Blue-grass blade. [volume] (Lexington, Ky.) 188?-19??, 1908-05-31


ately loses a SOUL and christ saves it,
and neither consults the person, then 1t
doesn't make any vital difference whether
you are Judas or Paul. If one is saved to
the future by his own effort and the laws
of the universe, it does not make an atoms
difference, whether christ is historical or
mythical. If one is saved by belief, then
morality is only little ripple on the sur
face. Your good life wouldn't save you.
Your bad life couldn't lose you. This is the
logic of the position"
Dancing is yet prohibited by the Methodist
church authorities and secretly INDUCED in
by members Of the Methodist churches.
While realizing the situation, intensely, the
conference refused to repeal the prohibition
church law, well knowing that young
Iethodists would continue to violate that
law, and no action be taken against them.
Naturally, the average Methodist shrinks
from taking a forward step, or adopting
new law that would bring his church abreast
with the times. Orthodoxy is always retro
gressive. It appears, however, that the
bishops of the church taking part in that
conference, were. to man, in favor OF
repeating the law and that the lay members
were against 1t. In other words, the bishops,
who know the situation, were in favor of
liberalization. The lay members who also
know the situation, were not in favor of
removing these shackles from the limbs OF
the younger generation. Whenever
church law is not considered to be binding
and is kept on the books just for the sake
of trying to fool somebody, the tendency Is
to put all church laws in contempt so long
as it stands unrepealed and not enforced.
Then what becomes of the church? dead
letter law cannot add to its influence and
glory. Such a condition very readily sug-
gests that while the church demands one
thing and its members openly practice
H. Il, IAoo To,
aught In condemnation, but timidly wink
the other eye, 1t has reached stage of
harmless disuse and can be dispensed with
as q factor in human organization. What is
true of the Methodist church is true of every
other church standing in precisely the same
attitude upon questions of individual dis
cipline From this we may infer that the
end is rapidly drawing nigh.
II any among the so-called "modernists"
ever dreamed or entertained the notion that
the attitude of Cardinal Newman upon
scholastic issues would be dspleasing to
the pope, their notions are now shown to be
at variance with the facts and their dreams
must, perforce, be dispelled. Cardinal New
man is not a modernist. HIS theology Is
safe and sane. He Is In high links with the
vatican and American Catholics are In no
danger of being shut out by reason OF their
ALLEGIANCE to him. This much Is given by
the pope In person, who, In recent COM
munication on the subject expressed wish
that all Roman Catholic prelates were as
sound in their theological doctrines as Cardi-
nal Newman. The pope even goes further
and declares that Newman's enemies could
profit by reading and adopting his views.
This is bully for Cardinal Jim. Now that
he knows he is not to be condemned or
accommodated he ought to manifest a
great increase in his religious fervor. With
the pope for him he cannot miss the New
Jerusalem special and 1t would even wait
for him should he be late In reaching the