The sun., 1916-09-24
MANKIND,S STALENATE.
An Answer 10 DR.. Eaton On Ne Pfog.
ress Of Human 0oclety.

MANkINDS STAkEHATk.
ress Of Hunsn Society.
To mi IIpiroR OF TRs SuN-gr: Dr..
Charles a. Eaton Of the Madison Ave-
nue. Baptist Church said in THs sur
OF August 10 that the great war has
brought about a new ags In human %.
ciety. Tho world IL soon to become,
has already become IN large measure.
more democratic In government, eco
Monies. religion and thought. This ever
increasing democratic movement TO-
gether with tho intellectual concepts
and social impulses which lie IN tho
mind Of Jesus Of Nasareth will euftce
to guide the new 6 to fullest success.
In Christ's spirit IL resident sufhcient
moral energy to impei the whole world
forward on It's long n tragic Journey
toward the complete establishment Of
the kingdom Of God on EARTH"
Over against this view let me pre-
sent the opposite conviction that there
is no force In the world. social. govern.
mental or religious. which can establish
the Kingdom Of God on the earth In IT.
true fulness.
Says Professor q. Frederick wfisht
OF Oberiin "The degeneration Of racer
has been moro apparent than their ad.
vanccmcnt. Tho early stages Of mar
are always better than the later. The
early art Of Babylonia and Egypt was
better h the later. The religious
conceptions Of the FIRST ~dynastiss Of
Egypt were higher than those Of TIRE
last. Al, the later forms Of civilization
shine princiyul1y hy hOrcnunI i~tt VSa,
art and literature we fall far below t,e
past. and draw our models from ANCIENT
Greece and Rome. ana for our belt re-
ligion w still 20 back to the psalm
singers and prophets Of Judea, ana 10
the words Of Him Who spoke IS never
man spake. Democracy has no guides
whom II dares trust implicitly. We
have much reason 20 fear that those We
are following are blind guides leading /,
on to an end which II Is not pleasant
10 contemplate and from which We can
he delivered only by the coming Of the
Son OF Man"
And what 10 the logical Inference"
asks John Lord IN Tho Old Itoman
World" Tho deduction which w are
compelled 20 draw from this n%ournful
history Of the failure Of all those grand
trophies Of the civilization which mnn
has made? Can Il b other thai this:
that man cannot savs himself; tina:
nothing which comes from Rim, whether
OF genius or will. proves 70 be u con.
sentative force from generation to gem
Grafton hat Il will be perverted, how
ever true or beautiful or glorious, be-.
cause men love darkness rather than
tho light"
These two testimonies are based upon
the facts Of history. and are in line with
the teaching Of tho Bible that man.
when no wandera away from God. 10 .
total failure. Under the influence %
the Gospel mems ideas about certain
forms OF evil have been modified. -
that those forms have been hanished
from orr midst; for example. slavery.
political despotism, tho degradation Of
women. human sacrifices and duellirs.
while drink Is being vigorously attacked
hut tho evil nature which gave rise 10
these forms still remains. and manifcsts
itself In other forms. such as child labor.
white slavery. graft. political corrup-
ton. divorce, cornering the market for
the necessities OF life. and all the evil.
Inherent In modern civilization. And
when these forms arc gone. n they ever
are gone. the same subtle. inworkinr
principle will manifest Itself In othere
II may he remembered that as c~iviliza-
ton advances murder. insanity and
suicide increase. There Is as much 81,
in the world to-day as there ever woy
though It's expressions are different. ARD
therefore tho world is as sinfu, ~ over
IL IL essentially no better: its charac,c,
| "a N, Tue ,,a,tn,-
man. NV God sees NJ by a display ~
supernatural power to change u M
Chr'st's second advent. n can be made
mo-" respectable. more pleasant 10 live
In. hut II cannot he made less danycrou.
to the soul. less hurtful To- the splrltua,
lie; u cannot be mad" loss the cncn,,
~ God. Sim disappear: sin remains.
We have an illustration OF Thu. t.,
medicine. Says an authority: "Scvc,
were thcre seen such mastery achieve
rncnte ~ surgery rs In tho nireteen,
century. Never were there known such
hafhing forms of disease az dcvclored
In the nineteenth century"
In view OF all this there n M reasor
WY the war should weaken nnr one'
faith in the truth Of Christianity. Tba,
conflict Is simply the ou,worklnR NJ
SINFUL human nature. ono note nm
through the of Christian mir
listers and neare advocates n. ia 10.
ginning in august. 1914. That va. the
note OF Mortified surprise that s,,ch q
thing coul1 happen. u seemed ,nrrea:-
III" 10 them that after nineteen cer-
turtles of Christian civilization. and esns.
Tally after tho worldwide efforts IA
arbitration. the nations which had en-
joycd that civilization ard ~striycn fo-
that arbitration should now lean n.
each others throats. These mon nae
Taught that evolution along all lima.
had progressed so far that the brother
hood or man was tho most dominant,
doctrine In the world to-day and woul,;
prevent the outbreak Of any such strife
Fut tho war was a shatteriry blow q,
all such decisions and an hi.
argument that human nature is no better
now than in the days OF the Pharaoh.
tth's quite apart from the question Who
was responsible for ~. When IN aetna,
conflict TIE civilized soldier OF modern
times IS more heartless and savage thar
the ~tomahawking Indian. Tho under
sea death dealing torpedo. the poisonou-
gas, the down dropping Zeppelin bomb.
surpass IN 'icndishness anything tina.
less "cultured' ages have produced.
Or. Eaton AMI those who think Ike
him have thus ignored ,he ,n,,b;r-s.,