FRAGMENT.* A VERY large part of the intellectual class finds itself to-day between the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, the mind is dominated by inheritance and training until it identifies religion with its institutions, its dogmas, its forms, its figures of speech; on the other, this mind is trained by the methods and literature of the age to war with the institutions of religion, to ignore her forms and reject her dogmas. The dilemma is not a new one, though its present dimensions belong to the latter half of this century. By this dilemma one who would be religious is tempted to separate his religion from his intellectual life to the great disturbance of the former, or to close his eyes to what they see and distrust reason and experience so far as they lead him away from his faith. This is a form of * Written probably in November or December, 1898, but not delivered. intellectual dishonesty not so common now as a few years ago. By this same dilemma one who would be rational is tempted to hoodwink himself by imagining that he believes what he knows he doubts, or to classify himself as unreligious altogether because he is not like some people, who say they believe what he must doubt, and who loudly affirm their own religion. The dilemma is not a new one, but to those whose expanding intellectual life leads them to it for the first time it is new and very real. Of these there are many in our midst. I speak chiefly for these. I believe that every man can and ought to be religious. I do not think he is a complete man until he is religious. If you will accept my definition of religion, you will think so too. I cannot make you religious. I would not if I could. That is your part. Being is not born of hearing, but of doing. But I have learned some things in my experience with young men and women that have been very helpful to me and to others to whom I have given them. Some of these things I bring to you, hoping they may be needed. I like to bring to this chapel platform the best my life gives me, and the best thing out of my experience is that the life Jesus Christ lived is the best life for any man or woman. People do not readily believe this. When we remember how quickly men throw away old things for newer and better, how rapidly new inventions are adopted the world over, we can but wonder that the best life has so slowly commended itself to the race. But I think we are beginning to see that the world has had but imperfect and few glimpses of the real life of Jesus. An artificial, man-made Jesus, constructed of Greek philosophy, Oriental mysticism, and Roman legalism, has grown up between the real Jesus and a harassed people who yet instinctively feel that there is a living being within the mass of stuff associated with his name. With most people to-day the terms Christianity and Religion are synonymous. Even the Jew of to-day will speak of the civilization which he himself has so well helped to build as |