, 1874-01-18
TIE ECLECTIC RELIGION.

There is nothing like eclecticism. It opens up
new opportunities. broadens the views. dive7si-
fies the STANDARD Of comparison, rami6es into the
vast domains OF science. physic, philosophy,
politics, and religion. It is lucky Tor Chicago
that eclecticism has an organ. It is lucky for
the organ that eclecticism serves it in
place of news. If it were not for the
vagaries which the eclectic faith furnishes
the Chicago Times, that journal would inevitably
sink into the obscurity to which its filthy ten
denotes should long since have consignedit. But
it has the field OF eclecticism all to itself, and
thereby retains certain notoIiety which will
tempt no ene to the Sin Of envy. First We had
eelecticBm in phyRic then eclecticism in phi
1osophy, afterward eclecticism in politics, and
now eclecticism in religion. 1t is wide range,
and offers the great advantage OF eclecticizing
oew ideas without the slightest reference
to doctrines previously accepted or re-
iected. Thus it is with the present form Of
eclecticism which the Times is running. Not
more than six months ago, and during several
years previously, the Times took up Spiritual
| ism, when it had nothing more indecent to han
de- and made it the target for all the low With
| cis1ns that had accumulated in the neighbor-
hood. Il deroted scores Of columns to exposl-
tons Of what it called spiritua1issic frauds. II
retained two or three young men OF
raulting ambition and perfect self-asBurance
who made q specially Of spiEitualistie
Ill {1ov1 hal aarva8 a 8 ElaHfA nte
to the Davenport brothers, hadlearned slight-of-
| hand from an itineraat prestidigitator, had en-
! loved an extended youthful experience with the
side-shows Of circuses, or we're naturally gifted
with talent TOR deception, e1aggeration, ane
distortion, they claimed all the same to be able
to reproduce or explain all OF the apparent phe-
nomena Of spiritual manifestations. They clam
! ored for recognition Of their powers. They
| called for jury Of twelve good men an6
| true. The amiable and kind-hearted pro
prietor Of. the Times shared their az
surance, perfectly confident in the ability Of hii
crowd to bamboozle the public. lie then and
there made formal announcement in his news
paper that spiritualistic manifestations wer1
either humbuga or susceptible Of explanation OF
scientific basis, aud this no longer ago thar
the 18th Of September lnst.
But change has come over the spirit Of hi
dreams. The genius Of eclectislsm-perhap
the departed spirit Of Victor Cousin-has bae1
| lowering. about the precincts Of tue Time
Office; and the privilege Of eclecticism-
that which permits 3 frequent chang
Of opinion-haa induced hin. to "g
back on :" his materia.iatic crew an
proclaim that there is more in this thin
than Was ever dreamt Of in their philosophy
The practical result is TINT the Times is no1
competing with the RsEi9lo- Philosophical jour
nal, aud ondeavoring to occupy its fluid. It put
ushes Saturday supplement devoted e1clr
sive1y to "spiritism." It has provided th
works Of Andrew jackson Davis for the CONVEX
sion OF tho rerverse editors, whoare DOW require
to write an average OF seven "spirisist" editorial
8 week. It is represented ut Ill the seanee
Of which there are something less than 4, ,ooo
weak In city tke Chicago. l. aosa over II