THE CLEVER FOLK.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 734, 5 February 1910, Page 14

THE CLEVER FOLK.

. WHY WORRY ABOUT THEM? ! THE.HETEEODOXY OF GENIUS. There' is a delightful article on 'The Heterodoxy of Genius," in the "Atlantic Monthly," by William-Austin Smith, evidently "an Episcopal parson, who casts covetons glances at genius seemingly going to waste outsido parochial bounds." "Gonins standing : aloof—sometimes aggressively confirmation, classes and the counsols:of the Church, is," he says, "the tempting morsel which generations of Churchmen, have coveted 'for "the faith. Our inability, to lure genius in appreciable numbers, into the fold has caused- grave searchings. of heart and volumes of . apologetics. •We have felt it-to be a silent reproach upon'our faith that' spiritual food, nourishing to us, the rank "and file, should not be'good enough for them. , , '.'. ; ■ .• • "When wo 'contrive to attract gomus that tolerates us, we are' likely to. be unrestrained in our appreciation, so'that the gentle conformity of a Pasteur and the militant loyalty of a Gladstone'are over-capitalised for ihomiletic purposes. We treat ; their . goodwill and - endorsement much like- the- haberdashers and victuallers, in England, .exhibiting over their shops the' gilded- approval of some ,'royal-customer. ■ ■

Carlyle's Advice to the Rector. , "One recalls the incident which Henry James.'relates of'tho newly-settled : rector in the parish where Carlylo was living calling one'day upon his 'doughty parishioner .' To avert the calamity, which from an"open window'ho saw descending upon him,' Carlyle seizes.' his stick, dons his. coat,. and ■• meets the . rector on the doorstep. Not'to be outdone, .this representative, of; organised religion accepts the neighbourly invitation to walk a 'piece. Part of the conversation, along the road is to our purpose.. "'lt is ■ much, no' doubt," said Carlylej when the eager parson had ventured on volcanic ground,- 'to have a decent ceremonial .of worship and an educated, polite 1 sort.; : of-..person to 'administer it, but the' main want of the world, as,l gather -just'now,.and of .this parish, especially . .[\is to discover Romebne who, really knows; God otherwise than by hearsay, and can tell us what Dirine workis. actually to :ba; done Ihefe and'now l in. , London streets,. and not' of .a totally dif ; ferent. wdrlc! which, behooved' to -be. done two-thousand years ago in 'old 'Judaea.'l. much hope that-you are just'the "man we look for, and I give you my word you' will, strike" dissent dumb.', if.', such really be the:case.'- •• •-,', . ■ '

"A genius'can rarely be'held in social groups in such first-hand 'matters as faith "and worship: .His directness' and intensity •'..of vision are themselves limitations which narrow ■■• tho field ;,o£' comradeship.: He sees further,' butrsometimesmot so much ;as common.folk. "Hip short cuts;to."reality, make- him impatient with the morft . orderly; conventional routes. .With less pretence to' frequent converse with :<3od,' he: approaches. Him, nevertheless,-'with-a certain;'ceremony.of the spirit- after a .liturgy.- of The. olear.sweep: he get* on the outside,' unobstructed-,by the details which belong lo_ the office-work of 'religion appeals <to. his: romantic tomperament:.. We. worry ourselves needlessly over the clever folk who will, .have none.-.of, ,our. .ministrations. Why not leaved these exceptional persons, to .get. to heaven in-their- own way,.accepting in,good faith: their service to the.Kingdom of God?■-.- „ . '•,-■•

Burn Them, if. Askod. , • \\ ■ "If there is -a-goodly .company of' virtuous and able folk'.-whb. do';.no,t, want-to say our'creeds, why;'worry■■ about itt. Why not leave them in'peace as, : members of. the -great- Invisible Church, where no one is asked to ..define his beliefs, or. .talk about\theih to .his neighbour, or.say them over and,spell.them out.on' Sunday mornings, or/sing them if he,does not like;to sing, them, or; pray them, out in if he_ does not choose.to pray in.words?.. \\ -~ might leave theso men and women to their broad ': pastures, ''and,, ..without malice,' bury.them if they ask it, or burn them if the public good demands it but, let us not harass. our nerves, foi ever, angling after tho men who seem able, I .' get-to; heaven ;'without our' help, and are annoyed'by'.bur'.importunity./. ~■"-,- ';. / ."But .'.the romantic temperament,' insisting .upon" the 'free air. of, the Invisible' Church,: is ' frequently' unjust-.to ;; other spiritual,climates, ih ! which his'brothers thrive.'-. ; He ■ forgets .- that' conventional religion-interprets .the, vision to tho rank arid file. When we are told with fervour that religion is not a creed or" church attendance, but an expansive something else, we, who: belong, to;the .great'm'iddlo class of: the. spirit, and .go .to church and say; our prayers ,in-, uninspired", fashion, may say, that.'we'have.Jong known'.that;,

but why overlook the psychology of. tho ordinary man, who, without a creed and a prayer-book, would perhaps havo no religion at all? "While wo are militantly guarding our precious deposits of truth, it is 1 good ,to think' of the man' who sits- outside our doors, holdiug converse with tho ii'ather, and from time to timo reporting rapturous interviews with tho Uod of things as they are. It is wholcsomo to be; told that, for some wise and good men, our liturgies aronottho final idiom, of worship; that tho• cr'eeds, and prayerbooks are only imperfect phrasings of faith; and that the Church-of to-day-is not the sole agent of Christ in bringing in the : Kingdom of God. , "There is a placo in the economy of the . Church for the man ■ outside, with his insistent, cry for realily, yet rcverontly conscious ofhumnh inability jo attain it. Standing aloof, ho goads lis on till the thing wo say is constant to the ■thing wo 1 mean,-the symbol tuluumto to the fact; and the faith within- us becomes articulate ;in creed, liturgy, canons, and organisation, commensurate to the mystery and dignity of religious trnth. Perhaps, as tho Church tries to satisfy, this demand for reality, oven though it fail to attain .a.'catholicity which will- include every temperament, it may.divorce.from: its ranks only a minimum of gifted minds, 'whil'j .burnishing the faith for the rank, and file." —"Public Opinion.";