Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1907-05-30

rejection, his stoning the crUciixion,
our children viii build the tombs of
the prophet and garnish the sepulchre
of the righteous. and wonder at our
blindness and our folly Oh foolish
man! must it always be so? Shall we
never recognize the prophet until he
is dead2
I'VE view with equanimity the old
time process of religious thought that
years, bringing truth and knowledge.
should strip earlier man Of what we
call his superstitions, seems to us
now both proper and providential
But remember that he did not call
them 'superstition; they were. sacred
TO him, the hallowed elements OF his
holy religion. And it is proud and
ruthless reading of history and human
hearts to forget the travail and sorrow
of the loss of nymph, oracle, druid,
and god As we look back we see
that 1t was best; but then only the
few leaders freed from bondage to
their day and It's prevailing temper,
could see beyond their day. could join
in shattering popular idols and commit
themselves to the new order.
CAS- with paganism so with Judaism
in its fall. Those who cruclfed the
Christ, stoned Stephen, and prosecuted
Paul. were not all bad men. They
were merely the blind adherents Of
the old order, and they took what
means seeped necessary to preserve
the existing order, and oppose the in
novations. II has become the custom
with US to regard them as peculiarly
reprobate and blind. But that is be-
cause now we see the splendor that
has accomplished Judas fall, They
saw only the impending ruin and the
desolation, hence the sorrow and the
bitterness! It was the world-old
struggle between the old and the
new-the world-old ever.new Worship |
Of the idols OF the cave.
"All progress to our present state
has been over many shattered idols,
once held dear. II we inquire why
progress has been so tragic, we shall
ind the reason in the blind worship
by each man and age and race OF It's
DwR idols OF cave and tribe and
market place, because the attitude
md act OF worship is both grounded
IN. and tends to perpetuate mental
modes which are essentially opposed
% change. These established mental
nodes are commonly lethargy and
ear, and lack OF humility or
and a lack Of faith.
,ethargy rules the mass Of men, who
oat and drink and Herewith are con.
.ent, Fear rules with even wider
way the lninds Of men. and many even
VINO should've leaders in Che march
II progress look to the future big.eyed
With sbme fear Of change. Pride al.
les itself with fear 70 support the
dolls OF the day. and oppose a prog
ess from them to better things. Each
zee and race thinks its way the beat,
nd its creed and practice the oulmi-
iation Of the ages. We are unteach.
BILE either by the lesson Of history or
he prophecy OF hope Considering
NJ time and way the best we are I'm.
silent Of contradiction, and proudly
epudiate the thought OF betterment.
Both fear and pride ind their basis
nd their bulwark IN the lack OF
aith--lack Of that larger, vital,
plendld faith IN the dignity and the
estiny OF men and the goodness and
be glory OF his God We bind men
0 small achievements; ye limit Cod
d time and deeds Called 70 the ,
tops. we dwell IN valleys; .
allied to the palaces Of princes. we
well IN the hovel OF the sIayel
md. alas the tragedy Of ~ We
ream that the darkness, the mlasmic
apor Of the valley IL the glorious
roe air Of the great Am; and We 2
ream that the novels Of our seryi.
ode are palaces n for princes and
ons Of God. Would that some voice :
Iyine might speak 70 our dead faith
nd quicken T. both with the pro2he-
y and the power Of deeds and glory
our dignity and our ODD