08. A RELIGIOUS "TRUST"
a great ecclesiastical federation, based upon principles so accommodating that "all who dwell upon the earth" can find a congenial place there. Only those "that dwell in heaven" would find themselves out of place in it.
But what man would ever have dared to predict that the business federation and the ecclesiastical federation would coalesce into one system, and that the outcome of these intense religious and industrial activities would be a gigantic churchified Trust?
Yet such is the picture clearly outlined upon the sacred page of inspiration; and those who have understanding of the oracles of God, and also, like the men of Issachar, have a knowledge of the times, may plainly see, amid all the confusion of current events, the outline of this ecclesiastical monstrosity coming into view, and gradually taking definite shape.
And one thing more the prophecy clearly and pointedly indicates, namely, that the central principle of this system is to be the supremacy of Man—man exalted to the place of God, enthroned upon the pinnacle of his own achievements, and saying exultingly, "What hath Man wrought!" Count the number, for it is the number of MAN.
Such, in general at least, will be the nature of the coming man, the last and greatest of the magnates, and of the religio-commercial syndicate over which he shall preside. That these coming things are to arrive along the direct line of any one of the movements of to-day is unlikely. These movements are severally undergoing great change of form. Some may disintegrate and disappear altogether; some may collide with and be shattered by opposing forces; and still others may coalesce; so that it cannot be said that this or the other movement will finally prevail. The precise manner, however, in which the result is to be reached is a mere matter of detail. The important things to be noted are (1): that the essential features and principles of the last great system, which is to be the outcome of human achievement, are clearly described in the Word of God; and (2), that even a casual scrutiny of the mighty movements of to-day reveals that the very features and principles described in Scripture are the dominating ideals of modern thought. However much change may occur in the forms and names of the movements now in progress, the prominent ideals and features which they possess in common will undoubtedly persist, and will assume ever more and more definite shapes; and these will constitute the basic principles of the new social order which is to supplant that which is now breaking up before our eyes.
It is, therefore, of the very highest importance that attention be called to the presence, in the great movements of modern thought and action, of those peculiar features which, according to the sure word of prophecy, should characterise the culminating system of the era of industrialism.
A TANGLE OF INTRICACIES
HUMAN ACTIVITIES AND THEIR TWO MAIN FIELDS OF OPERATION
Having now in mind these prophetic outlines, which present to our view the chief distinguishing marks of the coming Man and of the religio-commercial system of which he will be the directing head, we are in a position to inquire whether at the present time there is transpiring in the world of men and affairs anything which, when examined in the light of Scripture, gives reason to suppose that the coming of these predicted things is close at hand.
In seeking an answer to this question, we will first take a very general survey of the fields of human activity; and then proceed to scrutinize more closely the most conspicuous of the movements taking place therein. It will be expedient to proceed in this methodical way, for the reason that very few people, in these restless days, have either the leisure or the capacity for taking deliberate notice of, and paying close and sustained attention to, what is going on around them. When one for the first time tries to picture to himself the general state of our complicated social system, with its commercial, political, economic, religious, pleasure-supplying, and other aspects, the effect is likely to be mental bewilderment. The world appears to be an immense tangle of intricacies, a scene of wild confusion, disorderly, purposeless, futile. One needs, therefore, to get at the outset a general idea of the leading motives and purposes which actuate society, in order thereby to identify such movements of thought and action as have apparently a definite character and direction, and which are attracting the attention and sympathies of considerable numbers of people.
The first thing which impresses an observer of modern social conditions is the magnitude of the industrial forces that are everywhere at work. In former times the bulk of the world's work was performed by the energies of human beings and beasts of burden; but in our era men have learned how to control, and to harness to the chariot of industrial progress, some of the great natural forces, such as the mighty energies stored away centuries ago in the vast coal-beds of the earth, which are now being released and utilized in the forms of steam and electricity. In order to get the significance of this phase of human enterprise, one must pause to remember that the utilization of the so-called "forces of nature" is practically a new thing. It is distinctly a modern achievement. The rapidity and extent of the development of this remarkable phase of commercial activity may be inferred from the fact that whereas, in 1870, there were utilized in the manufactories of the United States about two million horse-power, that amount increased in the succeeding years to such an extent that, by the census of 1900, the figures are given as eleven million horse-power. This represents a gain in
TWO SPHERES OF ACTIVITY thirty years of 550 per cent. Already this new factor in human affairs has wrought profound social changes; and the ultimate developments from this and other modern conditions are hastening on.
For convenience in pursuing our inquiry, we may divide the entire sphere of human activities into two great sections or divisions; and these may be designated respectively (1) The Economic Field, and (2) The Spiritual or Religious Field.
There are two sides to the nature of man, namely, his material side, and his spiritual side. Everything that is done or produced with a view to meeting the manifold material wants and desires of the modern man belongs to the Economic division of social activity.
On the other hand, all that tends to minister to the spiritual side of man, or to respond in any way to the religious instincts or promptings of his nature, belongs to the Religious division or field of social activity.
In each of these fields there are now in progress movements strong and swift, and which are sufficiently well defined as to their main features and purposes to admit of a satisfactory examination.
It should be stated, in order to prevent any possible misunderstanding, that by "religion" the writer does not mean "Christianity." To speak of Christianity as a religion is to invite or suggest a comparison with the great religions of the world. There can be no such
22 HUMAN ACTIVITIES OF PRESENT DAY comparison. There is nothing but contrast between them. Christianity is not called a religion in the New Testament. It is spoken of as "The Way." The world was full of religion before Christianity came into it in the Person of the incarnate Son of God; and it will be full of religion after Christianity has been taken out of it. The name "Christianity" may indeed remain, as even now it is applied to systems whence every doctrine that is vital to Christianity has been discarded; but the substance will have disappeared utterly. "When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find the faith on the earth?" He will find much religion there; but His coming will end it.
THE ECONOMIC FIELD
Notwithstanding the bewildering confusion presented by the surface of human affairs, it is safe to say that, in a general way, the great physical energies exerted or directed by human beings are employed at the present time mainly in the PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF COMMODITIES; and that the individual aim of those so engaged is to procure, each for himself, the largest possible proportion of the commodities (or "wealth") produced by the aggregate social effort.
Back of all this tremendous expenditure of energy, though many are quite unconscious of it, is the effort of collective humanity to better its condition, and to overcome the many and mysterious things that are adverse to its well-being, contentment, and happiness.
A DEEP-ROOTED IDEA
In this Economic field should properly be included all the governmental and political doings of mankind, since governments now exist for the main purpose of serving and protecting business interests. The criterion by which the merit of every political measure is tested is the effect it is likely to have on "business." Nothing is more sacred in this day than business, which is equivalent to saying that business is becoming a matter of religious concern.
The controlling idea of the hour is that improvement to humanity is to come through increased material prosperity, and that money (or wealth) is the real power by means of which mankind is to be delivered out of all its troubles and miseries. This idea has become deeply seated in human consciousness, and along with it has come an abiding confidence in the inherent ability of man to accomplish eventually his own deliverance. There is a well-nigh universal notion pervading all human Society that everybody would be contented and happy, and that the evils which beset mankind would be eliminated, if all men were plentifully supplied with things.
Thus it comes to pass that human energies are being more and more concentrated upon the multiplication, diversification, and distribution of manufactured articles; and thus it comes also that, in aid of this undertaking, human ingenuity has called into existence many and great machines, to which the forces of nature, so far as men have been able to master them, have been harnessed.
THE CAUSE OF THE ILLS OF HUMANITY, WHERE LOCATED
But at this point there arises a question of fundamental importance, namely, What is the location of the cause of human miseries? Is it in man's surroundings, or in man himself?
The importance of this question is obvious, since a mistake in locating the cause of human miseries will foredoom to failure all measures, however energetic, that are taken with a view to removing them. Indeed, such misdirected efforts could only have the effect of making matters worse. In respect, therefore, to the permanent betterment of mankind, everything depends upon accurate knowledge of the source and location of the evils that beset humanity. The evils themselves are undeniable; but there are current among men two radically different explanations of their source. The Bible declares that the cause of the ills of humanity is in man himself, and that all the evils that beset him are the necessary results of corrupted human nature. But the firm belief of the natural man is that the source of those evils is in man's surroundings, and that if man's surroundings or "environment" be improved, man himself will automatically improve. According to this view of the matter, the ideal environment, if produced, will spontaneously produce the ideal humanity. All human schemes of betterment are based squarely upon this theory; and if the latter be