The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-20

kind, became prevalent; that is. he stood
 in fear of associating with others, and so there gradually appeared those abodes or retreats known as monasteries, into which men betook themselves from their fellows, and this, contrary to Jesus prayer in John XVII: 'I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou Ishouldst keep them from the devil' In connection with this pie ture Of fear as a means of salvation there arose what are known in history IS the Morality Plays, the main feature of which was to frighten men away from hell and frighten them Ifto heaven. With in the past p years an attempt was made in the United States to revive the Nor ality Plays; and one recalls the rendition in various cities of a play known as ''Everyman, with all it's ghastly and hor- rible scenes. The age, however, had ad- vanced too far in right thinking to en- courage this sort of teaching. The ap- peal of that play was altogether to the element of fear.
 In the later middle ages some European artists were busy with the brush, paint ing. in various places pictures known as the Dance of Death. In the old covered bridge, across the Swiss river at Lucerne, one finds nearly half a hundred such paintings, on the large triangular panels; and these represent the most notable of all the paintings known as the Dance of Death. Their purpose was to inspire fear lin the thought of all who saw them. Be- ginning with infancy. passing through youth and manhood, and embracing every business and every profession of man, the panels represent various individuals busy and happy with the affairs of life, while near at hand. unseen by them, is tl,a rrl ,ctlxr fiat nf Q al These came to be regarded as series of religious paintings, intended to lay pail of fear over every human scene and to remind men constantly of the one ene- my that all feared and to teach them that eventually he would become their master. The great movement known Tn history as the Reformation did away with the worst eatures of this practice, and yet it survived in hymns, poems sermons and funeral orations of the Reformation period; and these are still accompani- ments of a great many services and ser mons in modern orthodox churches. What inspiration, for instance. can one find in a hymn beginning on this wise:
 Soon as the infant draws it's breath
 At once spring up the seeds of death.
 or this:
 There is a time we know not when,
 A point we know not where,
 That marks the destiny of men
 To glory or despair.
 One does not care to advertise some modern preachers by mentioning names but they should certainly cease rom making these terrible word pictures ana claiming them to be efficacious as means If Sniritual growth
 Materia Medica has also added US contribution to the element or Tear exercised over mankind; but It may be said. and said truthfully, that the pictures drawn by materia meoica III the dark ages were neither so huliier- . ous nor so fear-inspiring as those traced by theology. This is because the medical men in the middle ages, while familiar with the outward form of man. had not yet acquired sufti- ciently accurate knowledge of anatomy and physiology to enable them 10 paint the horrible pictures of so- called diseased organs of the body which descriptions are found, too often, in magazines, papers and charts of modern days.
 A medical diagnosis of any so-called disease. given either verbally or in writing, is mental picture which the frightened human mind, unaided, finds it impossible to cast out. It is little less than crime against chill dren and even older people to display to them the horrible condition of dis eased organs of the body and then after a diagnosis declare that individ- uals are suffering from such diseases. This is wilderness of fear from which many fail to emerge. Christian Science is practically the only church which is combating this evil today. and deserves the aid of all fathers