The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-11-11
By Winston Churchill.
OF Orchard Carved" The
Crisis" and Many Other Novels
OF Worldwide Popularity.


"A have our Lords example
of how to live here.
III we could be sure, said
Eleanor, "just what that example
meant"
Holder was silent a moment
"You mean that you cannot ac-
cept what the Church teaches about
his life? he asked.
|. mo, l can't, she faltered. ~ GU
have helped me to say II. u want
! 20 have the Churchs side better eN-
: plained--that's why Pm here She
glanced up at him, hesitatingly,
with a puzzled wonder, such posi-
tive, dynamic representative of that
teaching did he appear. "And my
husband can't--so many people l
know can't Mr.. Holder. Only
some of them don't mention the
fact. They accept IT, And you say
things with such "A certainty
she paused.
at know" he replied. IL know.
e. shave felt it since ! have come
a iere more than ever before. He did
~. 1t add that he had felt it particu-
). larry about her, about her husband;
, nor did he give voice to his instinc-
, siv9 conviction that he respected
! and admired these two more than
\ hun led others whose protested
ortn ioxy was without flaw.
"what is it in particular he
asked, troubled, that you cannot
accept? 1 Will do my best to help
YOU"
"welr&she hesitated again.
! please continue to be frank he
begged.
so MATERIAL.
~ can't believe in the doctrine or
the virgin BIRTH" she responded in
q low voice; "it seems to me So
so material And ! feel ] am stat
ing a difficulty that many have,
MIR. Holder. Why should it have
been thought necessary for God
to have departed from what Is
really a sacred and sublime fact in
nature. to resort to a material proof
in order to convince doubling
humanity that Jesus was His son?
.'Oughtn't the proof of Christs
essential Godship to lie in his life,
to be discerned by the spiritual;
and wasn't he continually rebukinG
those who demanded material
proof? The very acceptance OF a
material proof, it seems to me, is a
denial of faith, since faith ceases TO
have any worth whatever the mo-
ment the demand for such proof Is
gratified. knowledge puts faith
out of the question. for faith to me
means trusting on spiritual
ground.
8 And surely the acceptance OF
! scriptural statements like that OF
y he miraculous birth without in
" estigation is not faith--it Is mere
'e. -edulity. If Jesus had been born
~ a miraculous way the disciples
|" lust have known it. Jesus must
'e ave known it when he heard the
answer 4 must be about my fathers
business and their doubts are I'M
explained"
II see you have been invcstigat-
ing" said the rector.
Yes" replied Eleanor, with an
unconscious shade Of defiance, "peo-
pie want to know Mr.. Hodder--they
want to know the truth. And If you
consider the preponderance of the
evidence Of the Gospels themselves
my brotber-in-law says-you Will
find that the miraculous birth has
very little to stand on.
Take out the first two chapters
OF Matthew and Luke, and the rest
of the four Gospels practically con-
tradict it. The genealogies differ,
and they both trace through Joseph
II think people suffer in these
days from giving roo much weight
10 the critics of Christianity" said
the rector, "from not pondering
more deeply on its underlying
truths. DO not think that l am &C
cusing you of superficiality, Mrs.