New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-27
DIR. PATTON on TIE AGNOSTICS.

The attitude OF orthodoxy toward agnOsd-
csm and the spenceran school well defined by Dr.
Patton president Of the Princeton Theological Sc nluary,
address before the American Institute OF Christian
Philosophy last week. lie said:
Atheism not made the less Objectionable because 1t
ia associated with the avowa OF particular respect for
Christianity understand how thelst may stop
short of being Christian; but don't KNOW
how 8 Christian can be an atheist Professor
Seely SAYS ne can; nay he undertakes the carous
task of showing how man may DO thelst wt"oat DC
lieving in Cod
again, do not see why should be called
theist because lie believes Ia an eternal some
thing /, is true that the phenomenal world l. a world
OF oder but the who writes cquatOu!narks be-
word order and the word God Is SIMPLY abs-
ing language. On this point Kant may be allowed TO Ia
tcTpret for US accepted meaning 0f the word God.
says this writer TIe conception Of God is generally
operating nature the eternal root OF things,
but supreme Being that shal be the author OF al
things By free and understanding action, inc uae
VINO holds this he adds, is called thest b. virtue OF
his belief IN lVng Goa. one Is SURPRISE 70 nu mr.
spencer taking the ground tnat We cannot Hio. Zoo
because we cannot put him IN a class. uil 10 see
why il is not Just logical 20 say the largo tub contains
the small ono as II IL to say the small uD u coa ied IN
large one IL ID lite curious thtt De5eate, the
sahOr OF the 6o SyosS lannon's SS90 FOR "V IIa
more than his dOgmatc duasm Of mind and matter
should be the fayOre metHpnyslcian OF Professor hun
ley, man VINO mas 1'H ltrd us Deic Iuat Tue NM VIZ
shall arrive ~ mechanical equivalents
zeal equivalent OF heat Descarte was daasti he be
nevedin mind and matter. lie vas also tneiit " BY
the name OF GJd mean" he says, an infinite, eternal,
immuttbc independent, Omniscient, omnipotcht sub
stance by which and all things which are have Deen
|
Imost certainly believe that truth has nothing 70 fear
from keen scrutiny and earnest discussion. should
certainly regard any raise to science who should
urohID king OF large CeescDp fOt rear that his
nebular hypothesis might be spoiled, tina, some pre-
conceived philosophical Psychological notions might
be exploded But the attempt Is maize to Use uaI-
| proven hypothesis arguments against thestic po
sitou An animus exhibited which tine friends or thein
ought to take note or For whlc there real agIos
tic, there Is also which passes for aud Is
only misunderstanding between men a. TO tue meaning
| of what they
Evolution or evolution. waving the quest on a. 10
whereby the history o. thc world has come
| anOur we have TO chose between two alternatives.
Either all that Is due TO selieXisunR Omniscent
| Being, tie ana guide Of all creation,
OF else there a time when there was no knowledge
| and no ku wrr, and IS the measure Of the
Intelligence the In other WORDS GJd IS the
is tue unreyealed goal intelligence IN the onward pain
Of deyo opncnt The question whether We are Ou the
| way toward coming rom God = l. Is greal
concept Of infinite being tue common property OF
ordinary rci giOus feeling vague sense oi Deepen
dence MINDS takes on the form Of C. och max
| ing Arguments Tor the existence OF Gsd. Ana
| 40 the mystic, the poet, the metap.l slcan has
| each IN his own way endeaSOIed to ENe
expression TO that thought Of God which contend Is an
inspiration OF the Almighty. Ii listen TO the s.gges-
ton made b. the extreme Proestants that our moral
co stitutiOu ana the of nature Without The blDo
are not able 10 lead to a 6oeI IN personal Goa, ~o
10 poor homage to His word and our own lute.Sence
a9nost aud the agnostio becomes the sentimental sb
aud wrapping himself IN swaddng clothes hies hlin
aNay to the piursery. durkens his windows IN the
daytime and sings himself TO sleep VITA Ten
he is very humble aud very ignorant and very we A. In
fact tnat. theolOgicay speaking. he only an hialt
an infant crying the sht, an infant crying for the
light and VITA 10 language but "A cry