Show THE RELIGIOUS CONGRESS the parliament of religions hold held its if closing session in chicago wednesday night september 27 the oo occasion caslon be log ing mostly devoted to farewell addressee it has ban been 98 a far as aa known ft a fairly harmonious assembly in the trus true spirit of evangelical alliance applied ona on a broader scale than ever before that the deliberations will be productive of much glod may hardly be denied an incident or two may be men cloned jowas the delegates wend their heir ways to their respective countries one is the warm reception accorded to dr briggs he who was recently pro bounced a heretic by the highest of the presbyterian church and aau yet in this gathering he was received with cheers by the assembled thousands this was a popular verdict in his case came an acquittal by gi a tribunal above the general confere conference noo that branded him asa heretic non religionist it must have seemed a notice to the churches of the world that tho odium which used to follow findings fin diaga of that kind in the middle age to is goue gone pure morality la Is after all more import ant nt than so called orthodoxy another remarkable incident was the red reception eption of mr webb the amerl oan can apostle of islam he was also warmly received but in quite another spirit in his remarks tie lie explained that islam did not inculcate polygamy band and yet he said polygamy is no curse urse A man can be a good honest gentleman and yet be a polygamist but I 1 do not accept him as such if he be a sensualist here the speaker was interrupted by cries ot of no mo no top stop him ad a d hisses these protests must probably be understood as directed against the statement that a adist can be a good honest gentleman not against the concluding reservation and no doubt mr webb if he made the statement is able to prove it but whether or no what is puzzling to the ordinary reader is to account for the tb fact that christian men and women should feel called apon to deny him any more than any one else the right to state his bis views in this matter he was there to expound ills ble particular doctrines and he would eem to have had bad as an much right to do so seo a as any other delegate had coming down to the essence of the matter if mr webbs statement is lale false tilen then the only conclusion to be drawn is that no mohammedan can be A 41 good honest gentleman e nor is this th is ball all many of the heroes who in the books book most revered by all christians bare are hold held out as patterns ot of the highest standard tan dard must be denounced and the descent of our savior himself must be traced through an ancestry consisting largely of no BO good honest gentlemen 12 purely no christian Is in prepared to accept ept that conclusion would it not be better even for those who profess an ultra morality to admit that the rhe peculiar doctrine has had bad its benedo lent mission to perform at some stages of the be worlds world a that iu in a jew countries it may be ex usable still gill and that consequently mr webb had some foundation in truth for his statement to accord tair fairness ness to everybody was always a christian duty it Is with a view to pointing out the departure from this last named virtue atiat cheke remarks are made and as aurther evidence that they are justified two quote from the chicago herald Merald of un elder roberts of salt lake did not deliver his address ad dree before the parliament of religions sunday the elders paper was VAs on an the program all right donoug enough taper but ua ibe ale is a mormon and after mohammed Al alexander lexander russell webbs paper on polygamy had aroused such a decided opposition to a free discussion of polygamy the mom members ors 0 of the congress decided sold t that tau an apostle of mormonism would be out of place in the congress the elder was told however that he bould speak in hall 3 before a select anem som biage blage of people particularly interest ed d in his doctrine the announcement was made accordingly the audience came and waited patiently for the elder tout but he did not appear he decided that lae be would not enter the congress at zall all if he could not appear before the representatives of all faiths professor merwin marie snell called the meeting to order and said the elder did right in refusing to read his paper before a mere branch of the parliament he said further that it was a blemish upon the name mame and future history of the great parliament of religions that such an insult should be heaped upon the mormon church the idea he said of inviting the representatives of all nations and religions heathen and otherwise to participate in this great gathering of creed sand then refuse to allow the mormons cormons Mor mons to hold a presentation meeting they were granted the privilege once of holding a presentation congress but it was afterward revoked I 1 do not blame the elder for refusing to read a paper before a mere adjunct 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