passed the Horse of Londs,

Bill become the exertions of the

law

of th Girls Friendly Solty will not

be

hout in Even on the result.

spective of the pwfor good over

יך

tion

spra

this

bers

sing

the

recognise the healing influence

inter-communication of women of

social grades must exercise on the social of the day. It is with pleasure tha attention to the work of the Girls)

Society, and we wish it God-speed in benevolent endeavours to raise the moral of the women of England and to in domestic happiness of the people.

1. The Criminal Law Amendment Bill received the

Assent on August 11. 1885.

་

e the

་་་。

新品

71

ASSOCIATIONS FOR THE BENEFIT OF YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN.

II.

ADDRESS TO THE DUBLIN YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.'

Ir used to be said that 'a handful of good life is better than a bushel of learning.' There are some who nowadays loudly assert that if only the bushel of learning be provided the good life will follow, and they point on the one hand to the pure lives of certain ancient philosophers and of some modern cultivated sceptics, and on the other to the wickedness of many professed believers in Christianity, as proofs of the truth of their proposition. I do not intend to enter into a discussion on the

ence which systems of moral philohy vorced from religion may or may no

Suc

exeise on the human mind and condu

stions are too deep for me, a unfit for this platbm. I only a

dene of certain minds to deprecia ora r of Christianity, and to c aggerate that of secular education. purpose of enabling us to ask ourse

simple question whether individually by

lives and conduct we have shown i superiority of Christian over secular

It

may be assumed that all on this platfor and those I am addressing here to-night. h: been brought up within the fold Christian Church, and inasmuch as they ha taken the trouble to join an which has for its object the stren

an Associat

of Christian life amongst its memb

nably

icau Christian

le

to

he

the

ral

g.

me

Fing

in ear n their desire

are

But l

h of y

ourselves lo

we

I

have succeeded in our endeavours, and in order that we may obtain a true answer let us consider what would be our reply, if this question, instead of being addressed to ourselves, were asked in regard to the conduct of some other member of the same Association ; and if our answer be that we have succeeded but badly, as I fear must be the reply if we speak truthfully, we cannot profess much astonishment if the world, arriving at the same opinion, should, in its carelessness, fall into the error of ascribing the failure to the system instead of to its true cause, the natural frailty of mankind. But, although it may be true that the lives of professing Christians fall far short of the ideal of Christianity, and that in some cases heathens and sceptics have led lives which in their uprightness and purity have hardly been surpassed by Christian saints, it must not be forgotten that religious sentiment lay deep in the hearts of the most eminent of the ancient searchers after truth, and that the

gospel of humanity

ements to the Gospel of that Chris

livinity it ignores. Seeing that the incon

best

tween the doctrines of Christian

ande actions of the nominal foll

are

cause of scepticism to ma

only take shame to oursel

ose

of

for having brought reproach upon on fession, but remembering that much c

fidelity of the world is owing to our c shortcomings, and would disappear

in

we

im

live up to the standard set us by Clu self. let us, and especially such of us as members of Christian associations, be v watchful over our conduct, and se Et it does not give the lie to the profession of lips.

Depend upon it the world cans v closely the conduct of those whose

takes a more decided character than

ion

of

Let

nsciously we

ilty