PIETY CONSIDERED AS ONE OF THE FINE ARTS.

Observer, Volume 2, Issue 28, 26 March 1881, Page 289

PIETY CONSIDERED AS ONE OF THE FINE ARTS.

" Cant well ordered is marketable cant." Cablyle. Piety has now been reduced to an art ; and being- pious lias no\v-a-days almost become synonymous with being artful. And assuming, even if you have not, is unfortunately recognised and acted on as an exhortation equally applicable to religion as to virtue. The rationale in not far to seek. In asmuch as popular encouragement from time immemorial has invariably resulted not only in the improvement of the art encouraged, but in success to its professors. Thus the investment of time and money in the assumption of sanctimoniousness has, by force of popular eclat, become admittedly a most profitable one. Moreover, the assumption in question has not only for its recommendation the charms of public favour, and therefore of agreable profit ; but the artist has every opportunity offered him of deludingly comforting himself that the investment in question is a profitable one in this life, and secures for eternity such ravishing delights as the author of the Arabian Nights' Entertainment, Moore, Lytton or Coleridge fail to depict. How pleasant therefore thus to secure the sweets of this life, and by the same role natter oneself with the prospect of millions of years of elysian pleasures and repose. In view of these terrestial realities and celestial prospects how insane must he or she be who fails to grasp the situation. Nevertheless, there is a class year by year| rapidly increasing, consisting mainly of cultured thinkers — independent in means and mmd — who (unfortunately for Christianity or themselves) possess some factors in their mental composition other than la nature moutonniere, who think they discern in respect of the present popular piety programme "a little rift within the lute,' who are not prepared without their reason beinoconvinced to swallow the popular creed in toto — even for the bait held out by the unctions — and who, even in view of all the before-mentioned temporal advantages and promises of eternal happiness, decline to hypocritically profess a piety, which seems to them to have inherent and fatal defects, repugnant to all reason and common sense. The class in question ask awkward questions such as the following, and seek in vain for the eclaircissement : — 1 . Why the onus of salvation should be thrust on a being who has been conceived not at his request ; and born nolens volens without his consent ? 2. Why we should be so grateful to one who claims eternal gratitude as a Redeemer when he— having innate power of frustrating capture, rendering himself impervious to pain, and proof against any shame of crucifixion— allowed himself to be voluntarily sacriried without anyhuman being wishing or requesting him to become a martyr. Or, taking another version of the so-called sacrifice (which version is equally relevant or irrelevant), when he, the so-called sacrificed, had no option but to obey the mandate of his father : avlio forsooth claims gratitude for sacrificing (for the instant, but merely for the instant, for there was no extinction) his son on the principle of yielding without compunction the last drop of one's brother's blood [in a cause. 3. For what are we to be so eternally and deeply grateful for in this life, where sorrow and happiness are so equally meted out that it is entirely impossible to anticipate an affirmative answer to the query, "Is life worth living." Where "the draughts of life according to the poet's fiction, are always mixed from the vessels on each hand of Jupiter • or if any cup be presented altogether pure, it is drawn only as the same poet tells us, from the left handed vessel." 4. Where the equity is of a god — who is so hawked about as being unfailingly just and merciful — but who consigns to millions of years of the most outrageous and horrible torments a creature whom he (the God) caused to be brought into the world predestined for consignment to hell — and who by simply following out the instincts of his nature — which is admittedly created sinful by this very God — is inevitably consigned to the millions of years of those most outrageous and horrible torments. Were it not an outrage on all common sense and on the reasoning faculties of the readers of this article it would be only too easy to show what to us in mundane matters would seem outrageous iniquity under the same conditions— of rewarding say a lady of 50 years— who has spent all her life and income in works of charity and love, in ministering to the needs and relieving the sorrows of her fellow creatures— but who dies technically unconverted— l say of rewarding her with all these outrageous and terrible torments: whilst a man, say a man of the same age— who has spent aU his life in selfish and tyrannous vice, spreading misery and woe broadcast— but who dies at the last moment (liice the notorious dying thief on the cross) technically converted — receives the reward of millions of years of the most delightful pleasures and repose. ° How can really thinking men or women believe such a creed. And how is it possible that such a creed can make its professors other than hyprocrites. Such ex necessitate can only create the sanctimonious men and women we see all around us, whose religion "is busy on the lip, but idle in the heart" — can only create : — •* 1. Sects and priests famed for nothino- but bigotry and uncharitableness. ° 2. Church services, as mere scenas for displays of music, sentiment, fine clothes and biioii tene ; and J 3. Sanctimonious professors of piety wfm hawk it to show that they possess it, and then trade on it. v A very celebrated essayist says, " Hear the verbal protestations of all men : nothino- «X certain as their religious tenets. Examine their lives : you will scarcely think that they repose the smallest coniidence in them." F - Of course there are a few (alas ! how few) who m spite of their creed possess "that modest unobtrusive piety which fills the heart with all

human charities ; and makes a man gentle to others and severe to himself, " (and which piety therefore) "is an object of universal love and veneration." Of those low class piety professors — with huge and frequently dirty) hands, slovenly feet, and somewhat seedy clothes, whose religion mainly consists— not only in talking and hawking in season and out of serson sanctimoniousness ; and in being bountiful regardless of what is due to sureties or creditors, but in indulging (under the cloak of piety) their sensual instincts by propagating an unlimited number of young saints: regardless of the detriment of miserable-looking weakly wives; and regardless of the means of properly educating and launching in life the unfortunate "br OO d. — I say of sueh — as they are in no sense artists, but merely charlatans, and that of the lowest type — I will not prostitute my pen or degrade my readers by writing. Suffice it to say, their hypocrisy, coupled with their low bred instincts, robs them even of the merit of being ranked as canaille; and renders one thankful that it is possible for culture carefully to avoid winning Heaven ; were it only for the purpose of eluding the agony of spending eternity in such company. JUNIUS.