by dividing the profits, renders the landlords careless of travellers, and allures the poor country people, who are tired with labor, and hanker after company, to waste their time and money, and contract habits of intemperance and idleness. "The worst effect of all, and one which ought to make every man, who has the least sense of his privileges, tremble, is that these (licensed) houses are become, in many places, the nurseries of our legislators. An artful man, who has neither sense nor sentiment, may, by gaining a little sway among the rabble of a town, multipiy taverns and dramshops, and thereby secure the votes of the taverner, and retailer, and of all; and the multiplication of taverns will make many, who may be induced by flip and rum, to vote for any man whatever." President Gregory of Lake Forest University, Ill., in an article on the question, "Is Evolution Science ?" gives the following from Mr. Darwin, in illustration of the way in which assumptions are put in the place of proved facts by some of those who are regarded as authorities in the case: "The early progenitors of man were, no doubt, covered with hair, both sexes having beards. Their ears were pointed and capable of movement, and their bodies were provided with a tail. The foot was prehensile, and our progenitors, no doubt, were arboreal in their habits, frequenting some warm, forest-clad land. . . At an earlier period the progenitors of man must have been aquatic in their habits." To this he says, "When men laud this as "advanced science," we have to say that it is simply a double "no doubt" and a "must have been" resting on a hypothesis which is conceivable, but has not a fact to support it. We protest, in the name of sound thinking, against the almighty mustbeity with which the evolutionist constructs his system. Let us have men quoted as authorities who are in reality authorities. He then proceeds to cite the following as authorities on the other side: "Louis Agassiz, Joseph Henry, John William Dawson, and Arnold Guyot agree in pronouncing the doctrine of evolution unscientific and false. They, and such as they, are the "authorities" on this side the ocean. Mivart, the most accomplished naturalist in Great Britain, has pronounced it a "puerile hypothesis." Lionel Beale, the authority in biology, rejects it utterly, declaring that "correlation," its assumed principle, is the abracadabra' of mechanical biology." Virchow, "the foremost chemist on the globe,” a man, in phrase of the London Times, "opposed to every species of orthodoxy, and altogether innocent of faith," affirms that "all real scientific knowledge has proceeded in the opposite direction," and styles the circles of materialistic evolutionists, "bubble companies." Professor Tait declares that the evolutionists are "not in the slightest degree entitled to rank as physicists"- i. e., they are excluded from the ranks of exact science. Sir William Thomson, by his investigations in mathematical physics, has taken away from the evolutionist the ages upon ages absolutely essential to the maintenance of his hypothesis. These are the characteristic views of the scientific authorities abroad, the men who have a right to say something on this subject." Dr. Fuller, of the Methodist Advocate, says that "Before the war there were 24,000 colored members in the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Now there are 198,000, an increase of 174,000 since that event, most of whom have been converted at its altars and under its ministry. Then those 24,000 were mostly in bonds, without ecclesiastical autonomy or in the enjoyment of the rights belonging to citizens or Christians, without schools or Bibles. Now they have churches, conferences, pastors, and presiding elders of their own choice, representation in the General Conference, equal rights with their brethren, schools, books, and the Bible in their homes by scores of thousands.” The Independent has given a definition of the "New Orthodoxy," but we cannot say whether it will be accepted by all the parties in interest or not. At any rate our readers will be glad to see how great an advance has been made toward a rational Christianity; and they cannot help seeing also how largely this change and growth are due to the labors and influence of the Universalist Church and its teachings: · "If the designation of New Orthodoxy' is to be thrust upon believers who break away from the severe assertions and negations of old Calvinism, we should say that it belongs first to the Arminianism of the Wesleyan churches. Their faith is Orthodox,' and 'new'; newer and older than Calvinism. If the term be applied to a line of evangelical thought within the churches hitherto called Calvinistic, we should say that it is characterized: (1.) By a very wide tolerance of belief, so it be reverent. It utterly denies the dogma of the Wesminster Divines - that none can be saved, "be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of Nature," unless they profess the Christian religion. It holds that God's mercy may include Mohammedans, Pagans, even skeptics and Atheists in Christian lands, if they have honestly tried to get at the truth, even though they have failed to find it. (2.) By a larger recognition of a human, fallible element in the Holy Scriptures. It thinks the application of reason and criticism to the Bible just as legitimate as when the canon was made. (3.) While heartily accepting revelation and supernaturalism, by regarding as doubtful and unimportant many dogmas and philosophies of old orthodoxies. (4.) By recognizing a basis of true faith underlying many religions, and seeing in Christianity the greatest and mightiest of the influences by which men are made the friends of God. (5.) By accepting with great simplicity the Edwardean doctrine that true virtue consists in love to Being in General.'” Doubtless many of the seemingly conflicting statements regarding the existing religious ferment among the Hindoos, their conversion to Islam, their relapsing into unbelief of their own and all other religions, their conversion to Christianity, &c., arise from generalizing local facts. The statements of a missionary may be true of his special locality, but not true of India as a whole. What is fact in one part of the country is often antagonized by an exactly opposite state of things in another part. In this district the Mohammedan missionaries are making great progress among the wild tribes; in that the Hindoos, whose ancestors were bought or forced into accepting the Koran, are, under the tolerant English rule, abandoning the Koran, and returning to the ancient faithhere many of those educated in the modern schools are rejecting the ancient faith, and lapsing into no faith at all; while there large numbers are going over to the Christian faith, or uniting with the Brahmo Somaj, the Hindoo Protestants, which is a long stride toward the truth. A young missionary, writing from the Tinnevelly (British India) district, says: "The number of persons who have professedly joined the Church of Christ during the last fifteen months is estimated at 56,000.” Surely this is a wonderful work. In the Arcot Mission of the Reformed (Dutch) Church, 5,000 persons have abandoned the worship of idols and professed Christianity. On one Sunday, Rev. Jared Scudder baptized 307 persons, and on the next Sunday 227, converted from Hindooism. And it is said that more than 150,000 Hindoos have renounced idolatry and embraced Christianity during the past three years. Another writes that "scores of promising young Hindoos are seeing the folly of idol worship, and the beauty of Christianity. Every year the stream of intelligent men gains volume; every year we find scattered in the villages fresh faces, who accept the great principles of our faith. Gradually the older defenders of idolatry are passing away, and very few capable men come forward to take their places." On the other hand, another missionary, an English Methodist, the only one located among a population numbering five or six millions, writing from Bengal, says, "I do not think there is a score of Christians, either native or English, throughout the whole district." And yet his audience numbers from 400 to 1000, who listen attentively to what 'he has to say. In justification of the remark that the Brahmo Somaj Protestantreform movement is a grand forward march out of the old Hindro Idolatries toward truth and spiritual worship, we give the following from The Indian Mirror, the organ of this sect: "A great change has evidently come over the spirit of the Brahmo Somaj movement. Never was our Church so spiritual, so devout, so earnest, or so thoroughly imbued with faith in the realities of the unseen world. The daily services held among our missionary friends, which sometimes run beyond two and a half hours, are rendering considerable help to the spiritual expansion of our Church, and may, indeed, be regarded as the chief instrument for furtherance of that object. Imagination and unbelief, unpractical transcendentalism, and dreamy sentimentalism are fast dying out, and the vision of faith is extending, both in area and in vividness. The prophets, Christ, and other masters,' are finding a home in the hearts of our devotees such as they never had before. A strong desire to live in them, and with them in God, is manifest among our ranks. Formal prayers and stereotyped addresses to an imaginary and abstract deity are giving way to sustained conversation with Heaven's King, and the pleasant flow of deep, unutterable sentiments. The Brahmo's prayer to-day is neither soliloquy nor an unanswered petition; but the soul's spirited dialogue with the indwelling Friend. There is, indeed, à plentiful harvest of hope, faith, and joy, and we heartily thank the merciful God of our Church for his loving kindness." CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE. 1. Memoir of Ebenezer Fisher, D.D. By George H. Emerson, D.D. Universalist Publishing House. $1. The leading events and activities and the chief interest of Dr. Fisher's life centre in his connection with the Canton Theological School. The straightened circumstances, difficulties and struggles of his boyhood, especially in his efforts to attain knowledge, engage our attention, as in every case where they are followed by a successful and useful career. His pastorate in Salem, seemingly providential both for the society and for himself, realized the oft-repeated saying of "the right man in the right place," and seemed to confirm the estimate or those who regarded him as having all the elements of intellectual strength, genuine piety, sound judgment, personal dignity, tenacity of purpose, and that persistent courage which beareth, believeth, hopeth, endureth all things, and never faileth. But the character, the work, the life of Dr. Fisher come into full view in all their worth and greatness only when he undertakes the establishment on a permanent and self-supporting foundation of our first theological school, and through neglect, discouragement and all manner of difficulties, with the help of a few generous souls whose names ought to be written high on the roll of those whom our church honors, carried it forward to final triumph; and then with equal patience and wisdom and fidelity to trust, and knowledge best suited to the work required, and a paternal and tender interest in his students. fitted for the ministry, and inspired with noble aims and endeavors so many of those who are now doing so much in our pulpits and elsewhere to spread abroad that truth which is the power of God unto salvation, and to inaugurate the reign of justice and righteousness in our land. He attempted what, at the time and under the circumstances, it would have been no cowardice for any one to have refused; and he succeeded where many another would have abandoned the work in utter despair and disgust. And there were times when even he was discouraged by the indifference of those who knew the needs of our ministry and his personal sacrifices, and who might have come to his help without prejudice to their wealth or gains, but did not. Still he clung to hope as the anchor of his soul and of the school, and here and there at times during the long strug gle faint rays of light streamed into the darkness, until at last hope grew into faith, and faith became the substance of the things hoped for; in other words the longed-for day dawned, and the Canton Theological School was saved, and settled down into a living, self-sustaining institution. Dr. Emerson has done admirable work as biographer, and has made a volume which is pleasant as well as profitable reading; and we think the chapters on "Dark Days" and "A Crisis," to say nothing of those on the "War Crisis" and "Minor Crises," are worth the one dollar asked for the book, simply as educational tracts for general circulation. They cannot fail to interest and incite to generous action the men of wealth in our Church to whom Tufts and St. Lawrence, with their theological schools, and Buchtel and Lombard are looking, and will look in their time of need, for the same noble benefactions which have made honorable the names of those who came to the rescue of the Canton School. These names we should like to put on record here, but the list is long, and we must refer our readers to the book itself, especially to pages 205, 206. It is easy to see that the preparation of this biography has been a labor of love to Dr. Emerson, and he has certainly shown great diligence in the collection of the materials and good judgment in the arrangement of them; the result of which is an attractive and useful volume, which we cordially commend to our theological students as an illustration of the struggles and sacrifices, the labors and anxieties, which it has cost to build up the institutions into whose privileges they enter "without money and without price." Furthermore, we cannot help saying that we think the trustees of the Canton and Packard Schools would make a good investment if they would purchase a hundred copies of the book and mail them to as many of the rich men among us, that they may see to what noble purposes they can devote a portion of their surplus wealth,—and it would do no harm to underscore Dr. Chapin's words: “ Give in the time of present need; do not give the encouragement of a prospective gravestone." It is hardly necessary to say that the book in all respects shows the usual good taste and substantial make up of all the issues of our Publishing House. 2 The Life of William Ellery Channing, D.D. The Centenary Memorial Edition. By his Nephew, William Henry Channing. American Unitarian Association. $1. Think of an octavo volume of more than 700 pages, fair paper, type and binding, for one dollar, and then add to this that it is a life of one of the purest and best of men, one of the ablest writers and preachers which our country has produced, and there seems nothing more wanting to secure for it a world-wide reading. Channing did a good work for truth in his day, and the influence of his thought and speech lives after him, and will continue an active religious force far down the ages. His interpretation of Scriptural doctrines, his |
