Volume 7 - Iapsop.com

'10 SJ>IHlTU.4L SOIENTIST.
~UA philosophy WIUI reeardlng ber victories
over dogma, creed and su jlerstltious faith;
while science, supported' by pbllosophy, was
supplanting ~beology and forcing tbe cburcb
to drift from' ber ancient moorin",,; while
the churcb In ber dotage Ima.glned thst to
I.er tho world w .... ludobillj) for civilization
and 'prngre•., and as.lmilatlng modem
thou!;l.t '0 thorougbly that tI •• re exlsled a
probability tba~ Inaterlalism in C8JlOJiical.
would become tbe churcb oC the future,
anotber Cactor In tbe grand batUe field of
liberty and thought W89 .lIeD~ly growlug and
tralnltig for tbe gladlatotl .. 1 toumamen to
Religion e'ltered the field ag~h.st the
Church; like tbe warm cbeerlng rayo of the
Bun It penetrated tbe Ileart of m .. n and lov.
like a beautiful lIower grew upon bl. bosom.
Uellglon. pur,C ,and undel'lled, the highest
aud bulle..t Idea of mall, tbough pro.tituted
by priests, debased by ehurebe" and tL,ed by'
tbe un.crupulolls as a cloak fo~ tbelr villaiuies
Is ever tbo truest friend of man; hi. protector
from tyranny and guilte aud' con soler
in dlotres.. It. ,;tUl oman yulee can accumpllsh
,more than the combined storms of Science
and l'hilosoplly. Theso three in ono
ar~ a blessed Trinity.
F.ver since man became a reasoning animal,
wherever be b ... elll.ted, It I. almost eertalll
that wltb but rare exception. be ba. endeavored
to solve the problem of hi. origin
aud destiny. lIe bas rarely been content to
believe' himself R tranAitory pbenomenon;
'Irom blrtb to' deatb eating alld drhl~lng,
sleeping and waklllg and maturing only to
die and Ic",.e others bebind togo througb tbo
same proee... It I.as seldom \weu enteMlncd
a., other than an 'orrolleoUM alld purpo,e­
I"". w~tc oC vital energy.
The buman mllnl
stal'tll back at the Bugge.tion, exclaiming In
tbe language of ~'Ichte: "Ney~r can this be
my destiny, or tbat oC the world. 80mething
tl.at I;' to endure mllst bo brvught forth ill
all tbe.e cbange. oC tbe trallRitory and the
perl.llable-sonlelblng wblcb may be carried
forward safc' lUld IlIvlolate on tbe waves of
time."
Ante-natal origin and po • .,.mortBDI deotlny
!laye exerelsc to opeculaUve fancies, and
bave been from age to ago encouraged by
pbenomella ..... ulugly extra mundauc hi
cbaracter, aud sllAA""tive 01 U;e poAsibllity of
Illvlslble ["rms of life, forms o[ lIfc wbletj
mlgbt be the invi.ibleUve. of tlleu III anotber
state. Tbese psychological, pbenol»en"
~a"" ,ever IAmpted tbe aspiring fancl .... ~f
mao to 80lve the problem Of destiny, wblch
~as alao ever eluded bl. gra'P, iun'. JaJ.uI.
leading bini away from the prosaic facts of
~very day liCe, to the poetic fancies of dreamlalld,
Into tbe P"1cbic mysteries oC bl. own
being and the life beyond, Occa..lollallyex­
~pl\onal ."periences develop tbe bard, tile
poet and tho seer; and lDell uplifted by Lbo
IIgll~reftecled from tbese bjgh prlcstll of Na­
~ure, won.bipped tbe power they Celt but
could not comprehend. 'Power gathered
around tbe.,o nuclei and religion. arose,
prlestboodJl were organized and .burcbes
formed to govern tbe dc.tlnieo of natlous.'
A.. cburches became cornlpt., as tbey luevltably
mWl~ always become till tb .. Un;'ena1
religion and cburch oC bUlDanlty has uDly.rbat
tsway,. SO propbeu and reformers ar.ose t
schisms were created alld DP.W' churebeo
camo illlo IJelng better adapted to the grow.' ' '
Ing \vantil of man.
But'indepelldeully of cbureb government
tbere bas beell III tbo world a peculiar "plr- '
hlla\ power, Itself the ere.tor of cburches
and roliglons and never beld ill allegl.ncB to
any .oclety or goven.mollt, yet alw"y~ persecuted
and dreaded by priestboods. In
Helf:Consclou" supe"ority to all f"rms of organic
Calth' It bas' laugbed at every threat
and .mlled at the conceited Ignorance of Its
own cblldren. Protean III chara"ter It bas
a~ay$ adapted ltoelf to the state,aud cundlt!c'>I\
oC its reeJpicnLs. , With the" Chaldean
philosopher It watcb"d the comBes of tbe
stars alld assisted the Kaball.~ in b!s nomendaturc
oC tbe allgeilc ho.ls; it ellcouragtd
tha Essen~ .. in tbelr devotiolls, dl.cipllne
aud self..aerlfice; sustained tbo C\lrlsUans
under perseclltloll; ill8pir,d tbe Sybil. aud
~xeited the frenzy of the l'ythonc ...; under
its luOuen,,", Mohamn.ed preached tbe unity
of the n"ity and in~plred bls followers witb
hi. genius; It provoked a .pir!t of Inquiry
au" endeavor 10 COOllllune wltb tbe cOllt1'l- '
lug pow ... of Nature wblch ,were believed to
be expre.. lons of the \Vi11 of tbe Rods I
and cverYlb Ing which movea In earlb,
'water~ air, firc 3lid·ether was converted into
a .ymbolic alphabet tbrougb whlcb tbe god.
might C9mmuulcate, reudering .. priesthood
of dh'lnes for divination' necessary, readen
uf .()meollEi t tloothsayere and maglciaU8; aDd
every form of religloll ancient and modern,
,Quakers, Sw~denbcrglau$, Spiritualists, ev·
en the Mormon devotee, are all under It ..