The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-08-05
gin of Brookiine, Mass, DR.. F. B. Aus
tin of Rochester, n Y, and Mrs. Minerva
A. Barwise of Bangor. Mrs. Mary An
CRITICISE NEW CREED
President Eliots Views Meet With Cool
Reception.
WASHINGTON, D. c. PASTORS COMMENT.

Washington, D. c., Evening Start
President Eliot's views on new reli
gion, as outlined in his address at the
Harvard Summer School of Theology,
have created considerable interest among
clergymen of this city. Opinions on the
principles announced in the address vary
widely. Rev. DR.. Ulysses G. B. Pierce,
pastor of All Souls Unitarian Church,
which President Taft attends, said:
There is nothing new except the head
lines in the address Of DR.. Eliot. The
religion he discusses has been the reli-
gion of all sensible people for all time.
They may differ somewhat as to details,
but if you take the first thousand persons
you meet in the street you will find that
most of them really think as be does
about religion. -
Rev. DIR. S. V. Leech, a retired clergy
man of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and who was chaplain of the New York
State legislature when former President
Roosevelt was member, sad: ''Dr.
Eliot's system of new religion is an
attack on almost every cardinal doctrine
of the New Testament and of popular
Christian theology. In itself 1t is a
weak and absurd theory. But because
of his great personal influence, his i'm
mense educational ACHIEVEMENTS, his mag
nifcent moral character and the fact
that President Taft offered him the post
of ambassador to Great Britain, his
assault on the great dogmas held sacred
by the Roman Catholic and Protestant
churches will prove very dangerous to
the present faith of young men. So
many secular university professors are
undermining the old Christian creeds
that the bishops and priests of the Ro-
man Catholic Church and the pastors of
Protestant churches are everywhere
pleading with their people to have their
sons educated at their denominational in
stitutions'
Rev. DIR. William 7. Russell, pastor of
St. Patrick's Church, voiced the senti-
ments of the Catholic clergy of the city:
He said:
president Eliot is not the first since
Jesus Christ to design new religion.
| will tell story that fits the case. A
famous man once presented to Talley-
rand the great French statesman, a
plan for new religion which would sat
isfy all the aspirations of man and cure
all the ills of the time. After reading
over the plan Talleyrand said: Your
plan is perfect, with one slight exception.
1t needs just one thing to make it the
religion OF the world.
THE man was hattered at what the
statesman sad, and asked what was nee
essary to perfect his plan. There is but
one thing for You to do. You must die
for your principles and rise again on the
third day. Then you will have world
religion
1T is rather surprising said Father
, Russell, that DR.. Eliot, the head of one
i &c l1oJino- rbo,1l1
! have informed himself in regard to a
point of Catholic doctrine which even the
I most ignorant Catholic and many in
: formed Professionals understand. If he
/ has been quoted correctly, he said that in
the Catholic church the incense was the
sacrifice. This is not true. On more
! solemn occasions we use incense in the
mass as means of devotion, but it is no
/ more essential to the sacrifice than the
! pictures, images or decorations in the
, church.
Rev. Dr. Abram Simon of the Wash.
! ington Hebrew Congregation said: CDR
! Eliot's new religion is after all not re-
| ligion at all. 1t is rationalism and physi-
cal culture. 1t is impossible to have a
religion without authority, because reh-
gion in it's very nature implies some au-
thority higher than the human. Ii God
has any place in the new religion, and it
cannot be religion without God, then
He must represent some power higher in
authority than man.
Farther than this | see nothing new
in Dr. Eliot's suggestions. All of us who
have the interests of our fellow-men at
heart can join hands with every one else
who is striving for the uplift of human
ity, and, with mutual hospitality and tol-
GRAFTON for each others views, aid in
making the brotherhood of man posi-
tive reality"