Evening star., 1937-02-17
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
BY MARGARET GERMOND.

Mr.. Fulton Oursler, in the title Of his
book, proclaims himself to be skeptic
and, In the, first few chapters, quite
frankly confesses his loss Of faith In the
religion upon which in childhood and
youth he had been taught to rely. Count
less heads may shake in disapproval Of
this candid avowal of disillusionment,
but in all truth there are countless others
who hold the same conviction OF the
futility OF mans struggle to save his
soul from the sins of the world.
Skepticism and non-belief are insep-
arabic companions, infiltrated into the
intellectual ratiocination of man by the
conflict between human experience and
spiritual theory. The resulting emo
tional and mental turmoil is neither un-
natural or uncommon. Youth, crossing
the threshold of maturity, endowed with
the capacity to think and to reason, is
puzzled by the bridgeless chaSm that
separates the blind faith Of inexperience
from the realities of life. Through some
unaccountable lapse of constructive en-
gineering the artisan whose skill and
wisdom should have been deemed in
diSpensable has not been employed.
Youth faces the problem of selecting one
OF only two possible courses. Security
Of faith, serenity of mind and placid
contentment in the known environment
pledge a fair degree of continuity
if the choice should be in favor
OF remaining on the near side. Doubt
and unguessable dangers lie within the
depths of the chasm that must be ira
verSed before the hazardous ledge Of
the far brink is scaled
In the maniacaf speed of New World
civilization, however, there has been
little opportunity for choice. Youth, for
the most part. has been pushed over the
precipice, to perish if weak, to survive
IL strong. Fanciful ideals, threadbare
platitudes and chimerical promises of
SteadfaSt support in hours of trial have
proved to be as helpful as poor relations
when put to the test Small wonder,
then, that those who conquer the perilous
chaSm and the steep cliff of the far
side are prone wearily to count their
scars and to take stock of the remnants,
if any, of the faith with which they be-
gan the journey into the unknown.
The old faith most aSSuredly has van
ished, and with it has gone a goodly
portion of the span of youth. Disap-
pointment, hardship, torture of body and
agony OF mind have induced new proc
esses OF reasoning, new theories and new
convictions. Experience is father to the
thought that religious faith is fantastic
myth, and the victims of this intellectual
evolution genuinely cherish the belief
that they are skepticS for whom religion
is not essential to happiness or to sue
cess. In reality finer and more sensi-
tive faith has been born, more tolerant
nj y,
ill-fortunes which beset mankind has
been developed, that which has been
mistaken for spiritual revolution has in
truth been revelation of the unmeas-
ured capacity Of the human mind to
seek the answer to the riddle of the
universe.
1t takes but little thought to realize
that on the whole of this planet there
is no human being whose spiritual ma
ture does not respond to an influence
that is beyond the grasp of mortal man.
The most benighted savage who pros
trateS himself before a crude repreSen-
tation of mythical god acknowledges
by his pilgrimage to such a shrine his
belief in a controlling deity And at
the other extreme is the super
believing in nothing that cannot be
Ny Vic AltCllCNt VI yCt COill~
PEELED to respect the precision of a uni
versal law which cloaks its origin in
mystery. Between the two many vari-
eties of religious faith win the spiritual
response of the human race Courage
may be tried beyond the limit of it's
endurance, and faith may be shaken by
the contradictions of life, but man and
religion are inseparable no matter how
hNnplecSlv tho Sjponln taarhjnuS af
sanity philosopher may become con-
fused by dogmas, creeds and conventions.
Mr.. Oursler undoubtedly believed him.
self to be skeptic during the years be-
tween the loss of his early faith and the
experiences encountered on tour of
the Holy Land which he describes in this
book. Six good books and three plays
prove that claim, to be without stable
foundation. Inspiration is not man.
made product, to be manufactured in a
mill or bought in store. But it re-
quired those weeks of journeying over
the hills and along the seas, into the
cities and mountains, the villages and
the by-ways made sacred by the birth,
the life, the martyrdom and the resur-
rection of the Man of Nazareth to bring
him to the realization that faith is strong
ct tIldIl Will anu lIldI IliS OWI experience
had served to enlarge rather than TO
bedim the inner light that from every
human heart strives to shed the warmth
of sincere fellowship and the beauty of
love for mankind.
The book is primarily an account of a
vacation spent in the Holy Land by
Mr. Oursler, his wife and their two
children. 1t is by no means a preach
ment or confession of a life of way
wardness checked and subdued by
contact with the material creations
of man and the physical contours of
nature that two thousand years ago
were familiar to the touch and the sight
of Jesus of Nazareth. 1t is the simple
and impressive story of a very enjoyable
holiday which climaXed in that SEEM
ingly remote corner of the earth which
witnessed the birth of a new civilization
and of the philosophical experiences
which grew out of it.
Recommendation of any book is a bid
for criticism from disappointed or ag-
grieved readers. In this instance 1t is a
risk worth taking, for the combination
of self-analysis, of journeying into a
fascinating land and of the philosophic
reaction and spiritual response to the
influence of visits to Haifa, Galilee, IL
berias, Capernaum, Samaria, Jerusalem,
Bethany, the Dead Sea, Jericho the
Mount of Olives, Bethlehem, the Holy
Sepulchre, Mount Zion and dozens of
all adherents to the Christian faith,
H--N