ROMEREASON

ROME OR REASON. A Memoir of Christian and Extra-Christian Experience. By NATHANIEL RAMSAY WATERS
A VERY critical analysis of both Protestantism and Catholicism, from the vantage ground of an intimate personal experience with the two systems. The writer, it appears, is determined to nothing extenuate nor set down aught in malice. His analysis of the Protestant principle will be new to some Protestants, as will his philosophy of Catholicism to many Catholics. Besides the very interesting Memoir which is the main part of the book, it contains notes, parts of correspondence, and an essay or two; all partaking of the analytical and deeply earnest spirit which appears in it from the first. The plan of the work is strikingly original, its purport is set forth in the tersest and clearest language, and the manifest sincerity with which the whole is written will commend it to readers of many various shades of opinion. The work is very argumentative, with touches of liveliness here and there, which serve to relieve the general gravity of its strain. It has the merit throughout of being free from coarseness and jibing; while it deals the most trenchant blows which pure logic is capable of inflicting. EXTRACTS. I ASK you, would Absolute Goodness create with active poison-working elements for any end? Was God under compulsion to create man so? No: he was free you say, to create or not to create; but man could not have been made otherwise compatibly with free will in the creature. Then it would seem creation should not have taken place, or free will should have been left out of the plan rather than evil accepted for its sake. What necessary Moloch is this Free Will, that is higher than goodness, better than happiness, and so mysteriously precious that evil must be adopted as a means to secure it, and goodness and happiness offered a divine sacrifice to it? This known world of ours so abounds in moral foulness, as well as in physical suffering of manifestly Impeccable beings, such as little infants and irrational animals, that it negatives from the first your anthropomorphic theory of Creation and Providence; which is an apotheosis of humanimperfection. AN unverifiable hypothesis of a reformed Providence, which, however agreeable it may be to the fancy, has no support in sober reason: If the rule of Providence in the present life be one of injustice, there is no reason to believe that a future life under the same Providence will be differently ordered, so as to be just and happy: and if the order of the present life be right, there can be no need of a future life as a scene of reparation. Our wish to be rid of what is bad and painful, and secured in what is good and pleasant, of course does not affect the argument. The existence of a wish does not imply that it will ever be gratified. THE true philosopher is reverent and silent in the presence of the Incomprehensible. The green world of sense and knowledge where he finds himself placed furnishes employment to all his faculties. He does not deny supernal spheres: he only refuses to make or to bow down to assertions for which he sees no sufficient foundation. Here he finds the appropriate sphere of his activity: of what is beyond he confesses himself ignorant. The supernaturalist of course knows no more of the beyond than he, but is afflicted with what Socrates called the worst kind of ignorance: the conceit of knowing what one does not know. Prate as men may, the Mystery is there: as deep as ever when the Bible is opened; as dark as ever when the Church has lighted her wax candles. CHRIST THE SOCIALIST. BY THE AUTHOR OF “PHILIP MEYELT’S SCHEME.” A STORY OF SOCIAL IMPORT. THIS is a novel and interesting story of a New England manufacturing town. It tells the story of the conversion of a minister from the errors of his social philosophy to a more Christ-like view of human needs, and life, and destiny. The means of this slow change of life-long and unquestioned convictions is an old Scotch schoolmaster, who is an open and avowed Socialist. The old Scotch schoolmaster is a reader and a thinker, and his friend, the Presbyterian minister, is a kindly natured man, who has been brought up in the strict faith of his sect, and has never thought of going outside its tenets and dogmas in his Christian teaching. How he comes to consider the social question in the light of Christ’s teaching is skillfully and interestingly told in a series of dialogues between him and Stewart, the schoolmaster. The labor troubles in the mills in the village are also illustrative of the divergence between the precepts of the Christian church and the professions of its teachers and disciples and their practice in every-day conduct, The hardheaded, shrewd but kindly old minister, who has all his life lived according to his stern standard of rectitude, in both thought and conduct, finally comes to believe that Christianity as a religion was not intended to be a creedal profession, but a law of life and conduct. He ends by admitting the truth of the old schoolmaster’s teaching, that Christ was a Socialist the first great Socialist, who preached a religion for this world of realities and not for another. This is a fine, stirring story, and it is imbued with a noble and lofty purpose. It will be a good antidote to such vicious teachings as are contained in “Marcella,” and similar apologies for injustice and spoliation of the producing classes by the egotistic idlers. Good Edition, Large, Clear Type, i2tno, 357 Pages, Paper, 50 Cents; Cloth, $1.00 (Formerly, $1.25.) For sale by Booksellers, and News-Stands, or sent Postpaid on receipt of price, by COMMONWEALTH COMPANY, 28 LAFAYETTE PLACE, NEW YORK. INDEX of Subjects. Martian Visitor ( Home ) Metaphysics: Which is PRIMARY? The Pagan origins of Easter THE WORLD’S SIXTEEN CRUCIFIED SAVIORS

ROME OR REASON.

A Memoir of Christian and
Extra-Christian Experience.
By NATHANIEL RAMSAY WATERS

A VERY critical analysis of both Protestantism and Catholicism, from the vantage ground of an intimate personal experience with the two systems. The  writer, it  appears, is  determined to nothing  extenuate nor set down aught in malice. His  analysis of the Protestant principle will be new to some Protestants, as will his philosophy of Catholicism to many Catholics. Besides  the very interesting Memoir which  is the main part of the book, it contains notes, parts of correspondence, and an essay or two; all  partaking of the analytical and deeply earnest spirit which appears in it from the first. The  plan of  the work is strikingly original, its purport is set forth in the tersest and clearest language, and the manifest sincerity with which the whole is written will commend it to readers of many various shades of  opinion. The work is very argumentative, with touches of liveliness here and there, which serve to relieve the general gravity of its  strain. It  has the merit throughout of being free from coarseness and jibing; while it deals the most trenchant blows which pure logic is capable of  inflicting.

EXTRACTS.
I ASK  you, would Absolute Goodness create with active poison-working elements for any  end? Was  God under compulsion to  create man  so?   No: he  was free you say, to  create or  not to create; but  man could  not have been  made otherwise compatibly  with free will in  the creature. Then  it would seem creation should not have taken place, or free will should have been left  out of the plan rather than evil accepted for its sake. What  necessary Moloch is  this Free Will, that  is higher than goodness, better than happiness, and so  mysteriously precious that  evil must  be adopted as  a means to secure it, and goodness and happiness offered a  divine sacrifice to  it? This  known world of  ours so  abounds in moral foulness, as well as in physical suffering of manifestly Impeccable beings, such  as little infants and irrational animals, that it  negatives from the first your anthropomorphic theory of Creation and Providence; which  is an  apotheosis of humanimperfection.
AN unverifiable hypothesis of a reformed Providence, which, however agreeable it  may be to  the fancy, has no support in sober reason: If  the rule of Providence in  the present life be  one of injustice, there  is no reason to believe that a  future life under the same Providence will  be differently ordered, so  as to  be just and  happy: and  if the  order of the present life be  right, there can be no need of a  future life as a  scene of reparation. Our  wish to be rid  of what is bad and painful, and secured in what is good and pleasant, of  course does not affect the argument. The  existence of a  wish does  not imply that it  will ever be gratified.
THE true philosopher is  reverent and silent in  the presence of the Incomprehensible. The  green world of sense and knowledge where he  finds himself placed furnishes employment to all  his faculties. He  does not deny supernal spheres: he  only refuses to  make or to bow down to  assertions for which he  sees no sufficient foundation. Here he  finds the appropriate sphere of his activity: of  what is  beyond he  confesses himself ignorant. The  supernaturalist of  course knows no more of the  beyond than  he, but is  afflicted with what Socrates called the worst kind of ignorance: the  conceit of knowing what one does not  know. Prate  as men may, the  Mystery is there: as deep as ever when the Bible is  opened; as dark as ever when the Church has  lighted her wax candles.

CHRIST THE SOCIALIST.
BY THE AUTHOR OF “PHILIP MEYELT’S SCHEME.”
A STORY OF SOCIAL IMPORT.
THIS is a novel and interesting story of a New England manufacturing town. It tells the story of the conversion of a minister from the errors of his social philosophy to a more Christ-like view of human needs, and life, and destiny. The means of this slow change of life-long and unquestioned convictions is an old Scotch schoolmaster, who is an open and avowed Socialist. The old Scotch schoolmaster is a reader and a thinker, and his friend, the Presbyterian minister, is a kindly natured man, who has been brought up in the strict faith of his sect, and has never thought of going outside its tenets and dogmas in his Christian teaching. How he comes to consider the social question in the light of Christ’s teaching is skillfully and interestingly told in a series of dialogues between him and Stewart, the schoolmaster. The labor troubles in the mills in the village are also illustrative of the divergence between the precepts of the Christian church and the professions of its teachers and disciples and their practice in every-day conduct, The hardheaded, shrewd but kindly old minister, who has all his life lived according to his stern standard of rectitude, in both thought and conduct, finally comes to believe that Christianity as a religion was not intended to be a creedal profession, but a law of life and conduct. He ends by admitting the truth of the old schoolmaster’s teaching, that Christ was a Socialist the first great Socialist, who preached a religion for this world of realities and not for another.

This is a fine, stirring story, and  it is imbued with a noble and lofty purpose. It  will be a good antidote to such vicious teachings as are contained in “Marcella,” and similar apologies for injustice and spoliation of the producing classes by  the egotistic idlers.

Good Edition, Large, Clear Type, i2tno, 357 Pages, Paper, 50 Cents; Cloth, $1.00 (Formerly,  $1.25.)
For sale by Booksellers, and News-Stands, or  sent Postpaid on receipt of  price,  by
COMMONWEALTH COMPANY,
28 LAFAYETTE PLACE, NEW YORK.

INDEX of Subjects.
Martian Visitor ( Home )
Metaphysics: Which is PRIMARY?
The Pagan origins of Easter
THE WORLD’S
SIXTEEN CRUCIFIED SAVIORS