Fox
| and the Indian Yogis.
Emerson and Walt Whitman were each in
| their way mystics and each teach a system
/ of mysticism peculiar to themselves. Tele-
pathy, theosophy, hypnotism are all ex-
cesses Of mysticism just as Dowieism and
| Mormonism are excrescences upon Chris
| tianity, and for which it is responsible. The
| excess of what we can acquire through our
| emotions and munitions over what we can
| demonstrate by our senses and reason is
/ the worlds hope and salvation. The for
mer leads to religion and immortality-the
| latter to skepticism and materialism. The
| one is the life Of the spirit, the other the
| life of the flesh. Even these unmistakable
| words seem mystic. The ultimate fact of
/ all religious mysticism is that God does
| enter the human soul and that the imme
| date channel of this entrance may be by
| contemplation of His works reading His
/ word, or through the music of hymns or
| the inspiration of architecture and the
| other fine arts. or prayer or organized wor-
| ship. All this is religious experience, or, to
/ use common phrase, "other worldliness.
/ Mysticism is the secret of the fine arts and
| especially of music for "in mystic states
| we become one with God and we become
aware of our oneness" Says DR.. James,
| Music gives us theological messages
| which nonmusical criticism is unable to
| contradict and can only laugh at.
| Mysticism sometimes comes TO us from
| irreligious men, for example Walt Whit
| man and Richard Realf. What could posi-
bly, be more religious than these words
| written by the great skeptic, Matthew Ar
| mold, in one of his better moods:
calm soul of all things! Make me thine,
| To feel amid lifes swirl and jar
| That there abides that peace of thine
Man did not make and cannot mar"
| This book abounds in racy sentences and
words mostly of DR.. James's own manu-
facture. He calls the converted 1.-The
| twice born" He is not afraid to denounce
proposition of which he strongly disap-
| proves as ''bosh'' to ridicule an exag-
| gerated statement as "a cock-and-bull
story" 1t is seldom in such a difficult
| book to read as this that we find such ex-
| preston as "a knock-down argument or
| such phrase as philosophy is dog chas-
ing it's own tail" On the other hand, pro-
found sentences and paragraphs adorn al
most every one of its pages. Here are some
| characteristic specimens:
Happiness is phantom pursued only by
| weak mind" Every pound of flesh
which the world exacts as the price of what
it calls success is soaked in blood 1.-THE
plural gods of this world are the devil and
the Almighty. The only excuse for the AL
mighty suffering evil to prevail is that in
the end He will put down Satan under His
feet" lone can live only long one
is intoxicated with hope. When one grows
sober he can't help seeing that life is all a
cheat. There is nothing either funny or
silly in it. 1t is pure and simply cruel and
stupid" The wonder is how sound and
clear a mind as that of DIR. James could
write such trash as this last sentence.
The Christian who in this age of almost
universal doubt and skepticism so often is
on the point of giving up his faith as a
dream or a hope rather than a reality
breathes easier for such a book this.
When such a man as DR.. James-easily our
greatest American psychologist-so unhesi-
tatingly defends prayer. conversion, wor-
ship. even though he does mix in some
Christian Science and gives theology the 60
by, we weaker brothers and sisters may
take heart. This great author makes the
consciousness of individual experience the
supreme test Of these truths which never
can be proved" He says boldly that God
comes to US through prayer, hymns and the
inspiration of church services. Let us dull
people then take fresh courage and fear
lessly chant our ''Te Deums'' assured that
He who is nearer to us than breathing
and closer than hands and feet honors
sincere devotion and answers earnest
prayer. Publishers. Longmans. Green &
| Co, New York.
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