New-York tribune., 1908-12-10
TREND OF RELIGION
Miss arnold Lectures on ModeT4lfsn'
as Reflected IN NOUets.

r,s1ol+ an6 reoonstructton-revelt against dogma
reconstruction Of religfon-are the main notes ol
the age said Miss Ethel N. Arnold IN her ieOtuio
on 1.-The Religious Novel, at the League lol
itical Education. No. q West 44th street yesae-
morning Robert Elsmere." Gustav Frenssehs
..I5uIigenter" the italian novel I'll santo ana
books Of like character reflect, she said' what the
world is thinking and the reason OF Ronert Eis-
mere's' success was that 1t expressed "ha' ~
been passing through mems minds.
.,T,,e sa,oTa+ion of Church and State in France.
.he said IN speaking of modern Catholicism mas
very much diminished the recruits for the priest
hood It is thing to be priest IN a chuIeil sup
norted by the state; It is quite another to De a
priest in g church depending on the contributions
of ifs members And the spirit Of modernism IS
abroad among the Catholics of this generation ana
it foreshadows the diminution Of Catholicism To-
morrow
Turning Italy. she said;
There is pathos and there Is tragedy in the posi-
tjon Of the nlodernist Cathoc-clingng with all the
roots of his being to the mother Church Whie inc
spirit Of the age calls him onward Gan W .le
Church hold such men? Hardly. 1t is not posSiO1e
to admit truth by the door when the front por
tails are closed think the situation IN Italy Is eA
rressed bv two spectacles I witnessed there one
was religious procession in Rome. "atciied It
the Bishop in his robes. all the splendid PaSeaLlry
Of faith about him; and turned away feellng thae
I looking upon the death throeS u ei'''
idea ,.
1.-The other spectacle was a great meet Of Italian
athletic clubs in Venice Thousands Of men ana
bows were there and never have received such ai
impression Of vigor of body and mind Inc hlis
arrived; the bugle blew; they marched on their
way eyes looking out fearlessly to the futuTe-Oe
hind them the deathess past The spirit OF grown
is in ItaIy-but it is not in the Catholic Chufch-
In England liberal beliefs have taken strong root
Miss Arnold said, in many men and women "4tiii
the confines of the Established Church She COLE
pared utterances Of the Archbishop with those Oh
the Pope. the sweet reasonabieness OF LalnOetn t
compared with the magnificent insanity OF the
Vatican she called it.
But the broadening Of sentiment among LiIs
Church people shotld be accompanied sne aooeo'
'.by q broadening Of the ordination vows
What Is the reason Of all this unrest? PROFESSOR
Berkeley, the English critic says that If the cause
Of Christianity fails IL will be because Chrsts 1oI-
lowers have grown fainthearted. Well, civlllza-
ton which has resulted in the fierce lndiV1duaIlsn
of to-day deserves to have some stones thrown az
IT. but If one believes in human nature one must
believe that there is something deficient IN the
ethics on which that civilization Is founded
still when the gods Of the past are gone there
will survive God in every blade Of grass in every
flower in every star in every struggling human
soul"
on Wednesday, the 18th. Miss Arnold Will give
at the league some of her personal recoections OF
her grandfather. DR.. Thomas Arnold, OF Rugby.