The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-07-29

and the more or less perfect coordination or thought
and desire relating 10 these and their correlative
Ideas of duty and fih constitutes the more or less
perfect development Of the systems Of religious
| belief
Truths, then, in relation to the Deity and eternal
life, are the province Of religion AMI the imperfec
ton Of any religious system IL caused only by
nsuficicncy oftruhs, but also by the exnggcratlon
Of some one truth at the expense Of another. When
this occurs collision takes place const u'ing
fspirual forces, and resulting in the DEVELOPMENT
OF some new phase Of religious belief. But Tie now
| phase Is n step forward The development
| Of religious belief proceeds tentatively. The gen.
eral religious progress requires that every religious
idea shall have its periods OF growth maturity, and
decay The religious instinct has constantly for ITS
pole the most perfect religion, hut through the in.
erventon Of many disturbing causes fails to point
unerrinGy to it. But the most perfect religion in
| Mr. Gould's opinion il the coordinate expression Of
all the rol ious tendencies Of man. including Fe.
| tshism, Anthropomorphsm, P0yihcsm, Mono
theism Spiritualism Ideasm. AMI Pantheisn, all of
| which dorivative forms of the reii.ous In.
suact in different phases aud degrees Of develop.
| ment
Fctishism Is q religious tendency not restricted to
tic rude savage wlo alorcs the mystic divine pres.
oncc In stone blade OF glass; but in the more
cultivated forms OF theism, II is exemplGod in COR.
reous symbols dedicated to the uses Of ritual wor.
| ship. a" TIE Christian who takes of his hat on
| entering church ana bows at the sacred name IN
the creed Is fetish truly tho negro aud red.
skin; In this, that his belief IL not fctisl!s m onr,
| but fctishism Plus number Of other isms."
Enarging upon his theory OF the origin and devcl.
opment OF religious belief through the ntcracton Of
forces, Mr. Gould proceeds to review the various
tlcisms, dc,m9, and philosopic, of history, as
| wei az the subjective tendencies OF the human
| mini In Its different degrees OF cultivation
with show Of learning and atrlctiyencss
| OF style that make his work valuable aud
interesting, no. the reader mas differ from his
views. We follow him instructed and entertained
but with decided mental protest in reserve, which
We now proceed to express
IL respect to the authors use OF the term force II
appears To be Involved in confusion of thought
He speaks Of the varieties in the manifestation OF
force as being determined by the differences of it,
modes. That is, force is one and the idea of more
than one as essence or entirety il expressly ex.
| cluicd from lis argument But this force il con.
sijercd as material: and careful Is he 90 deduce
the otig.a OF religious belief wholly from physical
or nlJierisl causes. mat he says. "Fhere seems TO
be-bui this l. merely suggested, not insiste upon
spiritual force, as well as material force"
Spiritual force Is thus considered as factor whose
value to tie argument is simply Nevertheless,
the author speaks Of spiritual forces In manner
theory. In dclucing spiritual force by the hitting
o. physical force from rs material CONDITIONS,
he " obliged to use rIctOr without which
no effects are produced. Tils he calls "a
vital energy and "a vital principle" which under.
lies and cluses all organic life lie also SAYS of
ti- That it Is force cannot be doubtoi but that
IL is simpy mode Of force has not yet been
proved" Unless he Is willing to uusetilc his Whole
course OF reasoning by ancvidcnt contradiction this
| ~ f1,r. a
force
Asaiready said. our author cons ruc,s HE theory
from the doctrine OF the conservation aud corrca.
ton Of forces, and /; would seem that IL must
form to ils defined principles, u Hess he establishes
some new principle with re,ari to the esscace Of
force or his Argument, in philosoDicl sense, viii
he failure. The principal poi,ts mliniainel By
teachers Of this doctrine are the IN ,csiructibl.
itv O., wen a. uncreaabity OF power Force changes
from one condition to another, from which comes
the idea OF different forcl' II also BE- Zones acat
or stored mp In substance, from which come- the
idea Of It's having been lost but in fact It has then
passed from condition OF motion TO n condition of
rest TO be again out In motion uudcr favorable cir
ounstancos. when It's reappcaraaee 1t Wil give u
; the erroneous idea Of power created,
The mo ION of a train Of cars i mode OF force
wi ch has been liberated by combustion from coal
In which form II has remained stored ~ for thou
sunds OF years, nav lng Iccn Originally dc1Osltrl
the form Of vorctible matter by the san Thc force
ms boon conserved OF latent IN the coal, AMI has
been liberated by combustion. When the force s
manifested in the form Of beat, 1t is motion L. has
passed from static 20 dynamic condition; and IN
every form where 1t reappears II is expressed agiiu
. ] as motion.
ococse,the> ideas with regard 10 pnssiel fo,c's
are that they mechanical Even NeSton ic1u
oi,,c the iiel Of force acting through vacuum,
although many OF bis followers have hot 80 under
stood him. But all the writers this now doctrine
OF forces have the idea IN their minds OF atom re-
sistng atom and OF the connection OF On tAug with
another means by whca ali effects are produced
, Now. whether Mr.. Gould means that the force winch
is liberated from the brain and manifested as thouIh
IL mechanical or the same with the motion or a Il ain
Of cars, may be doubtful; bat IT seems necessary
inference from his course Of reasoning.
1t is impossible, we believe. TO reconcile the
anomalies Of nature with single force considered
as material Bu, OF oil living force the pLS ripa is
=lered spiritual ana essential, and all mater al
force-the is iAcrta-.s onsdJrud force arrested
- or dead, having the property Of mechanical resist
ance, and of dynamic reaction but not OF yoluntar,
energy We may account for all the phenomena o
y mind and matter and slhl have force m itssl a.,
: only essential and, moreover. uncreatahlo and in
= destsuctibe, aud tscreby avoid The unphilosophic,
" reasoning will require the conception OF sprItul
world as the world OF that w. A. the fountain
or source OF al pover-and Of the material woii o.
: a world Of effects. And, moreover nccor ding 4
such ayiow,we shall be utterly unable to cons der IN
forces OF nature IN relation TO religious boleis l.
:, any true philosophical spirit without takin
- spiritual forces prominently into account
. Ii we have spiritual forces the cause o. mate
rial there are number Of instances in which VI
" should reverse the order OF reasoning which NJ
' Gould has adopted A. for instance, whore he Gays
" "Mystici=m is produced bv the combustion OF tn
" gray vascular matter IN the sensorun.'
/" we found the phenomena concurrinq eve can't cou
ccive how u IL nscertainedl should say " Mysti
" cism produces the combustion OF the gray MAJ
~ tor"
" We might consider the expenditure n force n
" necessary effect OF prayer but VIC should not, III
" him. consider prages merely the means OF relief fl
the excessive accumulation OF force. Mr. G'ultl
a