The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1917-04-05
The Bible in Literature.

To THE EDITOR OF The JOURNAL:
Here we have the fountain source of oil
literature, sparkling spring gurgling
out of the earth on the eastern continent.
Its waters have flowed to the uttermost
parts of the earth. And when speaker
takes an audience to the spring and says
''Here is the place where all must drink,
for the outgoing water becomes so con-
taminated as to be decidedly injurious, !"
we do not wonder that those who have
found very pure water in other places,
get sleepy. The fountain spring is good
in its place, but the stream below is USE
full in many ways as for power and navi-
cation. There is no doubt that Bible
writer's were one with the creative spirit
of the universe and thereby acquired
from creative sources thoughts beneficial
to themselves and the people who read
of their experience.
But it cannot with truth be said that
the Bible writer's were more fully direct
ed by the Divine spirit than the producer
of steam engine, and large part of
the Christian world is beginning to recog-
nize this fact. Religious fanatics who
would confine religion within the lids of
the Bible, or within the four walls of the
sanctuary, are the greatest enemies of
Christianity.
DR.. Batten of Philadelphia, who as
secretary OF a federation of more than
thirty Christian denominations recently
spoke in Seattle in behalf of social well
fare work made social welfare work
as essential to Christian life as prayer.
OF course as social worker he was
intensely interested in the places of abode
from which the thousands Of innocent
American children come to the juvenile
courts to be sentenced to a brief stay in
some house of correction, only to be re-
turned to their former habits of life.
The comforts of home they never knew,
except during their brief stay at tie re-
formatory. The reformatory should be
abolished and in its place home should be
established for the children. Such
work would be true prayer, clothed in
material form. 1t is high time that peo-
pie should go about their own work in
stead of eternally imploring God to do it
for them.
These who think to handle the problems
of today by methods adapted to primeval
ages are so many useless weights i'm
peding the progress of society. Luther
thought to reform the church, but sue
ceeded in simply establishing new rill
from the same fountain, and later in life
decided that no one beside himself should
attempt similar work; but, like Paul of
old, thought all should follow him as he
followed Christ. Paul was not the first
man thinking himself in the direct pro-
cession leading from Christ to futurity.
We read in the history of the disciples of
those performing miracles in the name
of Christ. Other disciples reported the
matter to the Master, adding and 1--WE
forbade them because they followed not
u.s." But the response was ''Forbid
them not, for those not against US, are
for u.s."
Again we have given as Christian
graces, "faith, hope and charity, but
the greatest of these is charity" Faith
to many is simply the realization of the
existence of divinity as the origin of
nature. To others. it is belief in the
fallacy that the wrath of Divinity is ap-
peased by sacrifice. Out of this fallacy
grew asceticism. Faith in Its fullness is
confidence in the fullness of natures
laws. But we are told that charity is
greater than any form of faith. And
what is charity? Charity is an attempt
to view the matter from the other fell
lows view point. We know that the
picture of building looks very different
when taken from an opposite side or
even different angle, that is the reason
whycharity is emphasized. Charitywould
end all war. 1t would enable those of
opposing views to work together in har
mony, for they would realize that they
simply possessed opposite sides of the
same great fact.
The public demand that the teacher
and preacher be a sort of fountain of
living waters, which he showers down
upon the people. There is tendency
toward inactivity on the part of the ma
jority and there are always those who
are willing to work for money. Hence
both education and religion are carried
forward more by proxy than is for the
benefit of the world. In former ages
society imposed the death penalty upon
those who would radically change the
trend of human conduct.
Facts of science, like the prevention
of yellow fever, have cost the benefac-
tors of our race their lives. There is OPP
position to change or progress in all the
walks of life. Moses gave good school
boys account of the creation of the
earth, which has been elaborated but not
contradicted by modern science. Modern
sociology learns many valuable lessons
from the early domestic life of the Jews.