THE RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Evening Star, Issue 14036, 17 April 1909, Page 4

THE RELIGIOUS WORLD.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CENSUS IN THE UNTIED STATES. The American correspondent of ‘The Times,’ replying to Archbishop Ireland’s statement on the above (published in a, recent issue), writes; Archbishop Ireland is mistaken when ha says in his letter from Rome to ‘ The Times’ of February 15 that 1 made “a positive charge of glaring unfairness and dishonesty on the part of the editor of the (Roman Catholic) Directory, and, impliedly, on that of the Catholic hierarchy of the United States, under whose patronage the ‘Directory’ makes its appearance before the American public.” I simply pointed out that the so-called Roman Catholic census of the United States was based on returns which some -Roman Catholic prelates themselves give in round figures and designate in their own returns with the prefix “ about ” : that the “ population ” comprises all baptised persons, including infants; and that the returns were more or less valuable guesses—guesses at population, guesses at the percentage of communicants. Archbishop Ireland himself calls them “exact estimates,” which certainly does not mean exact statistics. Archbishop Ireland is apparently dissatisfied with the ‘ Directory ’ of “ exact estimates," for he says he believes they arc two or three millions below the mark, and admits that some of the figures are taken from “older numbers of the ‘ Directory,’ ” a fact which certainly invalidates the entire work as an accurate enumeration.

The pastors of Protestant denominations, on the other hand, give exact returns of communicants as they actually appear on the church registers, excluding infanta a.nd children not admitted to communion. If the Protestant denominations adopted the Roman Catholic methods of giving returns, the number of each Protestant denomination in the United .States would be easily doubled. I made no charge, direct or implied, of dishonesty on the part of the ‘Directory’ or the Roman Catholic hierarchy of the United States, but I did say, and I now reiterate, that in the so-called "official Roman Catholic Directory ” figures ought not to ho, used for the purpose of comparison with those returned by the Protestant denominations of the United States.

If, as Archbishop Ireland says, Hr North, Director of the American Census, has promised to incorporate these estimates as published by the ‘Directory’ in the American census without this “explanation, he will have an extremely misleading census and will do irreparable injustice to the Protestant religious bodies in the United States. In the case of Puerto Rico Archbishop Ireland’s statisticians actually claimed a million Catholics, though the entire population of the island is only 353,243. It is equally absurd and misleading to include, ns the ‘Directory’ did in the published statement which I quoted, the entire population of the Philippines and Hawaii as Roman Catholics, in order to show that America has nearly double the Roman Catholic population of the British Empire. Archbishop Ireland is wisely silent on this point.

IN PRAISE OF IDOLATRY,

The ‘ Theosophist ’ for January publishes the first part of a remarkable paper by Mrs Besant entitled ‘The Search for GodA Mrs Besant maintains that our loftiest religious conceptions have not been evolved from the superstitions of savages, which arc but the last stage of the degeneration and degradation of an original Divine ideal. The Initiates taught mankind a lofty faith, symbolised by the worship of the sun. Mrs Besant defends this, and incidentally makes what may bo interpreted as a powerful plea in favor of idolatry, or the worship of many deities ;

‘‘ The sun was an object of worship, bat it was taken as an object of worship of deliberate choice, of set purpose, by these very Initiates, as they were teaching the masses of an untrained people. That sun, which, in very truth, is to its own. system that which the Logos is to the universe ; that sun, which is the source of light, of life, of everything that moves within the solar system ; that sun is, on the physical piano, a fitting symbol for Deity, we'll regarded as the manifestation of 'll is glory, well taken as the central life, the central source of all.

“We find that in very many cases, in all great world-religions, the 'people were taught that below that central Betty, symbolised as the sun, there jrere vast ranks of beings, divine, though less manifestly divineAuan He was. who had in charge the carrying on of all the functions and processes in Nature. They were taught to regard all around them as inspired and moved by living wills. They were taught to consider every force of Mature as the manifestation of a consciousness, of a, living intelligence, so that to them Nature was one vast host of living intelligences, ready to help, ready to assist, ready to give, ready in every way to aid, to protect, and to assist man in his difficulties ; with the I result that, for the child-heart of man, there was ever some conception of the Divine which he was able to grasp, able to love, able to reverence, and which served as object for his aspirations, an object to which his spiritual nature could aspire, to | which the love and the admiration and the humility of the heart could be poured out. i God must be shown in a form that attracts the worshipper, otherwise there is only an I empty abstraction, which gives no help to j the aspiring heart of man.” , j IS THE CHURCH PRAYERLESS? i The ‘ Sunday Strand ’ recently published 1 a call from Rev. W. A. Coniaby to " a ! world-wide crusade against prayerlessness.” j the editor asks ; Are the Churches prayer- i less? and has invited the opinion of repre- | sentative men. Sir John Kennaway thinks J the great need of to-day is a thousand-' fold more prayer. Rev. Lord Gascoyne-1 Cecil urges that interest in foreign missions ! should first bo roused, then faitii would ' follow, and then prayer. Br Horton says that there can_ bo no question that what is now needed for the evangelisation of the world is the united and'persistent prayer of the Churches. The missionary societies which have relied most directly on prayer have been best supplied with recruits and funds. Br Wardlaw Thompson says that he is conscious' himself that the' whole tendency of the time is against the cultivation of a prayerful spirit. Rev. Bavid Brook, president of the Free Churches, thinks that Mr Cornaby has touched a very weak spot in modern church life. Rev. Br Glover would prefer to say communion with God rather than prayer. At a time when the world has been drenched with telepathic experiences and disclosures of psychic force on ail sides, it is curious to .‘ind prayerlessness alleged as a feature of the Church. GRANDEST BIBLE PASSAGES. A number of distinguished men in different walks of life wore recently asked to say what, in their opinion, is the most magnificent passage in the Bible. The replies are published in the March ‘Sunday at Home.’ ( Mr William Watson, the poet, says: “Whole chapters of Isaiah, such as xl. and lx., are simply clusters of passages that touch the highest levels of grandeur, and every kind of literary magnificence is supremely exemplified in the Bible.” The most perfect elegy in all literature, Mr Watson adds, is perhaps David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam., i., 19-27), and at the other end of the great gamut of emotion is the song of Deborah and Barak (Judges v., 2-51), “the most superb expression of the intoxication of trTumph that I know.” Of all. the many passages chosen, the one first mentioned by Mr Watson (Isaiah xl.) occurs oftenest" although several of those who chose it as containing the most magnificent passage in the Scrip" tures specify certain inclusive verses. Canon Driver chooses the 40th chapter from Isaiah and. the 38th and 39th from Job. Br Sayco selects the same chapter from Isaiah, out marks the “ most magnificent passage ” as, ending with verse 17. He says that he has “no hesitation” hi selecting this passage. THE STUDY OP THE BIBLE. At a meeting bn February 12 at University College, London, of the Society for ■Biblical Stiuh, Borrl Stamford, ■who presided, said that their object was to together those who were interested in that great subject, and to make it clear that

theology was accessible to everyone, and ? should oe studied in a scientific spirit. I The Bishop of Winchester spoke on the encouragement and advancement of Biblical study. He said there never had been a day. in the history of the world when there was more reason for courage, the advance had been so great and good-humored. He spot. - : of the importance of the study of the text, and said he was glad that the literature of the Bible had been treated with courage—some thought, audacity. They could not have a, sound interpretation of Scrijiture which did not rest' upon a scientific treatment of the test, and he maintained that from historical interpretations would be derived the soundest exegesis. For the social needs of modern life . the 1 Bible would bo found to be sufficient if it were properly interpreted in a right i spirit. ’ |

Principal Forsyth, of Hackney College. 1 spoke on co-operation among members of the churches in respect of the work which that society sought to encourage. He said that the Bible needed interpretation* with guidance, and he deprecated* the fact that it was losing a hold on the individual as a means of grace. The necessity of catch- , iug the early train to business had unfor- j tunately almost destroyed family worship, and the Bible was often thought of as an antiquated book unsuited to the hour It was not primarily a theological book, but a religious book, and they had to translate it foi the modern mind. The religious use of the Bible was suffering greatly from the lack of public knowledge- as to what it was in the light of recent research. He v died they had fewer sermons and more expositions, and that preachers were mere of the Word and less servants of the public. If things went on ms they were we would soon have an unbibled public He advocated the formation of Bible circ.es among adults on the lines. of the i Home Beading Union.

A ROM AX CATHOLIC COXFEDER \- TIOX. ' ' , A movement to unite the Homan Catho--' lies of England and A\ales in a con fed eration for the protection of their'interests w,’.-. held in Caston Hall. Westminster i on February 15 last. 'The principal C.dho- j lie oi ganisations throughout. Kuglaitd MT ;i, e represented at the gathering, which was I pie.-tded o\er by Mr C. J. Matthew, with 1 whom were Mgr. Brown, Vicar-Wenral of i Smtnwark. and the Hon. Charles Russell. | file chairman sant that the movement | womd prove most conclusively to the world ] that ilie Catnolio body refused any longer ! to ho patronised, but demanded the same j freedom and liberty as every other citizen i ill the country. It was mutnimouslv de- I cideclAo form a confederation of all exist- I in>' Catholic federations and similar or- I gamsations in England and Wales, and the | result of the conference will be submitted f foi the approval of Archbishop Bourne and I to' the Catholic bishops of England. > f

WHY IS CHRISTIANITY HATED? Rut why is Chi'ictisiiity so bitter) v hated ? iiski', *• Claudius Clour'’ in ins review cf Welk s ‘ lono-Bungay.’ The ,main reason 36 Chnehanity is Ino religion of chastity. When leading ' 1 wo are back in the days of Voltaire. Voltaire thought to "crush the Infamous.” W liat was tire Jnfamous " ? The word included much, but, as John Hodov lias pointed out. it specially included chustitv. Here I will use the words of Horlcv :—'

Toe peculiarity of the licence of France in tne middle of the eighteenth centalv iunit it was looked upon with complacency by the great intellectual leadens of opinion’. Iptook its place m the pi ogress ive loinuila. What austeiily was to other forward movements license was to this. It is not difficult to perceive how so extiaordimuy a circumstance came to pass. Chustitv was the supreme virtue in the eyes of the - kurcii. the mystic key to Chiistian holiness. Continence was one of the meed earned of the jMctfiieioiits by which the organised preacners of superstition claimed the reverence of nun and women. It was identified, therefore', in a particular manner with that Infamous, against which the main assault of the time was dheeled. Co men contended more or ics.s esprceslv. that, that ' continence war. no commanding chief among I vn tues. tlien that it via;; a v-ety sun-rficiai ! and easily-practised virtue, linally ‘that it ' teas no viiute at .01, Lut if somet im-co a convenience, generally an impediment to free human happiness.” So ,i writ, chat meu defended and. admire.) the bc.hialuv of the Puceile. Mo; ley tries to deprecate the attack by saying’ that the Pucc-lle had at least had the weight of a nulinal man. and not tiny piying berstliness of a raivi ; but he admits that it not only ahoem.A in -m----modesly, and centres the whole action in :m indecency of conception, hut aieo fastens this gross chaplet round the menmiv of a gieat deliverer of the poet's own countrv, ami lie a'to allows that it 1,; one of tliw most unseemly poems that exist in anv tongue. —lt Exalts Chastity.— Xo\y we have to face the truth. Thetpulh is that' Chiisti-mhy is haled mid iel iled by many of oatr tnoderu wikeio eirnply because it exalts chastity. Let its try evety new doctiine by this'test. Or.iv a few have had tin- courage to comic call j into the open, Lut re the.-a who read is.i- | tween the liner there is much that is sag- I gtetivc. We are told that mauiage is o j be put on a now buns, that the causes lor i divoice ate to be extern.Jed. that lives me | not going to lie spoiled for one uiiiatnk'*. j and all the* re.st of it. 'lhLs is the excteiu- 1 reaching, 'll,is is ail tluit it is; safe to rev in the meantime in the presence of the I people, but the exoireic teaching and earn-m limes the piaclice in much more advanced, j There is a true instinct r.inh-r alt Eds. ]i ' was Chiiatiauity that created the viituc o ? 1 purity, and it is Chiditianitv .abne that can save it. Christianity opposes tig- p:c-< -res of Apnllyon in ih:r> path. Cireu tiuiii: v 1 maintains the s.inctity of mairiagc and hi the family. It i.> no wonder, therefore. ■ that it should be viewed as an iireconcii- : able enemy, to be overtlirov.nt at anv ecu:.. But it is just as well that we should'understand v,hat the battle is about. —The C nine of Self-indulgence.— '• In the end George Ronderevo is as littletroubled tibouo those affairs as a gorilla. There is no compunction as to the fata of the women : indeed, we are given to understand that tiie women do veiy well. As for the man, "I did not- feel in anv wav penitent or ashamed I know, as I'opened' the little cast-iron ga're that kept .Marion's front garden and Pampas grass from the wandering dog. Indeed, if anything ] felt if I had vindicated some right thathad been in question. 1 came back To .Marion with no sense of wrong-doing at all —with, indeed, a new sense “of friendliness towards her. I don’t know how it may be proper to feel on such occasions; that is how I felt.” On this it must be sufficientto quote John Holley’s words Is not every incentive and every concession to vagrant appetite a force that enwraps a man in gratification of self, and severs him from duty to others, and so a force of dissolution and dispersion? It might ha necessary to pull down the Church, but the worst Church that ever prostituted the name and the idea of religion cannot be to disastrous to society as a gospel that systematically relaxes self-control as being an unmeaning curtailment of happiness.” This is, indeed, a very moderate way of putting tiie real truth, but let it stand at- that.— ‘British Weekly.’ GLEANINGS. The following ministers of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand reach the'ir semi-jubilee of ordination this year, bavin/* been ordained ■in 1884:—Rev. R. Wylie (S-M-b Onehunga; Rev. W. J. Gow, Cambridge ; Rev. B. Hutson, Fordeli; Rev. G. K. Stowell, Wairarapa; Rev. A. Cameron' Anderson Bay; Rev. J. Maclnnes, Riveradalo.