8 ffc 'SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, DECKMBEK 2B, itruv. PRIEST DEFENDS ' FAITH IN MIRACLES Drift of Agnostic Thought and Teaching Is Back Toward Paganism. MUCH HARM BEING DONE rather Thompson, In Chriatmas Ser mon at St. Mary's, Declares Truth Will ; Triumph In Future as In Fast. That a popular agnostic philosophy tofiay'ls degrading the men and women of the country toy "uprooting Christ -and his holy law from their hearts and minds." was the declaration of Rev. rather Goorfre B. Thompson, in his Christmas sermon at St. Mary's Cathe dral yesterday morning. The speaker said that, whereas some centuries ago the olvilised world would have sworn fealty to the divinity of Christ, today the multitude rejects him as a savior. Father Thompson said in part: "As we turn from our own Catholic fRlth In the redemption and divinity of Christ and consider the teaching- of those who would make his divine son ship a metaphor, and his atonement a flure of speech, we are moved to de plore the blighting effects of an agnos tic philosophy upon man's hopes for re ligious truth. Some centuries ago the civilized world would have sworn for Itself and posterity eternal fealty to the divinity of Christ. Today a multi tude who are Indebted to the divine 'power of the Savior for the security and enlightenment they enjoy, deny him his divinity and reject him as a savior. Apostasy Yields Fruit. "It such apostasy were not already producing its bitter fruit, we could find in the Btory of humanity a full and faithful description of its inevitable woes. For the truth was and is. and always will be. that man cannot rescue himself from the corruption of his own nature. As he looks to the sun in the sky for light and warmth, so must he look heavenward for truth and help "Without a divine savior and a divine church continuing his blessed mission, there can 'be no rest for the question ing restless mind; no consolation, no sense of security, no peace for the anx ious, troubled heart. "The great misfortune which afflicts In part mankind today comes from hav ing permitted a soul-shrlnklng philoso phy to pass a false and arbitrary Judg ment upon the person, and works of Christ. For we cannot reject the Christ of the Gospels, the Christ of Christianity, and at the same time pos sess a savior. 'If we leave thee, to whom shall we go?' That true sense of utter helpless which formed the apostle's reply to the crucial question of the Savior must be the sad confes sion of every thoughtful man who has sought to And a possible substitute for Jesus the Savior. "When ' scholarship ceases to ap proach Jesus on bended knee, rejects his claims to supremacy, assumes to it in Judgment on his teaching, then are our schoolmen working the de struction of an authoritative teaching, both human and divine. If the common sense methods of reasoning which God has worked into the constitution of man at his creation are to be discred ited, that a dlvtne Jesus may be done away with, then men must be pre pared for the full effeots of their sui cidal theories, and hold all groping af ter truth to be symptomatic of insan ity. Men may destroy the temple of Christian truth, but they are doomed to perish in its ruins. Christianity is the most reasonable faith a man may embrace. If he rejects it as unproved, who 1b he to hold as well established, besides the confusion of his own mind and the utter sterility of his reasoning powers? , "But our rationalistic scholars art fully escape the direct force of their own doctrines. They take no mean view of their mental powers and their ability to lay hold of truth. Thus they confidently take up the engaging task of reconstructing a new Jesus of Naz areth. Having read into the Gospels, or out of them, whatever suits tha exigencies of their preconceptions, they bring forth a new Jesus. conformable In word and work to their arrogant presuppositions of what Christ should be. The situation is humorous as well an tragic. "For we have before us a galaxy of ambitious scholars who are over throwing the traditional relations be tween Christ and man. By a peculiar perversion of right order, they no longer seek the approval of a Divine Master, but on the contrary, are re constructing a Master of whom Jthey can approve. For these sublime intel ligences. God is now a questionable character before th.) bar, and not an omnipotent Judge, decreeing Judgment from on high. "The drift of their thought and teaching is back to the ways and doc trines of the Pagraus. The inttsp en joyed the privilege of making their own Gods, and they gave them a relish for the kind of worship their corrupt minus were willing to ren-der- When a man makes his own leit- he will make him a very human God, and he will not expect him to contribute much to his moral better ment or his Intellectual enlighten- .vow the fact is that the miracles of . me viospei are correlated to an event of supreme importance the vindication of Christ's claim to a divine mission and a divine character. It Is difficult to see by what other means than miracles Christ could have substantiated his teaching. A miracle evidences the co-operation of God. and the philosophic principle is that God Uoes not co-operate in the spread of false doctrine. This is surely a sane view of the whole matter, and It has commended Itself to more than one com petent thinker, in whom the critical fac ulty had not been previously obliterated. There are 200,000.0m) Catholics in the world today, besides some others whose attitude toward the miraculous is not en tirely due to stupefaction. y to Believe. 'Besides the possibility of miracles." there is the interesting fact that they have token place, and are an integral part of the world's history. That the miracles which the Gospels record have actually occurred may not be denied, un-' less we are prepared to sink down into a condition of imbecility and give up all hope of historic truth. I make no pre tensions to critical acumen or philisoph Ic depths, but as a normal Individual, fol lowing the leading of my God-given pow ers of Judgment, 1 find it easier, I con fess, to believe that the great, world wide, regenerating power called Chrksttan Ity. triumphing over Paganism and the fortifications which human passion and aensuallty threw around It, aggregating o Itself a noble manhood and a redeemed womanhood, with no constraining force at hand, save that of truth and moral loveliness, Cs the product of causes to which the Christians .of all ages have re ferred it, than it Is to believe that it owes Its extraordinary and unnatural ca reer to the barren womb of silly myths and fanciful legends. I like to believe that the men who were able to lift hu manity out of its fetid corruption were also able to give a true account of their enterprise and its beginnings. It seems to me that Intelligent men who willingly yielded their lives ratheythan part with Christ men whose pregnant blood brought forth a world-wide posterity, must have had some real knowledge as the sufficient motive- of their sublime heroism. ... "A man like St. Paul renounced the cherished convictions in which he had been bred, compelled thereto by the ir resistible evidence of a crucified awd risen Savior. Surely ' the apostle who transformed the Gentile world by his preaching and his blood, was clever enough and deep enough to demand ade quate motives for his world-conquering, self-sacrificing activities. - I know in whom I have believed, thus does his heroic soul proclaim its faith in the Di vine Master, for love of whom he is about to offer-Tip his life. "Let us not be dlstufbed, then, by the arrogant tone of anticipated victory, which characterizes the high-sounding manifestos of pseudo-critics, who, age after age, are with solemn dili gence . planning- the obsequies of the ancient faith. As to their con tribution m to the world's betterment, they are" doing Incomparably more harm than they wil ever be able to re pair. Pouring, oftentimes, their cor roding errors into the ears of callow youths, they are dechrlstlanizlng and demoralizing, the boys -and girls who have sent to them for food. Unable to form men and women of prayer and vir tue, they ' turn out libertines and scof fers. And all this In the name of learn ing. "The scholarship which Is degrading the men and women of the country by uprooting Christ and his holy law from their minds and hearts, had bet ter look to its lamps. The con tempt for all law, human and divine, which it so successfully fosters, the vile principles which It Inculcates, the moral wreckage and mental cynicism which follow upon Its constructive labors, are practical and obvious evi dences of its perfidy and emptiness. "Christianity triumphed In the be ginning because It was true. It has lived and achieved throughout the suc ceeding nineteen centuries for the same reason, and It will be victorious la the future, because the minds and hearts of men crave the tranquility and security of truth." MUSICAL SERVICES GIVEN Catholic and Episcopalians Com memorate Christmas Day. Elaborate musical programmes were Kiven at -all the Catholic and Episcopal churches yesterday. In each denomina tion the order of services was uniform In all the churches in the forenoon. In the afternoon, however, a few of the Catholic churches had special services. The Catholic services included spe cial Christmas features and elaborate music The attendance at all the churches was unusually large. The decorations were a feature. . The leading- feature in all the Catho lic Christmas services was the Christ mas crib, symbolical of the manner of Christ's birth. At St. Mary's Cathedral, solemn pon tifical mass was sung by the most Rev. Archbishop Christie. The follow ing musical programme was given: Solemn Pontifical Mats Art the entry of the Archbishop. "Ecce Sacerdoa." Ramptaf; during- vewttng of Archbishop. "Aderte Flde-lee." Novello; Introlt, plain chant from Vatican Oraduale; Kvrte and Gloria, Monestel; grad ual and allt-TVKa, Tozer ; Veni Creator, dis tance ; Credo, Monestel ; offertory, Tozer; nolo. "O Mira Nox," Noel; Sanctus, Imperial Mass, Haydn: Benedictus and Agnus Del. Monestel; during unvestlng of the Archbishop, "Ave ALarla," Maacheroni; lo by MIas Irene Klynn. Miss Roee Frledle, Mrs. K. Cushingr. Mrs. Parrlah, J. Flynn, K. A. Cearns;. cello, F. 8orensen; Frederick W. Goodrich, organist and director. Services at St. Patrick's Church, Nineteenth and Savier- streets, with high mass at 10:30, were held yester day morning. The sermon was deliv ered by Rev. E. P. Murphy. A special musical programme was prepared for the late mass. Leonard's Third Mass in B flat was sung in full by the choir. Frank Barrett sang "O Holy Night," by Adams, and at the offertory Miss Alice Dougherty rendered a violin solo by Beaumont. The choir was composed of: Sopranos, Mrs. Edward Harold, Mrs. Margaret Ahern-Grisbeck, Mrs. J. C. Yager, Misses Ann Sherlock and Florence Gilmour; contraltos, Mrs. W. P. Bodway and Mrs. Collier ; tenor, Frank Barret; bass, Mr. Starkey; Mrs. J. Z. DuFresne, organist and director. Special musical programmes will be given at most 'of the . evangelical churches this morning and evening. FAILING EYESIGHT RESTORED If you are a sufferer lftm any eye trou ble, consult Thompson before placing your case elsewhere. Non-residents are invited to call when in the city. r ' w ft "I ' I Tnompson s ability has been recognized by the highest authorities in Europe. The foremost phy sicians of Lon don, Paris, Vienna and Berlin declare his system of I sight-testing a great aid to science. Nine Years la Portland and the Larseat Practice In the Pacific Northwest. -SOME SYMPTOMS OF SERIOUS EYE TROUBLES Dimness of vision. Seeing spots, specks,' etc., dance before the eyes. The atmosphere seems smoky and foggy. . Seeing better some days than others. Seeing better sideways than straight ahead. Seeing better in the evening or early morning than at midday. Seeing objects double or multiplied. Seeing a halo or circle about a light. Pain in or about the eyes. . Constant or periodic headaches. THOMPSON FITS EVERY PAIR OF GLASSES HIMSELF He does not leave the matter to other people. He considers that if you recommend a friend to him, the best he can do in recognition of your courtesy is to wait on your friend himself.- Most people cannot afford to pay hlnta prices for their (classes, yet they should have the very best of good work, and here Is where we can serve such people. THOMPSON REMEMBER THE NAME SECOND FLOOR CORBETT BLDG. FIFTH and MORRISON STREETS MEMBER ' OF THE AMXRICAX ASSOCIATION of OPTOMETRISTS RITES TO BE FIXED Water Board Will Revise Its Schedule Tuesday. METERS CAUSE PROBLEM Minimum for Consumers Using Gauges Will Probably Be Put at 7 5 Cents School Budget Also to Come Up. Portland's water rates will be fixed this week, the charter requiring this action before January 1, for the suc ceeding year, and the Water Board and City Council will meet for this pur pose, the board Tuesday afternoon and the-Council Wednesday at 2 P. M. In fact, Tuesday will be a busy day in of flolal circles, as the Executive Board will meet In the afternoon, and at night in Lincoln High school the taxpayers will consider the 1910 school" budget, which is of great importance. . The Water 'Board has a hard problem with which ' to deal this year, in straightening out the tangle that has come about through the installation of meters in dwellings throughout the city. The question is, "How can the rates be equalized?" Those on meters are paying in many cases more than 60 per cent less than they did last year, before the maters were put in. Oth ers, having no meters, are paying the old rates. It will thus be seen that an injustice is being done, and it 'is to harmonize t this situation that the Water - Board will meet Tuesday. It r V. PROMINENT PORTLAND WOMAN PASSES. !4T 3 iS-&' alii 5ti X MRS. BERTHA FRIEBMAX, DECEASED. Sirs. Bertha Friedman, for 22 years a resident of Portland, died Fri day at the Chetopa apartments, 584 Flanders street- The deceased was the wife of I. Friedman, and is survived by her husband and two sons, Alex and Abe. both engaged in business in this city. Mrs. Friedman -was. well known among the charitable women of Portland, and was one of the founders of the Sisters of Israel Benevo lent Society. She was also an active member of the Council of Jewish women, the Hebrew Benevolent Society and the Jewish Ladles' Endow ment Society. Mrs. Friedman was 49 years old on December 24. The funeral will be from the Holman Chapel at noon today. has been virtually decided to make a minimum rate for meters of 75 cents a month, and there will very probably be changes In other respects. After the Water Board makes up Its recommendations as to rates, the char ter requires that the Council shall pass an ordinance, fixing the rates. The Council, under . the charter, . can In crease the rates over the recommenda tion of the board, but cannot lower them. It Is probable the Council will adopt whatever rates are reported on by the board. The Board of Education has made up Its recommendations to the voters com prising the district, and will submit them at the annual meeting, to be held Tuesday night: Included Is approxi mately 9700.000 lor salaries, there be ing a large force to pay each month, and a large sum for new buildings. It will be necessary, in order to keep pace with the rapid growth of the city, to have about 100 new rooms for 1910. and these are to be provided, if the budget that is to be submitted is adopted by the taxpayers. The. largest single Item contained in the budget Is a proposition to call an election for the purpose of voting on a bond issue of $350,000' for a West Side High school. This is said by the. airectors to he necessary, as the Lin coln High school, which has been used many years, is out of date, and there must be a modern building to take Its place. It will also be the home of the headquarters staff, which is now lo cated in the City Hall. Early in the new year the Council committee on ways and means will nave the annual duty of considering the appropriations for the various de partments for the year. The Council is required to appropriate for the items that make up the business of the rttv. Only the number of policemen for which xne council makes appropriation can be employed by the Executive Board. and this holds in every case, unless the Council sees lit to make a general appropriation and leave the use of the funds to the Mayor and members of the various boards. GROUNDS , MAY BE ENLARGED Two Blocks .Desired for Washington High School Site. A strong effort will be made at th taxpayers' meeting next Tuesday night to make' provision for the pur chase of .two blocks north of the Washington High School building on East Stark 'street for athletic grounds for the students. These two blocks are Joined together by East Thir teenth street, which is not opened, and would provide grounds 460x200 feet. All vacant lots about the Washing ton High School are building up rap Idly and it is urged that if additional grounds are ever to be secured, now is the time to act. It Is estimated that It will cost $50,000 to purchase the two. lots with the improvements. The high and grammar school buildings cover the two blocks on which they stand, leaving no space outside of the buildings themselves. In attendance at the High School are 1000 pupils and in the Grammar School are 800. WIFE BEATEN, SCALDED ACTIONS OF W. B. PEXXYCOCK AROUSE NEIGHBORHOOD. Not Satisfied With. Pummeling Woman, Drunken Husband Pours Boiling Tea Orer Her Head. In response to a tele'phone call yes terday afternoon from 468 East Davis street, where it was reported a man was murdering his wife. Patrolman Gustafson arrested W. B. Pennycock. a .bookkeeper for the St. Clair Packing Company, who lives at 474 East Davis street. In a fit of drunken rage. It is said, he had beaten his wife severely with his fists. Not content with this brutality.-neighbors say. he grabbed a teapot containing boiling hot tea from the stove and poured its con tents over her head and shoulders. Her cries of pain and her pleas for mercy were heard for a long distance and wrought up the neighbors to a high pitch. . After an appeal to police headquar ters to prevent further Injury to the woman. Captain Bailey sent the pa trol wagon and' Officer Gustafson placed Pennycock tinder arrest. While the officer was telephoning to the station the prisoner broke and ran In an attempt to escape. He got out through his back yard and then a race for several blocks ensued. The po- GREAT CLEARANCE SALE Begins Monday, January 3rd, 1910 It will pay you to wait WHEN YOU SEE IT IN OUR AD ITS SO Third and Oak First and Yamhill 1st and Morrison I iceman won at East Eighth and East Oak streets. Mrs. Pennycock told the officer her husband ha come home Intoxicated the nlgrht before and had abused her and their little children all night. After sobering up Christmas morning: he went out again and returned in the middle of the - afternoon on a drunken rampage. The back of Mrs. Pennycock's neck and her shoulders were badly scald ed. At the police station Captain Bailey instructed the police officer that if Mrs. . Pennycock ' failed to . file a complaint against her husband, a for mal complaint should be prepared by the officer making: ' the arrest, and that Pennycock should be sent before Judge Bennett. . In his report to. Chief Cox Patrolman Gustafson says neighbors of Penny cock declare he has been raising a dis turbance at his home nearly every night during the past month. Penny cock asked to be released on bail, but Chief Cox refused his request. Cold Closes Sawmills. - U CENTER, Wash., Dec. 25. Tues day night it was 21 degrees above zero. Wednesday night showed 14 degrees above zero. The mills and camps were forced to close down sooner than was expected before the holidays on account of the cold snap. The continued freez ing has caused the water supply to de crease to such an extent that discon tinuance of work was necessary. Frasser Detention Home Has Tree. Twenty-six persons sat down to a Christmas repast yesterday afternoon at the Krazer Detention Home, Rose mount avenue and Halsey street. Dur ing the day many gifts were received. A "Christmas tree was enjoyed at the home Friday night. Twenty visitors joined in the festivities. It is believed that only 2000 buffaloes are now In existence. 3 r J&JS?" 8 f 77 - t M'M" .... Jrlis estra XJAV'E just opened a two wejeJcs'1 engagement at -8--- the Louvre Grill. Rigors fame as an interpreter of Hungarian music precedes him and the manage ment of the Louvre considers itself fortunate to secure Rigo for the entertainment of its patrons during the holidays