Telegram-herald., 1891-10-23

philosophical standpoint, and gave a
history or IL as shown in the writings
Oh Lock, Hume, kent. and Spencer.
No greater blight ever fsli u,lon a
human mind than real, true agnosa-
eism 1t made its power felt in the
early history of the church, and a
halt was called. At various times ID
has cropped out, and now, in this last
part OF the nineteenth century, it has
assumed proportions that terrify us-
The twentieth century will hear a
more violent protest than the sixteenth
saw. The result Will be 10 name this
'unknowable' and put it under tla
shelter OF reason. The thinkers of
that day Will wonder that the bubble
OIL the 'unknowable' was left SO Ion.
unprieked.
Another fallacy is supposing the diff
ierent functions OF the mind can be
divorced one from the other, and the
moral growth go on the same.
There may be a very true religion
independent OF all theories OF religion
Man In his personality is more than
transcriber of laws. He looks forth
into universe and asks whence and
Why Give him a personal God and
he is put on larger, higher plane.
II God is not personal, he must be more
than personal, or less than personal.
IL God is not personal, man is the
highest thing. But the best teachings
OF age shows that there Is over all
and through all, wisdom, righte-
ousness from which all goodness
comes.
How is agnosticism to be cured?
BY thinking through it; and by help
| Eng men to dare TO think, and care to
| dhink."
The Rev. Charles Fitch, OF Kendall
| vile, thought that Mrs. Sunderland
had criticized Mr.. Rowan too severe
| ly; that in the very nature OF things,
| rhere must be nost.cism and agnostic-
.sin. and that agnosticism Is not an
| absolute thing. ''Ail OF us must at
times become at least in part
| s.gnogst-es, Tor it is a cond zion OF
lae.''
Mss Tupper thought that it was
possible To believe every word of both
the essay4sst and his critic. She is
| very glad TO hear the word "agnostic-
ISM" torn to pieces on every occasion,
and hopes IL viii yet be a word
understood by everybody. NO one
In any advanced orthodox church be-
Geves today in the man-God. We must
have sense oil personality. God is
what we are in our souls. One can
DE religious without having the intel
lectual problem settled. Don't wait
until the metaphysical horizon is clear
TO be good"
Miss Hu,tin did not like to leave
| Spencer as the Il don't know, and
| don't care man. 1.-The last lesson OF
the universe will never be learned.
and that is, the unknowablencss OF
| Spencer. Wilde we don't even know
how a grass blade grows, we ought
to be very modest IN our definition of
God. In personality OF God, we do
not think anything about the human.
| We have come To know that God is
| thrOned III every thing. l am just as
myst.iied in your personality as l
am in uhe personality OF the Infinite"
President Clute, OF the Agricultural
College, spoke OF the deep interest ali
must take in the spiritual atmosphere
Di Mr.. Rowan's paper, and spoke OF
Mrs. Sunderiand's paper as one OF
che ablest he had ever listened to.
Spencer bases his chapters on the
unknowable on the incapacity OF the
human intellect TO understand any
thing about God. a
We are religious only because we
are ignorant. is tine ultimate. decision
oil the Spenceg1an philosophy. His
great army OF superficial followers
have accepted his word without any
| clear thinking OF their own. Spencer
and his followers ignore the law oi
Sod within their being, and base their
| philosophy OF religion on their own
ignorance, and say it is absolutely
unknowable TO all intellects. All
round us are evidences OF wisdom
power and love, and we are com
PEELED to acknowledge the presence
OF the eternal. the able-wise God. In
stead OF basng religion upon what
we don't know. we would base II
upon what we know. We can base
70 upon facts"
The Rev. IT. T. Root agreed with
Miss Tupper that a right intellectual
conception OF God was not necessary
TO spiritual life. But n clear intel
'ectual conception is a valuable aid.
Whrrs Herbert Spencer saws that he
knows that God IS unknowable. he Il
acknowledging that he does know on'
thing about this unlSnowable being '
Mr.. Rowan thanked the discus
sers'' for the blows they had given hin
and said II was one oi the beautie.
md giorips Of the Unitarian mission
that all Unitarians could be handled
IN that way.
"narwin.sm skaters tho universi
in which the orthodox Young maj
= brought M. And bv Darwinism
upran the 'unknowableness. an
sorry to note that agnostics hav,
che slur thrown Mt them OF being i'm
beetles 'fliots.'"
The following resolutions were of
tered by the buS,ncss committee:
Resolved, That the chirf onpor
tuu;fy for uscfulncss open before thi,
conference are tho fostering and sus
ralrsng the liberal movements in out
state that have f-ncr begun and whicl
are at present without local leaders
or otherwise menaced by disorganlza
tfon.
Resolved. That n prerequisite e
this underrf anding il a fund In tn
treasury sufficient TO provide for worl
+ md preaching at such points. there
lore,
: Resolved. Tat this conferenci
hereby undertakes 10 raise the sun
of five hundred dollars. to be used Il
the coming year for the purpose state
IN the above resolutions. and resolved
also. that II "a the aim NJ this con