The herald., 1893-06-26
WANTS THEM REFORMED.
LECTURER BOWMAN FINDS FAULT
WITH EXISTING CONDITIONS.
He Takes Radical View OF what He
Calls Things Un-easonn-
BILE, Unjust and
Wrong.

At the Church of the New Era yester.
lay the lecturer, Prof. w. G. Bowman,
discoursed on Things Unreasonable, I'm
just and Wrong. After saying it would
be difficult for preacher to get away
from so large text, the speaker began
with some unjust and unreasonable
things in the popular notion OF science,
among which ia the error OF limiting the
word science to the material realm.
Universal interest in the researches of
the great naturalists OF the age has for a
time eclipsed the heavenly bodies Of the
more noble realm of mental and spir-
itual science. One would hardly sus-
pect now that there is anything in the
universe besides microscope, moned
and moneron. Matter and motion are
the sum total of all things. Mind, soul,
God, immortality and an occult world
are myths and back numbers. Eat.
drink and be merry, for tomorrow we
die" "Great is Diana of the Ephe-
sians" So take another drink" for
this ia the chief end Of man But
everything known or movable is within
the realm of science, and we must not
forget that many things are known
and movable beyond the power
OF both microscope and telescope.
Again, it is unreasonable to ignore the
law of evolution and progress in one
department OF civilization, while reeog-
nizing it in all others. In all science
and art-in law, medicine, agriculture,
architecture, transportation-in every
thing but one--man shows himself ra-
tional in exchanging the crudenesses Of
barbarism for the rehnements Of civili-
zstion. Tho one exception is religion.
Here alone man ineists on being q mule
holding on to the fetishes, idols,
priestly mummeres, bloody sacrifices,
tabled heavens and hells--none of which,
under their old forms, have any more
business in our modern civilization than
the mud hut, the wooden plow or the
potrack. But this absurdity will still
exist, until we come to recognize religion
as branch OF civilization, eubject, like
every other branch, to the law of pro-
eress; and that we can no more afford
to look backward for an ideal religion
than for an ideal science--of astronomy
for example.
1t is unreasonable to reject reason in
any matter of human concern. And yet
men cay, "Whst has reason to do with
religion? Is not revelation above rea-
son % If it is, how shall we Judge what
is genuine in revelation and what is
spurious? Which revelation shall we
take? The Koran or the Book OF Nor.
mon? If reason cannot cit in Judgment
on bibles and revelations, one will be as
good as another. probably better. The
IL e.. L., of Ank I,
hear let him hear" will yet have to be
changed to "t1e that hath brains to
think, let him think"
But this church of the new era ia not
to concern itaelf with religion alone
only rs religion may include all the in.
terests OF man. This church stands NJ
for any one-sided business of sky-pilot-
ing for the peoples interests in another
world, while they are robbed and plum
dered and debauched and degraded by
falas syetems and false dealings in this
world. This church hne come to
lift up its voice for both worlds,
and proclaim righteousness for the
citizen as we'll aH the Christian.
1t ia wrong for any civilized country to
tolerate condition of inequality be-
tween its citizens such ss now exists in
the matter Of wealth and poverty
small part OF the people possessing mil
lionH Of surplus wealth, while the multi
I.tude struggle with want and starvation.
For, If right and wrong mean anything;
if the golden rule is not fable if broth
hood is not mockery and q lie; ii
Justice stands for q principle to be re-
earned Samong mon; if equity and
equality OF human righta are not empty
| figures of speech, then those whose toll
end sweat produce the substance and
wealth of the world should enjoy the
products of their toll and share the COM
forts of life to the full measure of their
needs, and should not be treated as the
beast of burden, the surplus products of
| whose labor go to the master after the
beast 10 fed.
Once more, it is wrong that one-half
OF the free intelligent citizens of coun-
try should be deprived of their rightful
share in the public welfare because they
| happen to be women, and because bar
barians OF the past have held women as
slaves, interiors and the mere chattles
of men. IL is wrong that the public
veal should be exclusively in the hands
of the worat half of the population, and
society remain cursed, disgraced and
blighted with vices and immoralities
which the moral purity and virtue of
womsn would sweep from the face OF
the earth ii the ballot were placed in
her hands.
But the world is moving. The ma
tions are heaving under the mighty sg-
itstions of reform and progress. The
common people are beginning to vote
against their kings, and tyrants are
trembling on their thrones. The coll
umns are moving forward for liberty
and victory, and every banner has in
scribed upon it, Universal iustice, uni
verssl fraternity and universal equality
before the laws OF earth and heaven.