The Washington herald., 1907-04-01
CRITICS MUST BE IMPARTIAL.
Paul c. ohamb berIsin Repiies 10 Ar
raigBqr OF crapsey.

Editor The Washington Herald;
IN your Sunday issue Of March u you
printed a letter from j. 3. \. Berry in
criticism of A. S. Crapsey and his kind.
Though ! do not intend to offer argu-
mentative opposition to Mr.. Berry's con
tentlon, yet his article leads me to ask
the privilege OF few lines whereiH 10
point out fundamental which he seems
10 have omitted.
II is undesirable, whatever our personal
views on the divinity OF Jesus. or the ac-
tuai performance OF miraeles may be,
tbat II we look az the matter impartiaIiy
and IN sober thought, we are brought 70
the conclusion that such furious attacks
as have been made upon ChTistianity-or
as Mr. Berry well says. "Churchianity
hy such ass the Crapseys. the Ingersolis.
the Paines. ana the Bradlaughs many
times do more harm than good.
IF "Chgrchianity adopt the eXcel-
lent worlds in need Of criticism. such
criticism u IL is 10 gain the appreciation
Of sane and radical thinkers. must be
the work Of scholars of absolute honesty
Of purpose. Of absolute sincerity. and
must be done IN spirit absolutely inn
partial and with due regarC for the SEN
sinihtles Of others-i e.. by such thinkers
as strauss Renan, Huxley, Spencer, &c.
The moment criticism Of a religion Is seen
10 be imbueG with Vindictiveness and IN
tolerance it only angers its adherents
and therein loses its weight and does
more harm than good
But iH ali this il seems tC me We
are making a mountain out OF a mole
hill. No one. whatever the view held on
certain trdnscendeut questions. can deny
the value of so pure and altruistic a
system Of ethics as that promulgated by
Jesus Of Nazareth. Though there may
be little within it's confines that is new
or original yet clothed as it is in the
beautiful poetic imagery Of the Bible. #
stands as probably the nobiest and pur-
est ethical code yet given 10 spiritual
man.
This. then. Is the essence Of the matter
We recognize the value Of such a system.
We recognize that the experience OF man
kind teaches that only by adherence 20
( s9iac such code can We hope to progress
toward ultimate happiness, we recognize
its tTuth--What matter, then. the question
of the divinity or n0ndiYinity OF its pro-
mulgator2 Truth is its own excuse.
Magma est veritas et praevale5it -
other ethical teachers Of the world have
succeeded tn establishing systems in
many NhAH-lu litf-4t original lut ilAe-tte AN-
lifting that Of Christianity. and they have
done so without the arrogatsoE 10 them
selves of divinity, or the aid Of the super
natural These systems stand to-day. and
claim more adherents than does Chris
tianity. ] am thinking Of such as Buddha
and Confucius. To be sure their present
forms are Tar removed from the purity
and austerlty Of their founders. bat is
/ TIE present "Churehianity' any less Far
removed
Sir. Berry well says that what is needed
{ is a return 10 the original f0uHt. AS for
the sayings Of Christ which Mr. Berry
quotes we must bear ia mind that many
another religious enthusiast has made Ike
utterauces. and has come TO firmly be-
/ !ieYe I'm them himself. Is there any evil
dcnce that Mahomet was not just as sin
/ eere IN his belief In his divine mission,
or that Alexander the Great did not
succeed in deceiying himself with the
idea that be was a son of the God Men
non?
We cannot but be happy. and We cannot
but help make others so If We adhere TO
so noble a precept as that of the Golden
Rule ID is. I humbly believe. the noblest
utterauce in any tongue and age, and IS
equally and eternally true whether Ut
tered by a Hesiod ia 30 b. c.. a Con
fuc:us in $40 b. C.. an Aristotle In so
b. c.. a Piipay In COO b. C.. or by the
great Nazarene only about 900 years ago.
PAUL C. CHAMBERLAIN.