The morning times., 1896-11-30
WANT NO CALLS TO PRAYER
Secular League Condemns All
Thanksgiving Proclamations.
CONFLICT WITH THE LAW
Hold 1t Is Wrong for the Executive
to Issue Such Manifest0es-The
Resolutions Were Passed With
But One Dissenting VOice-Ad-
dress by a London Speaker.

action yesterda y in reference to the Thanks
giving proclamation of the President by
the passage OF a resolution condemning the
annual issue of Executive proclamations
calling on the American people to engage
in prayer for any reason whatever.
This action was taken at the meeting of
the league, which was held yesterday after
noon at Typographical Temple, at which
time there was an unusually large at
tendance, largely in honor OF ar. George
w. Foote, Of London, England, one of the
most foremost free thinkers OF the age, who
lectnred before the league ON the subject.
The Doom of the Gods"
Mr. Foote is president of the English
National Secular Society, and is an able
and eloquent exponent of secularism. He
is Il fine Looking, welIformed, typical English
man, and though very mild hammered, has
been imprisoned in England for expressing
his views. He spoke in part as follows:
TRUTH DEFENDED.
THE truth is the highest poli;eness. Gods
are created out of mans ignorance-an
abundant raw material. At times, gods
have been almost as numerous as men, edch
man ha wing his own individual conception
thereof. Jealousy is one of the fundamental
attributes of a god, Jehovah not excepted.
But jealousy is an admission that there are
other gods, else there were no need OF
being jealous
belief is another fundamental attribute
Children are taught to clasp their hands
in the attitude OF submission, close their
eyes in token Of their slavery to theology.
Belief is uncomfortable, hence there can be
no virtue ur crime in exercising IT. All the
gods of the world have demanded tribute.
ana thaJ Is Une milk in the cocoanut. Jehovah
demanded lambs because the Jewish priests
| loved mutton. Theologians promise man
IN, rfl N fsar hlI
down here.
when worship decays, diety dies. Hence
| theolcgians want one day for themselves.
They know no more about the unknown
| ,han you or 1. Unlike our common pilots,
these sky pilots W ant their pay in advance.
They should only receive their pay after
| the job is finished, which would be the
| day after Judgment day.
.tEngland hoasls Of being the most Chris
| tian nation In the world, and is the big
| gest thief in the world Though the Bible
says 'Swea not at ALL 1t remained for
| Bradlaw TO force England TO permit men
10 affirm instead of swear in legal pi occed-
| Ings.
.Tle very devil himself is dead, and
| the gods are dying Gods and devils are
the Siamese twins Of theology, and both
| must die together.
| What use have gods been to men?
| All the prayers in the world fall dead on
their ears. Without lightning rods, you
| can get no insurance on your church, re-
gardless Of prayers. Nature is indifferent
| 20 opray ers and a gCd ofnature must LIE alike
indifferent. If God is running this nation
| He must lie a Republican. If minister
/ falls Ill he rejoices not at the prospect or
| going home sOon, but sends post haste
for the test ply sician. He does OF rely on
prayers.
..CharIes Darwin has haste ened the doom
/ dc l,v la,p nrtVin pf
| species and OF man. God is the sum total
of human ignorance. All we know is
nature; all we don know is God. Design is
| play ed ou--ada ptat!GH :oNes lLt piuEicin
4fliie. Man civiliZes himself and hen III ust
ciyilize his gcds. Yet all The gods die in
| ime, and die withcnt any hope of rfsur-
recticn. Jehovah is dead 10 the Christians.
and their god is dying. But if the gods die
;.ian remains. The blessed trinity OF
father mother and child remain
'The proper study OF mankind is man
That is why / am secularist. Whih
prating about God the Father, men have
butchered, tortured, and burnt their fellows
at the stake. We have fought for ouI
countries, the time has now arrived fol
US to fight for our knd-for humanity
THE RESOLUTIONS.
Mr.. Foote answered several questions
after which the following resolutions of
fercd by DR.. W. A. Croffut, were adopted
| with but one dissenting voice.
"Whereas the head of the nation is no
the head of the church;
whereas prayer is an entirely persona
affair and has no relation whatever L
legislation or politics.;
Whereas national Thanksgiving procla
nations conflict with the United State
| Constitution whose author intended tc
| found a genuine Republic, whose form o
| government should be entirely divorced
| from the forms and ceremonies of religion
| and subserviency to kings eitherin America
Europe. or the skies;
whereas a Methodist church OF thi!
city has formally thanked President Cleye
land for his favorable mention of Jesu
| Christ, while the Jews have reproache,
him for complim enting Jesus at the eX
pensc of other Jews; and
| Whereas the Governors OF the Easter
States have asked their people to pra.
for a continuation of the current financia
| policy, while some western Governor
have suggested that God ought to fayo
the free coinage of silver at the ratio o
16 to 1 thus tending to confuse and EN-
barrass the so-called Heavenly Powers
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Washington Secula
League earnestly condemns the annua
issue of Executive proclamations calm
upon the American people to engage il
prayer for any reason whatever"
Next Sunday the league will have
lecture, followed by discussion, and tn
following Sunday will listen to a lcctur
by Mr.. Charles Watts, of London, Eng
land, vice president of the English Ma
tional Secular Society.