The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-09-01

Another Religion-Horace Greeley in n New
The inhdel philosophers Of the irst French
Revolution were at length forced to the con-
clusion that mans innate religious wants were
80 imperative that the existence Of God must
needs be decreed, even II there were no God
Philosopher Greeley has shown his recognition
Of the religious element in human nature by
successfully setting up several idols for the
worship OF the American people. For . long
time his cry was, Great is Fourier, and Bris-
bane is bis prophetw But thetwo columns
which he used to devote in the Tribune to
Fourierism and free love did not pay on the
contrary, they interiered sadly with some Of
the philosophers political plans. Thereupon
Fourier and Brisbane were banished. Theodore
Parker, who was his own prophet with Mar
paret Fuller, Counties, d'Ossoli, his prophecies,
next figured upon the altar which Greeley
erected But Thsodor, died at Rome, II not
in the arms Of the Scarlet Woman, and poor
Margaret was drowned. The negro-"a man
and bOther"-has since been Greeley's
"ebony idol" But now that Sambo has be
come nothing more nor less than voter, our
philosopher has been driven to accept as his
latest Mumbo-Jumoo, Auguste Com.e, dis
tinguished French mathematician and the
athestic founder of Positive Philosophy. Comte
long ago fanced that he had eliminated en-
tirely the theological element from human
thought. He had shelved it among the fossil
ferrous relics of an age of belief which, he as
serted, had passed away forever, like Burke's
age of chivalry But during the interval be
tween the publication Of his first great work
and that of second, q profound change
was wrought in the sentiments, and,
through these, in the opinions Of the
Positivist Philosopher This change was
due to the influence Of bis love for mar
ried woman, whom he called "the sainted
Clotilde," and Of her sudden death. He
became convinced OF the reasonableness Of the
criticism OF his early master, St Simon, who
objected to the system Of his pupil because 1t
wholly overlooked the religious or sentimental
side of huma nature Comte was led to The
conclusion that religion is the complete har-
mony o. human existence, individual and col
lective, or the universal unity of all existences
in one Great B ing, whom he called Humanity.
Religion, at first spontaneous, dissipates itsef
in fstichism and polytheiam; next, inspired, it
lifts its thoughts to the vague abstract unity Of
God and, finally, revealed or demonstrated,
it finds its object in q true, living and ever
active being, which is humanity. This alone Is
the 'nuine end and object of all worship, and
to this every effort Of the good man should
converge" Yet as eminent individuals-Mose,,
Socrates, Mohammed and o.hers-are NANTES
tations Of the Grand Being, Comic held that 1t
is not improper to pay to them high but
qualified respect Accordingly, he arranged
the formula of an exalted worship of humanity
by means Of bomages and festivals to its most
illustrious representatives. He even reformed
the calendar in view Of it, and called the
months and the weeks after the names Of
famons benefactors. In short before his death,
in 1857, he had felt constrained to establish
now Church. He admitted the advantages, If
not the necessity, Of an imposing ritualistic
system, and even Of religious principle, at
least In Positivist and Pickwickian sense.
He had learned, as Edger intimates, the lesson
taught by experience, that every community
founded on q RELIGIOUS principle invariably
succeeds "in becoming, without exception,
ricb," while every community founded merely
on material interests no less invariably fails.
The chief apostles o. the Positivist Church are
Pierre LATTE, in France; Harriet Martineau
and Richard Congrcve, in England; and in
Am srica, the successor Of the late Horace
Binney Wallace, Henry Edger, Of that singu-
larly yclept town, "Modern Times In Suffolk
county, Long Island. The new gospel Of
Comtc, according to these apostles, seems to
have reached the ears Of Gre ley, who, 1t
must be feared, sorely need, little religion,
and would not be hurt by large Infusion Of
it The philosopher, however, is still but
lukewarm disciple Of the Positivist Church, for
no gives only half as much space to positivism
as he used to bestow on Fourierism. He
devotes but one column to the former instead Of
the two columns which he used to allow the
latter. Nevertheless, 1t is obvious that be has
entered upon Q new field and adopted another
religion.