Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-09-04

/ offer no apology for speaking upon
a religious theme, for it is the most
universal of all themes. If | addressed
YOU upon the subject of law, 1 might
interest the lawyers. If | discussed
the science of medicine, | might inter
est the physicians. In like manner
merchants might he interested in a
talk on commerce and farmers in a
discussion of agriculture. But none of
these subjects appeals to all. Even the
science of government, though broader
than any profession or occupation.
does not embrace the whole sura of
life, and those who think upon it differ
so among themselves that | could not
speak upon the subject so as to please
part without offending others. While
to me the science of government is in
tensely absorbing, l recognize that the
most important things in life lie out
side of the realm of government and
that more depends upon what the indi-
vidual does for himself than upon what
the government does or can do for
him. Men can be miserable under the
best government, and they can be
happy under the worst government.
Government affects but part of the
life which we live here and does not
touch at all the life beyond, while re-
ligion touches the infinite circle of ex-
istence as well as the small arc of that
circle which we spend on earth. No
greater theme, therefore, can engage
our attention.
Man is religious being. The heart
instinctively seeks for a God. Man is
essentially devout.
There are honest doubters whose
sincerity we recognize and respect, but
occasionally l find young men who
think it smart to be skeptical. They
talk as if it were an evidence of larger
intelligence to scott at creeds and re
fuse to connect themselves with
churches. They call themselves lib
eral,' as if a Christion were narrow
minded. To these young men l desire
to address myself.
Religion the Basis of Morality.
Even some older people profess tc
regard religion as superstition, par
donable in the ignorant, but unworthy
of the educated, mental state which
one can and should Outgrow. Those
who hold this view look down with
mild contempt upon such as give tC
religion a definite place in theil
thoughts and lives. They assume an
intellectual superiority and often take
little pains to conceal the assumption
Religion has been defined as the re
lation which man fixes between him
self and his God and morality as the
outward manifestation of this relation
Every one by the time ne reaches ma
turity has fixed some relation between
himself and God, and no material
change in this relation can take place
without a revolution in the man, foI
this relation is the most potent infiu
+ ence that acts upon a human life.
Religion is the basis of morality in
the individual and in the group of in
dividuals. Materialists have attempted
to build up a system of morality upon
the basis of enlightened self interest
They would have man figure out by
mathematics that it pays him to alb
stain from wrongdoing; they would
even inject an element of selfishnes.
into altruism. But the moral system
elaborated by the materialists has sew
eral defects. First, its virtues are Dor
rowed from moral systems based upor
religion. Second, as it rests upon argu
ment rather than upon authority i
does not appeal to the young. and by
ME time the young are able to follow