Year: 1871

We live in practical age-the age Of war,
der force The thunder Of war alls every ear
and dismays almost every mind. 1t Is not less
true that we live In an age Of ideas, Of big
and fruitful ideas, of ideas which disturb
almost equally political, social and religious
life; of ideas most penetrating and most revo-
lutionary. We can afford for the moment to
pass by the Franco G German war and the many
unforeseen, but most sweeping, revolutionary
results which must flow from 1t. Outside Of
the war arena we have no reason to complain
of limited field or of any lack Of revolu-
tionary ideas, sentiments or exponents. If it
ever was true it is true now that all old things
are passing away and all things are becoming
new.


Look where we may, on this Continent, in
Europe, in Asia, in Africa, in Australia, we
find society unhinged, politics chaotic, reli-
gion at its wits end. Not to speak of the
northern part Of this Continent, look at the
chaos In South America. Look at Russia, at
Austria, at Turkey, at Italy, at Spain and
Portugal, at Great Britain. Look at Asia,
where, under the combined influences of the
great maritime nations of the New World and
the great maritime nations of the Old Wsrld,
the institutions of many centuries are crum-
bling to pieces. Look at the youngest of the
Anglo-Saxon settlements, Australia, where
liberty, backed up by unquestioned strength, is
creating new and happy home for the en-
terprising and disaffected of all lands. The
railroad, the telegraph, the newspaper are
everywhere disturbing the venerated cobwebs
Of antiquity and carrying light and thought
and sentiment into the dark places Of the
Earth. Among the many evangelizing forces
of the time the newspaper must be accorded
the foremost place; and to the agency of
this latest voice crying in the wilderness
the marvellous revolutions of this revolu-
tionary age must be mainly attributed.


Our attention for the moment, however,
must be confined to religion, and chiefly to
religion on this Continent. We cannot
wholly overlook the fact that the religious
sentiment is still very vital force among the
sons of men all the world over. The Papal





sacred and repeatedly guaranteed possessions
of centuries can be ruthlessly and without
compensation wrenched from the one man
who represents at once the dignity and anti
quity Of the Christian faith-has created
almost greater amount of the old Crusade
sentiment in republican and Protestant
America than in any part of the old
monarchical and Catholic countries of Europe.
The Papal question is essentially religious
question, and as religious question it
over. We see day by day how religion is
stirring Russia and Austria, and (without
specially noting the southern countries
Of Eurspe) of the British Isles. We
know how generally Father Hyacinthe,
good Catholic, Romanist of the
right type, is a favorte in France, and we are
not left much room to doubt that in recon-
structed France Father Hyacinthe may prove
a mightier force than Gavazzi has proved in
reconstructed Italy. Away in the far East,
on the plains Of Hindostan, among the
devoted followers of Brahma, of Buddha, of
Confucius, of Mohammed, voice has been
raised-a voice which recently startled the
religious doctors of the British metropolis,
and the voice of Baboo Chesut Chunder
Sen, which is neither Pagan nor Christian,
Confucian or Mohammedan, threatens to
make the populous and thoughtful fields of
Southern Asia once more the birthplace of
new and world-conquering faith


As we said, however, we must limit our
horizon and confine ourselves to sphere
which is more particularly related to our own
land and to our own home. We have always
felt that the Americans were essen
TALLY religious people and iber-
ally religious people, and that in the
future-the faith which must prevail when the
human family speaks common language and
knows no national barrier lines-they must
take prominent part. When the parliament
of man becomes fact, when the federation of
the world is no longer prospective myth, we
must have the unity of the faith, and if we
Judge rightly the bringing about of the unity
of the faith is to be in very special and very
emphatic sense the religious mission of this
people. We have already in our brief history
solved many problems for the benefit of the
future of mankind. Particularly have we
solved two-we have practically illustrated
the worthlessness of monarchy and the
absurdity Of nationalities. In other words, we
stand before the world as great people, who
have grown and prospered by self-government,
and who have refused to recognize any barriers
which were not wide enough to embrace the
family of man. All men on our soil, after
reasonable probation, are equals and every
citizen of these United States is sovereign.
We are rapidly solving another question
ua are making an end of the curse Of Rahal