New-York tribune., 1893-12-10
10 UE THINK roo wren?

| The marvellous intellectual development OF
the world during the last four hundred years
has led many people TO fear that the human
| race is thinking too much-that in fact, the
| human brain is in danger of destroying Itself
| by its abnormal activity. writer in d" The
| Pail Mall Budget" for instance. who possibly
| does not expect to be taken with entire serious
| ness. predicts that man is now tending To de-
velop into cabbage-shapcd. cricket-like Great
| urc hopping about on his hands and dragging
| behind him the atrophicd remnants Of his I'M
| used body and legs He will. in Il word. be-
simply an enormously developed brain. While
the conccit does not merit any serious notice.
II reflects belief more or less consciously en-
tertaincd by large numbers Of people. who are
at once impressed and appalled, by the move
mcnt and complexity Of modern life.
But those who think thus prove thereby that
they at least. are in no imminent danger Of
thinking too much. For their judgment is al
most wholly n superficial one. ParadoXical as
IL may SEEM the most serious Indictment That
can be brought against our age today * that
il does not think enough. Just as In every
other period Of It's history the world today
has nearly all its thinking done for 1t by n few
specialists The average man has no time 10
think. except in the grooves made for him by
such Intellectual giants Darwin. Tyndall
Huxley. Spencer, Browning. Tcnnyson AMI
Martincau. All he does. and in fact all he has
time 10 do Is to act as the willing pack horse
of the thinker, by executing his plans for the
progress and bettcrmcnt Of the race We would
not dcpreciatc the Importance Of this work.
ON the contrary. the docility Of the unthnk-
ing multitude In following the leadership OF
few great original thinkers has been the moving
cause OF the modern renaissance OF human
life IN which all rejoice We no longer
administer d-lught OF hemlock 10 bold
thinker: nor do We burn al the stake the man
who discovers a new law Of Nature. Certain
thcologians mourn loudly at what they suppose
To- bc the incrcduIity OF the age. But. in truth.
the age Is inclined TO be too crcdulous because
II is both unable and unwilling 10 do its own
thinking Immersed rs II is. In the continuous
and multiplied activities that characterize mod
ern llfe 1t Is entirely content 10 accept as true
what It's teachers declare 10 be true.
But II Is obvious that this state Of affairs
cannot continue indefinitely. Man is Il think
Ing being The Sanscrit root stem of the
worl man IL itself proof that he has always
been So regarded Worthy rs the worlds think
crs are Of the Difference now paid thcm-and in
most cases they are suprcnely worthy-thcir
commission will one day expire by limitation;
or rather Il will be- merged in the larger COM
mission which imposes upon every conscious
being the obligation 10 prove oil things and TO
hold fast that which Is good. The poverty OF
thought to-day Is not due to any inherent weak-
,.,c nf intolloct,iol cveopmpnt I'm thp mass OF
the people, but simply TO the rapid pace OF
modern progress In things material. which
leaves no time for introspective thought. We
are all trying as best we may to nssimlnte and
digest the results of past ages of thought and
speculation When that process Is completed
the world will face the fact that In the last
ANALYSIS mind Is incomparaby greater than
matter and every man will begin TO realize that
his own mind Is a mcrocosm. however imper-
feet. Of the Divine Mind. While on the one
hand he will have learned from the thinkers
whom he now so blindly follows how to think
himself the progress of the mechanic and in
dlIstrial arts will have given him leisure for
Thought and intellectual culture. which Is not
now possible except to the few who are
able 10 withdraw themselves from active lfc
Then will be- realized In II way never yet real
izcd. the prophetic boast Of the philosophers
- think; therefore | am