That a life tells more than a creed is shown in this incident told in
the _Young Man_:
Mr. John Morley said to a Presbyterian minister who was his
guest: “How was it that your Church tolerated Drummond? His
views were surely not those of the Free Church.” “No,” said the
minister, “but we never took him seriously as a thinker. No
one believed that he would shape the theological opinions of
the Church. We regarded him rather as a religious influence.”
“Ah, yes,” said Mr. Morley, “you are quite right; he wasn’t
a thinker.” After some talk on other matters he returned to
the subject: “You said a little while ago that Drummond was a
religious influence. How did he show that?” “Well,” replied the
minister, “for one thing, he cleansed Edinburgh University life
for several years.” “Ah,” said Mr. Morley thoughtfully, “that’s
better than being a thinker.” It is never easy for the Church to
drive out heretics who are not thinkers, but who purify by love
the sources of spiritual life in men.
(335)
* * * * *
As the light is rayed back from the flower and the wave, from
the rock and the roadside, from all objects in nature and all
ornaments of art, no matter from what center it emanated first,
so the excellence of a character, when serenely and brightly
exprest through life, attracts an immediate and instinctive
response from all natures around it.--RICHARD S. STORRS.
(336)
See APPEARANCE; TRUST.
=Character and Evil=--See EVIL GERMINAL.