The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-07-06


The object and aim of this new book
is completely set forth in the au-
thor's preface from which we quote
extracts as follows:
cat the present time many thought
full people are seriously perplexed by
questions that seem to throw doubt
upon the essentials Of the Christian
faith. That radical and far-reaching
changes are taking place in our the
illogical conceptions cannot be denied.
What will be the outcome of these
changes? How much Is left of the old
faith? Is there growing UP new
faith that will meet the religions and
social needs of a new age? The an
swers of traditional theology to these
questions will not, it is becoming clear
satisfy earnest seekers Of the truth.
The author then exercises the hope
that the perplexed may find guidance
in this book and adds: These essays
are written from the point Of view of
one who frankly accepts the establish
ed facts of modern science and the
new Biblical criticism, of one who is
in full sympathy with that movement
Of religious life which is finding its
Interpretation in what is known as the
New Theology. This theology approx
ed by the reasoning intellect has yet to
Justify itself to the spirit of man. The
writer's appeal therefore, is not pri-
marily to dogma but to life ITSELF" The
author adds that he "believes in APP
plying the principles of Christ's teach
ings to questions of social no less than
Of Individual righteousness"
No formal connection exists between
the essays which make UP the book.
Each is the outgrowth of a particular
mood; fragmentary, but adapted to the
need Of busy men and women" Indeed,
this is one of the charms of this timely
and helpful little work. The seeker
after the Christian ideal has no deep
philosophical treatise or polemical
discussion to founder through. The
thoughts presented are clothed In sim
pie language such as distinguish Hen
ny Ward Beecher's pulpit utterances
and books. He who runs may read
and understand and there is food for
reflection and helpful suggestion for
a great variety Of topics but discon-
nected as are these essays there runs
through all an evident singleness of
purpose and alma desire to help for
ward the reader to higher spiritual
ideals and attachments.
The book has 1853 pages and there are
1870 Of these little helpful essays,
among which are: Things in a City
Life to Weep Over" What This Age
Most Values" Sins of the DISPOSE
ton" "The New Patriotism" "a Re-
turn to Puritanism,,' Responsibility
for the War of the Classes" Men
Who Buy and Sell Christ" "The Pres
ent Day Protest Against Creeds, 1.-THE
Curse of the Church, 1.-THE Gospel of
Tomorrow" 1.-THE Secret of Spiritual
Blessing" 1.-THE Misfortune of Being
Fortunate" 'The National Awaken
ing" every Citizen Should Know
His Own CITY, "trhe Christian Theory
of Wealth." What Science Has Done
and Failed to Do 1.-THE Modern City
a Sad Sight" "a Wise and Unwise
Agnosticism,' 1.-THE Modern View of
Punishment for SIM" and every Age
L1dS It's NEW. theology.
The book Is gracefully dedicated to
the beloved pastor-emeritus of the
United church, Rev. DR. T. T. Munger.
We quote selection or two from
the book that the reader may note it's
flavor:
Distinction Between Faith and Be
lief."-Religious faith ds thing quite
different from theological belief. Re-
ligious faith is the free movement Of
mans moral nature; dogma, at its best
is only an intellectual exercise. 1t
was tragic mistake the church made
when it changed the meaning Of faith
from the spontaneous impulse of the
loving heart to a verbal or mental as
sent to certain doctrinal statements.
No word in our language has been so
abused as this word faith" AS used
in the classic Greek by Plato in his
discussions of the lower forms of
knowledge the word meant an act of
the mind; and occasionally it has this
meaning in the Bible But Christ used
this word in a very different sense
Christ told the woman who was a sim
ner that her faith had saved her and
we know that this, faith spoken Of by
him had no theological background: it
was the simple outgoing Of her heart
and will to Him who drew her with a
mighty love. To see Him, to desire Him,
and to take Him, so far aus may be pos
sible, into our hearts-this is faith. and
this lis the power that saves,
christian Science and the New
Thought" The secret of the surpris-
ing Growth of the Christian Science
and the New Thought movements is to
be found in the fact that they succeed,
somehow, in making the presence of
God real to men. AS those who bring
torches into dark cave, these people
have come into this materlalistic age
bearing aloft living flames of spiritual
reality. Their talk is of God. They in
vent all sorts of strange and gr0tesque
figures Of speech by which they would
express their consuming thought Of
Him. Their language is the language of
those who wrestle in travail of mind,
trying to make words that are heavy
with the usages of many generations of
rnaterialistic thought tell the story of
the vision that has come to them. To
all who have lost their sense Of an I'M
deriving spirit, to men like those at
Fpheseus who said Of themselves: 1--WE
have not so much as heard whether
there be any Holy Ghost" these people
seem like crazy fanatics creating con-
fusion among themselves, trying once
again to build the Babel tower that
shall lift itself above the clouds of