pose eat da, The inclemency of the weather accounted in no small degree for the small attendance at Wednesday's meeting, but those who did put in an appourance were rewarded to the full, the Rev. W. Nelson Bitton on "Theology and some the most completely entertaining manner. The chair was occupied by the President, Mr. Byron Brenan C.M.G., who ina very few words introduced the already well known and popular lecturer. At the outset Bir.
Bitton recognised the impossibility of doing justice to a theme of such immense scope in the brief space of one hour, but prefaced his deductions by assuming' that reading, whether of fiction or otherwise, should always be accomplished in a critical In a study of the fiction of the Victorian era it was apparent that their leading novelists were those who brought them in their pages face to face with the great problems of human life. Fiction Was greater than a variety entertainment, and should portray life in the spirit of truth and charity. It should portray and not parody life in a spirit of truth and charity which stayed not at sentiment and pathos. After a brief reference to the remarkably clearly drawn pictures of human frailty, emotion, and goodness conjured up by George Eliot, spreading over the novelist''s chief works, he asserted that she bore abundant testimony to much that was of the very essence of religion and to many of the vital factors of theology. On the other hand, if all the world were as Mr. Thomas Hardy's Wessex—pastoral beauty notwithstanding—always and for everybody it would be a hell, and in his works there was little or no trace of that ripening and perfecting of character so noticeable in George Eliot and so wholly true to life. The great American novelist, Nathaniel Hawthorne, stated his theological teachings with no uncertain sound. In his view there was no rest for the human soul save in the attainment of the purest love and the highest duty. In his teaching the necessity for and efficacy of public confusion and self-sacrifice they were reminded of that wonderful concluding chapter of Hall Came's Manaman when the ravering but well-intentioned Philip Chris-ian descended from his high office of Deeister to join hands in public acknowledgment of his guilt with Kate Creelan, and they went out together to bevin the new life. What opinion they might hold of Hall Came's writings they must own that there was no uncertain sound in hit touching of the necessity of righteousness and of the fact of the punishment of sin and the power of repentance to bring peace. Mr. Bitton regretted the decline of what he might term the Scottish school, for there was no doubt this species of fiction was a force making strongly for righteousness. Speaking of George McDonald it was perhaps hardly right to place him under the head of fiction with theologies! implications, yet the primary purpose of his writings could scarcely be said to be theological. Their success was due to thei fulness. If they only owed McDonald, Barrie, Crockett, and McLaren to the old Calvinism surely they would owe it much. The reality and universality of the Divine MeDonald was never He was constantly measuring God by the domestic emotions, made many of his characters spe: it a just God could not be a good God at all, The work of conscience was often ata minimum with him and strangely enough the not-professedly Christian writers George Eliot and Hatsthorue scorn to have had a greater conception of the Christian truth of punishment for sin and the evil results of wrongdoing than McDonald. Ayain and again the sense of human sympathy was made to override the sense of eternal justice. Robert Falconer kneeling in his yarrer prays, "Father in heaven hear me and let they face shine upon me," then bke a flash the words shot from his heart, '*I don't care for Him to love me if he don't love anybody." Here is a minor implication that love, and justice do not go hand in hand. Again, praying for her prodigal son—the father of Robert—old Mrs. Falconer says, ''O Lord, I cannot say, thy will be done, but don't lay it to my charge for if ye were a mother yourself you wouldn't put him in hell." Emotion and sentiment traly play a large part in religion, but one feels
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.