The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-07-06
I I.

Mr.. Spencer's position, as outlined in
his Synthetic Philosophy. is concisely
| stated in an Introductory chapter to
| Part II of DR.. Lucas book to be the
belief. shared with Sir William Hamil-
| ton and Mr.. Mansei, that all knowledge
Is relative. and that beyond knowledge
Is an Inscrutable Absolute which, in
Mr.. Spencer's system, is called the
Unknowable and made to do service as
God. Science. in that system. has to
do with knowledge; religion, with con-
lecture, but both are recognized as Of
use to mankind and neither is discour-
aged. The chief part Of Dr. Lucas
essay is devoted, as We shall see, to
an examination Of this ill-defined Un-
movable, from the standpoint Of his
tory.
The first objection that our author
brings to Mr.. Spencer's concept Of re-
ligion is that he seems to consider his
announcement that Science Is knowl-
edge and Religion nescience as not
needing any proof. Contrary to COM
monty accepted definition. he lays this
| assertion down as his distinctive view
and yet makes no effort to sustain It.
DR.. Lucas Is unwilling to take Mr..
Herbert Spencer's ipse dixit on so vital
a point in preference to the concensus
or opinion of all prior philosophers and
religious systems. Another basic gem
erality Of the Synthetic Philosophy
which. in our authors Judgment, Is sim.
ply asserted and In nowise sustained
consists Of the declaration that re-
liglon Is simply "a theory of original
| causation,' while its essential charac-
ters and forms are merely Supple
mentary growth" Were the moral
code simply supplementary growth"
DR.. Lucas observes, I'VE should he
able to find religions existing, at some
period Of their history, without a
| moral code; and we should find that
religious creeds in general attach n
greater Importance to the theory than
to the practice. But all Is to the con-
trary. In beholding the religions of
the universe, not mere theory but prac-
tlce strikes US everywhere" In proof
OF which he adds:
| The doctrine Of love, sacrifice and PRAYER
Is preached In Ved.c Hinduism. Cua.
| tama summed I'M his teacbin,, T., ,ho -.
"To cease from Gin tn ao, " ,.,.,. ."u 'e''.
cleanse tbe be,rt-.tbat ,s .Sa ,s,,.. .ue. ~
the Buadbas" 'e's y" VI
Repentance and a eood no,
core sof the Conf,,c,an nrans "re rs a. ',ne
remarks "Tbose whn ,n,,,,;,,,,, uc'us
will have fovs m nvorgon,,,,, spou ueeuS
mult,pIv evil decd. u,,, ha,,, .nTss n,s Who
running over" Tho pa,asa.a,a .",ai''.,es u,
ancient Germans worshipped God when
they had no name to express Him. BE.
cause OF It's dreaded sancthy. Jehovah. the
'n.'iaplo name or the supreme Being. was
o, ,,.n. pronouncea a,." ed py tne Jews. The Egyp.
oairI, so 80, uu .u ,ne name Oh the God
tor and scr,be .nel,.d ~ o,. ,.so,n SOUP,
is, instead M "A.-a,p, ,hnu , Una :,
"Ari-as." Before Mahomet, tho rs,a,,,.'
worshipped the stars Of Lot and Ozza a nd
Manah and the 800 idols of the temple oi
Mecca. In the religion Of Mahomet fast.
Ing and prayer and aims are among the
essentials the Koran Is book Of religious
prac'lces. The aboriginal North American
nu.ans. - ",,. rom Alaska to Mexico, believed
,@,Istnrw ous ceremonies and practiced pro
which 80 49, n. IN Loroastrianism