The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-01
PROTESTANTlSM A THOUGHT . STlMULAT0R Some Illuminating Comment on Its Main Features Here
 Given. Rev. Dr. smyth's Stirring Ser mon on the Passing
 of It.

Rev pr. Newman Smyths sermon in New Haven on The Coming Catholicism and the Passing of 1 Professionalism has caused some stir in Connecticut, where the news paper reports of it have been crou- lated; but wherever it might be read, it would surely provoke discussion and stimulate thought The full text of the sermon is not at hand, only a co., umn abstract printed in The New Haven Journal-Courier having travel ed this distance from pr. Smyth's .pul- pit. Doubtless the sermon will gain much wider circulation in an un- abridged form. through the weekly denominational press or within the covers of a pamphlet
 The impression we get of the ser mon is that it's sensational" feature i is very candid and unqualified con fession by a. leading Protestant divine that Professionalism is no longer nov l ing under its own steam. that it is l slowing up with its distinctive work i accomplished. Its crowning achieve ment, which is the firm establishment of the spiritual liberty of the individ- ual, can never be undone; but to consider Protestantism as the final and highest phase of the Christian religion were intrinsically to the most obvious facts of our own time. Hlth- erto, Dr. Smyth points out, Protestant i ism has had two important phases of which the first was the age of protest against the one great church then ex- isting, and the second was the age of construction of new churches and creeds This second phase is now ended. The separatist tendency has exhausted itself, and for two or three l 2 generations ereeds have tended to be dlsintegrated rather than integrated. There is no novelty in these facts
 Many other Protestant clergymen have observed them and called atten- ton to them Dr Smyth may be more blunt in his discussion than the others, and thus he commands the more attention.
 pr. Smyth's criticism of Protestant- i ism, however, does not stop there. He l condemns II as incapable of furnishing
 from within itself the new Catholicism
 which is to unite Christendom. In having lost it's own unity. Protestant. ism has lost the unifying power. The Roman church., says Dr. Smyth
 'once was as a strong cable, one end ! of which was bound to the eternal power and the other end of which was 1 fastened firmly to the whole mechan- 1 ism of human life. It controlled the world, and moved it whither 1t would
 In Protestantsm the rope on its hum an end has frayed out into many threads. No single strand of it is strong enough to move the whole SO cial mechanism; fl Is like so many re i volvings; al best one thread may move n few wheels" The meaning of this Is that Protestantism is to pass away;
 it Is to be merely an element, in com | hination with other elements, of the ultimate religion. It's great contribu-
 ton will be the spiritual freedom ot the individual, and It will carry with lit democracy and science, The spe- cial contribution of the old Catholic. ism. in pr Smyth's view, will bt evidently the wonderful organization and ceremonials of the Roman church
 and it's traditions of historical contin
 uity with the founder of Christianity Dr. Smyth does not seem definite
 enough on this interesting point, bu
 If he is to preserve the Protestan
 freedom of belief and conscience II
 the new Catholicism, along with de
 mocracy and science, not much Is lef
 for the old Roman Catholicism to con
 tribute save what has been mentioned
 Whether such a merger will ever b'
 possible, lt is now needless to inquire
 What is certain is that the presen
 Roman hierarchy shows no signs of en'
 couraging the unity which forms st