The Republican journal., 1918-01-17
THINGS THAT ARE NOT SEEN
Much That Cannot Be Explained or
Understood People Have to Look
On From the Outside.

ITO speak frankly, uncle, I can't
bring myself to bank much on world
that's all out of sight" said Howard
Cranston with jaunty decisiveness. II
think I can understand the point Of
view of the Bible-just little, any,
| how. 1t was the natural thing to walk
by faith in those days, for there wasn't
much else you could walk by. The
primitive mind peoples the shadows
with supernatural powers, but science
has let in so much light that there
aren't many shadows left. That's why
| faith seems to me like an anachrOn-
ism. The only way to keep it untouched
is to get back to the old, forgotten
point of view, and look out on the
world just as if nothing had been
learned in the last thousand years or
more"
81 was thinking about Culver this
morning" Doctor Gresham said, and
his nephew raised his eyebrows in
quiringly at the sudden change Of
topic. "There must have been weak
streak in Culver somewhere, although
I was his chum in college four years
and never suspected it. He was one
| of the half dozen fellows in our class
| whom / expected to make their mark
! in the world. He didn't-as you know.
I've talked with some of his intimate
friends, but I've never, been able to dis
cover the reason. And yet there must
| be a reason-one of those subtle, in
| tangible things that seem often to
make or unmake life, but that the
keen probe of science can't quite
reach"
| Il begin to see what you're aiming
in the young voice. "Of course there's
a lot we can't explain or understand.
We're handicapped by having to look
on from the outside"
The doctor nodded.
! "Again," he said, there's a whole
world open to you as an educated man
that has no existence for Jerry Lomax.
It's not only open to you. but you've
entered into it, and. in a measure. pos
sessed it. It's very real to you. and
you've found it engrossing and enjoy
able. You haven't a doubt about this
world of thought, as we may call it,
being just as real as the grosser world
of sense perception. And yet you'd
find it hard to convince Jerry that
there is such thing. The words
| wouldn't mean anything to him. He'd
have to go in at the basement door and
| climb up, step by step, to where you
stand before he'd understand.
| II remember the case of an old lady,
patient of mine, who was as sure Of
the love of God as you are of the law
of gravitation. She'd been a bed-rid-
| den invalid for u years. but she had
lived so close to God that every doubt
| had vanished. She didn't have to get
back to the old, forgotten point of
view, or make a shadow land for her
God to dwell in, or forget the wonder
full things that have happened since
the Bible was written. She just found
| God sometime when she especially
needed him, perhaps, and then kept
close at his side till she came to know
him. l have often thought that Gods
presence was just as real to her as
mine was--possibly more so. That's
when first began to see that was an
outsider. I was a processing Chris
tan, but I hadn't got into the inner
circle"
! zone can't afford to miss a whole
world, and think it isn't there if-if
! the fault is all with his own eyesight,"
the young man replied soberly.-
Youths Companion.