Evening star., 1925-12-06

7 WAS brought up in the rigorous
creed of English Puritanism. l
am grateful for it, as / believe
i that PuritaniSm offers Il firm
basis for building up strong.
solid and sincere character. / was
forced to read and study the Bible
constantly, and on this count also
acknowledged an immense debt to
Puritanism, for beautiful and deeply
human books have been my classics.
But I am equally grateful that / was
able to make an early escape from
Puritanism. TIL I was 90 I accepted,
almost without question. the creed
that | had been taught. | had never
been what my co-religionistS called
Converted for there is no need
in my nature for crude and luscious
spiritual experience. I kept a hard
belief in the Cast-iron dogmaS that had
been hammered into my head all
through my childhood.
Drawn Into Controversy
The business 1 was engaged in al
lowed me long stretches of leisure,
and | was a wide and diligent reader
Science and poetry I loved most, but
: read a good deal of fiction. No
thoughtful man in those wears could
avoid being drawn into the currents
of controversy between tn" new pro-
nouncenentS OF science and orthodox
Christianity.
| eagerly examined the arguments
on both sides and was SWayed toward
Darwin, Huxley and Mill. l carefully
studied Herbert Spencer's synthetic
Philosophy" 1t has largely influenced
my after thinking. Though philo-
sophie thought has moved aside from
Herbert Spencer. he remains a clear,
solid thinker and a sure corrective to
The wild. loose fallacies of Socialism.
I read the leading apologists of that
day with Il strong reaction of dissent.
Newman | received gladly, with S@nSi-
tive delight in the moldS of his Ian
gua@e, with great admiration for his
dialectiC. with wonder 10 see this fine
high soul entangling itself III naive
credulities and with not a particle Of
agreement in his main positive con
CluSionS.
Inspired by Arnold.
But he who chiefly propped my
mind and steered my course in those
days was Matthew Arnold. I may
gratefully dwell upon the memory Of
my close friend, the Rev. T. w.
Chignell, the Unitarian minister at
Exeter, a cousin of Mark Rutherford.
although he had, thrown away all
dogma, his was one of the most
religious minds that ] have held in
communion. Together we found
great religious support in Matthew
Arnold. II today l Were asked for
the clearest expression OF my relig-
ious belief $50 far as l have a be-
lief that can be formulated) | should
find it in that long, coura geous song
of Empedocles with its final note:
say: Fear not Life still
Leaves human effort scope.
But since life teens with i'll
Nurse no eXtravagant hope.
Because thou must not dream. thou
needest not then despair.
Arnold constantly sends out the
loftiest and most invigorating relig
ious strains and impulses. Those who
are doubling and baftied may go TO
him for help. He will not offer them
Il hard, definite creed. but he will
spiritually fortify them. He is not
FOR those who seek an anodyne but
for those who need q tonic to brace
them to endurance. Arnold is the
surest and strongest and most fear
less religious teacher of our time
We can lean upon him and face the
darkness with him.
Entered the Cave of Doubt.
Tennyson and Browning never
went through the darkness. They
saw the deep black caye that opened
before mankind when orthodox
Christianity shook and cracked un-
der the assaults of science. They
entered the cave of doubt. made ex
tensive excursion in it. and came
back reporting that on the whole it
was better to abide safely on this
side in the comfort of cheerful and
spacious Eeneralities. Matthew Ar
mold did go fearlessly right through
the darkness and came out on the
other side, strengthened and as
Sured.
Since those years in the 70s,
when to the best of my power L
diligently searched into the truth
of these things. / have never been
able to accept the dogmas of ortho-
dox Christianity. Not even to save