The Washington herald., 1907-01-27
new FAITH LINKED With OLD
Goodwin Smiths View of the Per-
manence of Christian Morality.
Though No Longer Believer in Rev
Christian i'm Character.

Goodwin Smith. in New York sun
a preacher cites a lecture of mine,
delivered nearly half a century ago, a
part of which has had the honor Of be
ing embalmed in the work OF that
most eminent theologian the late Dean
Westeott on The Historic Faith I
turned rather neTvously 20 the lecture
TO see what il was that / had said. Not
that I should have been much shocked
had / found that my opinions had even
been completely changed. Since that
lecture was delivered science and criti-
cism have wrought a revolution in
theological belief, likely. il seems 10
me- 10 be regarded hereafter as one
Of the most mOmeutOus revolutions in
history. With the whole passage cited
by Dean Westcott I will not burden
your columns, but part OF il is this:
THE type of character set forth in
the Gospel history is an absolute EN-
bodiment Of love. both In the way Of
action and affection, crowned by the
highest possible exhibition of il in an
act of the most transcendent seIf-dev0-
ton TO the interest OF the human race.
This being the case, IL is difficult 10
see how the Christian morality can
ever be brought into antagonism with
the moral progress Of mankind, or
how the Christian type O. character
can ever be left behind by the course Of
human development. lose the allegiance
Of the moral world, or give place TO a
newly emerging and higher ideal This
type. it would appear. being perfect
viii be final. II viii be final not as
precIuding future history, but as COM
pretending it. The moral efforts OF all
ages, TO the contamination OF the
world. Will be efforts TO realize this
character and to make IL actually as IL
is potentially. universal While these
efforts are being carried on under all
the various circumstances OF life and
society, and under all the various
moral and intellectual conditions at
JaChinS 10 particular men. an infinite
variety OF characters, personal and ma
tional, will be produced; "a variety
ranging from the highest human
grandeur down to the very verge of
the grotesque. But these characters.
with all their variations. viii go be
yonG their sources and their ideal only
as the rays Of light go beyond the
sun. Humanity. as il passes through
phase after phase of the historical
movement may advance indefinitely in
excellence; but its advance viii be an
indefinite approximation 10 the Chris
tian type. a divergence from that
type. to whatever extent it may take
~,Tr D.. Trrr .T.R
ment and corruption. In a moral point
of view. in short, the world may aban-
don Christianity, but il can never add
vance beyond it. This is not matter
Of authority, or even Of revelation. II
II is true II IS a matter of reason as
much as anything in the world"
I went on to dwell on the freedom of
the Christian type OF character as en-
bodied in the Founder of Christianity
from peculiarities OF nation, race. or
sex which might have derogated from
it's perfection as a type Of pure hui
manity. In those days I believed in
revelation. But my argument was not
from revelation, but from ethics and
history. The Undertaking of Chris
tianity 10 convert mankind to a frater-
nal and purely benefcent type of char
acter and enfold men i'm universal
though the effort has been in various
ways. appears to have no parallel in
ethical history There is none In the
Greek philosophers or the Roman
StOiCs. high as some of them may soar
in their own way. ATist0ue's ideal
man is perfect i'm its statuesque fash
ion, but II is not fraternal or even dis
tinctly philanthropic. Nor does the
Christian character or the effort to
create 81 depart with belief ia dogma.
Do not men who have totally re
nounced the dogma still cultivate
character in its gentleness and benevo-
1ence essentially Christian?
Theory. as I have said before, I have
none. ! have been pleading, on a foot
ing ws1h the 1000 correspondents Of
the Daily Telegraph. of London. for
thoroughgoing allegiance to the truth,
emancipation of the clerical intellect
from tests, and comprehension in the
inquiry not only Of the material but
of the higher or spiritual nature of
man. including his aspiration to prog
ress OF which there cannot be said
to be any visible germ in brutes. what
ever Tudiments Of human faculties and
affections they may otherwise display.
But though I have no theory, / cannot
help having a conception, and my pres
ent conception of the historical
relation of Christianity and its
Founder TO humanity and human
progress does not seem 10 NE
to be so different from what it was
half a century ago as when / came TO
compare the two I expected to find 1t.
It seems to me still that history IS
vast struggle, with varying success,
toward the attainment OF moral per-
lection, of which, If the advent of
Christianity furnished the true ideal, it
may be deemed In a certain sense a
revelation. Assuredly IL may If in this
most mysterious world there is, be-
meath all the conflict Of good with
evil. a spirit striving toward good and
destined in the end to prevail If
there Is not such a spirit, If all is mat
ter and chance, 1 can only say again,
What a spectacle Is history
Result of Early Training.
From the Tailor
Cobwigger-In what way does New
rich show that ne isn't a gentleman?