The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-05-05

cannot disregard.-E. Wordsworth,
Monthly Packet, London, March.
REFLECTIONS ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF
HISTORY.
To write dogmatically on the philoso-
ply of history it is necessary that one
should have sat in the councils of the
Almighty but that there is philosophy
of history, that is to say an intelligent
inter dependence of events, and, conse
quently, a possibility of tracing such
dependence, has been conceded by the
most thoughtful in all ages. The
prime characteristic of our intelligence
is that it forces us to look for evidences
of intelligence in. everything. That
we ourselves are not the highest intel
ligence is beyond all question, and,
consequently, we do not look for the
whole order of the universe to reveal
itself to us. But upon the little spot
of earth which we have made the sub
iect of our observations and reflections,
we are able to verify isolated sequences
which prompt to philosophical ret1ec-
tiOns on the universally of law and
order in space, and on historical
sequences in time. The old historical
philosophers contain a great deal of
philosophy with very little history, but
since an abundance of historical ma
terial has been collected, ONE philo-
sophical historians, as Ranke, Buckle,
Taine, Eicken, have submitted isolated
philosophical reflections of more value
than the more p~retentiOus philosophers
Of history of an older date; and the
more historical material multiplies,
the easier will it be to reach conclusions
of practical value; for the.mOre cor
rectly we %apprehend the meaning of
the worlds history, the easier it will
be for us to live in conformity with it.
To recognize whatever is; as the
necessary consequence of antecedent
causes, is to realize the existence of
law in evolution. But we recognize
the order of history as intelligent, only
when we realize that all changes tend
to the working out of a purpose which
commands universal approval. To at
tempt to make the First Cause in
nature the subject of scientific investi-
cation would be presumptuOus but
the characteristics and purposes of the
Great First Cause IRE reflected beyond
civil in the creation, and in man the
nOblest work of creation known to us;
and by a recognition of the creator in
His numerous works, we attain to a
conception of Him as a whole. We
may not attain to a clearer conception
of Him in this wise than is afforded in
Revelation, but we do not on that ac-
count cease. to observe and investigate,
firstly, because the intelligence'of man
Graves demonstration of that which
has been revealed; and, secondly, be-
cause our overwhelming experience
affords opportunity to fill in our
originally vague and underlined concep-
ton with ever more clearly defined de-
tails.
Even without any aid from Revela-
ton, we would arrive, by reflection, at
the conclusion, that the Being who i'm
posed His purpose upon the world is a
conscious Being. If we were to hold it
possible for the world to have proceeded
from an unconscious being, we must,
in this case, resign all conception of
design, and of an intelligent sequence
of events. Whatever then, is, and
occurs, would be the work of blind
chance, a purpOseless and meaningless
confusion. In such case, the only
thing of Importance to any one would
be his own immediate we'll being, and
to trouble himself with anything he
yond, would be folly. There would be
no philosophy, nor history, nor phil
Osophy of history. If l remember
Alright, it was Clemens Alexandrinus
who compared the heather religions to
those Egyptian temples, in which,
after striding through stately halls,
supported on magnificent columns,
one penetrated atlast to the innermost
sanctuary, to find only u cat, or a
crocodile, OF other beast. But what
we discover after penetrating through
the lofty dictiOn and labyrinthine ex-
position of atheistic philosophers is
still less. 1t is pure nothingness.
The study of history reveals an or
derby sequence of events, in which
effect follows cause, subject to laws as
rigid as those which determine the
evolution of inanimate nature. The
philosophy of history consists in the
recognition that the re suits to which
men and nations have blindly con-
tributed in the pursuit of their we'll