World Parliament of Religions Scrapbook 003

              #003 World Parliament of Religions Scrapbook, p. 127

else; though we should add that he, more than 
any one else, fell short in the applying of it.
Hegel even endeavored to give a classification
of religions, which, it is true, hits the nail right
on the head here and there, but as
a whole distinctly proves that he lacked
a clear conception of the real his-
torical development of religion. Nor
could this be otherwise. Even if the one had
not been confined within the narrow bounds of
an appropriate system of the historical data
which were at his disposal, even if the other had
not been led astray by his unbridled fancy, both
wanted the means to trace religion to the source
of its developments. Most of the religions of
antiquity, especially those of the East, were at
that time known but superficially, and the crit-
ical research into the newer forms of religion
had as yet hardly been entered into.
          Source of the Science.
So we see that the modern science of religion,
comparative theology, has sprung from these
two sources: The want of a finer empirical base
of operations, felt by the philosophy of religion,
and the great discoveries on the domain of
history, archaeology, and anthropology. These
discoveries have revealed a great number of
forms of religion and religious phenomena,
which until now were known imperfectly or not
at all, and it stands to reason that these have
been compared with those already known, and
that inferences have been drawn from this com-
parison. Can any one be said to be the founder 
of the young science? Many have conferred this
title upon the famous Oxford professor, Max
Muller; others, among them his great American
opponent, the no less famous professor of Yale
College. W. Dwight Whitney, have denied it to
him. We may leave this decision to posterity.
I, for one, though I may be said rather to side
with Whitney than Muller, though I have fre-
quently contended the latter's speculations and
theories, I would not close my eyes to the great 
credit he has gained by what he has done for the 
science of religion, nor would I gainsay the fact 
that he has given a mighty impulse to the study
of it, especially in England and in France.
             Has Many Followers.
But a new branch of study can hardly be said
to be founded. Like others, this was called into
being by a generally felt want in different coun-
tries at the same time and as a matter of course.
The number of those applying themselves to it
has been gradually, increasing, and for years it
has been gaining chairs at universities—first in
Holland, afterward also in France and elsewhere,
now also in America. It has already a
rich literature, even periodicals of its own. 
Though at one time the brilliant talents of some
writers threatened to bring it into fashion and
to cause it to fall a prey to dilettanti—a state of
things that is to be considered most fatal to any
science, but especially to one that is still in its
infancy—this danger has fortunately been warded
off, and it is once more pursuing the noiseless
tenor of its way, profiting by the fell criticism of
those who hate it.
I shall hot venture to write its history. The
time for it has not yet come. The rise of this
new science, the comparative research of
religions; is as yet too little a feature of the
past to be surveyed from an impartial stand-
point. Moreover, the writer of this paper him-
self has been one of the laborers in this field for
more than thirty years past, and so he is, to
some extent, a party in the conflict of opinions.
His views would be apt to be too subjective, and
could be justified only by an exhaustive criti-
cism, which would be misplaced here, and the
writing of which would require a longer time of
preparation than has now been allowed to him.
A dry enumeration of the names of the principal
writers and the title of their works, would be
of little use, and would prove very little attrac-
tive to you. Therefore, let me add some words
on the study of comparative theology.
           The Subject Too Vast.
The first, the predominating question is: Is
this study possible? In other words, what man,
however talented and learned he may be, is able
to command this immense field of inquiry, and
what lifetime is long enough for the acquiring
of an expansive knowledge of all religions? It is
not even within the bounds of possibility that a
man should master all languages to study in the
vernacular the religious records of all nations,
not only recognized sacred writings, but also
those of dissenting sects, and the songs and
sagas of uncivilized peoples. So one will
have to put up with translations and every-
one knows that the meaning of the orig-
inal is but poorly rendered even by the best
translation. One will have to take upon trust
what may be called secondhand information,
without being able to test it, especially where the
religions of the so-called primitive peoples are
concerned. All these objections have been made
by me for having the pleasure of setting them
aside; they have frequently been raised against
the new study, and have already dissuaded many
from devoting themselves to it. Nor can it be
denied, that they contain at least some truth.
But if, on account of these objections the com-
parative study of religions were to be esteemed
impossible, the same judgment would have to be
pronounced upon many other sciences.
        Science Not a System.
The flimsily constructed speculative systems,
pasteboard buildings all of them, we have done
away with for good and all. But a science is
not a system, not a well arranged storehouse of
things that are known, but an aggregate of
researches all tending to the same purpose,
though independent yet mutually connected, and
each in particular connected with similar re-
searches on other domains, which thus serve as
auxiliary sciences. Now the science of religion
has no other purpose than to lead to the king-
dom of religion in its nature and its origin.
And this knowledge is not to be ac-
quired—at least it is to be a sound,
not a would-be knowledge—but by
an unprejudiced, historical, psychological
research. What should be done first of all is to 
trace religion in the course of its development, 
that is to say, in its life, to inquire what every
family of religions, as for instance the Aryan
and the Semitic, what every particular religion,
what the great religious persons have con-
tributed to this development, to what laws and
conditions this development is subjected and in
what it really consists. Next the religious
phenomena, ideas and dogmas, feelings and in-
clinations, forms of worship and religious acts
are to be examined to know from what wants of
the soul they have sprung and of what aspira-
tions they are the expression. But these re-
searches, without which one cannot penetrate
into the nature of religion nor form a concep-
tion of its origin, cannot bear lasting fruit unless
the comparative study of religions and religious
individualities lie at the root of them.
Only to a few it has been given to institute
this most comprehensive inquiry, to follow to
the end this long way. He who ventures upon it
cannot think of examining closely all the par- 
ticulars himself; he has to avail himself of what 
the students of special branches have brought to 
light and have corroborated with sound evi- 
dence.
It is not required of every student of the sci-
ence of religion that he should be an architect;
yet though his study may be confined within
the narrow bounds of a small section if he does
not lose sight of the chief purpose, and if he
applies the right method he, too, will contribute
not unworthily to the great common work.
Two things must be required of the student of
the science of religion. He must be thoroughly
acquainted with the present state of the re-
search; he must not only know what facts have
already been solved, but also what questions are
still unanswered; he must have walked, though
it be quick in time, about the whole domain of
his science; in short, he must possess a general
knowledge of religions and religious phenomena.
He must then select a field of his own and probe
to the bottom of everything until he knows all 
about it, and then he must try to give it a fresh
impulse.
         LAURA ORMISTON CHANT.
  She Closes the Morning Session with an Elo-
         quent Address.
As Laura Ormiston Chant stepped to the
front of the platform she was greeted with
an outburst of genuine applause from the
great audience, which it was evident had
been waiting to hear this popular English-
woman and speaker. She said:
Dear Friends: After listening long enough to
the science of religion, probably, as this is the
last word this morning it may be a little relief to
run off or leave the science of religion to take
care of itself for a while and take a few thoughts
on religion independent of its science. That re-
ligion will hold the world at last which makes
men most good and most happy. Whatever
there has been in this old past of the faiths that
has made men more good and more happy that
lives with us to-day and helps on the progressive-
ness of all that we have learned since. We have
learned that religion, whatever the science of it
may be, is the principle of spiritual growth. We
have learned that to be religious is to be alive. 
The more religion you have the more full of life
and truth you are and the more able to give life
to all those with whom you come in contact. That
religion which helps us most, to the most
bravery in dealing with human souls, that is the
religion that will hold the world. That which
makes you or me the most brave in days of fail-
ure or defeat in another human soul is that reli-
gion which is bound to conquer in the
end by whatever name you call it. And be-
lieve me, and my belief is on all fours with that
of most of you here, that religion which to-day
goes most bravely to the worst of all evils, goes
with its splendid optimism into the darkest cor-
ners of the earth, that is the religion of to-day
under whatever name you call it.
       Living and Dead Forms.
We are obliged to admit that the difference
between the dead forms of religion and the liv- 
ing forms to-day is that the dead forms of re- 
ligion deal with those who least need it, while 
the living forms of religion deal with those who 
most need it. Consequently to-day, and it is one 
of the most glorious comforts of the progress 
that we are making, the real religiousness of
our life, whether of the individual, the nation,
or of the world at large, is that to-day we will
not accept sin, sorrow, pain, misery, and failure
as eternal or even temporary longer than our
love can let them be. And out of that has grown
the feeling that has hardly taken on a name as
yet to the whole would—it has taken on a
very practical name to those who hold it. Out
of that has grown a feeling which will not admit
that God may do what it is wrong for me to do
as an individual. It is a strange
turning around in the idea of our relationship to
God, that to-day, for the first time in the whole
world's history we are asking what is God's
duty to us. To-day, for the first time in the
world's history, we are certain that God's duty
to us will be performed. For ages mankind
asked, What was his duty to God? That was the
first part of his progress; but to-day you and I
are asking, What is God's duty to us? And oh,
God, be thanked that it is so. If I can throw the
whole of my being into the arms of God and be
certain he will do his duty by me, that duty will
first of all be to succeed in me; it will not be to
fail in me. And I can come to him through all
my blunders and sins and with my eyes full of
tears and catch the rainbow light of his love
upon those tears of mine, certain he will do his
duty by me and that he will succeed in me at the
last.
            Nothing but Words.
Again we have listened this morning to these
profoundly interesting scholarly papers, and
perhaps it is almost too frank of me to say that
we have been thinking what marvelous intel-
lectual jugglers these theologians are. I dare
say that some of you have come to think this
morning. After all, what is this about? It is
mostly about words. Words in all sorts of
languages, words that almost dislocate the jaw
in trying to pronounce, words that almost daze
the brain in trying to think out what their mean-
ing is; but it is words for all that. Underneath
is poor humanity coming, coming, coming slowly
along the path of progress nearer up to
the light for which Goethe prayed. And
we are nearer the light in proportion
as our religion has made us more and more
lovely, more and more beautiful, more and more
tender, more true, and more safe to deal with.
After all there is a line of demarkation to-day
between people whom it is safe to be with, and
those who are unsafe. Our religion has become 
a very national thing, for we are asking to-day to 
be able so to deal with unsafe people as to bring 
them over into the lines of the safe. But with 
those who have been educated in the schools of
the Master who taught no creed and who be-
longed to no denomination, but who was uni-
versal in his teachings and in his love of man-
kind as the children of God, we believe that he
taught us that it was blessed, it was happy to be
pure in heart, to be merciful, to he humble, to be
a peacemaker, to be all those things which help
mankind to be happiest and best.
            Calling for Art.
And therefore to-day we are beginning to un-
derstand that a system of theology that did not
take and does not take into itself all that litera-
ture has given and all that art is pouring forth,
all that the heart of man is yearning after in
nature would, be insufficient to-day; and the
consequence is that in and outside the churches
the religiousness of the world is calling for art
to take her place as an exponent of religion, for
nature to take her part as the great educator of
men in all those feelings that are most religious
as regards God. In fact, that I and you when we
want to do best for that criminal or that outcast
or that hard one, we will learn it not by going to
the schoolmasters and books, but by going
right there into the solitudes of the moun-
tains and of the lakes which our
Father has made and learn of his
marvels in the wild flower and the song of the
birds, and come hack to our brother man and
say: "Is not this human soul of more value than
many sparrows?" If God so clothed the moun-
tains, heaths, and meadows of the world, shall
he not clothe these human souls with a beauty
that transcends Solomon in all his glory, with
a joy unspeakable and full of glory? It is the 
deepening, the heightening, the broadening of
that that is to be the outcome of this wonderful
parliament. It is not that the Day of Pentecost
has come back to us once again? [Applause.]
Do we not hear them all speak with the tongue
wherein we were born, this tongue of prayer,
that we may know each other and
go up and be more likely to
get nearer to him as the ages roll on? This par-
liament will be far-reaching. There is no limit
over the world to what these parliaments will
mean in the impetus given to the deepening of
religious life. It will be so much easier for you
and me in the years to come to bow our heads 
with reverence when we catch the sound of the
Moslem's prayer. It will be so much easier for
you and me in days to come to picture God our
Father, answering the prayer of the Japanese in
the Jap's own language. It will be so much
easier for you and me to understand that God
has no creed whatever, that mankind is his
child and shall be one with him one day and live
with him forever. [Applause].