The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-21
DEITY EXISTS
IS TESTIMONY
OF SCIENTIST
Not a Creature of CreedS, but
Father of Race, Declares
DR.. Schurman.
TABERNACLE THR0NGED
TO HEAR EDUCATOR
SPEAKER TRACES DEVELOP
MENT OF MODERN RE-
LIGIoUs THOUGHT.

An audience which filed the taber-
nacle to its utmost seating capacity
attended the afternoon conference OF
the Ensign stake yesterday to listen to
an address by DR.. Jacob Gould Schur-
man, president of Cornell university,
and one of Americas foremost schol-
ars The service at the tabernacle yes
terday was made notable by the pres
ence of Mr.. Schurman, and a splendid
musical program was given, feature
being the singing by the choir of Cor
nelrs famous college song, Our Alma
Mater"
President Schurman delivered a
lengthy address on the topic. THE De-
velopment of Religious Thought" the
keynote of which was expressed in the
new liberation regarding the various
beliefs.
After saying in his introductory re-
marks that the citizen is in fact the
citizen of three republics. those of the
United States, the republic of right
eousness, in itself the kingdom of God,
and the republic OF science and letters,
Mr.. Schurman read article IL of the
Articles of Faith of the Church of Je-
sus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
I'VE claim the privilege of worship
ping the Almighty God according to
the dictates of our own conscience, and
allow all men the same privilege, let
them worship how, where or whom they
may"
This principle, the speaker thought,
formed the basis of the advanced and
modern religious belief. He held that
the great Cromwell had been of this
belief, and that the same belief had
been the inspiration of the Puritans.
THE Puritans more than 800 years
ago." he sad, undertook in England
a gigantic task Puritanism sent a
king to the scaffold and proposed to
establish a free government. 1t got
rid of law, the despot of the church,
and had for its purpose If not absolute
freedom of Worship. at least liberation.
The work proved more difficult than
! had been anticipated. 1t was found
difficult to build up a free republic. and
| although they succeeded in giving Eng
land good government, they failed TO
| lay the foundations for a free repre-
sentative government.
But even in the Puritan movement
Mr. Schurman found that absolute free
dom of religious worship was the main
object; it was rather more to dethrone
Episcopalism and enthrone Presby-
terianism. But the effect of the move
ment was to bring about religious free
dom. and the first sect which pro-
claimed it was perhaps the most de-
spised of all sects, the Baptists."
To John Milton, the great poet, Mr..
Schurman ascribed much of the credit
for the awakening of the movement
for freedom of religious thought. Mil
ton had not only been the defender OF
the English speaking people in the at
tacks made upon them. but had also
made the way for modern social the
cries.
i have thought" Mr.. Schurman said,
that we might prOfitably survey the
development of religious thought by
commencing with the great name OF
Milton, the three hundredth anniver-
sary of whose birth we have just ceie-
brated. for Milton was the exponent
of the theology of his time. and. what
is more, Miiton's theology through the
influence of his poetry, especially Para
disc Lost has Influenced the English
speak king people almost as much as the
English Bible itself"
Influence of Physical Science.
Suggesting that he did not wish to
expound any theory, but rather to in
dictate the changes in religious thought
occurring since Miltons time, Mr.
Schurman said:
Were I asked to name the one cir
cumstance that has most profoundly
influenced and modified religious belief
in the past several generations, 7
would sum it in the one word physical
science The thought and knowledge
which have revolutiOnized the ideas of
the modern world come in through the
gateway of physical science
Research in astronomy had upset
many Of the older theories, and today
some of the religious doctrines which
are resOrted to and believed in. one