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THE OMAHA DAILY BEE : SU PAY APBlJj 14. 1889.-SIXTEEN PAGES * 15
1I1UIUXLEY AND AGNOSTICISM
Principal of Khis'a Cfolfoffo
Takou to Task.
IGNORANCE AND CREDULITY ,
Colonel litRcrflnlt In.ilBlB That tlio Two
Go llntul In Hand Tlio Doc-
trlno of Living f < > r This
World.
Itolluloita Know-
Robert J. Ingorsoll contributes the
following to the currant number of the
North American Iloviow :
In the Fohrwiry number of the Nino-
tconth Century Is n nrtlclo by Profca-
eor Hu.xloy , entitled ' 'Agnosticism.11 It
scorns that a church congress was hold
nt Manohcstor In October ; 1883 , and
that the principal of Kl tiff's college
broupht the topic of Agnosticism before
the assembly and made the following
Btatemonl :
' Hut if thin 1)0 so. for a man to urco at an
escape from this article of belief Hint ho has
no menus nf n scientific ) Knowledge of nn un
seen world , or of the future , is Irrnlevnnt.
Ills dlftorcntfo from tlio ctirlfttlnn lies , not In
the fact that ho hns no knowledge of these
things , nut tlmt ho does not bcllovo ttto au
thority on which tlioy are stated. Ho timy
prefer to call himself an Agnostic , but his
real iiamo Is an elder one ho Is an InlUlol ;
that is to ay , an unbeliever. The word in
fidel , icrhap ) % carries an unpleasant siRtiifl-
canco. Perhaps it Is right that It should. It
is , and tt ought to bo. for a man to have to
Bay plainly tlmt ho does not bchcvo In Jesus
Chmt. "
Lot us oxntnino this statement , put
ting it In language that is easily under
stood ; and for that purpose wo will
divide it into several paragraphs.
1. "For a man to urge tlmt ho hns no
means of a sclontiflo knowledge of the
unseen world , or of the future , is irrele
vant. "
Is there nny other knowledge than a
( scientific knowledge ? Are there several
kinds of knowing ? Is there such a
thing an scientific Ignorance:1 If a man
Bays , "I know nothing of the unseen
world because I have no knowledge
upon that subject , " is the fact that ho
1ms no knowledge absolutely irrelevant ?
Will the principal of King's college say
that having no knowledge is the reason
ho knows ? When asked to give your
opinion upon any subject , can it
bo said that your ignorance of that
subject Is irrelevant. If this bo true ,
then your knowledge of the subject is
also irrelevant.
Is it possible to put in ordinary Eng
lish a more perfect absurdity ? How
can a man obtain any knowledge of the
unseen world ? Ho certainly cannot ob
tain it through the medium of the
nouses. It is not a world that ho can
visit. IIu cannot stand upon its shores ,
nor can ho view them from the ocean of
imagination. The principal of King's
college , however , insists that.those impossibilities -
/ . possibilities are irrelevant.
No person has come back from the un-
Beoti world. No authentic message has
lieon delivered. Through all the cen
turies , not one whisper has broken the
silence that lies beyond the grave.
, Countless millions have sought for some
evidence , have listened in vain for Home
word.
It is most choorfullyadmittod that all
this does not provo the non-existence
of another world -all this does not dem
onstrate that death onda all. But it is
the justification of the Agnostic , who
candidly bays , "I do not know. "
2. The jjninclpal of King's college
elates that the difference between an
Agnostic and a Christian "lies , not in
the fact that ho has no knowledge of
thosd things , but that ho does not. bc-
llovo the authority onyh'ioh they are
stated. "
Is thisjv difference in knowledge or a
difference in belief that is to say , a
"dilToroneo in credulity ?
The Christian boliovcs the Mosaic ac
count. Ho reverently hears
mid admits the truth of all that
ho ilnds within the script-
tires. IB this knowledge ? How is it
possible to know whether the reputed
authors of the books of the Old Testa
ment wore the real ones ? The wit
nesses are dead. The lips that could
testify are dust. Between these shores
toll the wax'os of many centuries. Who
Icuows whether such a man as Moses ox-
1stod or not ? Who knows the author
of Kings and Chronicles ? By what tes
timony can wo substantiate the authen
ticity of the prophets , or of the prophe
cies , or of the fulfilments ? Is there any
tUlTorpnco between the knowledge of
the Christian and of the Agnostic ?
Does the principal of King's college
know any more as to the truth of the
Old Testament than the man who mod
estly calls for evidence ? Has not a
rnisttiko boon made ? Is not the differ
ence one of belief instead of knowledge ?
And is -not this dlfforoneo
founded on the difference in credulity ?
Would not n'n infinitely wise and
peed being where belief is a condition
to salvation supply the evidence ?
Certainly the Creator of man if such
exist knows the exact nature of the
luitnan mind knows the evidence nec
essary to convince ; and , consequently ,
euch a being would act in accordunco
with such conditions.
There is n relation between evidence
nnd belief. The mind is so constituted
that certain thingsboing in accordance
with its nature , are regarded as reason
able , us probable.
There inalrio this fact which must not
lie overlooked : that la , that just in proportion -
. portion as the brain is developed it 're
quires more evidence , and becomes
less nnd loss credulous. Ignorance and
credulity go hand In' hand. Intolli-
pouco understands something of the
law of average , has an idea of probab
ility. It is not swayed by prejudice ,
neither is it driven to extremes by sus-
' plcion. It takes into.considoration por-
eonal motives. It examines the charac
ter of the witno8S08Mnakcs , allowance
fdr the Ignorance of the tlmo for en
thusiasm , for fear and comes to Us
conclusion without fear and without
passion.
What knowledge hna the Christian of
nnothor world ? The senses of the Chris
tian nro the same as those of the Agnes
tic. Ho hears , BOOS , and feels substan
tially the same. His vision it limited ,
lie BOOS no other shore and hears noth
ing from another world , ,
Knowledge la something that can bo
Imparted. It has a foundation in fact.
If cornea within the domain of the
Bonses. It can be told , described , ana
lyzed , nnd in addition to all this , it can
l > e classified , Whenever a fact becomes
the property of one mind , it can become
the property ot the intellectual world.
There nro words in which the knowl
edge pan bo conveyed.
The Christian is not n supernatural
person , filled with supernatural truths ,
lie Is a natural person nnd all that he
Icnows of value can bo naturally im
parted. It IB within his power to' give
till that ho has to the agpostic.
The principal nf King's college is
mistaken when ho says that the difference -
enco between the ugnostiu and the
Christian does not Ho in the fact that
Iho agnostic has no knowledge , "but
tlmt ho does not bollovo the authority
on which these things nro stated , "
The ' real difference is this ! The
Christian says that ho has the knowl
edge ; Ih6 Agnostic juhnUs that ho hns
none ; and yet the Christian
accuses the agnostic of arro
gance , nnd asks him how
ho has the Impucldnco to admit the lim
itations of his mind. To the agnostic
every fact Is a torch , nnd by this light ,
nnd this light only , ho walks.
It is also true that the ngnostlo docs
not bollovo the authority rolled on by
the Christian. What is the authority
of thn Christian ? Thousands of years
ago It is supposed that certain men , or ,
rather , uncertain men , wrote certain
things. Itis alleged by the Christian
that these men were divinely inspired ,
and that the words of these men are to
bo taken as absolutely true , no matter
whether or not they are verified by
modern discovery and demonstration.
How can wo know that nny human
being was divinely inspired ? There
has boon no personal revelation to us to
the effect that certain people were In
spired It Is only claimed that the
revelation was to them. For this wo
have only their Word , nnd about that
there Is this difficulty : wo know noth
ing of thorn , nnd , consequently , cannot ,
If wo desire , toly upon their character
for truth. This evidence is not simply
hearsay it is far weaker than thai.
Wo have only boon told that they said
those things ; wo do not kn ow whether
the persons claiming to ho inspired
wrote these things or not ; neither are
wo certain that such persons over ex
isted. Wo know now that the greatest
men with whom we are acquainted
are often mistaken about the simplest
matters. Wo also know that men sayIng -
Ing something like the same things , in
other countries In ancient days , must
have boon Impostors. The Christian
has no confidence in the words of Mo
hammed ; the Mohammedan cares noth
ing about the declarations of Duddlm :
and the agnontio gives to the words of
the chr.istian the value only of the truth
that Is in them. Ho Icnows that the
sayings themselves get their entire
value from the truth they express. So
that the real dillerenco between the
Christian and the agnostic doca not Ho
in their knowledge for neither of them
hns any knowledge on this subject but
the dlll'oronco docs lie in the credulity ,
and In nothing else. The agnostic does
not rely on the authority of Moses and
the prophets. Up finds that thov wore
mistaken , iu most matters capable of
demonstration. Ho finds that their
mistakes multiply- the proportion
that human knowledge increases , lie
Is satisfied that the religion of the
ancient Jews is , in most things ,
as ignorant and cruel as other
religions of thu ancient world , lie con-
concludes that the olTorts , in nil ages ,
to answer , the questions of origin and
destiny , , and to ncconnt for the phe
nomena of life , have all boon subatan-
thirUailuros.
In the presence of demonstration there
is no opportunity for the exorcise of
faith. Truth does not appeal to cred
ulity it appeals to evidence , to estab
lish facts , to the constitution of the
mina. It endeavors to harmonize the
new fact with all that wo "It now , and to
bring it within the circumference of
human experience.
The church has never cultivated in
vestigation. It- has never said : Let
him who has a. mind to think , think ;
but its cry from the first until now has
biion : Let him who has cars to hear ,
hear.
The pulplt' does . not. appeal' .to the
reason of the pcwf ft Speaks by author
ity arid it'commands the pew to believe ,
and it not only commands , but it
threatens.
The agnostic knows that the testi
mony of man is not BuHlcvont to estab
lish what is known as the miraculous.
Wo would not believe to-day the testi
mony of millions to the effect that the
dead had been raised. The church it-
splf would bo the first to attack such tes
timony. If wo cannot believe these
whom we know , why should we believe
witnesses who have been dead thou
sands of years , and about whom wo
know nothing ?
3. The principal ot King's college ,
growing Eomewnntscvu.ro , declares that
ho may prefer to call himself an Agnostic
tic , but his real name id an elder 0110
lie is an infidel , that is to say , an unbe
liever.
This is spoken'in a kind of holy scorn.
According to thiq gentleman , an unba-
liovor is , to a certain extent , a dis
reputable person.
In this sense _ , what is an unbeliever ?
Ho is one whoso mind is so constituted
that what the Christian calls evidence
is not satisfactory to him. Is a person
accountable for the constitution of his
mind , for the formation of his brain ?
Is any human being responsible for the
weight that evidence has upon him ?
Can ho believe without evidence ? Is
the weight of evidence a question of
choice ? Is there such a thing as hon
estly weighing testimony ? Is the re
sult of such weighing necessary ? Does
It involve moral responsibility ? If the
Mosaic account docs not convince n man
that it is true , iu ho a wretch because
he IB candid enough to tell the" truth ?
Can ho preserve his manhood only by
making a false statement ?
The Mohammedan would call the
principle of King's college an unbe
liever , so would the tribes of Central
Africa , and ho would return the com
pliment , and all would be equally justi
fied. Hus the principle of King'collogo
any knowledge that he keeps from the
rest of the world ? lias ho the confidence
ol the Infinite ? Is there anything
praiseworthy in bollovinir whore the
evidence is insufficient ? Is man to bo
blamed for not agreeing wlth.hls fellow-
citizens ? Were the unbelievers in the
pagan world bettor or worse than their
neighbor ? It Is probably true that
some of the greatest Greeks believed
in the gods of that nation , nnd it is
equally true that some of the greatest
denied their .existence. If credulity is
a virtue now ; it must have been In the
days of Athens. If to believe without
evidence entitles ono to eternal rn-
ward in this century , certainly the
mime must have been true in the days
of the Pharaohs.
An influpl ia ono who docs not bollovo
in the prevailing religion. We now
admit that the infidels of Grocco and
Rome were right. The gods that they
refused to believed in are dead.
Their thrones are empty , and
long ago the scoptres dropped from
their nerveless hands. To-day the
world honors the men who denied and
derided these gods.
4. The principal of King's collage
ventures to sucrgest that "tho word in
fidel , perhaps , carries an unpleasant
significance ! ; perhaps it is right that it
should. "
A few years ago the word infidel did
carry "an unpleasant significance. " A
few years ago its significance was BO un
pleasant that the man to whom the word
was applied found himself in prison or
at the etako. In particularly kind com
munities he wan put in the stocks ,
polled with offal , derided by hypocrites ,
scorned by ignorance , jeered by cow
ardice , and all the priests passed by on
the other sido.
There was a time when Episcopalians
were regarded as infidels ; when a true
Catholic looked upon a follower of
Henry VIII , as an infldol , as an unbo-
llovor ; when a true Catholic hold In de
testation the man who preferred a mur
derer aud adulterer u muu who
swapped religions for the sake of ex
changing wives to the pope , the hood
ot the universal church ,
It is easy enough to conceive
ol nn honest man denying the
claims of n church based on the caprice
of an English king. The word Infldol
"cnrrloa nn unpleasant significance"
only where tho"cErlstitvns nro exceed
ingly Ignorant , intolerant , bigoted ,
cruel , nnd unmannerly.
The real gentleman gives to others
the rights that ho claims for himself.
The civilized man rises far above the
bigotry of ono who has boon "born
again.1' Good brooding Is far gentler
than "universal lovo. "
It is natural for the church to hate an
unbeliever natural for the pulpit to
despise ono who refuses to subscribe ,
who refuses to ffivo. It is a question of
revenue instead of religion. The Epis
copal church has the instinct of self-
preservation. It uses Its power , its in
fluence to compel contribution. It for
gives the giver.
G. The principal of King's college in
sists that "it is , and ought lo bo , an un
pleasant thing for a man lo have to say
plainly that ho docs not believe in Jesus
Christ. "
Should it bo nn unpleasant thing for
a man to say plainly what ho believes ?
Can this bo unpleasant except in nn un
civilized community a community in
which an uncivilized church lias author
ity ?
Why should not a man bo as free to
say that he does not bcllovo as to say
that ho does bollovo ? Perhaps the
real question is Whether all men have
nn equal right to express their opin
ions. Is It the duty of the minority to
keep silent ? Are majorities always
riglit ? If the minority had never
spoken , what to-day would have boon
the condition of this world ? Are the
majority the pioneers of progress , or
does the pioneer , as a rule , walk , alone ?
Is It bis duty to close his lips ? Must
the inventor allow his inventions to die
In his brain ? Must the discoverer of
new truths make of his mind n tomb ?
Is man under any obligation to his fel
lows ? Was the Episcopal religion
always in the majority ? Was it at any
lime in the history of the world an un
pleasant thing to bo culled n Protestant ?
Did the word Protestant "carry an un
pleasant significance ? " Was it "per
haps richt that it should ? " Was Lu
ther a misfortune to the human racp ?
if a community is thoroughly civil
ized , why should it ba an unpleasant
thing for a man to express his belief in
respectful language ? If the argument
is against him , it might bo
unpleasant. ; but why should sim
ple numbers bo the foundation
of unpleasantness ? If the majority have
the facts if tlioy have the argument
why should they fear the mistakes of
the minority ? Docs pny theologian huto
the man he'caii answer ?
It is claimed by the Episcopal church
tlmt Christ was in fact Goil ; and it is
further claimed that the Now Testa
ment is an inspired account of what that
being ami his ctlsoinlos did and said. Is
there any obligation resting on any
human being to bjliove this account/
In it within the power of miin to doter-
inino the influence that testimony shall
have upon his mind ?
If ono denies tlu exist/ones of devils ,
does ho , for that reason , cease to bu-
lioyo in .Jostis Christ ? Is it not possible
to imagine that a great nnl tender soul
living in Palestine nearly twenty con-
turlo.s ago was misunderstood ? Is' it not
within the realm of the possible that his
words have boon imiccur.itely reported ?
Is it not within the range of the prolja- .
bio that legend and rumor and ignor
ance and v.oal have doformud Itis life
and belittled his character ?
If the man Christ lived and taught
and suffered , if he was , in realitygreat
and noble , who is bin friend the ono
who attribute * to him feats of jugglery ,
or he who maintains that tbo.ij stories
were invented by/eilous ignorance and
believed by enthusiastic credulity ?
If ho claimed to have wrought mira
cles , ho must have bruin either dtahnn-
cst or ins'ino ; consequently , ho who
denies miracles does what llttlo he can
to rescue tlia repulal'on ' of a. great and
splendid man.
The agnostic accepts the gooJ ho did.
the truth he said , and rojocte only that
which , according to his judgment , id
inconsistent with truth nnd goodness.
The principal of King's ) college evi
dently I > cliovu4 in the tiooasiity of bo-
licl. He puts conviction or creed or
credulity in place of character. Ac
cording to his idea , it is impossible to
win the approbation of God by intelli
gent investigation and by the ex
pression of honest conclusions. He
Imagines that the Infinite is delighted
with credulity , with belief without evi
dence , faith without question.
Man IIHH but little rciifaou , at best ;
but this little should bo used" No mai
ler how small the taper is , how feeble
Iho ray of light it casts , it is better than
darkness , and no man should be re
warded for extinguishing the light he
has.
has.Wo
Wo know now. if wo know anything ,
that man in tills , the nineteenth BOII-
lury. ifi bettor capable of judging us to
the happening of any event than he
ever was before. We know that the
standard is higher to-day wo know
that the inU'llcctuul light in greater
wo know that thu human mind is bolter
equipped to deal with all questions of
huiuiir interest than at any cither time
within the known history of thu human
race.
It will not do to say that "our Lord
anil his apostles must at least be re
garded as honest men. " Lot this bo ad
mitted , and what does it provo ? Hon
esty is not enough. Intelligence and
honesty must ? o hand in hand. Wo
may admit now that "our Lord and his
apostles1' were perfectly honest men :
yet it docs not follow that Wo have a
truthful account of what they said and
of what they did. It is not pretended
that "our Lord" wrote anything , and it
is not known that ono of the apostles
over wrolo a word. Consequently , the
most that wo can say is that somebody
has written something about "our Loril
and his apostles. ' ' Whether that some
body know or did not know is unknown
to us. As to whether what is'wrlttcn Is
true or false'wo must judge by that
which is written.
Fisrt of all , is it probable ? is it with
in the experience of mankind ? Wo
should judge of the gospels as we judge
of other histories , of other biographies.
Wo know that many biographies written -
ton by perfectly honest men are not
correct. Wo know , if wo know any-
ltnngthat honest men can be mistaken ,
nnd it iu not necessary to believe any
thing that n man writes because wo bo-
liovu ho is honest. Dishonest men may
write the truth.
At last the standard of criticism Is
for each man to judge according to
what ho bolloves to bo human experi
ence. We are satisfied that nothing
moro wonderful has happened than is
now happening' . Wo bollovo that the
present is as wonderful as the past , and
just as miraculous as thn future. If wo
are to boltovo in the truth ot the Old
Testament , the word evidence loses its
moaning ; there ceases to bo any stand
ard of probability , and the mind simply
accepts or denies without reason.
Wo nro told that certain miracles
were performed for the purpose of at
testing the mission and character of
Christ. How can these miracles bo
verified ? The miracles of the middle
ages rest upon substantially the same
evidence. The sumo may bo said of
-'fiv ' - -
the wondo of all countries and
ot nlU ages. How Is it ft virtue
to Bony th rjntrnoles o ( Mohnmraod and
to bollovo those attributed to Christ ?
You mrfy'nM\y of St. Augustine that
what ho said was true or false. Wo
know that > puch ot it was false ; and yet
wo are not justified in saying that ho
was dishonest. Thousands of errors
Fiavo bco i. , | > popagatod by honest men.
As a ruloj-njistakoa got their wings
from honest people. The testimony of
a witness no 'the happening of the im
possible getsno weight from the hon
esty ot the witness. The fact that false
hoods are in the Now Testament does
not tend to prove that the writers were
knowingly untruthful. No man can bo
honest enough to substantiate , to the
satisfaction of reasonable mcu , the hap
pening of a miracle.
For this reason It makes not the
slightest difference whether the writers
of the Now Testament were honest or
not. Their character is not Involved.
Whenever a man rises above his con
temporaries , whenever ho excites the
wonder of his fellows , his biographers
always endeavor lo bridge ever the
chasm between the people nnd this
limn , and for that purpose attribute to
him the qualities which In the eyes of
the multitude are desirable.
Miracles are demanded by savages ,
and , consequently , the savage biogra
pher attributes miracles to his hero.
What would wo think now of a man
who , In writing the Hfo of Charles Dar
win , should attribute him with super
natural powers ? What would wo say ot
an admirer ot Humboldt who should
claim that the great Gorman could cast
out devils ? Wo would feel thai Darwin
and Uumboldt hud boon belittled ; that ,
the biographies were written for
children and by men who had not out
grown the nurserv.
If Ihe reputation of "our Lord" Is to
bo preserved if ho is lo slnnd with the
great and splendid earth if ho is to
continue a constellation in the intel
lectual heaVens , all claim to the mira
culous , to the supernatural must be
abandoned. '
No one can over-estimate Iho evils
that have been endured by thu human
race by reason of a departure from the
standard of the natural. The world
has been governed by jugglery , by
slolghl ol hand. Miracles , wonders ,
tricks have boon regarded as of fur
greater importance than the steadytho
sublime and unbroken march of cause
and olToot. T-ile improbable has boon
established by Iho impossible. False
hood has furnished Iho foundation fur
faith.
Is Ihe human body at present the
residence of evil spirits , or
have these imps of darkness
perished from the world ? Whc.ro
: irb they ? If Iho Now Testament es
tablishes anylhiug , it is the existence
of innumerable devils , and that these
satanio beiiti jilHoUitc'ly took posses
sion of tho'human mind. In this true ?
Can nnytliitf 'bo more absurd ? Docs
any intolWutaal man who hns examined
the quosfloli bollevo that depraved
demons liVe ih tlrj bodies of men ? Do
they occupy spice ? Do they live upon
some kiml f'fooJ ? Of what shape are
they ? CoiiM they bo clnsiltlod by a
nituralist/.J : / 1)0 they run , or llcxit , or lly ?
If to deny lfo existence of theio sup
posed bei flirts lo bo an infidel , how can
the word Infidel "carry an unpleasant
.Ignificanteo ? ' *
Of course it is the business of princi
pals of nvo4W'coliegos , At well : vi of
bishops , tlirdfnals , popes , priests , and
clerg.vmoiiftb"fnsitt ! upon tho.oxUtonce
of evii spfrlfeA All these gentlemen are
employed'o ' Jotlnteract the influence of
these iPjppiKun demons. Why should
they tako'thi } broad 'out of their own
mouths ? Is it lo bo expected that they
will unfrock themselves ?
The church , like any other corpora
tion , has the insr.inct of Bolf-prusor-
vat.on. It. will defend itself ;
it will lii/ht as long as it
hastho power to change a hand into a
liit.
liit.The A' 'iosuio tircji the grouni that
human experience Is Iho basis of moral
ity. Ciinoonuontly. it is of no import
ance who wrolo the gospels , or'who
vouho ! or vouches for the gonulnonuss
of tno miracles. In his acluMiie of Hfo
Ode things are utterly unimportant ,
lie is aatiiiitidd tlint "the mirnrulous * ' is
the imjvjsm'jle. LLj knows that the \vit-
> sj3 v.-oro wholly incapable of exam
ining the quuitions involved , that
creduliU" hud [ tossusMon of their mi nils ,
that "tno miraculous" was expected ,
that itasj their daily food.
All this ww : very Hourly and delight
fully stated by lYofusrfor Huxley , and it
hardly tjoeniii possible that any intelli
gent , man can rcnJ what he says without
feeling that the foundation of all supor-
ntition hu bocn woaktMied. The article
is as ruQiarkiiblo for ita candor as for its
uuniod-t. Nottiing is avoided every
thing is mot. No oxcuaos are given ,
llts hns left all apologies for Iho other
fiJo. When you havu finished what
Professor Huxley ban written , you fool
that your mind lum been in actual con
tact with the mind of another , that
nothing has boon coni-culed ; and not
only ho. but you fool that this mind is
not only willing , but anxious , to kiiu.r
the lutuul truth.
To rna , the highest USJB of philosophy
are , liiTjti to free the mind of four , and ,
second , to avert all the evil that can bo
averted , through intiilliKtsnco that is
to say , through a knowledge of the con
ditions of well-being.
Wo are Kiilisllod thai Iho absolute is
beyond our vision , beneath our tuiiuh ,
above our roach. Wo are now convinced
that wo can deal only with phenomena ,
with relations , with appearances , with
Ihinirt ) that impress the senses , that can
bo reached by reason , by the exorcise
of our faculties. Wo are satisfied that
the reasonable road is "tho straight
road , " the only "sacred way. "
Of course there is faith in the world
faith in this1 world and ulwuyti will bo ,
unless Hup.offclilion succeeds in every
land. Out tlio faith of the wise man is
bnscd upon facts. His faith id a reason
able conclusion drawn from iho known ,
Ho has failh' in the progress of the
race , in life triumph of inlqlligeneo , in
thu coming 'sovereignly of science. Ho
has fuitlP itt1 the development of the
brain , In thatgradual onliglftonmont of
the mind. ' Wiid o works for the accom
plishment of great oiidn , boxing faitli in
Iho final rlctbry of Iho race.
Ho has h'OnrttiSty enough to say-that ho
does not kilo.w. . . Ho perceives and ad
mits thiit'.tlio mind has limitations * Ho
doubts Ihb-'b-o called wisdom of the past.
Ho looks foi'bViclonco , and ho-ondeavors
to keep his ullnd free from prejudice ,
lie believes in the manly virtues , in the
judicial spirit' , and in his obligation to
tell his hon'dst Ihoughls.
It ia useless to talk about a destruction
of consolations. That which is sus
pected to bo untrue looses its power to
console , A man should bo bravo enough
to boar the truth.
Professor Huxley has staled with
great clearness the attitude of the
Agnostic. It seems that ho is some
what severe on the positive philosophy
While It is hard to HOO the propriety of
worshipping humanity us a being , ft is
easy to understand the splendid dream
of Augusto Comto , IB the human race
worthy to bo worshipped by itself that
is to say , should the individual worship
himself ? Certainly the religion of hu
manity is bettor than the- religion of
the inhuman. The positive philosophy
is better far than Catholicism. It does
not fill the heavens with monsters , nor
the future with pain-
It may bo said that Luthoraud Comto
endeavored to reform the Catholic
church. Both wore mistakenbecause the
only reformation of which that church is
capable Is destruction , It is n mass ot
superstition ,
The mission of positivism is , in the
language of Us founder , "lo generalize
science nnd to systematize sociality. "
It scorns to me that Comto stated with
great force nnd with absolute truth the
throe phases of intellectual evolution
or progress.
1. "In the supernatural phase the
mind seeks nsplros to know the essence
of things , and' the how and why of their
0K ] > ration. In this phase , all facts are
regarded as the productions of super
natural ngonls , and unusual phenomena
nro interpreted as the sign of the pluas-
uro or displeasure of some god. "
Hero at this point is the orthodox
world of to-day. The -church still im
agines thai phenomena should bo inter
preted as Iho signs of pleasure or dis
pleasure of God. Nearly every history
is deformed with this childish and bar
baric view ,
'U. The next phase or modification ,
according to Comto , Is the metaphysi
cal. "Tho supernatural agents are dis
pensed with , and In their places wo
find abstract forces or entitles supposed
to inhere in substances and capable of
engendering phenomena. "
In tills phase people talk as though
laws and principles were forces capable
of producing phenomena.
3. "Tho last stage is the positive.
The mind , convinced of the futility ot
all inquiry into causes nnd essences ,
restricts itself lo Iho observation and
classification of phenomena , and to the
discovery of Iho invariable relations of
succession and similitude in a word , to
the discovery of the relations of phe
nomena. "
Why Is not the positive stage the
point reached by the agnostic ?
He has ceased to inquire inlo Iho ori
gin of things. Ho 1ms perceived the
limitations of the mind. Ho is thor
oughly convinced of Iho uselessness
and futility and absurdity of theologi
cal methods , and restricts himself to
the examination of phenomena , to their
relations , to their effectsnnd endeavors
to find in the complexity of things the
trua conditions of human happiness.
Although I am not a believer in the
theory of'Augusto Comle , t cannot shut
my eyes to the value of his thought ;
neither is it possible for mo not to ap
plaud his candor , his intelligence , and
tlio courage it required even to attempt
to lay the foundation of the positive
philosophy.
Prof. Huxley and Frederic Harrison
nro splendid soldiers in the army of
progress. They have attacked with
signal .success the sacred and bolomn
stupidities of superstition. Both have
appealed to that which is highest and
noblest in man. Both have boon the
destroyers of prejudice. Both have
shod light , and both have won great
victories on the field of Intellectual
conflict. They cannot atTord to waste
time In attacking each other.
After all , the ngnosliu and Iho posi-
tlvist have thoHiuno end in view both
believe in living for this world.
Tlio theologians , finding themselves
unable to answer Iho arguments that
have baon urged , resort to the silmo old
subterfuge to the old cry that agnosti
cism takes something of value from the
life of man. Does the agnostic take
any consolation from the world ? Does
he blot out , or dim , ono star in Iho
heaven of hope ? Can lliorc bo anything
moro condoling than to feelto knowthat
Jehovah is not God that the message
of the Old Testament is not from the
Infinite ?
Is it not enough to fill the brain with
n huppi.ioss unspeakable to know that
Ilia words. "Depart from me , yo cursed ,
into everlasting fire , " will never bespoken
spoken to ono of the children of men ?
Is it a small thing to lift from the
shouldcr.s of industry the burdens of
superstition ? Is it'a litllo thing to
drive the monster of fear from the
hearts of men ?
ROHISUT G. IXOEHSOLL.
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THE HUSSEY & DAY COMPANY
4O9-411 South I5th Street.
NOTICE { ---CARPENTERS !
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1511 ZDOEGKE ! STIKEIETV
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Furniture Company
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PROF. F. O. FOWLER , MooUue , Conn.
f
