Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-01-26
A Passage from Agnosticism

T,
FaIls words were AgHOstO Ihe0. an unknown
God. Mr.. Huxley took the word qgnOsto 1un-
known and turned it into ''agnosticism"
Agnostlclsm IL not dOgmatic atheism: il does
not assert positively that there il no God M
says. II there is God we cannot know him
ask your patience while quote TO You some
passage from an agnOstic lecture recently deliy-
ered Ia Boston and published in The Boston In
yestgator. do not quote this lengthy passage
Ior the purpose OF answering it IN detail, but
mat you may know that l do not misrepresent
the speaker. Sentences selected here and there
and disassociated from their context. even with
out garollng. furnish an easy opportunity for
misrepresentation.
The lecturer says, Happiness is satisfaction.
and we do not all require the same things to
make us happy" l ask you to bear in mind this
definition OF happiness.
Again he says Il am not sure that we can he
blamed for anything we do. We did not ask TO
live. We we've not sskedif we wanted TO live
Life was thrust upon US. We were brought into
NE without our wish or consent. Could we have
been consulted ia the matter we might ali of US
have been willing TO be born; buL the fact Is we
were not, and life is not OF our choosing"
And now to quote at length: Especial attention
was called TO the portions italicised by usl s'We
ma ourselves on EARTH with body not OF our
selection, endowed with talents or without any,
driven and ted by appetite and passion and living
we know not why nor for what
II man wishes q serious problem here is one
Tor MIN. IL Is the problem OF existence. Tenn
son says
pluck you out of the crannies,
holo you here. root and all, in my hand
Little mower; but II could understand
what you are, root and ALL and all In all
| should know what God and man Isr
Are we more than the leaves that grow on the
trees anu Iau Wlthered and dead on the gro.ndg
are we more than the beasts of the field that eat
and drink and sleep few years and then lie
down and die? Can we do more than the flower
that opens its heart to the world and breathes
cut Its life IN sweetnesss Can we do more than
10 mi o. AnF hot -, -
Can we do anything that another power has not
made US TO dof Does the power that paye ma
life control our life? Are we TO do what we want
to dc, or what Is wanted Of US? Is man free or
10 ne bound, master or q slaveg
since We do not know what maR is nor why he
liVes, are we to conclude that we are living for
another than ourselVesG When the door of birth
closes behind us, we find ourselves in a lAbvrinth
from which there is no escape but by the door OF
aeath, and through this door we must 90 blind
FOLDED. What is man but an animal that can add
thought to his life rs the bird adds song, and
VINO, IKE the bird, Is powerless to change the
color OF his Plumage or the note OF his carol?
believe in defending ourselves, AVID when we
are told that we ought to do thing which for
some reason we have not done, ] feel like say
ing; Do not blame US, but ire polUer that made
as WtGt are are. We might possibly have done
better, lived nob.er life, loved man more and
Oeen mere loved, done nobler deeds. used nobler
speech and accomplished higher and greater
good, had we selected the powers which we were
10 use in life. Since we did not choose life nor
the things OF life; since our coming here was not
OF our wishing or designing, and since our
mental and physical powers were not submitted
70 our tastes or DESIRES lcherein lies our resD0ns-
t6tHty to the D0ftd 2Cs lire IN? can man be re-
Sp0RStbke for his lCOrk as he did not choose To
are, ana dad not hare any part In selecting his
equipment?
Man is clothed with life. with bodily strength
or weakness, possessed Of iactjRGttoHs thar fedd
nm miner anu Lbtthfr, and then is told, that 4
he Goes not keep certain commandments he win
be punished for his dsobedience after ne leaves
the earth. The world we live in, which is full of
temptations and trials. hardships and sufferinus
was not of our making but we are commanded
to keep clear Of the holes dug for our feet mass
by the temptations that lie in our path and Weld
not to the allurements of earthly things for they
who fall will have to suffer forever for heir
deeds. can see no justice in making place in
which to punish men hereafter for what they do
here. There would be more justice more rea
son. more sense, and more love in Hadk1ng men
d6te 10 tiUe right on earth than in ndRin0 them
lCedk and tidbte TO fqU and then puniShtn9 them
Jol their psdkhesS and misfortune.
There might have been great saving of pain
and tears II man had been created stronger 1t
would have been economy to have started better
do not assert that there is God who is re-
sponsible for human weakness, and who has de-
clared that II man cannot turn this weakness to
strength, and win with hands of feebleness the
crown Of night, he will sentence him to suffer
through all coming time; but l do say, that il
there be a God as mean as this. cruel as this,
as heattless and inhuman as this, rejoice that
am man. To say that Gods ways are not onr
ways and that what is wrong in our eyes may be
right in his, will not answer. We say To God as
well as to man: do as You would be done by"
God must submit TO human conscience II a
God is charged with doing what the huma- con-
science condemns he must forfeit the reverence
OF mankind. But understand me, do not put
the faults OF our nature upon deity or upon any-
body. For my part an willing to bear my own
and presume that every ether person is willing
to bear bis, and whether we are willing or not
we are obliged to do 1t. We cannot alter very
much what is, and therefore let us ACCEPT our
fate with what fortltude we may. 1t ls useless
TO murmur or complain. Since we are all crea-
lures OF the same power and all victims of each
others errors and mis- fortunes to one another lot
be merciful. II we can improve life by what
is given us TO do, our duty lies in that direction
would not We ave words to put ont the truth
even II the truth " re unpleasant | look upon
human life like this. We are travelling on a
dark road with only the feeble light Of human
intelligence to show us the way This road com.
meuced too for back for man to trace and IL ex-
tends too far forward for him TO see the end
While travelling We do not 90 alone, but have
other beings for companions. There is on TIE
way Joy and sorrow, laughter and tears. sunshine
and storm, and on the whole the Journey is
agreeable to most. Now and then some traveller
tires ont and lies down TO endless rest aud the
othevs with tender hands prepare bed for him
aud leave him asleep with Hower Of love and
tear Of sorrow upon his pillow. Life cannot stop
and SO man leaves the grave behind. and goes
on, until his time comes bid farewell TO those
who journey with him. This is human hfe How
muck more can We know / DO not say that
human life ends when the human form Il
wrapped IN lis blanket Of earth and laid to rest:
what / do say is that orr knowledge Of life ends
then, fear every dsl'ar given TO TEN IT or bride
the future is . wasted dollar I think all the
talk, ali the speculation, ali the dogmas about
the hereafter have not sled one ray Of light up.
on the earth. For myself ! do not see q single
star in the night Of death. A great mary people
hold mp their little candle and ask me If I do not
see the sunlight of slother world in its efful-
gence. but must honestly answer, no l know
only this world.
This passage contains much OK beauty and
some really Christian sentiment
Again the lecturer says, II do not see how we
can put down on the map OF knowledge future
continent. No Columbus has discovered such s
land No hip has sailed to this hidden country
and brought back any product az its soil any
photograph It's people any token or its civil
izaton.
Frtml. mr. 10 say in passing, for ] shall not re.
fer 20 this passage again, thS- we AGg. prOGUCt
or lis sol i ! not wheat ard corn aud potatoes
tbsf are pr1auced there. but il il character, and
Jesus Christ i specimen of that character. II
Yea Would s5c pAutog aph o. lis people. look
apon Tie meek ana ,-wiv 1eSEs ~ Nazareth, we
hSVe s.sa iy hlm Who proclaimed himself son Of
Esn aut son g. Goa token Of its c4.1t5za-
ton" Btha.8 his love his sympathy, his tend
ezneSs. b. falth, his plety. bis patience his
MseSueSl his fQrhGaraDCg. hl- mirage, lis fD-
teETitv BIS holiness. and gou have token Cf
tha c'Fl s-gsou of bat fgtGEe continent. How
different trom FIRE -rcea the last, tte ambition.
tEe deceit. fGe fatSehooG. the h+aSpaer1y. tse
Sartld se1t- haess 81 the c.Ti.Eatle= "a tats pres
eat WORLD