82 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



between theory and fact, the highest pleasure of the religious man has 

 been already tasted in the very act of praying, prior to verification, 

 any further effort in this direction being a mere disturbance of his 

 peace? Or is it that we have before us a residue of that mysticism 

 of the middle ages which has been so admirably described by Whewell 

 that " practice of referring things and events not to clear and distinct 

 notions, not to general rules capable of direct verification, but to 

 notions vague, distant, and vast, which we cannot bring into contact 

 with facts; as when we connect natural events with moral and historic 

 causes. . . . Thus," he continues, "the character of mysticism is that 

 it refers particulars, not to generalizations, homogeneous and immedi- 

 ate, but to such as are heterogeneous and remote ; to which we must 

 add that the process of this reference is not a calm act of the intellect, 

 but is accompanied with a glow of enthusiastic feeling." 



Every feature hex - e depicted, and some more questionable ones, 

 have shown themselves of late ; most conspicuously, I regret to say, 

 in the " leaders " of a weekly journal of considerable influence, and one, 

 on many grounds, entitled to the respect of thoughtful men. In the 

 correspondence, however, published by the same journal, are to be 

 found two or three letters well calculated to correct the temporary 

 fiightiness of the journal itself. 



It is not my habit of mind to think otherwise than solemnly of 

 the feeling which prompts prayer. It is .a potency which I should 

 like to see guided, not extinguished, devoted to practicable objects 

 instead of wasted upon air. In some form or other, not yet evident, 

 it may, as alleged, be necessary to man's highest culture. Certain it 

 is that, while I rank many persons who employ it low in the scale of 

 being, natural foolishness, bigotry, and intolerance, being in their case 

 intensified by the notion that they have access to the ear of God, I 

 regard others who employ it as forming part of the very cream of the 

 earth. The faith that simply adds to the folly and ferocity of the one, 

 is turned to enduring sweetness, holiness, abounding charity, and self- 

 sacrifice, by the other. Christianity, in fact, varies with the nature 

 upon which it falls. Often unreasonable, if not contemptible, in its 

 purer forms prayer hints at disciplines which few of us can neglect 

 without moral loss. But no good can come of giving it a delusive 

 value by claiming for it a power in physical Nature. It may strengthen 

 the heart to meet life's losses, and thus indirectly promote physical 

 well-being, as the digging of JEsop's orchard brought a treasure of 

 fertility greater than the treasure sought. Such indirect issues we all 

 admit ; but it would be simply dishonest to affirm that it is such issues 

 that are always in view. Here, for the present, I must end. I ask no 

 space to reply to those railers who make such free use of the terms 

 insolence, outrage, profanity, and blasphemy. They obviously lack 

 the sobriety of mind necessary to give accuracy to their statements, or 

 to render their charges worthy of serious refutation. Advance Sheets. 



