The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-06
Tho Pantheistic Movement.


ment started uptown for the organiza-
ton OF religious unbelievers Of all kinds
as a Society for Radical Religious and
Social Reform. The author OF the en-
terprise, Mr.. HENRY FRANK. explains its
| theories and purposes in another column OF
| this paper. He was formerly an orthodox
Protestant minister. we believe but now
he rejects oil faith in the supernatural
and is trying to substitute for 1t scientific
demonstration and optimistic confidence In
1.-The ultimate happiness OF humanity and
harmony OF all things"
His new religion. therefore. IL nothing
more than revival of the old pantheism
hitherto always unsatisfactory as food for
the religious aspirations OF the race Strict
lv speaking, it is philosophy rather than
religion. 1t is not faith in a Divine Being
and worship Of Him, but admiration OF a
subjective and impersonal supreme
IDEAL" OF the "All Good" the supreme
Good" and faith in man." " in the per-
sistent. pervasive ethical energy Of the uni
verse;" in the superhuman purposive po-
tency OF nature"
These terms do not mean much. They
are vague and general: but go is the thing
itself without form and void. Neither is
there any science about 1t. for It ventures
into domain into which science can never
enter. domain accessible only to faith. or
as to which men must content themselves
with speculations altogether infantile as
compared with its inexplorable vastness.
Hence whoever is looking for science
to explain tho problem OF existence. looks In
vain. 1t can go no further than mans ca
pacity for knowledge. and that Is limited
within q range inf1nitesimally small. Out
side OF these bounds he must see. II he can
see at all. with the eye Of faith: or he must
picture the unknowable regions beyond with
his feeble imagination. All the science Of
all the ages has barely scraped the surface
of knowledge, and it can never get much
deeper relatively.
A religion. accordingly. which has no other
foundation than science. is built on the
sand. II mere ethical principles are its
basis. 1t rests on the experience and con-
viction OF men only. If 1t is built up from
the Imagination. it has no substantial cor
ner stone. II it is to have absolute truth as
its foundation. the truth must come as a
supernatural revelation.
The only significance there Is In the en-
spondent Is the indication it affords OF tho
craving for some semblance OF religion.
some sort of fetch. even among those who
reject all upcrnaturalsm. They want to
worship something, an abstract idea. if
they can find nothing better. They
want some support for their absolute
feebleness as against the laws OF nature
They have exi!cd themselves from the
Church. and in their homcsickncss they are
hunting for foster mother.
The present theological controversy is
rapidly increasing this multitude Of the re-
ligiously homeless. and the enterprise of our
correspondent seems to DO an adroit device
to gather them into now fold. But it can
not 10 successful. for philosophy furnishes
a bare and cold shelter as compared with
religion. and it scatters rather than COL
lects. The only sympathy between unbe-
levers comes from their being out in the
cold together. and they can no more warm
themselves by worshipping a Supreme
Ideal in common than they can get bodily
sustenancc from gnawing at stone. The
only thing for them to do is to travel along
as best they can without religion. and
dismiss the subject from their thoughts as
the agnostics try to do. After Il few meet
ings the enterprise OF our correspondent
will go into liquidation and he will disap-
pear from such notice as he now courts.
Meantime DR.. BRIGGS. DR.. VAN DYKE, DR..
PARKHURsT. DR.. LYMAN ABBOTT. and all
that school Of theolOgians will go on i'll
creasing the disorganized and unorganiza-
BILE agnostic and panthcistic host by dis
cleditinE the inspiration of tho Scrip
lures with theory Of their origin
which is substantially the same as his.
The Cop who inspired the Bible. ac-
cording to their teachings. SO far as these
are comprehensive at all. is the Supreme
Ideal influencing the minds OF the Scriptural
writer's, but not removing from them their
narrow human limitations and saving them
from the consequences OF their natural
ignorance and perversion. This new school
OF theological critics d!scards utterly the
old belief that the Bible is COPS history and
not mans: that He was the author and the
human writers only His penmen. They take
away tho supernatural basis OF theology
and religion. leaving the Church nothing
more t,an u Society for Radical Religious
and Social Reform such as our correspond
ont is wasting his time in trying TO es-
cr2j in the pantheistic movement.
----------
The Succession Taxa BAD Amendment.
A remarkable bill to amend the succession
tax law OF this State has been introduced
into tho Legislature by Senator JOHN Z.
SMITH.
The first New York statute for the taxa
ton of inheritances was passed in 1885. 1t
was amended in 1887. 1889. and 1890. Up to
1890, however. it provided for the taxation
OF collateral inheritances only. In that
year. upon the recommendation of Governor
HILL. the provisions OF the law were ex-
tended so as to impose general probate
and succession tax not merely upon col
lateral inhcritances. but upon all property
which passes from one to another, by will
ca by intestacy, where the estate OF the
deccdent is valued at $4,000 or more
Both in the original statute providing for
the taxation of collateral inheritances only,
and under the statute in its present form
V,pn fpr ha to~ 90 al i'll