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

C0lt1tltlte(t JTOHt fHt puJ6sJ
end" I do not know where such teaching as
this Is 30 much emphasized az II Is IN the n
T. and in the pulpit. The fountain head OF
the doctrine OF love for neighDOr is IL the
preaching, practice Of Christ Christ says, - was
hungry ana ye gave me meat. WAS thirsty and
We gave me drink. / was a stranger and ye took
me in XheBg When do men treat Christ in this
manner Whenever they treat their fellow man
so / 90 not know bow Christ could more strongly
emphasize the importance OF our social duties.
This aEnostic is debtor TO a christian civilization
for his clear knowledge OF mans duty TO man,
for no other teacher has ever put duty to God
and duty to man on the same level: Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and thy
neigh Dor as myself What we object 70 here IN
his utterances is the implication that this teach
ing is not Christian teaching. The fact IL. it is
Christian preaching and practice. Christian peo-
pie have their organized charities all over the
world that are in cOnrtsnt, but quiet operation.
They ara directed toward every interest OF man.
physical, intellectual spiritual. The AgnOstic ex
claims Millions for enlightenment, enjoyment,
not cent for superstitions and delusions." That
lie q beautiful sentiment, even Christian sesti-
ment II you will allow az 10 define superstition.
But where we ask the Agnostic's millions
where Is his practice! We do not question but
he has done some philanthropic work, bat We
hunted for some systematic and large work in
New York City last summer and failed to find
any. We found more charitable work carried on
there by Christian people than we can name in
the short time allotted to Us this evening. The
superstition Of which he speaks IL the Christian
sAys il IL an ignorant or irrational fear OF that
which is unknown or mysterious. ~ II then
Christian people were more enlightened there
would no: be any Christian religion. The
Christian religion is supported by ignorance;
Danish that and the Christian religion disappears
with IL. have ten thousand answers 10 the
charge or the Agnostic here. and one Of them II
Phillips Brooke, another il Timothy Dwight
another VIM X. Harper, and President J, q
Schurman of Cornell and President Adams OF
Madison. and Pres. Northrop Of Minneapolis
and Pres Angel OF Michigan University aud
Prof. Dana 81 Yale, and Prof Ely Of Madison -
but time IL too short 10 give the 10000 suffice II
10 say that the leaders In knowledge are
Christians.
In this passage there is confusion OF funda
mental principles, at least there are no clear
definitions which Indicate grasp OF fuudament-
ais There il great deal OF glib talk about
human happiness, Nothing IL farer. better o
more sacred than human happiness p" We ask
what is this sacred thing called human happi-
ness. The Agnostic tells MS that Happiness is
satisfaction, and we do not all require the same
things to make ne happy" Happiness Is salts.
faction" satisfaction OF what? satisfaction OF
appetite, OF passion. OF greed, OF lust, OF ambi-
ton. The glutton is happy when he has eaten
his MI the inebriate Is happy when he has swal-
lowed his quart OF whiskey and il is burning 10
his stomach, the highwayman is happy when he
has slain the expressman and grasped the roll OF
bills; the miser is happy when he has piled up
his millions; the debAuchee 10 happy when he
has wallowed in the sewers ana surfeted him
self with vice. and me happiness Of these men Is
sacred thing if you we're going to seek happi.
take the trimming glass from the bar 10 satisfy
thirst, you viii go To the card table, or lie and
cheat TO satisfy greed. But hear man say,
d7s going 10 DO right rhethsr I am happy or not
and to hts great surprise he has burst in the
door at the headquarters OF all happiness
while others are Ia pursuit Of happiness he has
found the source from which all happiness
comes. There Is something fairer. better. and
more sacred than human happiness, and that is
the Christ character. But where hat Is. there
also L. true human happiness. The Agno-tic
says. The preparation FOR future bliss accord.
ing 10 the Christian plan, IL TO make ourselves
miserable IN the present" IL to do what is
right IL to make 4 man miserable. then | con-
fess that Is the Christian plan. What was
Chrsts plsnf Did he make himself misera-
olef Was he SLAYER lie reached liberty
through righteous law. Was his life fAiureY
He reached success through service Was bis
life unhappy lie reached happiness through
self sacrifice. That Is the program which the
Agnostic tells us will make a name life miHera-
BILE. There is only one other possible and that Ii
20 surrender ourselves TO the animal nature in
Us.
But we pass from the doctrine OF happlness
to the doctrine Of sin. What Il sing It is a
want OF conformity TO the law OF God one
man says that this violation consists In the
voluntary and conscious act OF the Individual
Another says there is some thing more; there Is
included the moral character and dis position OF
the race But the Aguostic does not agree
with either. He says that ain Is simply al i'm
perfection. an mmaturlty. and therefore re-
quires Tor remedy principally u healthful de-
velopment under favorable conditions" Gen
outgtows his boots or his coat. There Is no cat
egorcal statement IL the passage from Agnos-
tciHm wbteh ! have read this evening that sin
lsa defect an immHtnrity. Il Is so stated as TO
be al the same time complaint against the
creator that lie h not made man incapable OF
slnhlug lie say s, We lind ourselves earth,
with body not Of our selection, endowed with
talents or without any. driven aud led by appe.
lite and passion, and living know not WHY
nor Tor WHAT And again. | eau see no iusticp
IN maRlng place in which 20 punish men
hereafter n Ra nor lkAr4 rf.,lt
De more justice, more son, more sense and
more owe IA making men able 10 live right on
eaith than IN making them weak and liable to
ial anu then Furnishing thsm Tor their weakness
anu misfortune IL thls does ct mean tkAI
sin ~ an lmperfecton. au immAturity then am
unable 10 understand language. / remark HrSt
upon this. that GOD does not punish for weak
ness anu misfortune ard IL IL MOI the Christian
d0Ctuuc That he does. Individuals here aud
there may so teach tn leave room for such an
inference. h0t the Bible daes not so teach and
"a. great body Of Christians I'D not So teach IL
- siu thar Il 50 be punished ana TIA 70 hR sim
must BE fgalHf3s4 ana conscious, The A2nostc
has tua conception bcfe Of what justice Is. Ii
wound ne wrong iu punish weakness
"r misfortune Remark Iu She
- the eoeead place. that thH Agua~tic's language
tMpir@ MT az -n f. d weaAness and aWt.f3rtaHe,
ta#i uHn S HHflrr the lass oi necessity, THAT hi5
taudHtt j. controlled rs ap external turge IS much
So Dir birth ASA physical growth ANA DEATH he ald
avi choose his own body, he di3 NOT choose hls
lNu nose, ef tc color ui his baIr 90 }is tycs ap
me size nt his te', Hut ua moro does he CHOOSE
i's conduct tio isdrNou ~ arpvUte and passion /
te taiir ~ h4- o"n vNakaess Men ago physically Z
ttuu~S faett3ut- 1ag5 Ea1e Hn avkvatd, up- (
taahatse hzaiN Hn.l eu. n.a#y ftl some
anrn Hfv h9fHstt clumsy, aHt fat lntu sH4u the (
same "ay tlai tlte c.uu-y H1s stumhI,~ ts.t ga-
ata"Ie 10 ue ItUHi r5 sHtf ts4H paH-t TOR ihpr
-tu-. uhayeau't helpit ft4s fs,....gr,.tt a.. rr
aIt u ttHt e 1lnn, 'arH tine whole Nar.a la-
aetu ln the 0raus Ma hAta a.Dt Ges.}.taJiue. .
8tainttiM5He counts uf Justice. atf@uH nas rs r4
A4 uatiaiAs PRISON 4. Hpsa thr uFee .t0e thas
st'u p 't-i2a-ih'e .ol e st"s 4.t rr.tas-s .tat M
utrr- tn'.t them cuu-tsuH-ss 4Ht N1.sHtaHs4t o.