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