The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-13
III.
ANOTHER WASTE.


other. We are seeking the truth, trying
to find what ought TO be done to increase
the well being OF man. must give you
my honest thought. You have the right
TO demand 1t, and must maintain the
integrity Of my soul.
There ls another direction In which the
wealth and energies OF man are wasted.
From the beginning of history until now
man has been seeking the aid Of the super
natural. For many centuries the wealth
Of the world was used TO propitiate the un-
seen powers In our own country tho
property dedicated 70 this purpose is worth
at least 81. 00o. 900 000 The interest ON
tnis sum Is 500, 900, 900 year, and the
cost OF employing persons whose business
IL Is Co seek the aid of the supernatural
md TO maintain tho property Is certainly
ss much more. So that the cost In our
country Is about s2, 600, 900 a week, and.
counting ten hours as a working day, this
amounts to about $500 minute.
For this vast amount Of money the re-
turns arc remarkably small. The good
accomplished does not appear to be great.
There Is no great diminution In crime.
The decrease Of immortality and poverty Is
hardly perceptible. In spite, however, Of
the apparent failure here, a vast sum of
money Is expended every year TO carry our
ideas Of the supernatural to other races.
Our churches, for the most part. are closed
during the week, being used only part Of
one day In seven. No one wishes TO de-
stroy churches or church organizations.
The only desire Is that they shall accom-
plish substantial good for the world. In
many of our small towns-towns Of 5000
or 1000 people-will be found four or five
churches, sometimes more Thesechurches
are founded upon immaterial differences,
difference as to the mode of baptism, q
difference as to who shall be entitled TO
partake of the Lords supper, difference
of ceremony, of government, difference
about foreordination, a difference about
fate and free will And it must be nd
mitted that all the arguments on all sides
of these differences have been presented
countless millions of times. Upon these
subjects nothing new is produced or an
ticipated, and yet the discussion Is MAIN
tanned by the repetition the old argu-
ments.
Now IL seems to me that 1t would be far
better for the people Of tswn having
population OF 1000 or 5000 TO have ono
shnrch, and the edillce should bo Of use
not only on Sunday, but on every day of
the week. In this building should be the
library of the town. 1t should be the club
house Of the people, where they could find
the principal newspapers and periodicals
Of the world. Its auditorium should be
like theater. Plays should be presented
by home talent, an orchestra formed, mu-
sic cultivated. The people should meet
there ut any time they desire. The women
could carry their knitting and sewing, and
connected with it should be rooms for the
playing of games, billiards, cards and
chess. Everything should be made as
agreeable as possible The citizens should
take pride in this building. They should
adorn its inches with statues and its walls
with pictures. 1t should be the intellec-
tual center. They could employ gentle
man of ability, possibly of genius, to nd-
dress them on Sundays on subjects that
would be of real interest, of real impor-
tance. They could say to this minister:
''We are engaged in business during the
week. While we are working at our trades
and professions We want you to study, and
on Sunday tell us what you have found
out"
Let such minister take for q series OF
sermons the history, the philosophy OF the
art and the genius of the Greeks. Let him
tell of the wondrous metaphysics, myths
and religions of India and Egypt. Let
him make his congregation conversant
with the PHILOSOPHERS Of the world, with
the great thinkers, the great poets, tho
great artists, the great actors, the great
orators, the great inventors, the captains
of industry, the soldiers Of progress. Let
thom have Sunday school In which the
children shall be made acquainted with
~. n. 81 1xrt. .<.l
ogy, something OF geology and astronomy.
Lot them be made familiar with the
greatest of poems, tho finest paragraphs
of literature, with stories OF the heroic,
the self denying and generous.
Now it seems to mo that such congre-
CATION in few years wouM become the
most intelligent people In the United
States.
The truth Is that people are tired OF the
old theories. They have lost confidence In
the miraculous, In the supernatural, and
they have ceased to take interest in "facts"
that they do not quite believe.
"There Is no darkness but ignorance"
There is no light but intelligence.
As often as we can exchange mistake
for fact, a falsohood for truth, we ad-
vance. We add tn the intellectual wealth
way alone, can bc laid the foundation for
the future prosperity and civilization Of
the race.
i blame no one; call In question the
motives of no person; / admit that the
world has acted as IL must.
But hope for the future depends upon
the intelligence of the present. Man must
husband his resources. He must not waste
his energies In endeayoring to accomplish
the impossible.
He must take advantage Of the forces Of
nature. He must depend on education, on
what he can ascertain by the use Of his
senses, by observation, by experiment and
reason. He must break the chains Of pref
udice and custom. Ho must be free TO ox-
press his thoughts on all questions. He
must find the conditions Of happiness and
become wise enough to live in accordance
with them.