Culture and Religion (Paperback)

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1872. Excerpt: ... LECTURE IV. HINDRANCES TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH. It has often happened that when the sons of a family, after having been for some ses sions at College, have returned to their own homes, bursars, or scholars, or M. A.'s with honors, the family have felt that somehow they were changed, had lost their old simple natures, and for this loss college learning and distinctions seemed but a poor substitute. This, however, may be only a temporary result of severe mental tension and seclusion. When the bow has been for a time unstrung, the unnaturalness passes, and the native, simple self reappears. But I have known other stories than these. I have heard of devout and self-denying parents, working late and early, and stinting themselves to send their sons to College, and in sending them their fond hope was that these young men would return stored with knowledge and wisdom, and be able to help their parents in those religious subjects on which their hearts were most set. Such hopes, we may trust, have many times been realized. But one has heard of cases which had another issue. A young man has come home, after a college course, acute, logical, speculative, full of the newest views, prating of high matters, scientific and philosophical, a very prodigy of enlightenment. But that on which early piety had fed was forsaken, the old reverence was gone, and the parents saw, with helpless sorrow, that their son had chosen for himself a far other road than that on which they were travelling, and in which they had hoped he would travel with them. It is a common tale, one which has often been repeated, but none the less pathetic for that. It brings before us the collision that often occurs when newly awakened intellect first meets with early faith. No one who has observed men ever so little but must know somet...