Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1909-05-20
THE COMING STRUGGLE

An article In the May COSmopol-
itan entitled BLASTING at the Rock
of Ages" has been attracting the
newspapers in particular have been
crying, 81 told you So This article
which discusses and quotes doctrines
which are being taught at the uni
versities of this country is really
worth the reading of every thoughtfu!
person in Grand Rapids.
| The article is interesting, not alone
for it's contents, but because it shows
that the people of the United States
are becoming thoroughly aroused to
one great fact. T hey realize that
thoughts are important. They realize
| that thoughts are the most import
ant things in the world, because it
is thoughts which produce words, &C
tons, and character. About three
thousand years ago Solomon re-
marked, 'tAs a man thinketh in his
heart, so is he.'' eve, the people
of the United States are now COM
ing to the conclusion that this is
true.
We stand on the eve of a new era
in the world of thought. Many signs
such as the articles in the current
magazines, the general tendency in
the churches, the efforts at improv-
ing city government show that
the human heart is asking with
new insistence, Lord, what shall
do to be sayed?" Like a little child
rea ching in the dark for the hand of
it's father, mankind is reaching out
for that Hand, always extended to
help and bless. Yet side by side
with the new religious aspiration
there is growing another spirit which
is very different. This is a spirit
of religious doubt or denial popular
ly called Rationalism. This class of
doubters are called rationalists not
because they are rational, but be-
cause they are Orrationally de-
termined to be rational. Misdirected
Reason run mad, expresses Rational
ism at it's worst. AS Chesterton so
cleverly puts it, 'the man who will
not listen to reason and the man who
will not listen to anything else, are
the most reasonable philosophy is
the Christian philosophy because
it is more than reasonable. 1t is
reasonable and emotional and spirit
ual and physical and supernatural
like the human beings for whom it
was made.
| However, the spirit of sO-called
Rationalism is hard at work tear
ing down what Christianity, through
long centuries has been slowly build
ing up. We all know how much less
time it takes to destroy than to build
The danger which Mr.. Boyce points
out in his article is very real and
very present. thoughts will produce
actions Many thoughts propounded
! by rationalistic thinkers, if put in
practice, would bring the doer into
state prison. In our universities
there are some men who talk strong
! ly concerning government, home,
right and wrong, suggesting and
sometimes even propounding doc
trines which they themselves would
never attempt to follow out, yet
which doctrines would very probably
have a bad influence upon the ideas
and consequent actions of their pu-
pills.
No one would wish to interfere with
the right of man to believe dan
gerous doctrines. No one would wish
to interfere with the right of a man
to collect a menagerie of lions. But
when the owner of the lions lets
them run at large endangering the
public, the public will object and
make him STOP When the owner OF
dangerous thoughts scatters them
at large endangering the public, the
public of today, knowing the import
ance Of thoughts, must make him
stop. 1t is time for Christians to
unite in the struggle against Ration
alism. This is the point at issue.
Shall rationalistic ideas concernin!
God, Right, Government, Social Re
lations, ETC., guide the actions Of the
next generation or shall Christianity
guide? One or the other must soon
prevail.
BESSIE GAYNOR.