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Show Till! lIHIFSi TUMI. Tho Iirlggsheieiy case looms up aa a matter of grout consequence, whereas where-as for a time It was looked upon as a mere source of discord In the l'retby-terlan l'retby-terlan fold, tho liirshnon of which would soon be subdued and all made harmonlius again. II now, Irom an appeal on the ground of Jurisdiction In the matter of procedure, hsa grown Into a trial of the Isauea of the case proper, a proceeding to determine Iho case on Ita merits, and these Involve In-volve the question whether or not the doctor In taking advauied or at least divergent ground waa still within tho scope of orthodoxy as the same is held to bo by the l'reabylerlan church. Tho defendant made a great argument argu-ment In his own behalf before tho assembly as-sembly nt Washington yeslerlay. Ho logical, iui assloued aud Incisive waa It that hu are InfurmeJ even the men most decidedly ajalnst him were nuAed prrceptltly for the time being. To quote from ti cotemporary, those w ho aro willing to let the l'resliy terlin church and Dr. Ilrltga settle their owu dliUreucoalu their own way will feel u curious Interest lu an episode that ocolonel much remark ut Washington. Washing-ton. After the conclusion of uu eloquent struion toil big luidlence lu uuolher place a week ago Hunday, the pantor of the churoli reiittrkul with deep feel-lug, feel-lug, tint the cull lu of all dlssensluu an 1 distinction lu tho I'resbyteriju told, and the rcuaju why the church fuluit to accoinpllih as much aa It tnlifbt, Is Dr. llriggs. Aud no une can djubtfor a mjuinut ttuit helollevcd what he said, end that to him and very largo data of (crtous whom he represents, Ur. Urlggs is Ihe aole caue of dlflcroucn of opinion and the creator otfeuus. The herosy charged njalnst the Ureter Ure-ter Is au old time ouo. He nccuplus similar groun I to that taken by Martin Mar-tin l.uther lu religion an I (Jjilileo In science. It amounts, brlitly told, ton belief In tho posslbilll of thought and Insilrallon procecJlni: biyond tho domain of mere ecclealialtclam and finding Information aa to theology and divine thlnga which the Illbte doea not clve and tbe preachers do not peach. Toputlt In other language "Kverythlng la going on beautifully until some pestilent porson cornea In with n now Ides, and thou there Is endleea warfare and schism. Jtow well It would be, strong and devout aoula havo believed In alt ago, If only these ralsohlef-niskirs csulJ be to-ventcl to-ventcl and the minds of Ihe people tie telt free from their unsettled Influence. II Is by tills prlnolplo tLele great many chapters In the world's history, political and theological, have been written." Iteferrlng to thla subject, Ihe HI. Paul Jlonttr J'reu reasons In the following fol-lowing strain: The Inllvldnal la of Ilia smallest in moot. Again and again, until this let-son let-son should haro boen woll taught, tho Individual haa boen romorod by accident acci-dent or violence or tho course of nature And it hat not msdettte smsllost difference. differ-ence. If tbo Idea which he represented waa a true une, It turrit od him a It wonlj havo survived a million others, and grsw only more vigorous an 1 Insistent Insist-ent for hit fell, u the idea were a delusion, delu-sion, by anil by it foil away an I perltheil, no matter how great tho iiitetlluence and earnestness behind It. H la tho war of thouttut and not of tn-n In which Ihe lieltioa of Ihe race are lost and won. It than goes on to ask, lukalautlally, If any doctrine have within it tbe seed of Ihe divine, the element of Immortal truth, would It give way to the advance ad-vance of Ideas and the growth ol civilisation? Nothing ever has persisted persist-ed In thja world unto the end except ex-cept the 'truth. Nothing ever can. When the man who ret resents an Idea la removed, oflencr thau not the Idea nourishes the mote luxuriantly by Ills mirtyrdoui. Hut If tho Idea, good or bad, could disappear beoause the man behind It vanished, then the whole scheme of the universe would Le overturned. over-turned. There Is much lo think of, much to remember, In reasoning like this. Truth, however icrslstently warred against, crowded back and trampled upon, la iternal, Immaculate aud Immortal and canuot be extinguished. extin-guished. If, therefore, Dr. llrlgga Is right and hit accusers aro wrong, while he may be convicted, humiliated and even aturned, hla cauio or the I rlnclple he advocates cannot bo ao treated; It will live and some day be recognised. |
